communal showers in helsinki

30 to 31 August

After just seven days in Russia, we’d entered our second country. And we were being greeted by wet and cold weather the moment we arrived. But fortunately, the locals were many many times warmer. I guess that’s why the showers in
our hostel is communal-styled, like those in an old-school swimming complex. One big room with rolls of shower points on all four sides. Hope this isn’t a common occurance in the hostels of Europe. Maybe because this hostel was converted from a sports stadium.

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We met a Singaporean in Helsinki. And amazingly, she live in an apartment just a few blocks away from ours in Singapore.

On the right is my sketch of Porvoo. We sat at a jetty for about an hour, drawing that and having a break and lunch… if I remembered correctly.

I’ve made a template to help create the monthly calenders you see above. Everytime, I’ll try to finish the month’s record on the left-hand page. Then I would draw the empty calender and fill it up as the days go by. Do I give you the impression that I’m an overly-organised freak? Well, I’m not.

please don’t rain on my holiday

28 to 29 August 2004

But it did. It did rained. Our first this trip. In St Petersburg.
Just wished there were more shelters around.

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Part of 30 August is here.
The other part would be blogged on my next entry.

If you are wondering what the ‘A’s and ‘Z’s are, they were the estimated time
that I was ‘A’woke and slept’Z’ on that day.

still feeling lost in the bigness of russia

26 to 27 August 2004

And of the world. This was the fourth day of the trip, and I’m still feeling out of my travelling mode. But I know I’ll get back into gear soon.

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I cheated. This was drawn back in the room, with the help of my digital camera. Not on site.

But this was drawn in the train cabin to St Petersburg.

I know your question. And the answer is ‘YES’. Yes, I brought along a complete set of coloured-pencils, a variety of markers and opaque inked-pens, masking and double-sided tape, and more. Some I bought during the trip, as and when we needed to.

lost in translation in moscow

24 to 25 August 2004

I was lost. The language lost me. The gigantic city lost me. And I seem to have lost my travelling mode.

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When I travel, I always mail postcards to myself. This way, I could attach them into my journals when I return home.

Next entry, 26 August 2004. I think.

every trip has to start somewhere

23 August 2004

Ours began in our home, Singapore. That morning, we took a flight to Moscow.
It was a long flight. But it was just a tiny step.

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These pages a were all done during the trip. Click on them for
a larger view. I’m sorry if you find reading the small text difficult.
I’m conserving memory space for the rest of the journey.

My next entry should be on tomorrow, if my busy work schedule didn’t stop me.