Planning your trip explains what you need to know when setting off for Russia, and for north-east Russia in particular. En route describes travelling conditions - how you will travel, what you will see, and who you will meet. The next four chapters and their maps constitute the guidebook. They describe rail, river, and road routes, with stops and the segments between them. For the larger stops it also gives a town map and defines some or all of the following: Orientation, History, Getting there and away, Getting around, Where to stay, Where to eat, Getting assistance, What to see, Excursions in the region. BAM Mainline Route Description describes the main line of the BAM, from its junction with the Trans-Siberian at Taishet eastward 4,324 km to its terminus at the Pacific at Sovetskaya Gavan, and supplies specimen timetables. BAM Branch Lines Route Descriptions describes one branch line north of the BAM, three branch lines that extend south from the BAM, and one river route (the Amur) crossing the BAM. Sakha and Yakutsk via the Lena River and AYaM describes routes into the Republic of Sakha (Yakutiya) and its capital, Yakutsk. The Kolyma Highway: Yakutsk to Magadan describes the "Road of Bones" that links Yakutsk on the Lena river to Magadan on the Sea of Okhotsk. Route maps (a Master Route Map and Route Maps 1-6) show the routes, rivers, places, and landmarks described in this section. The appendices supply useful background to travel in this region: History of the BAM gives the political and engineering story of this immense project. Life in the north-east describes life in the region. Russian language guide gives phrases for the traveller and vocabulary of the railway. Further study lists books, maps, and videos that illuminate the history and life of the region. N This book will be of interest to a wide range of people including: travellers wanting an understanding of travel options, information on how to organise a trip, and practical travel hints, railway and fishing enthusiasts, business people planning a trip to the region and wanting to know the travel and accommodation options and costs, adventure enthusiasts seeking exciting new rafting, climbing, trekking, and motor cycle touring routes, students of Russian studies and history wanting a historic and contemporary coverage of a region virtually unknown in the west, readers interested in discovering the current situation and challenges faced by real Russians following the collapse of the Soviet Union. |
