Landcruising Adventure Newsletter
Hello friends,

So here we are, in Siberia. Stuck. The Land Cruiser gave up at -35 Celsius (-31F). Thank you followers on Facebook, Instagram, and elsewhere with all your input and great suggestions. Fluids are being replaced as we speak and we have four working glow plugs again. Thankfully we are staying with a wonderful family where I have the luxury of staying warm and cozy in the kitchen. I have taken over the role as cook for lunch and partly for dinner as well.
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Meanwhile Coen and our host Vitaliy are toiling away either in the -35 degrees outside or in the 10-degree garage where the Land Cruiser’s fluids are thawing so they can be replaced.

We had our share of snow and low temperatures in Hokkaido (Japan), two years ago but Siberia definitely gives overlanding in winter a whole new meaning!

Taking Winter Travel to Another Level

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Check out Matt and Reece, these courageous guys are driving across Siberia in on a scooter with sidecar as we speak! How’s that for an adventure…

They have driven around the world for quite some time now, visiting organizations along the way to bring awareness to modern slavery. We hope they will overtake us before we are leaving Novosibirsk and have to head south to the border with Kazakhstan.
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Are you in for your own extreme-cold adventure? Here’s your change: the Fjällräven Polar, a 300 km expedition across Arctic wilderness with sled dogs. Be sure to respond quickly as you can apply only until December 13.

Reading

As I continue reading books on my Russia list, my admiration continues to grow for people who have lived in Siberia – specifically the people sent here to labor camps or into exile. I’m amazed by the number of people who survived all that hardship. How in the world did they do it?

But, of course, the Soviet Union was more than gulags and Siberia and these two books are captivating reads (although both topics do play a role in the stories).

Second-hand Time by the Russian author Svetlana Alexievich. In this New York Times bestseller, Svetlana shares interviews with people from all over Russia about the Soviet Time and its transformation to Russia. Were those times better than today? Are they glad communism is in the past? Unsurprisingly the answers are more complicated, and fascinating than that.
The Gates of November by Chaim Potok is an account of what Jews have suffered over time in the Soviet Union. This non-fiction goes beyond the well-known pogroms and details the lives of the Sepak family: the father being a fervent pro-Bolshevik while his son and his wife became the center of the movement to help Jews emigrate to Israel.

Inspiration for 2019

As the year is coming to an end and we all start thinking about new goals for the coming year, let's share some inspiration for an overland trip or another great adventure!

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In this blog post I share a series of useful books to help you prepare your overland trip, from building your rig to heralded specific overland guidebooks.
In this blog post I feature books written by overland travel writers whom we met on the road.

Other Travel Memoirs

Maybe you’re not into driving but do you want to walk, or cycle, or sail around the world. Here’s an overview with inspiring adventurers from Ffyona Campbell who walked across Africa, Tim Cope who rode on horseback to cross Central Asia, Torre de Roche who followed her lover on a boat across the Pacific despite her having a phobia for oceans, and Alastair Humphreys who cycled around the world (including Siberia in winter).
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Christmas Presents

Are you still looking for that ultimate, unique Christmas present? Look no further, we’ve got exactly what you need!

Check out the Landcruising-Adventure designed stickers, tote bags, mugs, cushions, notebooks, as well as hoodies and T-shirts (including v-necks for women and kid sizes).

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Check out the Latest Posts

A Train Journey in Russia – Riding Siberia's BAM to Komsomolsk-on-Amur

A Train Journey in Russia – Riding Siberia's BAM to Komsomolsk-on-Amur

A trip to Russia isn't complete without a train journey so we rode the Baikal-Amure Mainline from Tynda to Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Buying an Overland Fridge or not – Beers vs. Budget and other Questions

Buying an Overland Fridge or not – Beers vs. Budget and other Questions

When you're going to travel overland, one of the equipment questions is whether to buy an overland fridge or not. Here are pros and cons.
Wild camping in Mongolia (©Coen Wubbels)

Wild Camping in Mongolia - Overlanders Share Their Favorites Campsites

Mongolia is vast and empty and you can camp anywhere. So here overlanders share the most awesome spots for wild camping in Mongolia.

What’s Next

With ten more days on our Russia visa we hope the Land Cruiser will soon be ready to hit the road again. We’ll drive to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, pretty much in one go. The Land Cruiser will spend the rest of the winter there as we head for yet another adventure. The long-distance hikes in South Korea and Jordan got us hooked.

Where we go next? Ah, we’ll tell you in the next newsletter. Stay tuned. Do you think others may be interested too? Let them know they can sign up for our newsletter as well – here. Thanks!
We all wish you a good end-of-the-year season, whether that includes Christmas and/or a massive New Year’s Party (did you know that Russian have a 10-day New Year’s break?) or not. And, of course, a happy New Year!


best,
Karin-Marijke & Coen
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Thank you all.

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