Tomsk

We arrived in Tomsk after a dreary train ride due to the overcast skies above. We had barely taken 10 steps along the platform when a cheerful young man came up to us and asked : "Which is Kin Yan?" with a grin on his face. We had met Nikita, our host in Tomsk. Nikita is a 22+ year old IT worker who is emgaged to Marina, an avid cook who has managed to fatten up all those she has cooked for. Nikita is a rather funny guy whose English isn't very good, and mumbles in Russian while giving us an apologetic look when he can't say something in english.

Tomsk had been hit by a hurricane the night before we arrived. Large sections of the city had no water or elecricity, including Nikita's house. Nikita's house was a old-looking two story house and looked rather run down. However, after evading the dog, we found that appearances were decieving. We were welcomed into a comfortable, warm home (which would later become even more comfortable when the electricity and water supply were reconnected.) Nikita fed us a little breakfast and we took a rest. Soon, Nikita's fiance, Marina and Elena, a HospitalityClub member who is an English teacher, arrived at Nikita's place and we had a nice chat over second breakfast. (I believe that Marina said we eat like hobbits. Elevenses, anyone? =D)

Washing up was quickly accomplished and Nikita took us out to meet a group of students who were studying under Elena. Most of them were cultural studies students and had good English, thus they were rounded up by Elena and Nikita to guide us around the city. We started off on a hill overlooking the city, where Tomsk was founded. There was a wooden tower there built atop the hill. We all ascended and enjoyed the breeze as we beheld the city in the late morning sunshine. Our guides pointed out several points throughout the city. One of our new friends even showed us her hometown just on the horizon, midden by mountains but landmarked by four massive cooling towers rising from a nuclear power plant. Her friends joked that the plant was the reason why she was so tall. =)

Our party strolled through the city while chatting about student life in Tomsk. Tomsk is known as Russia's university city, with half a dozen excellent academic centers located in this historical city. The preservation of Tomsk was in part due to a decision by city officials not to have the main line of the Trans-Siberian railway pass through. As a result, Tomsk is only accessible by a railway branch from Novosibirsk and is bypassed by the commercial artery of Siberia.

In addition to its universities, Tomsk is also famous for its wooden architecture. As we walked around the city, we saw many examples of beautiful wooden structures and intricate carvings and decorations that were remarkably well preserved. Tall modern buildings are neighboured by two story wooden houses, with carvings on the awnings and down the wood panels of the walls. We walked down the main streets of the city, visited a little agricultural pond (on which floated a little house for the resident duck, which was nowhere to be seen), and even a children's carnival. We were also proudly introduced to Tomsk's claim to fame : the several universities that populate the city. I always feel a tinge of electricity in myself whenever I walk in halls of learning.

Later, we went to a war monument that was situated on the top of a hill, overlooking the Tom river. The river curved around the hill and the city, and from that spot we watched the shadow of clouds glide across the countryside below us.

Back at Nikita's place that evening, we were treated to a very enjoyable home cooked meal by Marina. It was a sort of mixed rice with assorted ingredients inside, served with a very yummy mayonnaise salad. It had been quite a while since we last enjoyed a good homecooked meal (that wasn't cooked by us) and we relished every bite. After dinner, we headed up to the roof of Nikita's house and watched the sunset being overtaken by black storm clouds. Soon, the clouds got uncomfortably near and we retired for the night.

The next day, we were hoping to have a relaxing time but Nikita had more plans for us. He had arranged for us to meet another HospitalityClub member for more city touring. So, we dragged ourselves out of bed early. Marina brought us to see a rather amusing wolf statue that would growl and sing a song if you pressed a button on its tummy with a coin. Unfortunately, it was broken and only managed some odd gurgles. Hmm. We waited for our new contacts at a cafe and soon met up with another group of students. This time, we walked on the back streets and quiet roads of Tomsk, admiring the wooden architecture and the quiet side of the city. Our guide that day enjoyed photography too, so we had some fun taking unusual photos. Finally we headed up to another roof, this this of an apartment building. We had a little photography session against the backdrop of the city and the hills. A strong breeze provided more photo amusement, but also ushered in another bank of rainclouds. We ducked back into the apartment and waited until Nikita came to drive us back.

We were welcomed by Marina, who was just getting started with yet another homecooked meal. We washed up and packed and when we were done, another delicious meal (pasta!) had been prepared for us. Despite Marina's attempt to make more food, we still managed to eat everything (hobbits!). Some gift exchanging later, we were on our way to the train station. Nikita, Marina, and several of our Tomsk guides were there to see us off and perform the traditional farewell at the train station.

Nikita and Marina were just awesome hosts and even managed to feed us overly tall hobbits very successfully. They mentioned that it was their first time hosting international travellers. They certainly pulled out all the stops to make our stay in Tomsk a very welcome and enjoyable one. Thank you so much Nikita and Marina and all those who took us around Tomsk!

Next Stop : Olkhorn Island, Lake Baikal!

-ky