- Coming up in this episode of the Transsibchallenge.
(upbeat music)
We become Russian walruses.
(man laughing)
We enjoy traditional Tatar cuisine.
And we dance with zebras.
As we make our way from Moscow to Kazan.
All right, it is time.
We are at the railroad station in Moscow
because we're about to go on the railroad,
the Trans-Siberian Railroad
across the entire country of Russia.
It's been a pretty interesting few days,
sightseeing in St. Petersburg and Moscow,
but for me, this is where the journey begins.
Tonight, we're taking the train to Kazan.
Which is getting closer to the heart of the country.
We have a scuba dive plan for tomorrow,
of all things you can do in Russia,
that's gonna be our first activity.
Penetrating deep in to the Motherland.
The train ride should be quite comfortable we think.
We've got a bed, someone else hopefully has my bag.
Yeah, they do. (laughs)
and we'll see you on the train.
(upbeat music)
I'm getting excited.
I've been wanting to do this trip for a long time.
This is on my bucket list
and on many other peoples' bucket list.
And it's all about to start right now.
So, (laughs), it may be the first time you've seen this,
but this is actually is not the first we've done this.
We took the first part of this leg of the journey
from St. Petersburg to Moscow
and we fit four dudes in a room like this.
(laughs) it's tight, I'll show you the footage.
Check this out.
Hey welcome to the room.
There's four beds in here.
There's four guys and there's about four bags
about the size of four other guys.
I should probably meet the crew
because yeah we'll be spending very close quarters with them
this is Yaro.
- Hi there.
- [Mike] He is our Russian contact from Svoya Tropa.
We have Mr. Ruben. - How are you?
- [Mike] Y El Mundo.
(Ruben speaking in foreign language)
(Mike speaking in foreign language)
- Hello, welcome to our humble abode.
- [Ruben] Welcome to our palace.
- This is Gareth Tourist Townie.
We're getting sweaty already.
We have an eight hour ride starting from St. Petersburg
going all the way to Moscow.
It's the first leg of the train.
And the first challenge for us is figuring out
this Tetras game of four men
and four bags, as you can tell,
we're not winning Tetras right now.
(Mike laughing)
so let's figure it out.
- [Gareth] It's gonna be a cozy night.
(Mike laughing)
(train rumbling)
(lady speaking in foreign language)
- [Mike] Yeah, just put it right there for right now.
Whew.
Okay, we've woken up and it is now breakfast time.
Breakfast gets served to you, not exactly in bed,
but by your bed.
We have fried eggs and vegetables, omelets, coffee,
in interesting little cups, oatmeal, cheese pancakes,
and we got got four hungry guys.
We've got scuba diving today
which means we need the energy,
so we've got one giant breakfast.
I think I'm pretty excited about it, let's dive in.
(upbeat music)
okay, adventure update.
We have made it to the woods of Kazan.
And look at this, the Blue Lakes.
(upbeat music)
we're gonna be scuba diving today.
It's fresh water and it should be extremely cold.
Which is gonna be great, it's actually quite hot
out here in Russia.
This is our first big stop on the Trans-Siberian.
We are in the region of Tatarstan.
Which we will explain more later.
Right now we are about to jump in this beautiful
green blue jewel.
Okay Alex, so why is the blue?
- Colors of this lake is not usually.
Is blue and green. - [Mike] Blue and green.
- Yes why, the mineral water, salt water.
Little, little salt, like in the ocean by salt yes.
- [Gareth] Oh so there is some salt?
- Yes, yes, yes, and other salt like sea and ocean,
but salt. - [Mike] Like mineral salt.
Not like salt water salt. - [Gareth] Okay.
- Yes, yes, another.
- So that's the briefing.
We can see amphipods, we can see some shrimp,
we can see some blue water, it's about 17 meters deep
and it's very cold.
- Very cold. - So we have seven millimeter
wetsuits and we're gonna suit up.
All right, we have a tarp laid out with our gear.
So we're diving fresh water, cold fresh water.
So what that means is we have seven millimeter wetsuits
which means the very very very thick neoprene.
That means we are going to float like a cork.
So, we have a lot, a lot of lead weight
that goes on our waist.
Diving in the Caribbean, or in the Philippines,
or wherever you bees, it's a little bit easier.
You fall in the water, you have the gear on
and everything's fine.
Diving in cold water takes a lot more equipment,
it's a bit more stressful and weighs a lot more.
Actually we have to put on our gear now,
walk weighted all the way from the cars,
over to the lake, and we're probably gonna be
in like a portable sauna 'cause it gets very hot
in these black wetsuits when you have lead weight
around your back and a tank and everything else
and you're walking like a tin man
because you're basically covered in elastic bands.
Oh man, so I got it wrong actually,
it's two wet suits.
So we put on one wetsuit
and then put on a second wetsuit, a shorty.
And then walk in the sun,
and then jump in the lake.
Whew, so hot.
(Mike sighing)
all right boys, how we doing?
(kettle whistling)
All right, let's go, guys I gotta go.
First one to get heatstroke loses.
Oh Jesus Christ.
This is cold water, this is some of the coldest water
I've ever dove in.
It's just a few degrees off ice.
But it's (mumbles) in the water.
It is the beautiful crystal clear blue.
Okay, I think Gareth's already down there.
Ruben needs another two pounds,
hopefully you can hear me.
Let's dive and explore the depths of the Blue Lake.
(birds chirping)
(dramatic music)
so cold. (laughs)
My lips are all swollen. (laughs)
Your face. (laughs)
Oh my God, I can't even speak,
it feels like my lips are two giant bananas.
All right, so when I was researching the Blue Lake,
it said there was walrus that come here.
And I was like, "guys there's walrus at the Blue Lake"
and they're like, "No, no, no, no, no,"
A walrus is a Russian who likes to swim in the cold water.
So this is where the walruses come, male and female
to come do an ice jump
'cause the water is a constant four degrees.
- When I have to do--
- Even in the winter it doesn't freeze
because it's all coming out straight out of the ground.
So to join the locals, we're all here,
all the walruses.
- He's cheating you all, the temperature of the water
is 24 degrees. (all laughing)
- It's not 24 centigrade.
You're a liar. (all laughing)
But it feels like 24 when you're dying of hypothermia,
that's what happens.
All right, so Gareth and I are gonna join the locals,
become Russian walrus.
- Walruses, let's get in there.
You gotta go real quick I think.
- [Mike] Quick like a bandit right?
- Oh, oh, holy...
(woman speaking in background)
- Oh it's so cold Gareth.
I can't breathe.
Oh, it's super cold here.
- [Ruben] Oh my God.
(all laughing)
(Mike panting)
- That was really cold guys.
The camera's, oh, and the audience.
Wow.
Everyone's laughing at us.
(Mike panting)
- We did it.
- [Man] Welcome to Russia.
- [Mike] Welcome to Russia. - [Man] Welcome to Russia.
(upbeat music)
- We are just sitting down for lunch of Tatar food
here in Kazan.
Scuba dive was great, this view, also great.
(upbeat music)
So, Anastasia, what is this on my fork right now?
- It's kazylyk.
- [Mike] Kazylk?
- Kazylyk, yes. - [Mike] Which is what?
- It's a horse meat.
- [Mike] It's a horse meat.
And is it very traditional to eat horse meat in Tatarstan?
- Yeah, it's really traditional.
- [Mike] And do you like it?
- Course.
- [Mike] Will we like it?
- Do you like it? - [Mike] I don't know.
Gareth, do you like it?
- I love it.
- I love it, definitely.
- Perfect. - Perfect.
(cutlery clanging)
I like it too, it's good.
This tastes like beef jerky.
What if we take the horse meat and put it on top?
- Oh my God,
what have you done? - Total sacrilege, no?
(Anastasia laughing)
I made a terrible mistake.
Dessert has just arrived.
It is, it's rice and eggs?
- [Anastasia] Yeah and dry grapes.
- And dried grapes, raisins.
(Mike and Anastasia laughing)
okay, you're probably asking what it tastes like?
- [Man] Oh yeah?
- It's almost gone, so you obviously know it's good.
But rice doesn't taste like much.
Almost like rice porridge.
There's raisins, always good.
Egg, actually eggs in a lot of desserts already.
Got a nice little crust,
and while the combinations of things, raisins, eggs, rice
might not be a normal dessert combination,
there is some crazy textures going on,
but it tastes absolutely delicious.
I'm a fan, I'm a big fan.
(upbeat music)
- Hi, hi, hi.
(traditional music)
- Okay, hey, we're in the Chak-Chak museum.
And we are learning about Chak-Chak.
It is a very famous cake here in Tatarstan.
Made from eggs, sugar, honey, flour.
- And pinch of some of the salt.
- Some pinch of salt, and you boil it all up.
No you fry it all up,
and you make the beautiful, interesting,
Rice Krispie square type (laughs) dessert.
We just learned all about it.
And now we're gonna try it.
Film this, but just hold it.
- [Gareth] Oh we gonna film this?
- No, I don't know.
It's, I know. - [Gareth] Whoa.
- Air puff.
(woman speaking in background)
What is this?
So it's like a one big Chak-Chak.
- [Woman] Yes. - [Gareth] What is in there?
- It tastes like a, almost like a Crunchie bar,
you know, like a Crunchie bar kind of thing?
- [Gareth] Okay. - But a less sweet version.
It's like a, it's like if you dried out a donut.
This isn't the main event though, this is the main event.
It's quite sticky, we have our fruit leather.
Do we dip it?
- [Woman] No. - No, we don't dip it.
We just bite it, all right.
- [Woman] No.
- Do I doing something wrong?
- [Woman] Another way.
- How do you eat it, come show me, please come show me?
- Like this. - Like this.
Uh huh, are you gonna do it, no, just me.
- No no, just you. - Okay.
(all laughing)
all right, cleansing the palate.
Getting my palate ready for the Chak-Chak.
Fruits off.
- Yes, like this.
(all laughing)
Yeah, yeah.
What do you think, do you like it?
- One second, hold on, let me chew.
(woman laughing)
it tastes like a honey cruller donut.
And there's not too much else more to say.
You don't eat the fruit leather on top.
You don't dip it, you have to prep pallet first,
and then you jump in.
Chak-Chak is very famous here.
And it's very delicious and you should try some
if you come to Tatarland, Tatarstan.
Tatarstan.
- Yes.
- [Mike] Okay, setting sun over Kazan.
We are entering the Kremlin to see
this beautiful building right here.
We're on a race against the sun though.
It's been a full day, scuba diving, eating, exploring.
And now hopefully get a shot of this,
the Kremlin before it closes.
And right around the corner should be...
The Kremlin, amazing.
There's also a Kremlin in Moscow.
Don't get them confused.
One of Kazan's claim to fames is the peaceful harmony
of Orthodox Christians and Muslims in the same city.
What I've been told is the mosque doesn't play
the call to prayer, that happens many times during the day
and the cathedrals don't play the church bells
to respect each other.
It's a beautiful building.
Happy we can catch it right before the sun sets
here in Kazan.
(upbeat music)
okay, we're on Bauman Street which is
the public main walking street of Kazan.
It's a, what, Wednesday night, Tuesday?
And it is popping.
It is energy city down here, musicians, and also...
Zebras?
(man speaking in foreign language)
Do I get to, oh I see how it works.
Can someone hold the camera? (laughs)
Let's go dance battle.
(woman speaking in background)
(Mike laughing)
(upbeat music)
(Mike laughing)
(upbeat music)
(Mike cheering)
(Mike laughing)
(man singing foreign song)
(man playing tuba)
(band playing Seven Nation Army)
okay, a little behind the scenes here.
We're at the train station in Kazan.
I'm trying to finish uploading a vlog.
And I've got all the gear
and the train leaves in about 30 minutes.
I thought I would say goodbye
before we jump on the Trans-Siberian again,
and head to our next location.
Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, treated us so well,
big love to Visit Tatarstan,
big love to the Russian Geographical Society,
and big love to Svoya Tropa,
all of which sponsored this section of the trip.
For us, this was the first big leap
on the Trans-Siberian Railway across
the entire country of Russia.
Next stop is the second episode
and I hope you watch it.
If you're joining a bit later,
they're already released in a playlist,
and if you're joining now, stay tuned to next week
where we release the next episode.
Thank you Dragons, remember to chase your fears
and I'll catch you in the next episode
of the TransSibChallenge.
(upbeat music)