Eli from Russia - Invidious

My solo trip across Russia is unexpectedly no longer solo. At some point during our hike in the Zabaikalsky region, my American comrade and I decided to travel to Pyatigorsk together.

Well, now I have a challenge: not only to travel the Trans-Siberian Railway from east to west, but also to make this American guy fall in love with Russia. That will be quite a task because I don’t make stops in typical tourist towns. My goal is to visit every region of Russia, hence we only stop in places that I haven't been before, and mostly that’s in the middle of nowhere in Siberia.

Wherever we stop, it's definitely fun to witness his first times: seeing and swimming in Lake Baikal for the first time, visiting Siberia for the first time, first time trying syrniki, borscht and other Russian soups, blini (Russian pancakes), halva (my favorite sweets), sushki (pretzels), and Doshirak (noodles for a train)...

We travel by platzcart (third class trains), so there are plenty of culture shocks for him. And there will be even many more ahead, because the journey is long. Hang in there, American!

1 week ago | [YT] | 5,974

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Eli from Russia

Walk where the heart calls you.
Walk where it's scary, but following your own path.
Walk into the unknown and gratefully accept what it gives.
Walk where the soul sings.
Walk to see beauty, get inspired, and create even more of it.
Walk far away in the world, and dive deep inside yourself.
Walk forward, and don't give up.
Walk… walk… walk!

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 5,883

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Eli from Russia

Kodarsky Ridge. For me, it was just a dot on the map somewhere in the far east, but now it has taken a special place in my heart as a place of power and beauty. My first one-on-one encounter with a bear (everything ended well: we were equally scared of each other and ran in different directions), stopping in the endless blueberry fields, seeing the transition from green summer to golden autumn right before my eyes, evening gatherings by the bonfire and the stars, so bright far away from the cities.

Also during the hike, it turned exactly a year since I stopped eating meat. The guys crowned me with a tree branch wreath. I have many reasons not to eat meat. Many people scared me that I would not do well without meat, but a whole year has passed, and everything is going great. I always feel that I have a lot of energy, and recently health checkuo also showed good results. So I continue to listen to myself and my body, and not external voices. And I continue choosing to follow my own path, wherever my heart calls me.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 3,925

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Eli from Russia

My train journey from the east to the west of Russia includes a long stop in the Zabaikalsky Krai. Three of my friends from Moscow, and a fellow from America went on a hike along the Kodarsky Ridge. Hiking life away from the hustle and bustle is when all you worry about is the weather, what to wear, where to find water, cook food, and where to sleep the night.

It's a special pleasure to go not in a tourist group, but with a group of friends. That’s a completely different vibe: you plan your route and day as you want, and completely free to do anything.

These photos are like a small piece of the atmosphere on the hike and at the camp sites.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 3,841

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Eli from Russia

I never planned to make a trip along the Trans-Siberian Railway. It seemed too touristy and boring to me.

However, here I am, and my third week on the railroad has begun already. I was supposed to travel from Vladivostok to the Zabaikalsky region with several stops, but literally a couple of hours before departure, the thought came to me that I should go all the way to the place that I love so much - to Pyatigorsk. So I will cross all Russia from East to West and make stops for adventures along the way.

I have already visited cities of Birobidzhan, Blagoveshchensk, Tynda and Novaya Chara. In Zabaikalsky Krai, my friends were waiting for me for our planned camping trip to Kodar mountains.

This way has already become completely magical for me. Probably any route, whether it is touristy or not, becomes wonderful when you bring your own creativity and meaning to it.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 6,118

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Eli from Russia

I decided to cross Russia from East to West by Trans-Siberian and BAM Railway!

Today I have a train from Vladivostok, and I need to go to Zabaikalsky region. But literally a couple of hours before departure, a decision came to my mind: I need to travel to the very west.

This was not a decision which you think over for a long time. Have you ever felt as if some external force built the route, and all that remains for you is to follow it? You feel that this force created the best option for you, so you must definitely trust it. So, that's how this decision came to me, even though I had never even thought about it.

It will be around one month long journey. I don’t have a clear plan, I will be creative along the way. There will be many stops in different regions, and those will not be typical cities and adventures. Поехали! (Let’s go!)

1 month ago | [YT] | 5,653

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Eli from Russia

Today marks exactly three years since I started living ‘homeless’. I’ve been traveling for 10 years now, but I was left without a permanent place of residence on August 26, 2022. I remember this date because on that day, literally in one short morning, I had to pack all my suitcases and practically run away from my ex-fiancé 👀 It’s a long story, maybe I’ll share it someday. For now I’ll just say one thing: there are no good or bad characters in this story, it’s just that the events unfolded in such a dramatic way…

A friend of mine recently asked me: ‘when you were left on the street, why didn’t you just rent an apartment in Moscow?’ Looking back at that moment, I realize that such idea didn’t even occur to me, I started to visit different cities, countries, expeditions, and eventually it happened that I started living ‘everywhere’. Apparently, ‘just renting an apartment’ is not an option for me, I want to live in an adventure. I don't know what will happen next, but I'm incredibly curious!

I'm celebrating this three-year ‘homeless’ anniversary in the Far East. In the pictures, it’s the location that has been my computer screensaver for quite a long time. Finding yourself inside the 'screensaver' is an indescribable feeling. Listen to your sincere desires and make them come true, and everything will be great!

1 month ago | [YT] | 6,747

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Eli from Russia

Every day I meet new people, and the hardest question I get asked is ‘where are you from?’, because I’ve been wandering around the world since I was 17, and traveling non-stop for the last three years.

What does this question even mean? Where was I born? Where did I grow up? Where do I have a house? Where do I live at the moment?

I grew up in Russia’s Perm region, I’ve never had my own house, all my belongings are at my friend’s place in Moscow, where I come to change them between seasons, and sometimes I go to the city Pyatigorsk to rest between trips. So, I’m a nomad.

Many people don’t understand my answer and try to figure out how it’s possible to ‘live nowhere’. But I just live everywhere :) at the moment I’m exploring the islands of the Far East. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but everything is incredibly interesting and beautiful.

1 month ago | [YT] | 6,688

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Eli from Russia

My plan for the first half of summer - visiting all the regions of the European part of Russia that I have not yet been to - has been fulfilled. Basically, these were the regions of the Volga region: Samara, Saratov, Penza, Ulyanovsk regions, the republics of Mordovia, Chuvashia and Mari El. I also visited the regions on the border with Ukraine, but that is a completely different story.

People ask me: how all the locations that you visit do not get mixed up in your head? How do you not get tired of changing so many cities and places almost every day? For me, each day is a new adventure, each moment is new and unique, and this world is so vast, and I’m constantly exploring it. In a word, I try to create beauty and magic for myself every day and to live every moment to the fullest.

The first video from the Volga region - Samara oblast - is already on my channel. In this episode, I met a girl with whom we share a very similar life story: we both grew up in a village, and now we run YouTube channels for an international audience. We discussed our childhood, difficulties, fears, and the path on YouTube - https://youtu.be/BHhbcw_b2gk?si=8foek...

1 month ago | [YT] | 6,177

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Eli from Russia

It’s been just several weeks since I left Iran, and it hurts to see what is happening in the country now, and to see how strong the hate is because of the propaganda.

It’s one thing to read the news about wars and victims around the world. You feel sad. But it’s completely another thing to read such news, when in your head you see specific faces of the dear people who live in that region. All you can do is to text them ‘are you okay…?’ and to pray for them.

With my video from Iran, as well as with all of my videos, I want to show again and again that there are no ‘bad’ countries, nations and religions. The world is not divided into black and white, and the government and the regime doesn’t equal the people. Behind any messages and images from the media there are always regular people who wish for the same thing all around the world – to live, and to live happily. We might not look alike, we might have different mentalities and beliefs, but in any part of the world we are of one race - humans.

My video from Iran is on the channel! I think it’s the first time that I have such a long video, but with stories from Iran, it could not be any less!
https://youtu.be/-E6sXsF4j40?si=twvAf...

2 months ago | [YT] | 6,707

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