Russia 1 Vladivostok - Far East Russia

Had an excellent 2 days in Vladivostok at the start of our Trans Siberian adventure. It is a huge port and the day we arrived they were celebrating Russia Navy Day with parades and an open air concert. We went on a boat tour round the harbor, the second bridge was barely visible in the mist. We enjoyed the Arseniev museum with interesting displays about the development of the area with sailors and traders and a recreation of an explorer’s study. There was an interesting display of modernist cloth from a Moscow factory in the 1930’s. We enjoyed the work of a Mongolian artist the Namdakov Family who create dolls based on Russian folk lore. I imagined myself as the village dispute settler. Many Chinese contributed to the growth of Vladivostok. Russia shares a border with N Korea here. It felt very Far East in Russia.

We are now starting our journey of 9288 kms by train back to Moscow taking 5 different trains and 12 days and stopping in Siberia en route.

Trans Siberian railway Vladivostok to Moscow

The Trans Siberian railway trip from Vladivostok to Moscow, 9, 2230 km over 14 days, 7 trains, was as exciting as I had hoped and I saw Russia’s politics and human rights on a Political Tours course in Russia for my first week.

We saw different sides of the country, starting in Far East Russia then crossing Siberia. We  stopped at the vast Lake Baikal, 220 km long and 80 km wide.

The Russian trains are well designed for travel, we had bunks and made tea from the carriage hot water heater previuosly a samovar. The train travels smoothly at 50 km/hr, so one can appreciate the scenery and we explored the stations and their food on regular stops. We had a drink in Novosibirsk station on a long stop there.  Russian city architecture is varied with many 19 century buildings.  The central squares are attractive with public buildings, museums and many statues of Lenin. The stations are attractive and well maintained and the styles change from East to West.  We saw much forest but also big rivers and Lake Baikal. Siberian culture with smoked fish, birch bark goods and pine nuts is present  everywhere. We travelled as a foursome  (Rita, Vincent, Ann and myself) in a 4 bed couchette and made our own coffee, tea and picnics. Rita organised the trains in London. Rita spoke some Russian, Vincent is a public transport expert, Ann first visited Russia in 1982 and again in the 90’s as an IT expert. Rita and I had previously visited St Petersburg and loved the culture.  

I started my Russian month with a Political Tours week organized journalists to help one see the different aspects of a country and facilitated by Russian journalist based in Latvia. Leonid Ragozin.  We met people across the political spectrum especially political activists and social workers in Yekaterinaburg and Moscow.  We met Vladimir Milov, opposition activist in a Moscow subterranean bar, he described the hurdles Putin’s government place on the opposition, needing 2.000 signatures on a nomination for a city councillor election and being in prison for opposition activities.  The police are unpleasant, other inmates difficult in a shared jail and he worries about his dogs at home. A week later he was again arrested for broadcasting about the current protests and is back in prison. Marsha is a human rights lawyer struggling to get justice for people in the opposition being arrested on trivial grounds. The judges ignore well presented evidence by the defendants. For her Russia being part of the Council of Europe is important because the final legal appeal is in Strasbourg.  The human rights problems in Russia and the need for an opposition is palpable from these conversations. Putin has increased wealth for average Russian and the country is visibly improving. Putin has rewarded his cronies and prevents  the opposition functioning in many ways. Ultimately this will undermine him, but it will take a long time.

This trip starts my retirement. I enjoyed spending a month in Russia and the political Tour and great Trans Siberian train ride complemented each other. I shall write more about both on my blog. I have been amazed by the vastness of Russia, the low population (140 mill), the different cultures, and the good fishmeals.

Diana's Year 2018

The year in brief:  I had a wonderful Himalayan experience walking in Ladakh. I enjoyed hosting friends in Brecon. I worked to improve the image of leprosy “New Face for Leprosy” in Ethiopia. I protested with 700 000 others against Brexit on the people’s march.

In August I walked for 10 days in Ladakh, a dry Himalayan area in India bordering Tibet and Pakistan. There were 16 people (19-66 yrs) on an organized trek. Ladakh has high dry mountains with beautiful rock formations.  Leh, the capital is at 3200m and we walked to above 4,000m. We drove up to the Khardung La pass, the worlds highest café and had lemon tea there. The rocks colours range from red to brown, beautiful to photograph.  The highest points are decorated with Buddhist prayer flags. We saw beautiful Bhuddist monasteries. The Indus starts up here and the only trees are along the river. We walked, camped and had interesting village homestays and talked to local people. The locals were harvesting and drying their apricots; which I brought home for my neighbours. They are Buddhist and so much less pushy than elsewhere in India and their social structures are kinder to women. 

My latest project is called “A new face for leprosy”.  When new leprosy patients go on the Internet they see only pictures of patients with no fingers and toes; whereas contemporary leprosy is a treatable infection. I tell new patients that they have a 21 st century curable infection and most will not develop disabilities. The NGO’s working in leprosy need these graphic images to raise money. My patients have overcome the stigma of leprosy and progressed with lives and careers.  We aim to capture this positive image of leprosy without stigma.  Myself, Saba Lambert one of my team based in Ethiopia and Alex Kumar, one of my DTMH students spent time in Ethiopia in Sept photographing and interviewing patients.  We plan an exhibition for World Leprosy Day on Jan 27 2019 when there is media interest in Leprosy. I celebrated the Ethiopia New year in Sept in Addis Ababa with candles, bonfires and fireworks in the central square. 

My friend Steve Walker was appointed to the tropical dermatology consultant post at Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD), he is the first black consultant at HTD, I was the first woman consultant in 1994.  Steve has worked with me on leprosy for many years and will be taking over the NHS leprosy work. I shall retire next June. I shall stay connected with leprosy work, a new project will be writing a book about leprosy based on patients’ stories. This will take me back to the places I have worked in the past.  I plan to cross Russia on the trans-Siberian train.

I have explored black culture this year after hearing my hero David Olusoga’s talk at Hay about his book “Black and British” about the under-recognised contribution black people have made to British history. I saw the play the” Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives” (at The Arcola) by Lola Shoneyin, about a Nigerian man who takes more wives to mask his infertility whilst they find their own solutions. The audience included appreciative Nigerians enjoying the tale and the music and ready to dance.  The novel “Stay with me” captures the devastating effect infertility has on families and the lies that are told to mask it, by Ayobami Adebayo a 30 yr old Nigerian writer. 

My friend Iain Reddish died rapidly from bladder cancer in February. We were friends for 25 years, having met canvassing for the Labour party in Islington in 1992. He moved to Amsterdam and I visited him there often, also enjoying reconnecting with my Dutch roots. He was my first stop for political analysis and reflection. He had a humanist funeral In Holland with people speaking briefly about this colourful, warm, thoughtful man who wore amazing clothes.  I wrote an obituary, with friends, published in The Guardian on Apr 20^th.  His ex-partner (Alesha) and a Dutch resident had euthanasia in June and escaped a debilitating neurological illness. He is the second of my friends to die in Holland from euthanasia and in both cases it given them peaceful final days and they said goodbye to family and friends.  

Using my mother’s house in Brecon for hosting people has been a pleasure.  I love showing people around Brecon, walking in the Beacons and sharing good food beside the River Wye.  During the Hay Literary festival I had many guests including Julia and Steph from Paris, We heard Ben Zephaniah give a wonderful account of his life.   Neil Young looks after the garden. I shall make the house more mine with my own pictures and furnishings.

Gardening in the community project in Arlington square connects me with my neighbours.  The trees there had fine red autumnal colours. I have a new gardening project to nuture and improve, Union Square, the square closest to my home. It is smaller and has visitors with dogs and the beds lack colour.  We are now official and the Friends of Union Square and will be gardening there.

I enjoyed celebrating 70 years of the NHS and I took cakes from the Labour party to my local practice and the HTD. I worked for the NHS for 37 years, over half of its life.  I fear for the next 35 years. It is in a fragile state. The Owen Sheers poem about the NHS had scenes from Wales including Nevill Hall hospital, Abergavenny, captured the uniqueness of the institution and how important it is to ensure that it lasts another 70 years. The effects of 8 years of austerity are visible with poor social provision and rising homelessness. I despair over Brexit and the many ways it will harm the country.  I am frustrated by Jeremy Corbyn’s failure to give a clear opposition voice against Brexit. I was energized by the Anti-Brexit march, 700 000 people marched peaceably and good naturedly through central London. 

Cultural Highlights included hearing “The Rape of Lucretia” by Britten at the Arcola theatre, and seeing the play “ The Jungle “ about life in the camp at Calais which I saw with my cousin Jane and nephew Matthew. This highlighted the survivors tales of people living in the camp.  I had excellent weekends away with friends, enjoying concerts at Snape Maltings  and eating lobster in Suffolk with Rita. Irene Allen and I found the leprosy museum in Bergen with its pictures of 19 century patents very moving. I was walking in Haut Savoie with Les and Vera when France won the World cup ad shared French joy. I explored a volcanic lake in Tanzania with Saba.

Enjoy the Solstice and may 2019 be a good year.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/15/iain-reddish-obituary

Celebrating Meskel: Ethiopian New Year

In Ethiopia I enjoyed Saba’s hospitality, seeing her new home with her family Gaby (husband) and Leo (son), excellent food and the Ethiopian celebrations in Meskel square. The political situation in Ethiopia has improved hugely with the new prime minister allowing democracy.

I have followed Saba’s different homes around Addis I enjoyed staying in her latest home, her German father’s house. Built in the 70’s with a large open plan house with huge picture windows across the city and a vast copper fireplace. It has ample areas for sitting, a smaller dining room. The house has public spaces, and no rooms for studying or having guests.  Saba and Gaby have a challenge ahead in modernising it but will end up with a lovely house.  They have put down wooden floors to replace the carpets, taken out a bar and made a TV room. They have created a study.  The walls are decorated with her father’s pictures including a fine collection of Ethiopian crosses and an icon. They have painted the bedrooms white and hung their own pictures there. I enjoyed sitting in the garden, especially in the mornings, with nice views over Addis. alt (2,200 m) The plants reflect the local subtropical highland climate with a huge cactus like tree and roses, which grow so well there and in ALERT grounds.

On Sunday we relaxed and enjoyed showing Alex the city centre with the palace and my favourite the 1960’s modern national bank building that looks like a space station. We visited the botanical gardens, high above the city with beautiful afternoon views.  The yellow mescal flowers were blooming and Alex photographed us there.

I stock up on coffee in Ethiopia and Saba took us to a supermarket to shop for coffee. I bought some new brands as did Deanna Haage, a colleague based in Kathmandu. Alex loves shopping and bought interesting scarves made from Malian and Ethiopian fabrics and leather goods in a local craft market.

We had excellent meals in Addis, Sunday lunch of burgers in the trendy converted warehouse with an East London vibe, followed by ice creams at a new shop, Leo recommended strong chocolate and hazelnut flavours, a winning combination.  We eat with the leprosy group in a Greek restaurant where I had tasty pieces of braised Nile perch.  After our hospital work we sipped triple fruit juices in Kaldi café, these are a combination of avocado. mango and water melon layered like a cocktail. We had supper in the Italian club which is covered in Juventus memorabilia and had aubergine followed by fish. On the first day I had Ethiopian lunch in the hospital with spicy lentils and vegetables (Ethiopian fasting food) and bread. At Saba’s home we had Ethiopian and Italian food, and fine French patisserie to celebrate Meskel.

We celebrated Meskel, Ethiopian New Year, in Meskel Square with an Indian leprosy doctor friend Joydeepa.  This is a religious celebration like Easter and each locality has a bonfire and people give each other yellow meskel flowers. From the NTD conference we had tickets for the VIP area and I enjoyed walking along the empty streets. We joined the crowds and struggled walking thorugh them, we never reached the VIP area. People squeezed up and made space for us to sit with them.   Priests and religious people in traditional white clothes blew on goat horns and banged drums and processed around the square. Everybody lit and held up taper like candles. it was a beautiful sight, with the candles forming gentle curves of light along the square. The fire was lit by two Ethiopian popes There was a large firework display and we celebrated the New Year, everyone was very relaxed and happy, there was no aggression.  it was lovely sharing this event with Ethiopians. it was both a local and national event.

Ethiopian politics has improved hugely with the new president Abiy Ahmed allowing democracy. He has released many people from jail, including the father-in- law of my Now London based post doc Edessa Gobena.   He has ended the long dreary war with Eritrea going since 1998. All my Ethiopian friends feel happy with him and the new direction he has taken the country in. Gaby sends him social media messages every day to encourage him.  The week we arrived there had been demonstrations about rights of the Oromo people.   Some people saw this as a test of his authority, he has a gentle peace loving persona but he was able to crack down on protesters and show his authority. I hope that this political improvement is long lasting Ethiopia has long needed a more open political system.

My visits to Ethiopia are so enriched by Saba’s warm hospitality, I connect better with the country and my work has an extra dimension. I enjoy the good food and seeing the Ethiopian politics evolve in a positive direction.

Creating a New Face for leprosy Lancet photos