From the Beginning; A Trip to Siberia in Winter

[kmin]

Update, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia
22 January, 2012      1125 (11:25am)

Things are going great.  Yesterday we met up with one of her long time friends and went out to his family's place in the country in a small village of about 60 people.  There we had a traditional Russian bath which was a sauna (very hot too about 210F) then you wash off afterwords.  The sauna was wood fired and traditional style.  It was great fun.

Then we ate all kinds of traditional Russian dishes that were prepared for us.  Marinated Pork Chops cooked over open fire, a steak and cabbage cold salad, a kind of coleslaw with tomatoes, homemade bread, and a fried egg and noodle dish, a special garlic sauce for the pork chops, and some homemade pickles.  Everything was grown in their own gardens and was wonderfully delicious.

The sauna is wood fired and after I got really hot I went out into the cold and rolled around in the snow, which was wonderful.  Their house is on the Yenisei River and we could watch the sunset on the other side.  Before we did the sauna, we went for a walk to see the sunset on the river.  The video link and pictures below show the sunset.  It was cold about -20C and winds were around 30-40kph.  The river moves so fast that it never freezes all winter. 

We were treated very well by her friends and they were really good people.  They said anytime we wanted to visit we were welcome to. 

Today we are going to go out shopping for some food, gifts for family back home, and a couple things I would to buy.  Then we are going over to her mom's house where mom is preparing a homemade borsch for us   can't wait.

On a personal note, me and my fiance have spent 24 hours a day together since I arrived about 24 days ago.  We are getting along great and really enjoy each others company.  We both feel comfortable and good with each other and love each other more with every passing day. 

Today we are also going to print and go over all the forms we need to get the K-1 process started and make sure all the details are covered.  I have been using visajourney.com as a reference to ensure the forms are filled out correctly and we have "all our ducks in a row".   

All of my family and friends are very excited for us and can't wait to meet her once she arrives in the US.  If all goes well with the K-1 process we will be getting married this summer.

[Avis]

This is such an exciting news, I've been following your thread since the start, happy all went so well for you!

Congratulations on your engagement, and may your love grow in years

Aren't you dreading the day of departure? It's the most difficult thing to do I believe, when you just found your soul mate and you have to get on the plane!

[kmin]

Avis;

Thank you.  And yes leaving was pretty hard.  But the sooner I got back now the sooner the process for the K-1 can start and the sooner she can come here to stay for good .

I got back late last night.  Oh man 30 hours of traveling 26 +/- of flying on 4 separate flights and a 14 hour time change worth of Jet Lag, plus I miss my fiance.  Need more sleep and time to adjust again to this time zone, but by Monday I should close to normal.

I will have more videos, pictures, and info to post in a couple more updates on the trip once I have a little more time this weekend.  In the mean time here is a video of the coolest Christmas tree in the world, in Krasnoyarsk Siberia the night before my flight;

[Avis]

Great thing is you have a plan how to end the distance, it always helps It is a new and exciting phase for her I am sure, a bit scared yet happy to change her life completely )
Still, where is love there is always a way