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Summer excursion for the Technical University of Munich, July 2008
Report:
Anmerkungen zur Vegetation des russischen Altai
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Pfadenhauer,
Chair of vegetation ecology,
Technical University of Munich,
Am Hochanger 6,
84350 Freising
Reference letter from the participant of the Altai Boy Scout tour in July 2007
Dear Anton,
We enjoyed very much our trip last summer with Anton and Dima travelling through the beautifull Altai region. For the kids it was a life-time experience. Travelling, hiking, rafting, camping but above all the comradship it created and the consciouness about the nature. Anton our guide loves the nature, loves kids, feels very responsible. We learned a lot. Dima is proud on the region and shares everything he knows. A great couple..
Anton, Dima thanks for this week. Your hospitallity, enthousiasm, values and love for the Altay beauty and the kids created a week we will not forget.
Rob Hansen
Cargill
Rob_Hansen@cargill.com
Reference letter from the participant of the Altai Boy Scout tour in July 2007
Anton,
The Altai trip was a trip of a life time memory. Your contribution in terms of being flexible, relaxed and very patient with the children was a very important contribution in doing so. Apart from that you showed to be very responsible as well and well prepared. Danilo has talked about the Altai all summer and it has taught him a lot about nature, spirits, comraderie, sharing, but above all having fun with his friends has been the overriding memory.
Thanks/Cpacibo also to Dima. You were a great guide.
Andrei Joosten
Partner
Corporate Finance
ajoosten@deloitte.ru
Reference letter from the participants of the Altai Horseback Riding ecotour 2007
On the 7th of August arrived the TРОЙКА
Stephie, Raphaela and Kristina
once they got aquainted to AНTOH, VАЛЯ + his КPYTO MAШИНА
they knew it would be a wonderful time
+ not just because of Corona Lime.
So off they went
+ camped at the OБ river
where the beauty of the sunset
made them shiver.
They did some shopping in БАРНАҮЛ
where AНTOH's KBAC kept everyone cool.
When they dropped us off at БЕЛИ БОМ
we first felt sad + a bit alone.
But after 2 ЗАЕБИC weeks
with ЮЛЕ in the beautiful taiga
we were happy when VАЛЯ on TИP
replaced our horseman AИДA.
We went to the sacred valley
returned to civilisation
ate ШAШЛИК, saw plastic bag women
+ felt a litle bit smelly.
the next day began with "Good Bye" to ЮЛЕ
our beloved guide
+ after that VАЛЯ's talents for translation
were impossible to hide.
ПOPYCCKИЙ HAЛEBO
ПOAHГЛCKИЙ HAПPABO
Rammstein ПPИЯMO
+ gadget Ti Amo.
ГOPHO AЛTAИCK was not only good for shopping
the museum was nice
+ after hopping
the main city road
about five times without one moan
the theatre and ЛEHИH
felt like home.
Picking up the tired TOHИ
was the goal of the day
off road we went
+ ended in ШAMИЛ's hai.
On a beautiful lake,
we are scientists at work
dinner with mushrooms
the director a jerk
the bear was a KOHЫЙ
we went away sad
when the next idea came up in our head:
PЫБAЦKИ ПЛAЩ !!!
that was the call
KOHEЧHO AНTOH knew exactly the mall
where we could fullfill the desire of our dreams
in the evening we camped at one of the many streams.
"Guten Morgen, Du Schune" at the campfire site,
brought AНTOH's romance to an unknown height.
VАЛЯ's ДАЧA was a great idea
we feel very touched
as you can hear.
We met you as guides
+ leave you as friends
to show our love
we leave you..... the cans!
(With lots of love from the "TРОЙКА" of August 2007)
Kristina Fuchs k.fuchs@planet.nl
Stephie Buttrich phiest@planet.nl
Raphaela Danksagmueller danksagmuller@hotmail.com
Reference letter from Mr. Urs Rhyner
Altai trekking ecotour 2003 and 2007
The Altai-Tour is an unforgettable adventure. It gives you the great opportunity to travel with local guides to remote and amazing areas that you can hardly visit as a normal tourist. The guide (Anton) provides you with information you can't find in any travel book.
The Altai-Mountains are impressive and its nature is wild and mostly unchanged by mankind. The expedition makes overnight stops at very nice places, close to rivers or lakes, where you can choose your favourite campsite and which scene you would like to admire first in the morning.
The crew provides you with everything you need and cooks simple but delicious meals. Due to a small group there is enough flexibility for your personal preferences regarding the schedule or program.
We visited old graves and paintings of the Altai-Culture, small villages and markets, and interesting geological sites. We did boat trips, mountain tours and a three-day trekking tour to a glacier, but most important and unforgettable: the Russian saunas!
If you like adventure, nature and other cultures, go on this tour, I can highly recommend it.
Urs Rhyner, student, Zurich.
E-mail address:
urs.rhyner@lehman.com
Reference letter from Ms. Anny Rhyner
Altai Trekking Tour in August 2007
Lieber Anton,
ich mцchte mich nochmals bedanken fьr die sehr kompetent gefьhrte Reise im August 07.
Du warst immer (24 Stunden) fьr uns da! Du hast es verstanden zu vermitteln zwischen den Hochzeitsorganisatoren,der russ.Familie und den Schweizer-Gдsten,ganz ruhig,einfach super!
Wenn ich etwas nicht verstanden habe,denn mein Englisch ist Minimal,hast du es sofort bemerkt und mir auf deutsch weitergeholfen.
Die Kьchenmannschaft -Natascha und Sascha- waren einmalig!Herrlich kцstliche Gerichte haben sie fьr uns gezaubert.Wohlverstanden ohne Kьhlschrank und mit Produkten vom Markt in den Dцrfern auf unserer Reise.Mit dem,was sie gerade erhalten haben,verwцhnten sie uns 27 Schweizer grossartig.Ganz ruhig und ohne grosses Aufsehen arbeiteten sie Hand in Hand.
Es war sehr schцn dies zu beobachten.Ueberhaupt diese Harmonie zwischen Dir,dem Chauffeur,der Kьchenmannschaft...genial ! und fьr mich sehr Vertrauenswьrdig.
Ich wьnsche Dir dass Du Dein grosses Wissen noch bei vielen Touren weitergeben kannst!
Viel Glьck Anny Rhyner
E-mail address:
annyrhyner@hotmail.com
Reference letter from Dr. Udo Kastenholz
Soil-Ecoligical excursion 1999, Altai trekking ecotour 2003
As a participant of the soil-ecological excursion across the Western Siberian plain in 1999 (http://siberia-eco.org) I fell in love with the Steppe landscape of the Altaj mountains. I knew I would have to return one day to see more of the many fantasic landscapes of this remote region. So I was happy to find the announcement of the 2nd Altaj ecotour in 2003.
In particular during the trekking tours up to some mountains the impressions of untouched nature were occasionally overwhelming. To see the terraces of the river Katun, relictic and recent Pingos, Glaciers, Moraines, Permafrost, Solifluction terraces, undisturbed rivers and so many more interesting things is absolutely fantastic. Surely one of the highlights is the experience of spending two nights in about 3000 m altitude nearby a glacier, the camp in the middle of a meadow of blue-blooming flowers. The small size of the group (only six participants with quite different professions from Switzerland, Austria and Germany and four Russians) made it possible to get a very intensive feeling of traveling, far away from any tourism as we know it, and to became quite familiar with each other in a short time.
The organisation of the Altaj tour was really excellent, even better than I knew it from the fieldtrip some years ago. A big compliment to our guide Anton Barsukov, son of Dr. Pavel Barsukov, the organizer of the soil-ecological excursions. It’s owing to him that the ecologically interested one could learn a lot about geomorphological, climatic, pedological and biological coherences. But also participants more interested in cultural questions had intensive insights into the unique culture of the Altaj people in historical and modern times, espacially when we visitited an original Altaj museum or studied ancient petroglyphes on our way to the south.
Always friendly and in a good mood, our Russian hosts did everything to make the journey as comfortable as possible, because riding in jeeps on Russian roads is quite strenuous sometimes (thanks a lot to Pavel and Pavel, our drivers, for driving carefully and secure at all times - and for everything else, too). But a good meal and a hot “Banja” after a hard day really works miracles. The nights we mostly rested near a river or a lake, but always in breath-taking landscapes, no matter if it was on the Ob riversite, with its incredible panorama, besides the Teletskoje lake, out in the Steppe or up in alpine regions of the mountains. Last but not least a very special thanks of course also to Wassilja Barsukov, who cared motherly about our health and prepared all the tasty Russian dishes three times a day.
On the whole my message is quite simple: Siberia’s beautiful and extensive landscapes and the extraordinary warm hospitality of the Russians you travel with makes this unusual journey unforgettable to everybody who is interested in pure nature and open-minded to Russian culture.
Thanks for everything and “do swidanija”, friends!
Mailing adress:
Dr. Udo Kastenholz
Schmollerstr. 31
66111 Saarbrьcken
Germany
E-mail address
kastenholz@web.de
Reference from Ms. Hildegard Meyer
Altai trekking ecotour 2003
My first contact with Western Siberia and its very sympathic inhabitants Anton and Pavel Barsukov was in summer 2001 when I worked with big pleasure as an ecologist in this wonderful part of the world. But working only, there was not time enough to really enjoy nature in Siberia. So I decided to spend my holidays joining the Altai tour 2003. And it was no mistake at all!
The Altai mountains are very varied. You can find landscapes, which are similar to the Alps, but few kilometers further on you will find steppe with sparse vegetation cover or open stone formations where you can read their history from. I would say, in comparison to the “gothic shaped” Alps the Altai mountains seemed to be made in “romanic times”, very massive giants with simple and strong forms. And their power touched me everywhere we walked.
Beside that the organisation of the tour was brilliant. While the participants were busy to build up their tends, the Russian stuff prepared everything for our comfort in the wild nature - meals, campfire and even Russian banyas (sauna) were organized, which gave us a new feeling of life after a trekking tour through the mountains. Anton knew a lot of geology and ecology including cultural features of the Altai. Therefore, the tour was not only an exciting adventure trip, but also a very interesting trip to ecological and cultural insights of this part of Siberia.
I would recommend this tour to all who would like to overcome their old picture of Siberia as a cold and inhospitable place and who would like to spend a wonderful time in pure nature whithout any tourism rave up in company with very friendly and joky people!
Thank you all for this wonderful and enriching trip!
Mailing address
Hildegard Meyer
Pramergasse 8-10/2/11
A-1090 Vienna
Austria
E-mail address:
loiseleuria@yahoo.de
More references about our activities!
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