North Korea, ancient Asia, giant vegetables — four stories
This week, 86.RU published many varied and fascinating pieces. If you missed something amid workday hustle, read our brief overview.
«The trip was definitely worth it»: a Nizhnevartovsk resident shares impressions of a holiday in North Korea — column
Is it actually possible to visit the most closed-off country in the world as a tourist? And to come back from there?
An experienced traveler from Nizhnevartovsk (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug—Yugra, Russia), Konstantin Kaskaev, managed it. A seven-day tour as part of a tourist group (there is no other way to go) cost 150,000 rubles (at current rates — $1,500). All that time the Nizhnevartovsk resident was taken around a preapproved list of locations, accompanied by a whole group of people monitoring his every action — right down to what may and may not be photographed. For example, a portrait of the leader must fit entirely within the frame.
Konstantin also stayed in a five-star hotel, tried North Korean beer, and found out what dog soup tastes like. How to obtain a visa and how the unusual trip went, the Nizhnevartovsk resident told us in this piece.
«Pumpkin is finicky and needs care. And the sunflower grew on the compost heap by itself»: a Yugra resident talks about dacha (country garden plot) records
A few years ago, Yugra resident Natalia Gorelik (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug—Yugra, Russia) saw vegetables online weighing up to 500 kilograms (1,102 lb). And thought: what if I try to grow such a giant too?
Neither the modest size of her 150-square-meter plot (about 1,615 sq ft), nor the challenges of northern soil, nor sky-high seed prices deterred Natalia. One giant-pumpkin seed costs about 1,000 rubles (at current rates — $10). The Yugra resident bought 15, and only two sprouted.
Now the gardener has a whole trove of records: a 3-meter (9 ft 10 in) sunflower, a 60-centimeter (23.6 in) cucumber, and a pumpkin named Belyash weighing over 100 kg (220 lb). How such a harvest is possible without chemicals, Natalia told 86.RU in an interview.
«If Surgut were left without light and heat in winter — that’s a horror‑movie plot»: a deputy’s opinion on the situation with Bobrov and Bikov
Last week it became known that the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation (Genprokuratura) demanded the seizure of assets from Artem Bikov and Alexei Bobrov; the oligarchs own more than 80 assets, including in Tyumen Region (Tyumenskaya Oblast), Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug—Yugra (KhMAO), and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YaNAO). In practice, this means that dozens of utilities responsible for water, heat, and power supply to cities will return to state ownership.
But in whose hands can utilities develop more effectively — private owners’ or the state’s? Did private capital modernize the enterprises’ “Soviet legacy”? Surgut (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug—Yugra, Russia) City Duma deputy Alexei Kuchin shared his view of the situation.
Golden temples, trees with gigantic roots, and snow‑white beaches: a Yugra resident describes three ancient Asian countries
The warm climate, rich culture, and ancient history of Asia attract tourists from all over the world, yet this part of the globe remains mysterious.
Huge golden pagodas neighbor white sandy beaches lined with numerous hotels. The Taj Mahal mausoleum-mosque, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, leaves an incredible impression. The city of Varanasi, called India’s capital of death. And some sights even ferry tourists on elephants.
Yugra resident Anna Terekhova has visited more than 40 countries worldwide. Especially for 86.RU, she explained what to see in the ancient countries of Asia — Myanmar, India, and Cambodia. Read our piece.
