Even wars cannot forever prevent those bitten by the travel bug from packing their bags and going on an adventure. The latest set to go on such a journey is a group of 10 senior citizens from Kerala, comprising people from across the state.
They took off on March 24 from Kochi and made their way to Siberia via Dubai. Their quest? To experience the climes, cultures, traditions, and history of the coldest inhabited place in the world.
What makes the group and the trip unique is the fact that, until now, no journey has been attempted to Oymyakon in Siberia.
“Such a trip is very tough to plan and execute,” says Benny Panukulangara, MD of Benny’s Royal Tours. According to him, the place is so remote that there are no specific resorts or hotels available.
“The tourists are hosted by the residents of Oymyakon. The people of Oymyakon, located in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russia, are primarily Yakuts. They are a Turkic ethnic group native to North Siberia, with a population of approximately 450-800 residents,” he adds.
He claimed that it is for the first time in Kerala’s history that a group from the state is visiting the world’s coldest permanently inhabited settlement. The group went to Oymyakon after being invited by the Tourism Department.
For the group, it was the first time experiencing such low temperatures. “The temperature here goes below -30 degrees Celsius,” says 85-year-old Gopinathan, a doctor at the Metropolitan Hospital in Thrissur.
An ardent traveller, Gopinathan found the lifestyle and cuisine of the Yakuts very different from anywhere in the world. “They eat a lot of meat,” he says.
According to him, the meat is also very unique. “The food comprises horse meat and milk. Another dish is the reindeer soup. The food was excellent, and they treated us well by giving more fruits,” says Gopinathan.
According to group members, from the nearest airport, the road to Oymyakon was an adventurous one. “The thoroughfare is called the coldest of the coldest roads. However, what makes the road unique is its macabre history. The road is called the ‘Road of Bones’. Russian history tells the tale of how Stalin, wanting to dig up the gold under the Siberian permafrost, forced people to construct a nearly 2,000km road. The construction took a huge toll on the workforce, and the bodies of the dead workers were buried under the road,” says Benny.
It was a two-day ride to Oymyakon. “The journey on the Kolyma Highway needs a special type of vehicle that can go on ice. Hence, the reduced number of people per group,” he adds.
According to Gopinathan, it was fun travelling on sledges pulled by dogs and reindeer. “Another important attraction was the Lord of Cold, who is known as Chyskhaan (or Chys Khan). He is also called the second Santa Claus. As per the Yakutian folklore, he is the mythological ‘Lord of the Cold’ and ‘Bull of Winter’. He is depicted as a horned figure bringing extreme winter, often visiting from the Arctic Ocean, and is accompanied by his granddaughter,” he adds.
The members, ranging in age from 30 to 85, met the Lord of the Cold at the Oymyakon Winter Festival after visiting a place where temperatures drop to -71 degrees. “We participated in the Oymyakon Winter Festival. We received certificates from Siberian Santa Claus for visiting the coldest inhabited place in the world,” he adds.
The group will arrive at Kochi airport on an Emirates flight from Dubai on April 1.