<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists have submerged a giant <keyword id="81842" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Telescope">telescope</keyword> nearly a mile underwater in <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword>'s <keyword id="649291" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lake-Baikal">Lake Baikal</keyword>.</li><li>The telescope is hunting for <keyword id="781923" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="neutrinos">neutrinos</keyword>: tiny, neutral particles that are abundant but hard to detect.</li><li>Most neutrinos have been moving through <keyword id="41531" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="space">space</keyword> since the birth of the universe 14 billion years ago.</li></ul><p>A new telescope below the surface of the world's deepest lake has commenced a hunt for the universe's most elusive particles. </p><p>These tiny particles, neutrinos, have almost no mass and no electrical charge, which makes them challenging to observe. Most neutrinos that exist today formed during the Big Bang, so studying them can offer insights into why our universe looks the way it does, as well as clues about mysterious forces like dark matter.</p><p>Russia's Lake Baikal provides a perfect medium for scientists to observe neutrinos because these particles emit detectable light as they zoom through clear water. The lake's depth can also shield the detector from radiation and interference.</p><p>So earlier this month, an international group of scientists launched the <a href="https://baikalgvd.jinr.ru/">Baikal-Gigaton Volume Detector</a>, the largest neutrino telescope in the Northern Hemisphere. The detector is now submerged between 0.4 miles and 0.8 miles below Lake Baikal's surface. It measures one-tenth of a mile wide, long, and tall.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Russia   (@Russia) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1371008110375096321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2021</a></blockquote><h2>Hunting for 'ghost particles'</h2><p>The researchers behind the Baikal-Gigaton Volume Detector, or Baikal-GVD, have been working on the project since 2015. The group hails from the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia. According to Russian <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> agency <a href="https://tass.com/science/1265679">TASS</a>, the neutrino telescope cost close to $34 million.</p><div type="image" title="lake baikal GVD neutrinos" height="2000" width="3000" msid="81670495" hostid="261"></div><p>Neutrinos are the most abundant particles in the universe - about 10 trillion of them pass through your body every second, with you none the wiser. But they're notoriously hard to detect because they tend to pass through matter without being absorbed by it the way other particles are.</p><p>Hence the nickname "<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/neutrino/">ghost particles</a>": Neutrinos aren't affected by magnetic fields, and their neutral charge means they don't interact with anything. They also move at the speed of light. </p><p>But when neutrinos travel quickly through water, they emit energy known as Cherenkov radiation, which produces light. </p><p>"If an airplane is going very fast, faster than the speed of sound, then it'll produce sound - a big shockwave - in a way a slower object doesn't. In the same way, a particle passing through water, if it's going faster than the speed of light in water, can also produce a shockwave of light," Yoshi Uchida, a physicist at Imperial College London, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/super-kamiokande-neutrino-detector-is-unbelievably-beautiful-2018-6">previously told Insider</a>.</p><p>That's why the scientists chose Lake Baikal: Its depth and clear water maximize their ability to observe these shockwaves of light. Pristine water means there will be a higher chance that radiation from the neutrinos hits the modules in the detector. And the bigger the lake, the larger the telescope can be - and the more neutrinos it can spot. The lake is just over a mile deep and nearly 50 miles across.</p><p>"Lake Baikal is the only lake where you can deploy a neutrino telescope because of its depth," Bair Shoibonov, one of the Baikal-GVD scientists, <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/russian-scientists-deploy-a-floating-observatory-in-lake-baikal">told AFP</a>. </p><p>"Fresh water is also important, water clarity too. And the fact that there is ice cover for two, two and a half months is also very important," he added.</p><p>Other neutrino detectors have been built underground to stop particles that can't pass through matter from getting in. The lake's depth and ice cover acts as a similar barrier.</p><div type="image" title="lake baikal GVD neutrinos" height="2000" width="3000" msid="81670501" hostid="261"></div><p>The GVD resembles <a href="https://baikalgvd.jinr.ru/telescope/">a giant octopus</a>: It has <a href="https://baikalgvd.jinr.ru/">eight clusters</a> with eight strings each, and each string is peppered with at least <a href="https://baikalgvd.jinr.ru/telescope/">a dozen light-detecting modules</a>.</p><p>These arms undulate under the water, waiting for neutrinos to collide with them. Each glass module looks like a see-through globe, as pictured above. So far, the GVD has 288 modules.</p><p>Each of the clusters' eight strings is fixed to the lakebed by heavy anchors.</p><h2>Neutrinos could offer clues about the early universe</h2><p>Neutrinos may be able to help researchers solve some of the biggest puzzles about the early days of the cosmos 13.8 billion years ago.</p><p>One particular conundrum is that scientific models of the Big Bang suggest that matter and its counterpart, antimatter, should have been produced in equal parts. These two oppositely charged types of matter should then have destroyed each other on contact, leaving an empty universe.</p><p>That obviously wasn't the case. Instead, something tipped the scales in favor of matter. It's possible the same process even created matter's shadowy cousin, dark matter, at the same time. So scientists hope that by studying neutrinos and tracing them back to their origins in space, they might learn more about what happened during the universe's critical first moments.</p><div type="image" title="lake baikal GVD neutrinos" height="2000" width="3000" msid="81670504" hostid="261"></div><p>Not all neutrinos that this telescope detects will have come from the Big Bang, though. Some existing neutrinos form from nuclear reactions - in nuclear power stations, particle accelerators, or nuclear bombs - or in the sun and other stars as they form, collide, or die. Observing neutrinos that come from some of these other cosmic sources could enhance researchers' understanding of the evolution of stars and the inner composition of the sun.</p><p>The Baikal-GVD is only about half the size of the largest neutrino detector on Earth, <a href="https://icecube.wisc.edu/outreach/neutrinos/">the </a><a href="https://icecube.wisc.edu/"><u>IceCube South Pole Neutrino Observatory</u></a><a href="https://icecube.wisc.edu/outreach/neutrinos/"> in Antarctica</a>. Both use the same type of modules to detect neutrinos.</p><p>But in the future, the Baikal-GVD scientists hope to double the new telescope's size by adding more modules. </p>

A telescope submerged nearly a mile underwater in the world's deepest lake is hunting for ghostly particles from space

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword> has pulled off a world first — an underwater torch relay between two robots.</li><li>The relay took place at Lake Yongding, and featured two curling-stone shaped droids.</li></ul><p>China has released a video of the <keyword id="11900405" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="olympic" source="Orion">Olympic</keyword> flame being passed from one robot to another underwater — a world first. </p><p>According to state-linked media <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202202/1250331.shtml">Global Times,</a> the submersible robots met in the middle of the icy Yongding River in Beijing on Wednesday and participated in an eight-minute relay beneath the waters. </p><p>In the video, two amphibious droids in the shape of a curling stone drop into the water. Robot arms holding torches then extend from each droid, and the flame passes from one torch to the other. </p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QmbwZbsrtAc" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>This is the first time that two robots passed the Olympic flame to each other underwater. </p><p>For the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the Olympic flame went underwater in a world first, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/807872.stm">when marine biologist Wendy Craig Duncan set off a special flare at the Great Barrier Reef</a>. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—NBC Olympics  (@NBCOlympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1347685120032043009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2021</a></blockquote><p>The Sochi 2014 Winter Games also saw an underwater leg in the torch relay, when torchbearers took the flame 42 feet beneath the surface of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1BW6PaZO1c">Lake Baikal.</a></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Sochi 2014  (@Sochi2014) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/404190841860005888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2013</a></blockquote><p>South Korea then upped the ante, <a href="http://www.jejuweekly.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=5838">involving the "Crabster,"</a> a half-ton, six-legged deep-sea exploration robot, in the torch relay for the Pyeongchang Games. </p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jibvj4SP5v4" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>China will hold the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/02/sports/olympics/when-is-olympics-opening-ceremony.html">opening ceremony of the Beijing Games</a> on February 4, at 8 p.m. local time, at the Chinese capital's Bird's Nest stadium. </p>

Watch Beijing pull off the first ever underwater Olympic torch relay between two submersible robots

The recent summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> in Vladivostok underlined the countries’ harmonious strategic orientation. In what Modi called a “unique case”, India <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3026120/india-challenging-chinas-influence-south-china-sea-outreach" class="link-text">extended</a> </span>a US$1 billion credit line to Russia to develop its Far East, as part of India’s new “Act Far East” policy, a complement to the “<a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1689454/indias-act-east-plan-lesson-china" class="link-text"><span class="text">Act East</span></a>” policy which seeks to deepen ties with Southeast Asia.<br /><br />Modi and Putin also reached a preliminary agreement on the induction of skilled Indian workers into Siberia. Urging both nations to “deepen the bond”, Modi said: “India is proud of the achievement of the Indian diaspora. I am sure here in the Russian Far East too they will make an active contribution towards the region’s progress.”<br /><br />The Russian <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1855525/china-backs-putins-idea-developing-russias-far-east" class="link-text">Far East</a> </span>is a federal district distinct from the Siberian federal district, stretching from Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean, with an area of 6.2 million sq km, or a third of Russia. Resource-rich and sparsely populated, it is viewed with muted anxiety in Moscow as an area that may be slowly taken over by China’s steady <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2100228/chinese-russian-far-east-geopolitical-time-bomb" class="link-text"><span class="text">demographic creep</span></a>.<br /><br />This relationship has withstood the vicissitudes of a global order, through the menacing certitude of the cold-war decades when the Soviet Union was one of two poles, to the post-September 11 uneasy world (dis)order where Russia is the inheritor of a shrunken Soviet mantle both geographically and economically.<br /><br />Notwithstanding disappointments in the Boris Yeltsin period, such as when the Russian president condemned India’s nuclear tests, and Russia’s discomfiture over the visible improvement in India’s relations with the United States since late 2008, both Moscow and Delhi have maintained mutual trust.<br /><br />If the US, Russia and China are the core global strategic players, then India and Japan are potentially important swing states. Tokyo, while committed to the US-led alliance, is seeking to improve its position with both China and Russia. To this end, Japanese prime minister <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3025905/vladimir-putin-rebuffs-shinzo-abes-call-sign-peace-treaty-over" class="link-text">Shinzo Abe</a> </span>was also in Vladivostok recently for the Eastern Economic Forum to explore greater economic engagement in Russia’s Far East.<br /><br />Russia’s economy is weaker and this is borne out by the International Monetary Fund’s global list of national gross domestic product. Russia’s GDP, at an estimated US$1.649 trillion this year, is ranked 12th, against Japan’s GDP in third place and India’s GDP in fifth place.<br /><br />For China and Russia, there is deep political and strategic cooperation. But the stark <a href="https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3009679/china-and-russia-arent-economic-equals-thanks-us-trade-war" class="link-text"><span class="text">economic subaltern</span></a><br /> status that Moscow has to accept and the demographic imbalance in the Far East causes deep anxiety. Moscow recalls China as the junior partner during the cold-war decades, and the inversion of roles is galling.In this context, the Russia-India relationship may be characterised as one of kaleidoscopic polarity, wherein both nations have a deep foundation of strategic consonance and yet allow for a degree of issue-specific flexibility. This is reflected in an 81-paragraph joint statement issued at Vladivostok.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/09/12/aad07584-d3b7-11e9-a556-d14d94601503_972x_120619.JPG" class="wrapper__img preview-img-item img--landscape" /><br /><sup>Deep geostrategic concerns underline the relationships between Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi and China’s <keyword id="191809" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Xi-Jinping">Xi Jinping</keyword>. The three leaders meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28. Photo: Reuters<br /></sup><br />Thus, Russia and India can have different positions on China’s <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3007588/belt-and-road-differences-aside-china-and-india-agree-disagree" class="link-text">Belt and Road Initiative</a> </span>to link economies into a China-centred trading network, or the US-led <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3003898/why-india-should-rethink-its-reticence-towards-quad" class="link-text">Quadrilateral Security Dialogue</a> </span>with India, Australia and Japan. At the same time, Russia and India remain committed to “multilateralism”, underline “the primacy of international law” and emphasise “their commitment to the purposes and the principles stated in the UN Charter including the inadmissibility of interference in the internal affairs of member states”.For India, this last point is especially relevant given developments in <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3021620/kashmir-modis-india-may-have-won-battle-lost-trust" class="link-text">Kashmir</a> </span>where Moscow’s support has been particularly welcome against China’s <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3026308/beijing-gives-pakistan-its-backing-amid-rising-kashmir" class="link-text">uncritical support</a> </span>of Pakistan and the <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3023648/donald-trump-offers-mediate-explosive-kashmir-stand" class="link-text">ambiguous</a> </span>US position.India has its own <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/3011748/modi-20-indias-us-china-balancing-act-just-got-trickier" class="link-text">tightrope</a> </span>to walk with China over their festering <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2127282/doklam-stand-china-will-india-learn-right-lessons-or-pay" class="link-text">territorial disputes</a> </span>and China’s support of Pakistan, whose army <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3008614/why-china-dropped-its-opposition-un-blacklisting-pakistan" class="link-text">supports</a> </span>anti-India jihadi terror groups and whose penchant for nuclear sabre-rattling China tacitly endorses.<br /><h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"></h3>Early next month, Modi will receive Chinese President Xi Jinping and India’s “special and privileged” relationship with Russia will be on the agenda.<br /><br />President Xi is likely to be keen to ascertain how the Vladivostok agreements affect China’s security concerns. Particularly as India and Russia now see themselves as “stakeholders” who have “agreed to intensify consultations on complementarities between integration and development initiatives in the greater Eurasian space and in the regions of Indian and Pacific Oceans”.<br /><br />Will the Indo-Pacific become more animated with Russia’s entry when the <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3026120/india-challenging-chinas-influence-south-china-sea-outreach" class="link-text">Vladivostok-Chennai</a> </span>sea route becomes a reality?<span class="opinion-article__body article-details-type--strong content--strong">Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar is director of the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), an independent think tank based in New Delhi. <br /><br />(The above articles is based on personal views of  <em>C. Uday Bhaskar</em>, Business Insider India has not edited the article). </span><br />

Why India’s relationship with Russia is so special

<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.mattprior.co.uk/"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56426e5d9dd7ccfc418bdce1-4773-3579/7p.jpg" alt="Matt Prior hidden village" data-mce-source="Matt Prior" /><p class="source"><span>Matt Prior</span></p><p class="caption">During Matt's Adventure Academy course, participants are taken to this stunning hidden village.</p></a></div><p></p></div></div>Matt Prior takes adventure to a new level.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">A member of the prestigious <a href="https://explorers.org">Explorers Club</a>, h</span><span class="s1">is past endeavors have included circumnavigating Lake Baikal on a WWII-era Russian motorbike, traveling across Sri Lanka in a rickshaw, and even participating in a Guinness World Record-setting taxi journey at 17,143 feet. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">He wanted to find a way to ignite a passion for exploring in others, so he founded Matt Prior Adventure Academy, a one-week course that teaches people how to conquer and enjoy extreme <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> experiences. He exposes travelers to the joy of traveling off the beaten path, taking them through hidden villages, breathtaking volcanoes, and glistening hot springs. </span></p><p class="p1">The course costs $3,995 per person, not including hotel accommodations and international flights. </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">We've put together a collection of images from his amazing adventures so that you can see what a course with the Matt Prior Adventure Academy is like. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">For the full collection, visit his<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mattprioruk/"> Instagram</a> or <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattprioruk/sets/">Flickr</a> account.</span></p>

Meet the adventurer who's gone to nearly 100 countries and can take you on the adventure of a lifetime

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/542954e96bb3f7635d36fb01-637-477/goproheroblackpic-1.jpg?maxX=600" border="0" alt="GoProHeroBlackPic" width="600"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://shop.gopro.com/cameras/hero4-black/CHDHX-401-master.html">GoPro</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></p><p>GoPro is tanking.</p><p>The stock is down nearly 7% at around $40.53 a share on Wednesday afternoon.</p><p>Shares of the company are down 31% year-to-date. There was no immediate news from the company.</p><p>The stock has declined in recent weeks on concern that there's strong competition coming from Xiaomi, which announced a 16-megapixel point-of-view camera last month, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-apple-granted-patent-for-gopro-like-cameras-patently-apple-2015-1">Apple</a>, which obtained a patent for a camera similar to GoPro's offerings.</p><p>GoPro is one of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-shorted-stocks-2015-2">most shorted stocks</a> on the Russell 1000 Index, according to Barclays.</p><p>In a recent note, analysts wrote that weaker-than-expected first-quarter guidance and the resignation of its COO are some of the other factors that have driven down the stock.</p><p>Here's a chart showing the drop in trading Wednesday.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551c3bcaecad04313f64717f-1076-494/screen shot 2015-04-01 at 2.40.00 pm.png" border="0" alt="Screen Shot 2015 04 01 at 2.40.00 PM"><p class="source"><span>Yahoo Finance</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/skier-plunges-through-ice-siberia-gopro-2015-2">GoPro footage of a skier plunging through the ice on Lake Baikal in Siberia</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="hrYzNpczpCid3JhbRIG79869s25vHCIG" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'hrYzNpczpCid3JhbRIG79869s25vHCIG',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

GoPro is tanking

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d3f2cb6100a2434c80201c6-2400/img20190621162132.jpg" border="0" alt="trans siberian railway" data-mce-source="Katie Warren/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Katie Warren/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">I rode the Trans-Siberian Railway from Novosibirsk to Moscow, a more than 2,000-mile journey.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>On a recent trip to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/russia">Russia</a>, I spent 50 hours <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trans-siberian-railway-russia-what-its-like-photos-2019-7">riding the Trans-Siberian Railway</a> across more than 2,000 miles and four time zones in Russia.</li><li>It was the experience of a lifetime, but there are a few things I wish I'd known before my journey.</li><li>I wish I would've chosen my route more carefully, made some stopovers, and brought a better variety of snacks and entertainment. </li><li>The smartest thing I did before my trip was downloading the offline translation for Russian on the Google Translate app. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>At <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2016/10/5/13167966/100th-anniversary-trans-siberian-railway-google-doodle">5,772 miles</a> (9,289 kilometers), the Trans-Siberian Railway is the <a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;isjs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lonelyplanet.com%2Ftrans-siberian-railway%2Ftravel-tips-and-articles%2Fthe-siberian-welcome-the-best-guides-along-the-worlds-longest-train-journey%2F40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d276afe5&amp;xguid=01D36SCY3AP0HDD9941HC333BJ&amp;xuuid=c55c97b50edb92e4bccad575a6cc4a1d&amp;xsessid=&amp;xcreo=0&amp;xed=0&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Ftrans-siberian-railway-russia-what-its-like-photos-2019-7&amp;pref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fauthor%2Fkatie-warren&amp;xtz=240&amp;jv=3.21.8-stackpath&amp;bv=2.5.1">longest railway line in the world</a>, connecting Moscow to Vladivostok in far Eastern Russia.</p><p>On a recent trip to Russia, I spent 50 hours riding the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway across more than 2,000 miles and four time zones in Russia.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trans-siberian-railway-russia-what-its-like-photos-2019-7">I rode the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway on a 2,000-mile journey across four time zones in Russia. Here's what it was like spending 50 hours on the longest train line in the world.</a></em></p><p>I got on the train in Novosibirsk, the third-largest city in Siberia, and rode it all the way to Moscow. I had to deal with not showering or changing clothes for more than two days, entertaining myself without cell service or Wi-Fi, a cramped bathroom, mediocre food, and a snoring compartment mate.</p><p>But it was the experience of a lifetime, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. There are, however, a few things I wish I'd known before embarking on my journey.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d49e5f4100a2414570a57ac-1031/tsr skitch map.jpg" border="0" alt="TSR Skitch map" data-mce-source="Google Maps" /><p class="source"><span>Google Maps</span></p><p class="caption">The Trans-Siberian Railway stretches from Moscow to Vladivostok. I rode the portion from Novosibirsk to Moscow.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Here are my top six tips for riding the Trans-Siberian Railway.</p><h2>1. Do some research on which route will be most interesting to you.</h2><p>I wish I had done more research on the stretch of railway I'd be traveling.</p><p>I only knew that I didn't have time to ride the entire thing, and as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/life-in-diamond-mining-town-siberia-russia-photos-2019-7">I was already in Siberia</a>, leaving from Novosibirsk back to Moscow made the most sense from a logistical perspective.</p><p>Next time, I would try to choose a route with more varied scenery. While the views were beautiful, the flat landscapes of green fields and forests got a little monotonous after a while.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d44a2c8100a243a05141a13-2400/dscf3897.jpg" border="0" alt="trans siberian railway" data-mce-source="Katie Warren/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Katie Warren/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">I saw a lot of trees on my journey.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>I longed to see some mountains or more varied landscape, and apparently, I missed my one chance to do so. One afternoon, our train passed through the Ural Mountains. One of my Australian compartment mates told me the scenery was stunning and reminded her of Switzerland.</p><p>Unfortunately, at that time, I was napping. </p><p>So if you're not riding the entire line, I'd recommend doing a little research on the different stretches of railway and how they correspond to what you'd like to see.</p><h2>2. Make some stops along the way.</h2><p>Fifty hours on a train is a long time. But it wasn't until I was about 15 minutes into my train journey and already bored of my snacks and reading material that I realized just how long it really is.</p><p>And a week - which is about <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/rail-journeys/Trans-Siberian-Great-Train-Journeys/">how long it takes to ride the whole thing nonstop</a> - would <em>really</em> be a long time to spend on a train.</p><p>If you're riding for a significant length of time, I'd suggest breaking up your journey with some short stays in cities or towns along the way. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d499a77100a2401f4264926-2400/dscf4038.jpg" border="0" alt="trans siberian railway" data-mce-source="Katie Warren/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Katie Warren/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">The longest stop on my train journey was about 40 minutes.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Lake Baikal, <a href="https://europeupclose.com/article/riding-the-trans-siberian-railway-lake-baikal/">off the Irkutsk stop</a>, is a popular destination, and I heard Yekaterinburg (which I passed through) is a beautiful city. The Culture Trip compiled a list of the <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/europe/russia/articles/the-10-most-beautiful-stops-on-the-trans-siberian-railway/">10 most beautiful stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway.</a></p><p>Hopping off the train for a night or two here and there would add some variety to your trip, and you'd get to experience more of Russia than you would from the train window.</p><h2>3. <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">Travel</keyword> with a friend.</h2><p>I cannot stress enough that the hours you spend on the Trans-Siberian can sometimes go by<em> very slowly.</em></p><p>I was traveling for work so this wasn't an option for me, but I'd recommend riding the Trans-Siberian with a friend rather than alone.</p><p>While I often enjoy traveling alone, I kept thinking about how nice if it would be if I had a friend to talk to, eat with, perhaps play card games with, and someone to watch my things if I felt like leaving the compartment for an extended period of time. Fortunately, I felt like all of my compartment mates were pretty trustworthy.</p><p>Even better, if you had four friends, you could book an entire compartment to have to yourselves. The only downside of this would be that you'd have to make more of an effort to talk to locals traveling on the train, if you're into that.</p><h2>4. Bring books and other entertainment, because there will be no Wi-Fi and very little cell service.</h2><p>There's no Wi-Fi on Trans-Siberian trains, and I found that I only had cell service when the train made a stop, which was sometimes only for two or three minutes at a time.</p><p>There are, however, power outlets on the train, so you have the option of watching movies or TV shows that you've previously downloaded. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d4482bf100a24304d4d69ea-2400/img20190622093404.jpg" border="0" alt="trans siberian railway" data-mce-source="Katie Warren/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Katie Warren/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">I brought a book on the train, but I wish I'd brought some other forms of entertainment.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>I kept myself entertained with a good old-fashioned book, but I did sometimes wish I had some other options.</p><h2>5. Don't worry about packing all the drinking water you'll need.</h2><p>I didn't discover until the last few hours of my trip that there was drinkable water on board. Instead, I spent 40-something hours rationing the three liters of bottled water I'd brought, worried that I'd run out.</p><p>It turned out that in addition to the samovar (hot water kettle) that I used to make cup after cup of tea, my train car had a faucet near the attendant's cabin that provided drinking water so I could fill up my water bottles.</p><p>However, I've read <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-eastern-europe-the-caucasus/russia/water-on-transsiberian">some reports that not all trains have this faucet for drinking water</a>, and that the water may run out. Either way, there is also bottled water available to purchase from the attendant, as well as from train station vendors at stops along the way.</p><h2>6. Choose your snacks wisely. </h2><p>I found the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trans-siberian-railway-russia-what-its-like-photos-2019-7#at-about-630-pm-an-hour-and-a-half-after-id-boarded-the-train-the-attendant-came-around-to-take-orders-for-dinner-24">food served on the train to be mediocre</a>, so I was glad I'd packed my own snacks for the journey. I brought tea, dried noodles, granola bars, chocolate, and some fruit-and-vegetable baby food.</p><p>But I got sick of these things far more quickly than I'd expected - as in, probably within the first few hours.</p><p>An Australian couple I shared my compartment with for the later part of my journey brought fresh fruit as well as meat, cheese, and bread to make sandwiches. My granola bars and dried noodles seemed pretty boring in comparison, and I was quickly craving "real food."</p><p>While snack choice is very personal, I'd recommend bringing a variety of options that won't spoil quickly.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-spy-walter-wick-photographer-can-you-see-books-2019-7">Meet the photographer behind the 'I Spy' books that captured millions of readers' imaginations</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/3wHs0iF9-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

What I wish I'd known before embarking on a 50-hour train ride across Siberia, wearing the same clothes for 2 days, and sharing a tiny compartment with 3 Russian strangers

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551046826da8116706a5d955-1200-800/tahoe skiiers no snow.jpg" border="0" alt="tahoe skiers no snow"><p class="source"><span> Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Thanks to California's <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/the-economics-of-californias-drought/388375/" target="_blank">historic four-year drought</a> and <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2014/03/california-just-had-its-warmest-winter-record">hottest winter ever</a>, m<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">any Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts have been<a href="http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/03/sierra-at-tahoe-closes-no-snow.php" target="_blank"> forced to close early</a> this year.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55103e5cecad043729ec39e9-1200-800/tahoe no snow ski lift.jpg" border="0" alt="Tahoe no snow ski lift"><p class="source"><span>Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">With little snowfall and over 60-degree temperatures, the few resorts that remain open have little snow left for skiers.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55103bee69bedd4768a1aaa0-1200-800/tahoe skiing dirt no snow.jpg" border="0" alt="Tahoe skiing dirt no snow" style="line-height: 1.5em;"><p class="source"><span>Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">A snowboarder at Lake Tahoe's <a href="http://squawalpine.com/" target="_blank">Squaw Valley Ski Resort</a> had to </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">thread his way through patches of dirt on Saturday, March 21.</span></span></p><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55103f386da811d95ba5d957-1200-800/snowboarder tahoe no snow.jpg" border="0" alt="snowboarder tahoe no snow"><p class="source"><span>Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span>Where 16-year-old Jack Feick of Truckee was able to skim over a pond while wearing a T-shirt.</span></span></span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551045eeeab8ea263aac5ec2-1200-800/skiing in water tahoe.jpg" border="0" alt="skiing in water tahoe"><p class="source"><span>Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Others attempted to eke out the last days of ski season at Squaw Valley Ski Resort<span> </span>this weekend.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55103f806da8115d5ea5d957-1200-800/tahoe ski resort.jpg" border="0" alt="Tahoe ski resort california drought no snow" style="line-height: 1.5em;"><p class="source"><span>Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551043d96bb3f7665f8360a3-1200-800/tahoe skiiers.jpg" border="0" alt="Tahoe skiiers" style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;"><p class="source"><span>Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5510473f6bb3f75e6c83609d-1200-800/tahoe drought no snow.jpg" border="0" alt="Tahoe drought no snow" style="line-height: 1.5em;"><p class="source"><span>Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">According to </span><a href="http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/03/sierra-at-tahoe-closes-no-snow.php" target="_blank">Curbed Ski</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, many nearby resorts have been affected by the drought.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Homewood Ski Resort has been closed since Feb. 23, while </span><a href="https://www.sierraattahoe.com/" target="_blank">Sierra-at-Tahoe</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.sierraattahoe.com/OperationsUpdate" target="_blank">just announced</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> it would be closing the lifts until (if) it gets more snow. Sierra, which normally closes at the end of April, hasn't had a March closure since the 1970s.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55104065eab8eae926ac5ebd-1200-800/tahoe no snow.jpg" border="0" alt="Tahoe no snow"><p class="source"><span>Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Other California ski areas, like Donner Ski Ranch, Badger Pass, Dodge Ridge, Mountain High, China Peak, Soda Springs, Mt. Baldy, Mount Shasta, and Tahoe Donner are all </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">closed as well. </span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551042ec6da811ca70a5d957-1200-800/tahie ski resort.jpg" border="0" alt="Tahoe ski resort"><p class="source"><span>Max Whittaker/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>The drought is so bad that <span>Jay Famiglietti, </span><span>senior water scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a professor at UC Irvine, wrote in an LA Times <span>op-ed that </span>California <a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html">would run out of water</a> in a year.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While the bold statement <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/the-economics-of-californias-drought/388375/" target="_blank">isn't exactly accurate</a>, California has recently been forced to take action.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>"Last week, Governor Jerry Brown <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/03/20/california_megadrought_it_s_already_begun.html">announced a $1 billion plan</a> to aid communities most affected by the drought, and imposed restrictions on some aspects of personal use," according to <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/the-economics-of-californias-drought/388375/" target="_blank">The Atlantic</a>. "With the state's snowpack at just 12% of normal, Californians figure to struggle more during the traditional dry summer months."</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span>More than 1,000 companies, including more than 100 ski resorts and </span><a href="http://ecowatch.com/2014/02/25/california-businesses-drought/">hundreds of businesses in California</a><span>, have signed the Climate Declaration, which urges the public, policymakers, and business leaders to tackle climate change.</span><span><br><br><a href="http://www.aspensnowmass.com/" target="_blank">Aspen Skiing Company</a><span>'s Sustainability Director, Matthew Hamilton, </span><a href="http://blog.aspensnowmass.com/signed-climatedeclaration/" target="_blank">explains</a><span> why his company signed the declaration: "The outdoor industry contributes $650 billion and 6.1 million jobs to the economy. Of this, snow-based recreation contributes $67 billion and 600,000 jobs. The changing climate has a direct impact on our industry, the economy and the livelihoods of many Americans."</span><br /></br></br></span></span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/skier-plunges-through-ice-siberia-gopro-2015-2">GoPro footage of a skier plunging through the ice on Lake Baikal in Siberia</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="hrYzNpczpCid3JhbRIG79869s25vHCIG" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'hrYzNpczpCid3JhbRIG79869s25vHCIG',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

The California drought is so bad that people are basically skiing on dirt in Tahoe

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/535a647069bedd1807505e20-1200-924/vladimir-putin-100.jpg" border="0" alt="Vladimir Putin" /><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin swims in a lake in southern Siberia's Tuva region August 3, 2009. Putin, a judo black belt who has flown in a fighter aircraft and shot a Siberian tiger in the wild, plunged into the depths of Lake Baikal aboard a mini-submersible on Saturday in a mission that added a new dimension to his macho image. Picture taken August 3, 2009. REUTERS/RIA Novosti/Pool/Alexei Druzhinin</p></div><p></p></div></div>Russian President Vladimir Putin <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/putin-obama-drowning-question-2014-4" target="_blank">thinks U.S. President Barack Obama would save him if he were drowning</a>. And on Friday, Obama cleared up any doubt - he said he "absolutely" would help Putin. </p>
<p><span>"I absolutely would save Mr. Putin if he were drowning," Obama told reporters Friday morning in South Korea. "I would like to think that if anyone is out there drowning, I will save them. I used to be a pretty good swimmer - I grew up in Hawaii. Though a little out of practice."</span></p>
<p><span><span>Putin received the strange question from a 6-year-old girl during an annual televised call-in with the nation last week. He said he thought despite the lack of a personal relationship with Obama and recent, escalating tensions over the Ukraine crisis, Obama was a "courageous" man who would save him.</span><span><br /></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>"I don't want to be drowning!" Putin said, according to a translation by Russia Today. "I don't think I have a close personal relationship with Obama. I think Obama is courageous and a good person, and for sure he would save me."</span><span><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span>The personal relationship between Putin and Obama has deteriorated over Obama's second term in office. Conflicting positions various issues - from the Syrian civil war, to the </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/edward-snowden-putin-q-a-surveillance-2014-4" target="_blank">asylum of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden</a><span>, to the current situation in Ukraine - have strained relations between the U.S. and Russia.</span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Obama made the more lighthearted comments on Friday as he continued to stress more Russian sanctions were "teed up." On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kerry-statement-ukraine-russia-putin-2014-4" target="_blank">John Kerry provided Russia with an ultimatum of sorts</a>, warning more sanctions were on their way if Russia did not start complying with the deal reached in Geneva, Switzerland, last week designed to de-escalate the conflict. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Obama said he was disappointed on Friday that in his second term, Putin has "<span>had an increasing tendency to view the world through a Cold War prism and to see Russia's interests as invariably in conflict with the West." </span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span>"<span>I disagree with him with what's in Russia's interest, but he's the president of that country," Obama said.</span></span></span></span></span></p>

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