Last months I was pretty much busy with the arrangement of travels, expeditions and tours across the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), but, praise god, I’ve never forgot to take my camera along.

So, here is some picks of winter travel photographies. In the following set you can see Russia’s Siberian city of Yakutsk, street photographs, the ice road across the Lena River, trucks stuck in the ice, the man cutting ice cubes for drinking water, fogs, city monuments, the Christmas / New Year tree, kids, etc.

Lenin Square in the above photo.

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As you already noted, I am a big fan of Ajar Varlamov‘s photographs. This post with his images is already the 30th.

The previous photo post with Ajar’s pictures was dedicated to the season shift from summer to autumn in Yakutsk, Russia. If you didn’t see it, you need to check it and come back to this post to continue following cold weather progress in the city considered to be the coldest on Earth.

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Ajar Varlamov (his posts), whose many photographs you’ve seen previously, has two big passions. Initially, it was to carry his Nikon camera all the time and everywhere. A few years ago, his second passion became Marisha, Yakutian laika (dog breed originated in Yakutia’s Kolyma area).

Guess his major habit… Any ideas?.. Right, as you might have noted, that’s his daily dog walk on the field called Zelenyj Lug (Green Meadow). So, if you are his friend, you can see his daily local nature pictures.

Hereby, please, enjoy how fast climate changes in our area. September is the remarkable month, as it is only period, when we see autumn. In the early September it is warm, the middle already chilly, the end comes out with snow.

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A friend of mine, Roman Sofronov, has just returned from his other scientific expedition into the wilderness of the Momsky National Park located in the North-East of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).

When they had a rest, they spent spare time on fishing on the Inyali River. Fascinating place. Ice is still there and it didn’t melt even in the summer.

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As you noted, I am a big, big fan of the Lena River in Yakutia, Siberia / Russia, and I do really appreciate your attention and reading my blog. So, I have prepared free desktop wallpapers for you as my thank to you.

Choose any image from the listed ones and download it. Have a good day!

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Lena Pillars on the Lena River in Republic Sakha-Yakutia, Russia. Photo by Ajar Varlamov.

Great news arrived yesterday from UNESCO HQ in Paris. Yakutia’s Lena Pillars Nature Park was officially announced on Monday morning by The World Heritage Committee to be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It was the last site to be inscribed during this year’s session.

What is Lena Pillars Nature Park?

Lena Pillars Nature Park is marked by spectacular rock pillars that reach a height of approximately 100 metres along the banks of the Lena River in the central part of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). They were produced by the region’s extreme continental climate with an annual temperature range of almost 100 degrees Centigrade (from -60°C in winter to +40°C in summer). The pillars form rocky buttresses isolated from each other by deep and steep gullies developed by frost shattering directed along intervening joints. Penetration of water from the surface has facilitated cryogenic processes (freeze-thaw action), which have widened gullies between pillars leading to their isolation. Fluvial processes are also critical to the pillars. The site also contains a wealth of Cambrian fossil remains of numerous species, some of them unique.

Via UNESCO

Lena Pillars Photograps You Might Have Missed

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Lyubov Borisova, founder of AL LOOK STUDIO production studio (company profile on MadeInYakutia.com), sent me a message saying they made a new short movie. It’s called «Mow, Scythe.» A story about two young Sakha boys, who mow grass in the countryside with their grandfather. Two boys go through a conflict and, thanks to god, there is a wise old man, who resolved the uneasy situation.

The movie is set near Churapcha village in the central part of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia’s East-North Siberia. Short in the course of the so-called mowing period. It is in the 2nd half of the summer when villages prepare hays for feeding cattles in the wintertime.

The above video with English subtitles. The link to the Russian version.

Actors are not professional. They are ordinary villages.

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The spring is the most expected season during the winter in Yakutia. When it comes, it brings a great joy, as it gets warmer, snow melts, ice starts floating on rivers. A spectacular nature event, but…

The spring brings disasters as well. They happen to be devastating and hundreds of private houses and households go under water. This weekend the disaster came to the town of Srednekolymsk (population: 3500 people) situated on the west bank of the Kolyma River in North-East Yakutia, Siberia / Russia.

The ice jam occured on the river (see the photo further) and the level of water raised dramatically and the most part of the town went under water. At least, 1000 inhabitants were evacuated by the Russian Emergency Ministry yesterday, May 21st, 2012.

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Ajar Varlamov’s photo.

In Russia’s Yakutia, May is the time when we say, «Finally, the spring arrived and snow is almost gone.» It is the time to enjoy snowdrops. Like icebreak on rivers, these magic flowers are a symbol of the spring.

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Icebreak on the Lena River. Ice is floating fast on May 16th, 2012.

Location: Pokrovsk town, Central Yakutia, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Siberia / Russia.

This is the biggest nature event in May. The end of the cold season, the start of the warm days!

See how ice is floating on the Lene River via the live webcam.

The above video was shared by ykt user REPKA.