Scratching the surface of this giant country we embarked on a 3400km drive from Vladivostok in the far East through Siberia to Ulan-Ude to allow entry into Mongolia, and a second 1000km trip leaving Mongolia transiting through the Russian Altai region to reach Kazakhstan. We felt privileged to experience a unique country with a secretive and closed history. Learning just a few sentences in Russian felt – well, cool. And we were amazed by the diversity of people, culture and landscape even across a few provinces, although some of the ex-Soviet hotels and their ‘welcome’ demonstrated their ability to be even more inhospitable than the Siberian climate. Further West, we found the mountainous Altai region and surrounds more friendly, and a shout out to Ivan at Land Rover Barnaul – actually the nicest man we met. Ever. A true credit to his brand and delivering service far superior to the one received at Land Rover’s ‘home’ in the UK.