Siberia Is Not Cold at All!

The book “Siberia Is Not Cold at All!” by Nazanin Motiei is a contemporary travelogue narrating the author’s experience traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway. This route, starting from Moscow and extending to Vladivostok in eastern Russia, covers more than 9,000 kilometers. The book not only describes the geographical path of the journey but also includes ethnographic observations, personal experiences, and the author’s everyday interactions with the environment and people. Throughout the trip, the author passes through key Russian regions such as the Urals, the Altai Republic, and areas around Lake Baikal. A significant portion of the text introduces the author’s experiences with cities, villages, local foods, street music, meetings with various people, and visits to religious and cultural sites. It also discusses the customs of these regions, including tea ceremonies, handicraft markets, and the diverse religious beliefs coexisting in vast Russia. Motiei uses a warm and conversational tone, capturing her experiences not only by describing places but also from sensory and human perspectives. Traveling alone on a long route, she writes about feelings of estrangement, foreignness, and simultaneous sudden connections with spaces and people. The book includes photographs taken by the author, with QR codes allowing access to more images. This combination of text and visuals helps convey the travel experience more tangibly. Overall, the content focuses more on recording moments, cultural details, and human connections rather than analysis or conclusions. The book’s title, “Siberia Is Not Cold at All!”, symbolically suggests that what seems frightening or cold from afar may have a completely different image up close.