Travel in Russia is actually pleasant by car – if you have a car, and if roads go where you’re heading. We headed from Syktyvkar to the village of Orlof near Kirov, about five hours south of Syktyvkar. The traffic was light and the roads were mostly pretty good (though Komi’s roads were better than those in the poorer Kirov oblast). Travel isn’t without its pitfalls. Car theft gangs killed about 20 people on that road before being captured, and if you have to relieve yourself you pull over to the side of the road. There are also check points where you have to get out and show your documents. But overall, travel wasn’t bad. There was even a ‘rest area,’ or at least a restaurant in a small town in the middle. Below is a picture of the kitchen and the outside of the rest area.