Charting wonderful friendships and shedding light on a region little known and understood by the West, James dreams of a best-seller with his travel memoirs.

Famous as a place of exile in Tsarist and Soviet times, it could now gets its first international class hotel.

You want to breast feed as long as possible, but you also need to work to make ends meet. 

Another heavy hint has come from the Russian government that major tax incentives will get the go-ahead despite reservations by some power-brokers.

A 175-room Marriott hotel is to open on a landmark site in Novosibirsk, while Irtuksk is set to get both a Kempinski and a Hyatt. 

In distant times, parts of California and Hawaii were administered from the city of Irkutsk.

A small, privately-run hotel which opened in 2007 with 11 luxury rooms aimed specifically at business travellers 'who value comfort, safety and excellent quality'. 

It is on the way from Tolmachevo Airport to the City Centre, and nice touches include a 24 hour restaurant and laundry, with breakfast included in the price. 

Boasting business class and European standards, it seeks to offer an individual touch to its demanding clientele, with a staff who seek to cater for the habits and tastes of their guests.