In a vast wilderness in eastern Russia, scientists and tourism entrepreneurs are anxiously working out how much is left of one of the world’s great natural wonders, Geyser Valley. The far eastern Kamchatka peninsula boasts nature at its most unpredictable, as demonstrated by a recent landslide that obliterated many of its prized geysers.
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/ 7 February 2007
Tucked behind century old pines, the austere and sombre green building looks ghostly. A plaque at the entrance reads simply: "Stalin’s Villa." Time was when an uninvited visitor would have been terrified to come even close to the so-called Red Tsar’s summer residence in southern Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi. But today, capitalism has triumphed and, for a price, anyone is welcome.