14 October

The best laid plans of small rodents and homo sapiens gang oft awry.
And so it was today.
I woke and dozed fitfully after getting to bed early (perhaps too early) but finally got up at 0600 and did some washing for today (pyjamas and yesterday’s clothes). After hanging them up to dry, I then showered (yes, really showered) and got ready for today. Then it was down to the restaurant for the buffet breakfast (for which they charge 500 py6) and making the most of it. After finishing breakfast I went back up, arranged things and finished my preparations to go out for the day.
The first order of business was to visit Lenin. After being so close so many times, I thought I should at least drop in. To walk breakfast off, I got out at the Metro station after the Kremlin and then walked north back to it. It was through an area I had not been in before, and it was different from the tourist areas.
One of the disappointing things in Russia has been the number of ex-servicemen, presumably from previous military encounters the USSR and Russia have been involved in, begging in the streets. Usually they are legless and move on skateboard-type mechanisms, but today they were (or appeared to be) sound of limb, but singing and begging outside a Metro station. They certainly gave the appearance of battle-hardened veterans, and I for one would not like to meet them at the end of a weapon, yet they looked like they had no support from the state. That is common to a lot of countries, but I had thought that perhaps Russia’s experience with socialism would have meant provision was made for these people.
A second disappointing thing is the number of elderly people begging, usually elderly women. Again I would have hoped that the state would have supported them, but it may be that the provision made was not used wisely when the USSR spilt up and people were given title to buildings and land they occupied.
Once I got up to Lenin’s tomb and found I was at the right day and the right time, I then asked and got told, rather brusquely (unusually so far in my experience, but as I found out, common just here) to go to the Alexander Gardens (in English). On the way there I found the information was partially correct – the line formed outside there to go to Lenin’s tomb. In the short line I was only waiting a minute or so before we moved off – but before we could get to the next obstacle, cameras, bags, mobile phones with camera functions all had to be deposited in a cloakroom – in my case at 40 py6 for the camera bag with the mobile. Then at the metal detectors (of course) I set it off. The officer asked me to take out what was in my pockets to check no cameras and the EPIRB really threw him. HE had no idea of it, had never seen one and didn’t understand my explanation of what it did. However, to his credit, as soon as he saw there was no camera, he let me straight through. Then we all had to walk a convoluted path to get to the entrance of the tomb. Once inside, again along a convoluted path, we were directed by young guards, most of whom I would have put at about 16. Finally I reached Lenin and an anticlimax – wax effigies look more real! After that it was another convoluted path to regain Red Square and then a short walk to regain my possessions.
On the way back to a Metro station I ran into three parties – one an elderly Russian couple who I offered to take a photo of for them in from of Lenin’s tomb, but he hadn’t switched the camera on; another a pair of ladies (one younger, one older, from California and Kansas) who were trying to find the entrance to the Kremlin (I was able to direct them); the last a gentleman from Florida (who sells communications gear to the mines from Perth) who was wondering about visiting Lenin and I was able to give him the right information on that (and I saw him set off in line only a few minutes later). Then I caught the Metro back to the station near the hotel.
I had determined that the only other thing I really wanted to do was visit the Space Museum (its title is not quite that, but that’s the easiest way to explain it). It’s just over the road from the hotel – BUT … it’s undergoing renovations now that the tourist season is over! All I could do was walk around the park.
Back at the hotel I thought perhaps I would try to do some Internet work, so I bought an hour. Once logged on I began to upload the photos from the train trip. WRONG! A fault, and so all the first day’s pictures didn’t get uploaded. I started on the second and … the session timed out, so I have no idea of how many, if any were uploaded. The only successful part was sending and receiving emails – which worked out at about AUD2 per email – the most expensive I have ever sent and received. I can only hope that the hotel in Turkey has email included.
I went for a wander outside and found, only five minutes walk away, that Scottish dining establishment’s local office. I had some, most likely my last for a long time, and then returned to the hotel. On the way out I held the door open for a line of females and they all giggled – I don’t think the word “chivalry” exists in Russia. The weather is overcast, had been raining and looked as if it was going to rain again. As the only things I wanted to otherwise do were closed, I decided it was perhaps a rest, or lay day (lazy day?).
The first thing though was to write up today and some reflections on Russia, China and Mongolia.

Reflections.

The thing to note is that reflections are what you see in the mirror – so my reflections are only on what I saw. That limits me to the areas I visited and the people I interacted with, and is coloured by my ways of thinking. Therefore they are not definitive, but simply one aspect.

Russia

Definitely the highlight for me was my day with Alexander, my guide in Murmansk. Not only did he settle me into Russian ways, but he was able to answer questions immediately and in relatively good English, and he showed me parts of the city tourists would normally never see. He beats the St Petersburg policeman who drove me to the post office through red lights and at 100 km/hour because he was with me longer.

The other good points were the trips – the Trans-Siberian, the Trans-Mongolian and the cruise between Moscow and St Petersburg.
These shared the scenery which will forever define Russia for me (forests, rivers, settlements, towns, cities, ONION DOMES [yes, Cindy]) and the companionship of people –some doing their job and some also on tour, who I met and interacted with at various stages of intimacy.

If asked what I will remember about Russia, it is definitely the people – some who I will remember forever even though I only met them for a short time, some whose kindness I will use for a long time as an example and those travelling companions with whom I forged a bond over a short period of time (and it may continue, or not, but it will still exist in my memory).

China

The highlight here was in Xi’an, shared between the Terra Cotta warriors and spending half an hour chatting with a young Chinese girl and her (teacher) parents before watching the fountain show.

Good points were my two guides, Lulu and Eugene, who explained things and showed me how things work. Also the people I met while walking, especially those who live in the hutong near the Si He hotel, who were friendly and welcoming.
China will be defined as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower. However, that is not modern China, but it does show where modern China has come from.

What will I remember about China – the people living in all hutongs, who were willing to share a moment, a drink or some food with a western stranger who will most likely never see them again. I will also remember to not be a pedestrian in China, if I can help it. And I can push and shove if it is the custom where I am (after all, can 1·5 billion Chinese be wrong?).

Mongolia

With only one day and a short stop at Ulan Bator, Mongolia impresses me with a few things.

The Mongolian border guard, who in leather skirt and jacket, high heels and nearly a Marg Simpson hairdo, commanded me to “look at me!” If she ever loses her job, there are many houses the world over who would employ her in that uniform with those imperious looks and compelling speech.

The scenery in Mongolia is like Australia – boring if you look but don’t see, compelling if you look and see. The desert with different surface features, the river valleys with horsemen working in them and all areas with fenced areas occupied by houses and/or yurts.


Would I return to any of these places?

China I would, because I would like to visit Robbie’s parents in their home town. There are also other places in the south I haven’t seen, and a river cruise is a must.
Mongolia – perhaps to experience life in Ulan Bator, but life in a yurt is close to what I have sometimes done myself and what my father did, so it’s not on the list.
Russia – to do the northern line (BAM) and to spend time in Siberia at different towns. In the west? Perhaps to visit and stay in small villages and experience the life there.