ince they left with the rest of the Soviets, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all striving countries. Signs of this are everywhere as brand new buildings sit by old bombed out shelters. New western groceries stores are opening, and yet, the local green market still thrives everyday. We liked the juxtaposition of these places. For us, we considered these cities our last Western stops before heading into Russia, the CIS, and China. We fine-dined and stocked up on any essentials we thought we might need for the road. Packs full, eager with expectation - we boarded the night train to St. Petersburg. We knew we would have a midnight border crossing on this train, and that it would be different than the relatively free crossings we had between other countries. It did seem that we were the stars of the border as many officials from different areas, customs, immigration, the military?, all seemed to need to see us or at least have a look at our passports and visas. In the end, the only official who spoke English asked us a series of questions about where we were going and for how long. Satisfied with our answers (or not knowing how to ask any other questions in English), she handed us our passports, said ‘Good Luck!’, and walked away. WAIT! What does ‘Good Luck’ mean? Do you know something that we don’t know? Even if she did, it didn’t seem like she would tell us. And so, we were left to ponder it in our dreams.
reams are a funny thing while you are travelling. They tend to put people from home in places that you have recently seen. These crazy dreams sometimes make you think of the ole US of A, wondering what it’s like back at home. Never fear though, to curb you of those feelings or give you some comfort (depending on your point of view), there always seems to be a Golden Arches within reach. We are always amazed to arrive in a city, groggy from the train, only to find that big M right outside the station. (These hamburger capitalists have done their homework!) Sometimes good for a morning coffee, usually good for a clean and free bathroom, we have found ourselves occasionally seeking a slice of home in one of these establishments after a maxed out day of traveling in a foreign land.
t isn’t the dreams of home that take us to the CIS, but the dreams of visiting the land of Ali Baba and Aladdin. Tonight, we board the night train to Uzbekistan where we hope to trace the route of Marco Polo and others as we follow the old Silk Road to China. This three day ride will be a journey of its own taking us from Europe to Asia. We’re praying for good cabinmates and honest border officials!
ince they left with the rest of the Soviets, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all striving countries. Signs of this are everywhere as brand new buildings sit by old bombed out shelters. New western groceries stores are opening, and yet, the local green market still thrives everyday. We liked the juxtaposition of these places. For us, we considered these cities our last Western stops before heading into Russia, the CIS, and China. We fine-dined and stocked up on any essentials we thought we might need for the road. Packs full, eager with expectation - we boarded the night train to St. Petersburg. We knew we would have a midnight border crossing on this train, and that it would be different than the relatively free crossings we had between other countries. It did seem that we were the stars of the border as many officials from different areas, customs, immigration, the military?, all seemed to need to see us or at least have a look at our passports and visas. In the end, the only official who spoke English asked us a series of questions about where we were going and for how long. Satisfied with our answers (or not knowing how to ask any other questions in English), she handed us our passports, said ‘Good Luck!’, and walked away. WAIT! What does ‘Good Luck’ mean? Do you know something that we don’t know? Even if she did, it didn’t seem like she would tell us. And so, we were left to ponder it in our dreams.
reams are a funny thing while you are travelling. They tend to put people from home in places that you have recently seen. These crazy dreams sometimes make you think of the ole US of A, wondering what it’s like back at home. Never fear though, to curb you of those feelings or give you some comfort (depending on your point of view), there always seems to be a Golden Arches within reach. We are always amazed to arrive in a city, groggy from the train, only to find that big M right outside the station. (These hamburger capitalists have done their homework!) Sometimes good for a morning coffee, usually good for a clean and free bathroom, we have found ourselves occasionally seeking a slice of home in one of these establishments after a maxed out day of traveling in a foreign land.
t isn’t the dreams of home that take us to the CIS, but the dreams of visiting the land of Ali Baba and Aladdin. Tonight, we board the night train to Uzbekistan where we hope to trace the route of Marco Polo and others as we follow the old Silk Road to China. This three day ride will be a journey of its own taking us from Europe to Asia. We’re praying for good cabinmates and honest border officials!
