Of band-aids and prostitutes

Posted by roamingreto on 5 Apr 2008 in Russia | Comments Off

Packing all necessary stuff into a backpack isn’t really that hard. With some experience, one knows what was missed during the last trip – or what proved to be useless and isn’t worth carrying around. And even for the inexperienced travellers, there is a wealth of Rucksack packing lists available in the Internet. In my case the unnecessary item was a gas cooker. The idea was to be able to boil water for coffee – one of my luxuries during any journey. But there’s always a source of hot water. And if there isn’t, I probably roam in the wild an can get along fine without coffee for a day or two. Anyhow, on this trip the gas-cooker had to stay home.

But when it comes to optimal packing, then the first days of the journey are a constant repacking excercise. For instance, I knew that I took band-aids along. But since its package was too big for the relatively small first-aid kit stuffed with dozens of pills against altitude sickness, stomach pain, malaria pills, cholera treatment and such – I decided to pack the band-aids somewhere else.

It’s only when I hurt my hand today that I figured out that I couldn’t remember where in the countless pockets they were hidden. Well, it was next to my Swiss army knife, since I have a tendency to snap-fold its blade with my finger in between.

Besides the Rucksack, I do carry a day-pack while visiting the towns and I found myself fumbling constantly that bag during the first two days. This was partly due to the fact, that I felt uncomfortable how my “stash” was hidden. Moreover, the US dollars aren’t needed this far (which were packed more at hand) and I get along fine with my credit card (which was hidden behind two zippers inside a hidden pocket) and ATM’s. To pack and repack, you’d therefore see me quite often disappear into restrooms. Which seems to draw attention from – let’s say – some females.

In Moscow, everything seems to be for sale. On the Arbat market, you can buy animals next to the souvenir stand. So why wouldn’t humans be for sale? I actually came to that conclusion, since the amount of well dressed businessmen walking arm in arm with a beautiful blonde in mini-skirts, heavy make-up and stockings is just astounding. Moreover, average salaries are mediocre, but prices are as high as anywhere in Central Europe. So – how can the 20 year old guy sitting next to me in the Internet cafe afford his Nike shoes, Levis jeans, Hilfiger shirt and Boss watch. And why is he openly browsing male dating sites on his Internet station while I am blogging this? You guessed it, right?

So, after having escaped the girl in the loo, I need to ignore the guy next to me. But maybe it’s just one of these days where I have paranoia – prostitution paranoia. A psychologist (Hello Mikael) might set this into the correct perspective .

Actually, my perception became much more balanced this morning while crossing the pedestrian bridge over Moscow River next to the Christ the Saviour Cathedral. A couple of wedding parties were taking the usual photographs of the newlyweds. They do come here right after the ceremony to put a safety-lock on the iron rails of the bridge. These locks may carry their name or their mutual love promises.

One newlywed couple explained to me that there are also locks from unmarried people. They do this to seal their deep friendship. I found this very romantic and maybe I’ll be putting a lock on a bridge somewhere, someday with someone. Despite of Moscows obvious shortcomings, I can feel how I’m slowly falling in love with it.

But the love for this city is like loving an expensive bride – it comes at a cost: I am lucky to stay at a dirt cheap hostel (450 Rubels / 12 Euro per night). A coffee is about 130 Rubels, a bottle of coke in the super-market sets me back with 90 Rubels. The entry fee into the Kreml costs 650 Rubels (plus 60 Rubels for the mandatory deposit of the day-pack).

To top all this, every foreigner spending more than three nights in Russia needs to get an official registration (OVIR). This registration costs 700 Rubels (up from 500 Rubels is did cost last year). To sum things up: My hostel is cross-financing the daily cost of living. Which means that I can maintain the target budget. And if everything fails, I’ll prostitute myself – now that I know how it works.

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