Bullet trains and concrete jungles

The train out to Moscow wasn’t due until 13:30, and the driver to take me to the station wasn’t due until noon, so I was able to sleep in until 10. Got up, showered, packed my stuff, hit the ATM and then the bank to break it into smaller change. The driver showed up promptly at noon for a silent drive to the central train station. Silent mainly because he spoke zero English. He didn’t seem the cheeriest type even if he did. When he looks at you, you want to encase your spleen in some kind of armor in case he might get hungry. And not because he particularly was violent, you just happen to be there.

I was surprised by how sparkling clean the train station was. But then again, not really after looking at the number of police hanging about. They were mainly there to ensure no terrorist acts happened (you went through a metal detector on entering and again when hitting the train gates). A pickpocket would have to be really ballsy to try something there, and Russian police are not known for having a forgiving nature (Siberia, my friend?). They even had a couple K9 units walking through the main hall and along the gate region.

One cool thing I noticed while waiting for the train to leave. There was a cigarette/snack stand just outside the window. It resembled a larger version of the glass and painted metal police boxes you used to see in the UK, the infamous Tardis from Dr. who. Except it was larger (maybe a 10 foot octagon), painted dark green, and the glass had shelves lined with examples of the soft drinks, smokes, and snacks they sold in the booth. The front had a small ledge for change/goods in front of the window where the proprietor sold their wares.

 Coffee, tea, or kitteh sir?

 Kitteh!

Apparently they had a cat, white with a couple small black spots. I watched it poke its head out, look around, then settle itself down on the ledge. It was utterly fearless. I watched military officer buy a pack of smokes and the cat just looked at him. Even when the K9 unit came by, the cat simply turned and stared at the dog. If I would have had tie, I would have went over and bought something just to pet the kitty.

So I hopped on the train and the only train I’ve had better seats and service on was in Germany. Everything is efficient, spotless, and comfy. The seats adjust with a number of buttons for lumbar support, there is a recliner footrest, in a fluffy leather seat. There was drink service, then a meal with appetizer, and a tea with dessert.

The landscape looks a lot like the east coast forests of my youth, spotted every once in a while with a small village or town. The houses look fairly cookie cutter. Old painted wood house, generally dark red, grey, or dark green. Usually two story, many with an outhouse in the back. The roofs were all corrugated metal and most of the houses had yards and small gardens in back. I didn’t see any brick chimneys, but I seen plenty of metal smokestacks peaking out of the roofs. They were fairly spread out and the roads looked like hard packed dirt and sometimes asphalt. This may appear to sound run down or poor, but the cars in the driveways didn’t say that. I would say more along the lines of these houses being old, yet cozy in a welcoming manner. The flowers and playsets in the back, the wooden picnic tables, spoke more of growing up in your great grandpa’s house and keeping it in the family.

So the landing in Moscow was somewhat odd and a tad worrisome. When I got off the train in St. Petersburg, the driver was next to the train with a sign. Here he met me in the station, so I guess they wouldn’t let him past a certain point or he was late. One of the two.

Nice seeming guy. He had a cross and rosary beads on his steering wheel and off his rear view mirror, which gave me a good feeling. If you are a mafia type that wants to kidnap tourists or some silly thing, I doubt you would be sporting a cross. Though he started driving farther and farther from the train station, I started  to get a little worried. I got even more worried when we started heading down an industrial street with nothing on it and then he pulled into a walled off steel construction yard/concrete dumping place.

He was just turning around, as he missed the turnoff - but it did shock me a tad bit.

Anyway, we got to the hotel and I got checked in. Dropped my stuff off to walk around the corner and get water and drinks (you can’t drink the tap water here). Then I hit the restaurant on the second floor for some a dinner meal of a fish salad, fried fish topped with cheese, a salad with tuna fish, and sparkling mineral water with anchovies juice.

Ok, the water didn’t have fish - but man did they get happy with da fish for my meal.

The hotel good and evils.
Good: The room mini-bar prices and about a third of the one in St. Petersburg.
There is a restaurant in the hotel with a large menu.
There is an ATM in the hotel lobby so I never have to walk around with my card.

Bad: Everything else.
There is only one socket in the room. Actually two but I have to stretch the laptop cord across the bathroom door.
There is no air conditioning, so either I leave the window open or I’ll likely be uncomfortable.
The bathroom is functional. That’s as happy as I can put it. Maybe the heated tiles spoiled me in St. Peterburg.
The neighborhood is loudish and maybe somewhat sketchy.
No room safe.

It seems like a seedyish Motel 6 from back home, but from 20 years ago. Meh, worse comes to worse - I find a neighborhood restaurant and bar. Moscow is not at all walkable like St. Peterburg. I only have to be here two days and maybe I can work on writing, reading, and meditation.

K, just wanted to add something. Its midnight and I just heard nine gunshots. Large caliber handgun. No mistaking that sound, nor the deliberate spacing between the shots. Two quick, then the rest evenly spaced with just enough time to adjust for the recoil. So the last seven were aimed well. Someone emptied their gun into a corpse. Though it did sound to be a block away at least.

How many days am I here again?