Catching Up is Hard To Do

When I was in school and went away on a long trip or was sick for a long period of time I always had a lot of homework and exams to catch up on. It used to feel overwhelming as if I’d never complete everything. Since it’s now been over a week since I’ve written an article in this blog, I’m having déjà vu all over again! It’s as if I’m back in 9^th grade and I just returned from a two-week cruise in The Caribbean and I am trying desperately to complete all those missed assignments in English, math and all other subjects. But I know that just like in 9^th grade I will eventually get up to speed….it’ll just take some time! So….here goes my attempt to update you on what I’ve been doing out here in Russia!

I last left readers in Ulan Ude where I finished an incredible trip to The Ivoglinsky Monastery and was blessed by a monk who depending on who you believe is either dead or in a deep state of meditation. Late that evening I boarded the train for another long ride to my next destination, the city of Krasnoyarsk in Central Siberia. I’d passed through Krasnoyarsk last year but only long enough to see the letters “oyarsk” written as we were pulling away from the train station.

I’d heard a lot about Krasnoyarsk since it is a key player in the energy sector of Russia and is a hub of activity for Central Siberia. The scenery along the way was nice, nothing too out of the ordinary for Russia, lots of birch trees with tiny villages and lots of abandoned factories scattered throughout the vast, vast territory. Although I’d bought out the cabin out and thus did not have a neighbor there still were times when I went kinda insane due to the long stretches of time without a stop. When we did stop it was like an oasis in a large desert and gave me time to stretch, breathe some fresh air, and buy some deep friend piroshky and Coke (sounds like a winning dinner doesn’t it!).

Because of the change in time zones and the fact all trains run on Moscow time, you are in a sort of gray zone where you really never know what time it is, where you are and what day it is. So when I arrived in Krasnoyarsk it came as a feeling of surprise. Usually, I’d use my favorite car hire service “Maxim”, but this time, I was able to order a taxi through the hotel and have the driver waiting for me on the platform.  This came as a relief since often when I’d hire cars I would have extreme difficulties finding the driver and where he was parked, inevitably leading to the driver calling me and angrily asking me in fast Russian just where I was.

The hotel I was staying at was nice, but just was too far from the centre and felt too small. So, in an attempt to find somewhere better I scoured booking.com for a good place. After a lot of looking, I came up with a hotel called Business Hotel Kupechisky, which had large suites for a great price. So in the morning, I packed up and dragged my stuff out the door and to the Kupechisky. When I walked in the door I noticed two things, the things Russia is famous for……a large giant stuffed bear (not a stuffed animal though) holding a box and a beautiful blonde Russian girl sitting behind the desk! What would Russian be without beautiful women and bears???? Like many in the service industry, the beautiful blonde greeted me in English. I responded in Russian much to her surprise. It’s always fun to play the game of native Russian speaker speaks English and me the language learner responds in Russian!

After unpacking and getting things in order I headed up above the city to a tiny orthodox chapel that sits above the city called “Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel”. Just as I was about ready to walk out the door I heard a huge boom, explosion-like sound. I thought, was Krasnoyarsk under attack, had another meteor hit Russia, had the Americans decided to bomb Russia, what was going on? Eventually, when I got to the top of the hill and to the chapel I noticed a small cannon sitting next to it. I later learned that this cannon was what set off this sound! Every day at noon they blast this cannon, which echoes, throughout the city. I was relieved to know there was no war, no serious explosion just a time old city tradition!

The canon fired every day!