I crave off the beaten path destinations! Several years ago,
I spent a week in Turkmenistan, a nation that has been compared to North Korea
due to its isolation from the world, last winter I traveled by train to
Murmansk, Russia, the world’s biggest city north of The Arctic Circle, I’ve visited
what’s been named the most “dangerous place on earth”, the DMZ, a buffer zone
between North and South Korea and nine years ago I ventured up to the disputed region
of Kashmir on the Indian-Pakistani border. To say the least I am not one to
like leisurely cruises to Alaska or Mexico where you sit around by the pool all
day and stuff your stomach full of gourmet food and liquor at night. This
hardcore traveler likes to live on the wild side! That’s why a trip to the once
war-torn region of Chechnya and the Northern Caucasus was a natural fit for me.
When people think of Chechnya images of mass destruction and
extreme danger pop into minds. I admit I also have these images in my mind, but
the beauty of the Caucasus Mountains and the totally rebuilt, modern capital of
Chechnya, Grozny, really attracted me. My interest in The Caucasus began in 12th
grade when in fourth year Russian my teacher had us read an abridged of the
famous Russian novel, “Hero of Our Time” by Mikhail Lermentov. The author’s
depiction of the region’s beauty and its people mesmerized me and got me
thinking about someday visiting this region. But I kind of forgot about
visiting here until I was at my Russian Meetup group and a member, after my telling
him of all the weird and different places I’d visited, recommended I visit
Chechnya. He told me the capital city, Grozny, had been rebuilt entirely from
scratch and had the largest mosque in Europe. I gave it some real thought but
really never seriously followed up on it until last winter. I’d just completed
a visit to Murmansk in Russia’s far north, north of The Arctic Circle and felt
I needed a new off the beaten path destination to visit. Suddenly as my train
was lurching through the northern tundra in the middle of the night, I thought……..what
about Chechnya!!! I always am looking for new and exciting places and Chechnya
and the Northern Caucasus fit that niche. The dream was born!
When I got home from Russia last December I found a good
tour agency that specialized in travel to The Northern Caucasus and I put the
wheels in motion for a trip to this once war-torn region for spring. My mother
was none too happy about my wanting to go to Chechnya and worries for my safety
as any mother would if their son were announcing their intentions to visit a
place associated with Islamic extremism and war. After a lot of reassurances
and showing her documentaries about the beauty of the Caucasus republics, she
is a bit calmer about my visiting, but still has her hesitations.
But after a lot of thought, I decided spring was just too
soon to return to Russia and opted instead to go to Asia. However, the thought
of visiting Chechnya was never far from my mind, so when I returned from Asia I
started to plan a return trip to Russia for this fall. I thought about going
back across Russia on the train to The Far East, but this time taking the train
eastbound instead of westbound like I’d done in the past few years. But, I had
done this already twice, so I was a bit hesitant to do it a third time plus I’d
lost a couple of friends out in Vladivostok due to their support of tRump and one’s
rabid anti-LGBTQ attitude. Due to this, Trans-Siberia was looking like a less
than desirable option, so I decided I’d go to Chechnya and The Northern Caucasus.
My trip to The Caucasus will take me through the republics
of Chechnya, Dagestan, North Ossetia and Ingushetia. At the end of the trip I
will visit the nation’s tallest mountain, Mt. Elbrus, which also is the highest
peak in Europe. After a tour through The Northern Caucasus I hope to visit the
breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia, where my good friend and Pushkin Hotel
front desk girl, Vanda, is from. It should be a hell of a journey, so stay
tuned to this blog as I start my trip to Russia, The Northern Caucasus and
Abkhazia on September 30th!
