Apologies to readers for dropping out of sight for the last
few weeks! Moscow and St. Petersburg have sucked up all my time and energy in
every single way. From meetings with old and new friends to doing an interview in
Russian for my Russian teacher’s YouTube channel to walking 10+ miles a day,
I’ve hardly had a moment to breathe. But, now I am forced to take some down
time as I am on my way to Makhachkala, Dagestan in The Caucasus, which is on
The Caspian Sea.
My journey promises to be an exciting one! I have a 12-day
excursion planned that will take me through the heart of The Caucasus and to
places that have been home to some VERY, VERY ugly ethnic conflicts and
horrible wars. Whenever I tell people of my plans to visit these areas, their
reaction ranges from shock to utter distress to comments like “you sure are
brave, I wouldn’t be caught dead in these areas”. When I told my doctor I was
visiting Chechnya, she paused for a good 15 seconds and calmly said……….”why”?
So, why would I go to an area that is not exactly a place
that is associated with peace and love? Like a moth attracted to light, I am
drawn to really off the beaten path places, where there is adventure and even a
hint of danger. Traveling around North America and even Western Europe to me is
boring. I have no desire really to travel in my own nation, especially with all
the gun violence. I truly feel safer on the streets Russia than I do in my own
hometown of Seattle.
I begin my journey in the city of Makhachkala, the capital
of the Republic of Dagestan. I continue my path down south to the ancient city
of Derbent, near the Azeri border and the furthest point south in Russia. From
there I will travel over to Chechnya and spend several days in the city of
Grozny, the capital of Chechnya and a city that has been rebuilt from the
ground up after two very bloody and violent wars in the 1990s. Thanks to the republic’s over the top
ruthless autocratic, Instagram star leader, Ramzan
Kadyrov, Grozny has become a sort of mini-Dubai with over
the top buildings and the largest mosque in Europe. After Chechnya, I’ll visit
the mountainous republic of Ingushetia, where I have received a special permit
for travel. Following Ingushetia I will visit North Ossetia, the highest
mountain in Russia, Mt. Elbrus and the city of Pyatigorsk, home to my favorite
Russian author, Mikhail Lermentov.
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