I have been to Russia

Here, in Yuzhno, they drive on both the right and the left side. When I told Yulja I was surprised, it seemed to her that she didn’t even know that some drove on the left side. Most drive on the right. But, on the way to the hotel my taxi was driving on the left side. Like I said, Yuzhno is nothing to write home about – stern people, soviet-style housing, seemingly very little driving organization on the road, and everything is dark, dark, dark (including the weather while I was there), but they have beautiful mountains in the near distance. I was very observant of these after it had snowed, the day after Yulja’s and my trek back to the hotel from another hotel where we had our dinner, in a snow storm. At first she had told me that she needed to go home and cook dinner for her husband, (because a good wife does that), but her husband was preoccupied with a friend so she was able to eat with me.

When we were in one of the electronic stores Yulja pointed out a guy to me who was playing with a chain in his hand. She said, do you see that man? Yes… we watch out for these guys. Usually the Russian mobsters do things like that. They are dangerous people, you have to watch out (not just tourists but local people) because they’ll come up to you and ask if you have any sunflower seeds or cigarettes and they get mad if you don’t have the right answer. I don’t really know what “mad” meant, but I really didn’t want to find out.

But, after all, now I can say I have been to Russia.