Two days in Tomsk

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The receptionist at the Sputnik Hotel in Tomsk had promised a 'free pickup' from the train station and I had confirmed via email the previous day, but there was no-one there to meet me (surprise?) so I walked quite a way into town to find the hotel. The girl informed me that they'd sent a taxi to meet me and it would have cost 100 rubles anyway, so not really a free pickup in my book.

My room was a big disappointment. I 'd paid for the lowest grade room but stilll thought it would be ok since it was a hotel but really the hostels have been better. The room is quite small and you have to share a toilet and bathroom with about 5 other rooms. The room doesn't have A/C and it is very hot here, so very stuffy - but good for drying clothes... Also no mini fridge so can't keep a cold drink there 😞.

The hotel provided free breakfast and I have to say that I have probably had a worse offering of breakfast but I can't remember it. The choice was of two menus 1) egg with mayonaise and porridge and the usual beverage choices 2) noodle and meatballs and bread, plus drink. I don't know why I chose #2 because it sounds bad enough, but I think it was because I don't really care for porridge. I chose badly! Noodles means noodles - i.e. boiled noodles and nothing else, no cheesy or tomatoey sauce to go with it. Bread means bread - i.e. two small hard little slices of brown bread with no condiments whatsoever. Meatballs means meatballs - two little round balls which were almost passable except for the grisely bits. Yuk. The only good part was the orange juice. Tossing up whether to see how bad #1 is tomorrow or just pass on it altogether.

Tomsk is a nice little town with lots of green spaces with fountains, manicured gardens, universities, shopping complexes etc. So far I have also seen some of the wooden architecture the town is known for, but I was a bit disappointed because I think I saw better and prettier houses in Irkutsk. Maybe I am all wooden cottaged out. Or maybe I will see a few better ones tomorrow. Also found Lenin and took his pic.

Had lunch in a canteen recommended by Lonely Planet for good cheap eats. But they don't have an English menu so ended up taking pot luck and decided I don't really like that! Ended up with a kind of sweetish pancake, I think it was filled with something like cottage cheese but not quite, as well as a round battery thing that also had a bland kind of cheese stuff inside. I didn't really feel that good after eating them.

Today was really hot and there are lots of little gnat like bugs which almost make you crazy. I think they must be the flies I have read about. I also realised that it must be wedding seaon in Russia. I think I must have seen about 10 brides around the main square, along the promenade, posing in the gardens and around the fountains. At one time there were 4 of them in the same area which looks really wrong - kind of when you see more than one Santa Claus in the same shopping centre.

Getting a bit bored here now on Day 2. I think this is because I am in a hotel (no hostels here) there is no opportunity to meet any other travellers and getting tired of my own company. Also almost too hot to walk around and no respite in my room as no A/C or fan. So need to find somewhere cool to hide out until tomorrow - like the internet cafe 😊

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