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Published: September 30th 2007
WW2 monument
One of many...the country is literally covered in them.What a helpful bunch of people these Belarussians are! Some of the friendliest people I've met on our journey I met today, here in Belarus. But first, let's talk about what happened...
Around 9am it seems that the rain finally stops and we crawl out of our tent that held up well against the storm. We use the last of our water for some coffee and continue along the M7 towards Ashmani. The first problem: we need money. I try a cash machine, but it turns out that Belarussian cash points don't accept debit cards. Fortunately, I have some Litas left over and I find a bank that does foreign exchange. Taking all my Belarussian (which I got out of a simple language book) together, I go in and manage to get my money exchanged, the numbers on the bills multiplied by 1000.
Equipped with basic supplies, we continue along the road towards Smargon', where we stop for some ice cream, when a local stops by, pulls a folder with photos of Smargon' during World War I out of his bag and enlightens us about the history of the town during the war, when it sat right in between
Coffee break
They have these wooden huts everywhere in Belarus - great for stopping by the side of the road! the front lines of Russia and Germany.
When we take a coffee break by the side of the road a bit later, a car stops, and a Belarussian soldier gets out. Thinking that this is one of those ID checks I've imagined might happen in a dictatorship, I ask him if he wants to see our passports. "No, no," he replies, "I just saw the bikes and wanted to see where you're from." In broken English, he explains that he knows the area quite well and leaves me with his phone number and tells me to call him, should I have any questions or problems. One day in Belarus, and already two encounters like this! This proves, once again, how far removed from reality the stereotypes about this country are!
After he leaves, I make some coffee and then use the provided nature toilet (compost style, of course, with no door) to relieve myself. When I come back, Hans already made friends again - a man in his fourties and his son (?) have stopped by, the man having a beer. He tries to have a conversation, declares us "damn tourists" when we don't understand anything, and then
Time for a break!
Hans putting his feet up... continues on, as do we.
The wind finally in our back again, the rest of the day is easy cycling, until we stop by a monument (one of many) for dinner. Soon, it starts raining again, and we are forced to just pitch the tent - there is a lovely spot in the woods behind the monument - and call it a day.
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Kristina
non-member comment
Glad
I'm so glad you are meeting REAL Belarusians, rather than the grumpy border/passport control types that most people talk about. I have been visiting Belarus for 15 years and I find them to be wonderfully open and generous. If you were to take up the military man on his offer you'd probably end up with a delicious meal, lots of vodka and possibly a banya (sauna) before the night was done. Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip through my second home!