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Published: October 15th 2008
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12.10.08
Outside it's 2°. Today we've been walking under the first snow of our season. Apart from that today has been quite a failure. Thanks to the help of our receptionist we managed to get the bus to Kungur this morning. Everything in a rush as usual when it's about early morning! At the bus stop we meet Victor, an old man, very nice, that was probably curious about us and wanted to be helpful. We've been chatting for a while in this now familiar way, in different languages and with great help from gestures and mimic. When he got on his bus he waved at us until we were out of sight.
Making a long story short, we got to Kungur, we spent hours in the cold wandering around looking for the Ice Cave, no one has been able to help us, so at the end of the day we got back to Perm. But it wasn't all wasted. We had the chance to see something of a true Siberian town. And despite the fact that I couldn't take many pictures as Michael was frightened at the idea that someone in the middle of nowhere in the middle of
Russia could threaten us for the camera. Fair enough. But at least you can still see something. Like these amazing Russian cemeteries, all colourful, and every grave enclosed into a wide fence together with a table and benches. And you could see ladies having a coffee and lunch there. Anyway if it's been impossible to find the cave, it's been a nightmare to find the bus back to Perm. After waiting for ages at the bus stop looking at buses that never stopped, we tried to go and ask a few people. Not really sure about what to do, the only thing we understood was that we had to take the bus no 1, but to where? When? So we were still wandering when, as from nowhere, a couple came to help us find our way. They didn't speak English as well but they've been absolutely fantastic and wasted a lot of their time to sort us out. But then they put us on a mini bus and told the driver where to drop us off. So finally we've been left in front of the terminal where to buy tickets and get the bus to Perm. Before getting back to
the hotel we stopped at a local fast food to get something to eat. There, as soon as we stepped in, a guy came towards us saying hello, hello. In fact both me and Mike thought it must have been someone that knew him. Instead they were two guys from Miami with two Russian girls that were staying for 5 months in a Christian mission to help people in need. We kindly refused their offer to buy us supper and grabbed a take away just wanting to get back to our room and rest a bit.
13.10.08
First I would really like to talk about this country. Or better, of what my eyes are seeing of this country, what my eyes are seeing through that window that we choose as a travel mate and at which we're spending hours staring.
I see a land so wide that shows no border, I see empty fields and mud. I see walls of thin trees like sticks from the ground. Rotten timber houses that you can feel the cold inside. I see metal skeletons like an army tied up by electric cables. I see gas pipes running everywhere, paint fading away
from the buildings, frames like crusts, and old ladies with scarves on their heads selling beans from plastic bags on rusty buggies' frames. I see a poor country, sometimes I think I see pride without hope.
This stop in the Urals has not been very productive. Our hope to visit the gulag Perm-36 vanished few seconds after we entered the tourist office, today finally open. I admit it was one of the places I was more interested to visit so I'm quite disappointed. But there's not much choice, it's closed. At this point to make something out of our stay here, we decide to go back to Kungur to visit the Ice Cave. With 4000R it's a lot easier. A taxi is going to come and pick us up at the hotel, is going to drive to the cave site, we will visit it with a Russian speaking guide while our driver will wait for us and then he will take us back to the hotel.
I think at the end it was worth going and as for me I had never been in a cave before as far as I can recall! It's been nice, no need to say
that it was freezing cold inside even thou we expected to see more ice! Some of the grottoes were very beautiful and lighting inside the cave is very well done. Our Russian guide, an old thin lady, must have thought that I could understand Russian just because I got a few words here and there. So with a lot of embarrassment I listened to her explaining and then she would wait for me to translate to Mike! We walked for one hour in the cave and that was it. Tomorrow we're off to Yekaterinenburg early morning to continue our way towards east.
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John
non-member comment
ejoying blog
Hi Mike and Virginia, great photos and commentary, we sit, read and admire. Its not that you are simply seeing but also comprehending, and putting those thoughts to words which makes it so interesting.New Zealand does not have the history but does have the beauty, which I am sure you will enjoy Regards John