Soviet paranoia, arrest in Russia, Siberian Blizzard

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The train ride from Ulaan Bataar to Novosibirsk was a long long long three days but for the most part pretty relaxing after countryside hoping in Mongolia. The border was ok, no real problems in Russia which was suprised to see. The problems in Russia came much much later as I will try and quickly explain.
We passed Irkutsk and Lake Baikal which was truly impressive, even from the train in passing. It's the largest and deep fresh water body in the world, containing more water then even the American Great Lakes. Just after that city the industrial remnants of the old soviet world came into view. Passed a lot of soviet block apartments, which were common in UB and even Dresden when i was there last year.
Please say they are ugly but honestly there is hidden charm in these architectural pieces of crap. The ceilings are high, cracked roof, pipes within sight inside the room, the toilet is always separate from the bath...

The landscape in that area of Siberia was pretty repeatative with either aparment blocks like i described, small wooden shacks, or huge smoke stacks with black and brown smoke coming out. THe landscape was mostly thick forests and charming little villages made of wood. Some were painted on the trim with really bright colors of yellow or blue.

For those of you under 30 you'll find it funny that the music that will now make me think of this landscape is Talib Kweli's 'Black Girl Pain' for it was what kept coming up on the shuffle of my ipod.

Oh yeah... the lake wasn't frozen.

My compartment mate was a middle aged man named Vlady. HE was a tad annoying but pretty interesting. He spoke good enough english and what he didn't know he said in German which was fine. He spent most of his spare time staring at me from three feet away and he kept talking about the John whenever i got up to go to the bathroom. He kept staying "tell john hello!" and when the bathroom was closed due to the train pulling into a station he kept saying "johnny's on holiday" and laughing a bit too long that it created that awkward horribleness when someone is three feet away and laughing at their own jokes and you have no choice but to muster everything you have and chuckle along with the dumbass.

i digress.

Some interesting aspects of the conversation with Vlady was that he thinks the chinese are responible for all terrorism, his belief that Europe will be Muslim in 100 years...

he aslo asked some odd questions. one as that if a businessman in the US goes to the mayor for a government loan to start a buisness will the mayor ask him his party affiliation. i said that no one would ask a government elected official for a loan they'd ask a bank, but if they did i doubt they'd ask him his party affiliation.

Border crossing was long, but not too difficult from Mongolia to Russia. Vlady wanted me to declare two coats the he was taking back to russia to sell for after 5 coats you must pay the tax. I told him that was his problem and he can worry about it. He then said he hated capitalism and that he had to worry about things like this, that things were better in the old says.

Another guy i met was trying to sell me beer or vodka and i kept saying no. better not to drink when you have to watch your belongings. he ended up staying and kept asking me about politics, and wars, and ..

He thanked me for our invovlment in the the war (thank's Grandpa, they still appreciate it!) told me Bush has no buisness in Iraq, and he was obsessed with his assertions that Chechnya is a legit fight and russia lays claim to it. he claimed to have been a soldier in 96 which i think is quite impossible, and that chechnyan people like the russian troups. He said that WHEN america and russia are in war that russia will win for they have better equipment. (whattya think georgie?)

I then reminded him that the Cold war is over, and gave him one of the last remaining dollar store treasures that i have with me: a USA bandana with the stars and stripes, and an eagle riding a Harley! GORGEOUS.

I have no time to write.

Basically the next few days was about meeting local russians, getting arrested and questions by the police asking me if i was FBI (don't laugh TOO hard!), being taken off the train in a blizzard by the border patrol, then being at the mercy of border guards and people i hitched rides with so i could eventually make it to here I am now: Ridder, Kazakhstan.

I"m staying with Sara Mary McCormick a wonderful peace corps volunteer who seems to be really making a REAL change in her community.more later.

but i'm safe. so don't worry..

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