Home » Russia Belarus » Trip to Russia 2004

It was kind of a memorial trip. My friends and I used to visit Ladoga lake many times a long time ago and we loved the lake and nearby forest. The Ladoga lake was favorite place of my friend LG, who recently died from cancer. It was on Ladoga where he broke his toe during soccer game, and broke my nose with his head during another rough soccer game. We were pretty reckless. It was not just our group habit, it was generally accepted approach to life in Russia and still is. If you put a safety belt in car for example, the driver will feel insulted. Once our recklessness resulted in tragic death, on Ladoga lake also. We took abandoned boat and tried to sail on it to the city of Priozersk. Boat sunk and one guy, VM, drowned.

Trip to Russia 2004

Alex Mumzhiu
2006-03-22 19:00:59

Displayed times (last time: )

pick up along the way. This way of life is a lot of fun, but can be a little rough, especially when you are used to good ol' city life. Be the 4th day, you could imagine that I stunk rather badly. Believe you me, I love to shower... not taking one for 4 days was a bit trying. I reeked of BO, campfire smoke and garlic (ate lots of it). Our last camping site was extremely difficult to get to. We walked our bikes for several kilometers but the pay-off was extraordinary. We camped on high cliffs above a very pretty lake. After setting up my tent, the first thing I did was grab my bar of soap and jump into the giant bath-tub that was the lake. We camped there a couple days and spent our time climbing, swimming and hiking around. That was a great culmination to the trip.

After returning to St. Pete, I walked around the sites that I've seen a million times but they're always nice. For those that don't know, I was born here and have been back several times. This time however, the city seemed a little different to me for some reason. Not as homely as it always feels. The people seem a bit different (i can't figure out why). Either way, its a pleasant experience.

Tonight I board a night train for Moscow to see my uncle and my cousin. I don't quite feel like I'm on my trip yet... maybe
because I'm in familiar places with familiar people. I'm really looking forward to being my own guide in strange lands.

... oh, and one bit of news... for those that know I spent most of spring studying for the CFA exam... I passed Level II and now only have one more exam (next June).

Till next time, paka (bye in Russian)

Dan

North Western Russia

Hello my dear readers,

After long stay in St. Petersburg I resumed my traveling and writing Travel Notes. But now I have to compete with my son, who started his round the world trip. His Travel ...