After returning to Irktusk from Olkhon Island I had a three day two night train journey to Yekaterinburg. For the first half of the journey I shared my Kupe cabin with a young Russian guy. After going through the getting to know you section of my phrasebook conversation stalled. I worked on my journal and read my book whilst the Russian stared at the floor for a couple of hours, after which he went to sleep for twenty hours. At Novosibirsk the youth departed and I was joined by a Russian Army Major, called Andreas, who could not speak a word of English. He immediately pulled out a small bottle of vodka. We started on the getting to know you phrases but communication was a bit tricky. He did want to make sure I was Christian and I decided it was best not to get into too tricky a religious debate with a Russian Army Major who could not speak English and had served in Chechnya. We did get along well and being polite I did not refuse the large glasses of vodka that he offered me and expected me to down in one. We finished the first bottle of vodka and headed for the restaurant car to buy another bottle. Along the way we came across members of his unit. We got back to our Kupe and started on the bigger bottle of vodka. Two of the members of his unit came to join us and the two of them could speak a bit of English. One of them was teetotal (the first Russian teetotaler I had come across). Some bread, mustard and salami was produced. I then cannot remember what happened next. All I know is that I woke up with a stinging head. I was covered in broken biscuits. I did not have my glasses, my watch or my phrasebook. Andreas helpfully sprayed some aftershave into my eyes and I went off to the toilet. I returned to the Kupe and found my watch was in my pocket and my glasses and phrasebook were hidden on the floor. The Providnista (Russian train attendant) for my carriage who reminded me of my Nan and seemed to be particularly kindly had a look in our Kupe. She took one look at the state of the Kupe and then looked at me to which my answer was, "Russki Vodka". She gave me a knowing look and a tut tut shake of her head. I get the impression that a large part of the Providnista job is looking after the paralytic Russian male. Russians do not drink until they are drunk but until they are unconscious. Andreas seemed to be in a worse state than me. He had offered me a glass of beer which I declined. He drank the beer and went back to sleep. The rest of the journey to Yekaterinburg seemed to take an absolute age.
Yekaterinburg sits on the continental border between Europe and Asia. It is a pleasant place to take a break from the train. It feels and looks like you imagine a Russian city. However, much like Irkutsk lots of historic buildings survived the Soviet bulldozers. The Yekaterinburg metro feels like a time capsule. A great part of the stay was Yekaterinburg hostel. It had only been opened a month and the guy running it was very friendly and helpful. It felt more like a homestay as the hostel is run by a family. They cooked me dinner and had lots of food in the fridge for me and Hemmo to use. The only problem I did have when I first arrived was getting in. The hostel was as ever in a non-descript Soviet tower block. The directions from the metro to get there were excellent, however, I did not have instructions of how to get in. I sat on the steps for an hour until someone came out who was involved with the hostel.
After returning to Irktusk from Olkhon Island I had a three day two night train journey to Yekaterinburg. For the first half of the journey I shared my Kupe cabin with a young Russian guy. After going through the getting to know you section of my phrasebook conversation stalled. I worked on my journal and read my book whilst the Russian stared at the floor for a couple of hours, after which he went to sleep for twenty hours. At Novosibirsk the youth departed and I was joined by a Russian Army Major, called Andreas, who could not speak a word of English. He immediately pulled out a small bottle of vodka. We started on the getting to know you phrases but communication was a bit tricky. He did want to make sure I was Christian and I decided it was best not to get into too tricky a religious debate with a Russian Army Major who could not speak English and had served in Chechnya. We did get along well and being polite I did not refuse the large glasses of vodka that he offered me and expected me to down in one. We finished the first bottle of vodka and headed for the restaurant car to buy another bottle. Along the way we came across members of his unit. We got back to our Kupe and started on the bigger bottle of vodka. Two of the members of his unit came to join us and the two of them could speak a bit of English. One of them was teetotal (the first Russian teetotaler I had come across). Some bread, mustard and salami was produced. I then cannot remember what happened next. All I know is that I woke up with a stinging head. I was covered in broken biscuits. I did not have my glasses, my watch or my phrasebook. Andreas helpfully sprayed some aftershave into my eyes and I went off to the toilet. I returned to the Kupe and found my watch was in my pocket and my glasses and phrasebook were hidden on the floor. The Providnista (Russian train attendant) for my carriage who reminded me of my Nan and seemed to be particularly kindly had a look in our Kupe. She took one look at the state of the Kupe and then looked at me to which my answer was, "Russki Vodka". She gave me a knowing look and a tut tut shake of her head. I get the impression that a large part of the Providnista job is looking after the paralytic Russian male. Russians do not drink until they are drunk but until they are unconscious. Andreas seemed to be in a worse state than me. He had offered me a glass of beer which I declined. He drank the beer and went back to sleep. The rest of the journey to Yekaterinburg seemed to take an absolute age.
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