Far From Home: Part II

Soundtrack: Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Monday, 16 September 2019

Woke up after 2 and couldn’t sleep thereafter. I guess I was afraid if I would oversleep and miss the alarm. I finally got up at 03:30 and got ready. I left the flat at 04:25 and walked to the office to return the keys. That stretch of Leningrad Street where the office was at was dark but I had read that the crime in Belarus is very low. I then made my way to the Central Bus Station, taking the underpass.

I reached the bus station at 04:41. The bus left on time at 04:50 and I performed prayers on board. We reached the airport at 05:40 and I waited for the check-in counter for my flight to open at 06:00. While waiting, I went to the exchange office and sold off my last Ruble note. 

After dropping off my bag, I went through security check and then passport control. I walked around the duty-free before settling down at my gate.

We had to board a bus to the plane. The plane took off on time. Even though it was a morning flight, no breakfast was served; instead Belavia served water and tea/coffee (no juice or soft drinks) and a cream-filled wafer. That was their idea of breakfast, I suppose.

We landed at Chişinău Airport at 09:20. We disembarked and walked to passport control. I was told to step aside and wait for five minutes before the officer resumed processing my passport and again, my poor passport was subject to the same intense scrutiny and again, the officer alternately looked at my passport photo and me. She also rifled through my passport and seemed to scrutinise each and every page. Really, was that necessary? While I had expected some delay in processing my passport, I do wish I wasn’t subjected to it. When my passport was finally stamped and I walked out, my bag was the only one left on the stationary carousel. Ironically, Moldova’s tourism slogan is ‘Be Our Guest’. Why treat me with suspicion then?! Shame.

John, husband to my MBA mate, Angela, was already waiting outside. I’m not sure he remembered me but as I was the last to emerge, looked foreign and had my scarf on, it wasn’t hard to guess.

The ride to the city took 35 minutes and we hit a traffic jam at Strada Pushkin. John had to make a circle around the block as the road was one way. We then walked up to Hostel City Centre on the fourth floor (third floor to us). The hostel is part of the Sun City shopping complex and to access it, you need to walk through the door next to Bristol Hotel. There was a lift, Alhamdulillah. I couldn’t check in yet so I left my suitcase behind. John had to return home to attend to their elder son who was not well so after thanking him, I went to explore the city. There were many beautiful buildings in the city but some were sadly neglected and abandoned. I even went up to to Water Tower before going down the steps to Valea Morilor Lake. It was a hot hot day today despite signs that autumn had arrived.

I then returned back and walked to City Hall. The Tourist Information Centre was there so I dropped by to get a map and ask for some information. I was waling back to my hostel and wandering around trying to find a place that served food that I could eat when I heard someone calling out my name. It was Angela! She was returning from a lunchtime physiotherapy session. Her schedule was jam packed today but she still wanted to meet. I asked how she spotted me and she said she saw an Asian girl in a scarf looking like a tourist and decided it must be me. She later told me she was on the phone with John then wondering what I was doing when she spotted me.

I returned to the hostel at 14:30 and had to wait 15 minutes before the reception girl came and showed me to a four-bedded female dorm. I was given the upper bunk. After prayers, I went out to ask if I could switch to the lower bunk (the person hadn’t checked in yet) and was reassigned another dorm two doors away. Well, as long as I got a lower bunk. Two women came in with the receptionist and after a while, I determined them to be a mother-daughter pair and when I asked, I determined them to be from Russia.  

I was resting and charging my devices when Angela messaged that she was at the hostel so I went to meet her. After changing €40 at an exchange office in Sun City, I then followed her back to the office at Sky Tower and chatted with her. I was a bit shocked to see No Pistol allowed signs at her office.

We left at 18:00 and walked around. Angela showed me to a restaurant and a supermarket selling fine food before she left. She was walking home today.

I went to another supermarket and bought some mushrooms and bread. I then returned to the hostel and had ramen for dinner. The hostel looked like it was running full occupancy today and I had to wait some time before a shower room was free. My one complaint about the hostel is that only two shower rooms seemed to be working (one was locked throughout my stay) and both clogged which made for uncomfortable showers, never mind that I normally shower very quickly.

I stayed in for the rest of the evening and went to bed at 23:00. I walked 16.5 km today.

Tuesday, 17 September 2019

I woke up at 03:55 but went back to bed. My Russian mother-daughter dorm mates were snoring away all night but Alhamdulillah I still managed to fall asleep again every time their snores woke me up. It must be exhaustion from not managing to sleep the evening before and the long day yesterday. I got up at 06:10 to perform prayers then checked my emails and caught up with my timeline.

I had breakfast at 08:30 and ventured out at 10:00. Well, I must say I was glad I arrived the day before and had explored the city centre because it was raining when I went out! I walked around but returned back to the hostel before noon. The Chişinău city tour was done for me. I bought some chocolate dessert and a kg of grapes to bring over to Angela’s - I’d be having dinner at her place tonight.

I decided to have lunch at the Cats Cafe which is connected to the hostel and can also be accessed from Sun City. There were about a dozen plump felines in there with fur as smooth as silk, some dozing away, some playing and some walking around. They must be accustomed to strangers for they were calm and didn’t run away. Some were bold enough to sit with customers! We were not supposed to feed them and I explained this to them. What? Of course I talk to cats!

After lunch, I reluctantly bade farewell to the kitties and returned to my room. I packed then read a bit before hitting the shower and getting ready. I left at 18:25 and walked up Strada Alexander Pushkin to her house at Strada Universității. Wow, her house was big alright. I was supposed to stay with them but they have a bulldog (which they kept in a cage when I came over). I met up Leo and George, Angela’s sons, and went on a short tour of the house. I even met their housekeeper whom they brought over from Yerevan.

We had dinner prepared by John which was some fish dish and some potatoes and salad. The boys didn’t join us for dinner and Angela said they don’t force the boys to have dinner if the boys don’t want to. After dinner, Angela and I caught up and we even talked about our respective late mums and scoliosis (I found out Angela has it too) but unfortunately I had to leave around 22:00 as I had an early start the following morning. Angela called a cab for me and I reached the hostel five minutes later (the driver did drive like a maniac). I quietly went into my dorm, performed prayers and went to bed.

To be continued

Far From Home: Part I

I had initially considered two new destinations for my annual office break; however, due to logistical issues, I had to abandon the idea and consider other new destinations instead. It was as if fate or luck intervened and made me consider going to Belarus, especially after I read that there is now visa-free entry into the country (with conditions but of course which includes entering and departing into and from Minsk National Airport). I then decided my options after Belarus and was happy to find I could fly Belavia to Chișinău where my mate, Angela, is working, and from Chișinău, I could fly WizzAir to Milan Bergamo, from which, my options are almost limitless. So, my planning began. Air tickets were bought, accommodation was booked and those on Airbnb paid for, some basic Russian words shared by CT, bus ticket bought, train schedules checked, prayer times compiled and nurse sourced for dad. And finally, the day arrived.

Soundtrack: Autumn Leaves

Friday, 13 September 2019

I left office at 16:24 and arrived KL Sentral at 16:44. I took the 17:00 KLIA Ekspres to KLIA. I had checked in online and joined the bag-drop queue for 20 minutes before abandoning the queue for the check-in queue when the former looked like it was hardly moving. We boarded at 19:10 and the plane took off at 20:00. I was a bit tired and managed some kip. We landed at Abu Dhabi Airport 22:30 local time. After going through transfer process, I went to find a prayer room nearest to gate 30 and settled in.

Saturday, 14 September 2019

Brrr, it was cold in the prayer room but I think the prayer room I spent the night in last year at the same airport was colder. After performing prayers, I freshened up and had some light snack before walking to the gate which was a mere 10 metres away from prayer room. I spent time looking at my notes and asking a Belarusian lady some stuff before boarding the bus to the plane. We took off at 08:00 and landed at Minsk Airport at 13:20.

I endured a long passport control process, well, longer than other passengers! A few officers came to ask me some questions before I was let through. What irked me was how the immigration officer kept looking at my passport and me as if trying to see if we were the same person. I wanted to say the passport photo was taken four years ago but surely she could see that. She even took a magnifier and scrutinised my passport as if to ensure I was not in possession of a fake passport. Jeez.

I went to collect my bag before emerging out. I looked for money changers before I decided to go up to the departure level. True enough, the exchange offices were there and so was the Information Desk. I changed €20, reckoning I could change more in the city. I went down again to arrival level and just about managed to get the 13:20 bus no. 300 to the Central Bus Station. Fare was BYN4 (about €2). The journey took about 40 minutes and as we neared the city, I saw that some parts looked wet and some parts dry. In fact, it was raining in some areas. I walked from the Central Bus Station to the apartment office at Leningrad Street to collect keys. I paid the rent of USD50.1 with USD100 and received balance in BYN (that’s Belarusian Rubles). I had some trouble finding the apartment at first but finally managed to locate it. In the meantime, it continued raining and shining alternately. The apartment was at level 3 and there were three rooms in all and a shared kitchen, bathroom and WC. I performed prayers, re-connected with the world then went out to venture at 16:30. Oh my, the wind could be strong alright. I had only taken a few steps when suddenly it started raining and I tried in vain to seek shelter. The rain didn’t last long and I was able to continue on after 15 minutes. I walked to Independence Square (Plošča Niezaliežnasci) and on until I reached Palace of the Republic at October Square. My, I must say walking in Minsk reminded me of walking in Moscow. Each block is huge and I needed time to even walk one block. I went into Minsk Hotel first and asked for a city map then walked up to the Palace of the Republic (a huge rectangular-shaped concert hall) but the square was cordoned off so I walked to the back of the concert hall (International Street) where I found a lot of beautiful buildings and a lot of people. There were police around the area and they inspected our bags before we were let into the area. There were some stalls selling Belarusian souvenirs and the usual painted people posing as statues. I finally turned back and retraced my steps back to the apartment. Oh and by the way, you’re not supposed to jaywalk and you can only cross at street crossings when the green man indicates it’s OK for you to do so. In some places, you would have to take the underpass. Typical of ex-Soviet and other Communist countries (I’m sure I wouldn’t survive if I was born and grew up in those countries!). I went down to the underground shopping mall at Independence Square (a bit dated but there’s free WiFi in there) and crossed over to Leningrad Street. I was back at 19:00, tired and sleepy.

 Minsk Airport upon arrival. Look at the dark clouds there!

Independence Square (Plošča Niezaliežnasci) as captured from the bus

 Independence Square

 Lenin Monument at Independence Square

 Palace of the Republic at October Square

 Minsk City Hall

 KFC

  National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre

 Gates of Minsk

View from my room

Sunday, 15 September 2019

I was woken up at 03:00 by flatmates who were either just returning back or had just checked in. I got up to use WC and woke up again at 05:00 for morning prayers. After a light breakfast and studying the map, I left at 08:00 and walked up to Niamiha Street. I took pictures of the KFC restaurant and then crossed Svislach River. There were police all around and some roads were closed. There were also a mighty lot of people around for a Sunday morning and I found out shortly after that there was some run in the city. There were volunteers and runners, there was music blaring from some speaker, there were police like I said earlier, and some people including me strolling about. I went all the way to the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre but detoured to the Island of Tears a bit before reaching the theatre. I then made my way to Victory Monument (lost my way a bit, asked for directions from a couple of volunteers but decided to trust my own instincts) and cut through Janki Kupaly Park and finally came within sight of the Victory Monument only to find it covered beneath scaffolding and the road was also closed for the run. I turned back and walked back along Niezaliežnasci Avenue while watching the runners. And because the avenue was closed, some of us dared to venture out and walked on the avenue itself.

I headed for the Central Bus Station and with some help from a friendly helpful local girl, I bought ticket for the airport bus for the following morning (ticket office opens at 07:00 and I was going to take the 04:50 bus). I also told the girl I had a suitcase as I didn’t want to be yelled at for bringing my bag and not paying for it (read some people got yelled at on some forum, well pardon us for not speaking Belarusian or Russian). I paid BYN5 for the bus ticket to the airport. I wanted to go to both Nyasvich and Mir and despite having downloaded the bus schedules early on with CT’s help, I was told that the next bus out to Nyasvizh was at 12:xx which was too late for me to also make the Mir bus and get back to Minsk on the same afternoon. I then bought ticket for the 11:50 bus to Mir for BYN6.06. As there was about an hour left, I returned to my room first.

I returned back to Central Bus Station at 11:40 and boarded marshrutka at Platform 8 for Mir. The bus was only supposed to take about 70 minutes but the marshrutka arrived at Mir bus station only at 13:50. I stopped at the ticket office first to find out the schedules for the buses back to Minsk and with the help of the local determined the times. We were told to come back closer to the time of departure though to buy the ticket. I then set off for the Mir Castle Complex which I had seen when the marshrutka first entered the town. Autumn had really arrived in Belarus and the wind made my eyes smart at times. I paid BYN14 for ticket and went up the towers to explore. After some time, I consulted my watch and determined I could make the 14:58 bus back to Minsk (next buses were at 17:03 and 19:30) if I left right about then. I had another quick look around then hurried back to the bus station at 14:46. I reached the bus station in record time - not a mean feat when I had to walk uphill and battled the wind. I saw a long bus pulling in as I was panting up the hill and was praying I would make the bus. I was dismayed though to find a long queue ahead of me. Someone said something to me but I ignored him as I didn’t understand him anyway. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and a man asked me ‘Minsk?’ I nodded yes and he beckoned me to follow him. And he turned out to be the bus driver. Alhamdulillah! I paid him BYN6.79 and found what was probably the last seat available in the bus. 

We reached Minsk Central Bus Station at 16:20. I went to exchange office in the station and sold off my Rubles. I got back USD and some Rubles in cash (I suppose she didn’t have smaller USD denomination). Well, I learnt my lesson from trying to sell Georgian Lari (I didn’t manage to sell them even in London and every time I asked if the exchange offices bought Georgian Lari, everyone would reply ‘Jordanian?’ and I had to keep repeating myself exasperatedly ‘NO, not Jordanian. Georgian Lari’). I dropped by a supermarket across the street from my room and bought some groceries before returning to the apartment. There were three men from Turkmenistan in the apartment when I returned and they sure made a lot of noise. I stayed in my room for the rest of the evening, packed and rested.

To be continued