Cigarettes, Red Square and the Himalayas

Notes on recent Russian trip.
April 4th, 2009.
Saturday.

Mom and I both woke up at insane-o'clock (3am, 5am, that sort of thing). My aunt and uncle both smoke, which creates something of a gas chamber effect in the apartment. Whether because of the smoke, the travel or the lack of sleep I had a massive headache all day (and for the next three days). Not like the air outside was particularly fresh either - car exhaust, smog and just dirt in the air. My first impression of my motherland - it smells.

First rays of sunshine over Moscow (and they were promising rain and snow. ha!)

Went to the State Historical Museum, which is located on the Red Square. Was very impressed by the depth and breadth of Russian history, but I really wish we had had someone with us who could have given us a bit of a tour. One cool thing that sticks out in my memory - some of the earliest examples of Cyrillic writing are still intact on birch bark of all things. Also cool was a huge globe in which lands that were not yet explored where left blank, so you would see the occasional unattached shore line and then white space.


Had lunch at a cafeteria type restaurant called Moo Moo. The place was decorated a bit like a log cabin, and had a lot of ambiance.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior, built on donations, destroyed by the Soviets and replaced with a giant public outdoor heating pool, rebuilt by the Russian.

Then the Roerich Museum. Renowned for his spiritual philosophies and explorations of Asia, his artwork is most memorable for the strong presence (or source) of Light.

Guests from Overseas, 1901


Watch on the Himalayas, 1925 (my favorite, but doesn't seem to reproduce well)

I actually really enjoyed the portraits done by his son, Svetoslav, but I am having a much harder time finding examples of his work online.

Pundit Neru, 1942

Young woman in yellow headdress, 1930

Explosive meds, Quantum of Silence and Kid with Anger Management Issues

Notes on recent trip to Russia.
April 2nd and 3rd

As I stated somewhere before, the actual business of traveling is way overrated. Since I was flying out of a tiny little airport I did not have to stand in line to check in, but then again there was no check in counter, nor an attendant to actually do any checking in. Security was in high form though. They took me and my Emetrol (4 oz!!! of anti-nausea meds) aside to get tested for explosives. I offered to take a little gulp but they just waved their little testing strips over it.

The first flight was packed with a retired people tour group going to Rome and the plane itself was making some very non-reassuring noises throughout the flight (a kind of random banging in the isle next to my seat. Any ideas? Even the other passengers noticed it.) It was also late, which was unfortunate because I had a very tight connection and the international flight was conveniently boarding at the completely opposite end of the terminal in DC. Fortunately my mother was already there, keeping the plane from taking off without me.

Even after I was on board the plane sat there for an hour waiting for "international documents", but I fully expect a plane to sit on the tarmac for at least an hour after it's scheduled departure time, so this was no biggy. And besides, the flight was an hour shorter than expected (only nine hours), and I got to watch "Quantum of Solace" without sound (thank you, United).

Mom and I both took 2 Tylenol PM each. She slept comfortably through most of the flight, I sat awake but dazed while a little kid behind me alternated pulling on my hair and punching me with his fists (until he fell down and split his lip, and then he bled on me for a change). Please, someone, invent the transporter already.

My aunt and cousin picked us up at the airport and drove us to their flat. Here then is my first view of Moscow.


After some snacking I passed out and slept for a few hours. I woke up in time for dinner. My other cousin got home by then, and so did my uncle. And that, of course, is the reason to endure all this traveling.

Muss ich denn schon wieder verreisen?

When analyzing my priorities in life, traveling always comes in near the top. I love that our planet is so big, that there are so many different, beautiful and interesting places to see, adventures to be had, stories to tell later on, pictures to take, people to meet. If there is one thing I am likely to actually work hard for it’s to be able to afford to travel. But while the IDEA of traveling is very appealing, keeping me dreaming and scheming, the REALITY of traveling is a different matter entirely. Though I would like to envision myself as a carefree hippy, leaping continents, sleeping in airports or on beaches, making plans on the spot, never minding the unexpected, I am actually a pretty neurotic, germophobic, anxiety prone person.

Gone are the days when I thought that an eight hour flight was fun (of course I was smaller then and I had a place to put my legs, which is no longer the case). Now everything about traveling fills me with dread. Will I catch the plane alright? Is the layover too short? If not, then what am I going to do for six hours in an airport? Will I get motion sick? What will I do if I have a panic attack somewhere over the Atlantic? Can I knock myself out with some meds so I can actually get some sleep in those small crammed seats, or will that make me to groggy when I get there? Am I bringing the right things to wear? Can I drink the water? If not, how am I supposed to brush my teeth?

Still, I persevere. They say you shouldn’t let your fears run your life, and in that spirit I am going to Russia this week. The whole plan came together rather suddenly, so I’ve had only a week to fret, but I am really starting to feel it. Fortunately (or not), I am going with my mother, who has little tolerance for nonsense. We’ll spend a few days in Moscow with relatives and then a week in Saint Petersburg with grandpa. In fact grandpa, and a few other choice relatives, are the main reason to go to Russia, as far as I’m concerned. The weather is planning to be miserable, I will be stressed about my personal appearance and other shortcomings, and there will definitely be the requisite museum and palace outings. I am not even sure why I mind them, but a museum is not my idea of a good time (another shortcoming to add to the list…)

* “Muss ich denn schon wieder verreisen?” is an excellent book by Evalyn Sanders which has sadly never been translated into English (perhaps I should do it?). The title means roughly “Do I have to go traveling AGAIN???” In the spirit of things me and my trusty German dictionary started re-reading it last night.

Russia, Georgia, US and South Ossetia

I've been meaning to write about this for a few days now, ever since I got into a disagreement with a cousin about Russian/American politics. Although the South Ossetia conflict is old news at this point, having been overshadowed from the beginning by the Olympics, Bigfoot, and John Edward's infidelity, and only getting more coverage than the latest news of how Bush and his peeps forged intelligence that justified the attack on Iraq (more on that later), I think it is important to properly digest the situation. Not that all of the information is clear, available, or correct for that matter. We may not know for a while still what exactly happened and why, since this is just another conniving power play on the parts of the Bush and Putin administrations.

First, a little history. When Georgia asked to become part of the USSR (mainly to get protection from Turkey), Ossetia, among others, was one of the little mountainous countries that got engulfed as well. And when Georgia broke away from Russia in 1991, Ossetia was divided in two. North Ossetia stuck with Russia. South Ossetia was given to Georgia. Displeased as they were, South Ossetians kept starting rebellions and passing legislations declaring its sovereignty, which were not accepted by anyone. A ceasefire was put into effect in 1992 but South Ossetia was still Georgian. Then there was another crack down on S. Ossetia in 2004, followed once again by a ceasefire, though not a very effective one. Russia in the meantime was stirring trouble of its own in the region, aiding the Ossetians and giving Russian citizenship to anyone who wanted it. And in Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili came to power after a brief "Rose Revolution", aided in all probability by the Americans. He certainly remains a US "puppet" and is at this point highly unpopular among his electorate.



Starting on August 2nd, 2008 the fire on South Ossetia from the Georgian side seemed to intensify (allegedly in response to S. Ossetia's provocation). Some began to flee into North Ossetia and Saakashvili announced that a ceasefire will begin. Instead, in the night of August 7th, Georgia began shelling the city of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), with some 2000 people "reported" dead. I say "reported" because independent human right groups say the casualties were far lower, as few as 44 dead the first night. Certainly there were no attempts to decrease civilian casualties. Human Rights Watch reports evidence of firing directly into basements, which is where civilians were hiding, and the weapons used were "inherently indiscriminate". So Russia responds by bombing the hell out of Georgia. They retook Tskhinvali, started a second front in Abkhazia (disputed fact), a small region in a very similar boat as South Ossetia, and carried out multiple strikes on military installations in Georgia. Russian troops seemed to at least partially occupy the Georgian cities of Gori and Poti. They also carried out a very successful cyber attack, shutting down news and government websites, putting pictures of dictators on the national bank website, etc. They even attacked the president's site, which was hosted by that time in Georgia - Atlanta, GA, that is. So Georgia basically got their ass handed to them by the Russians. No surprise there.

Some ceasefires have now been signed, many in the international community, the US among them, saying that Russia's response was disproportionate. So hopefully now we can have some sort of diplomacy. But the question is, why the heck did this happen??? On the eve of the Olympics, the little Georgia decides to taunt it's much mightier neighbor and get away with it? My cousin suggested, and I am not sure that he is entirely incorrect, that Saakashvili's desire to get into NATO was behind this attack. How he figured that forcefully subduing South Ossetia would endear him to NATO I do not know. It is, however, likely that he expected his ally, the US, to back him up. Whether he was promised help, if he was egged on into this conflict by Bush and co. or if he was just deluding himself, I do not know. Certainly he had reasons to believe that the US will help him out. We have been supplying him with weapons, money and military training. And it's not a secret that tensions between Russia and the US are far from over. As for Russia's response, could this have been a preview, a kind of message to the US, about what would happen if they attack Iran? After all Russia has long maintained that it will not ignore military actions there. And finally, to add conspiracy to the story, Russia happened to bomb the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, 30% of which is owned by British Petroleum, which interestingly enough is one of the main competitors of Russian oil supply to Europe. I wonder how many wars would never have begun if we had finally learned to stop using oil. Would anyone then even care about the Middle East?

So my conclusion at the moment, is that the US was being passive aggressive, Saakashvili was an idiot, and Russia called the bluff. In the meantime it's the people of South Ossetia, and to some extent Georgia, that are paying the price.


PS: Did anyone catch the fact that John McCain's foreign policy adviser is a former lobbiest for Georgia AND a member of the Project for the New American Century, the group that infamously thought that an attack like 9/11 would be great for the future of neo-cons.