Eleven Years in Russia: Help Me Celebrate!

This morning I'm remembering January 29, 1999 and arriving in Moscow's international airport, Sheremetevo-2. And oh, what an adventure these years have been. Let me reminisce a moment about the travel dramas of Day One. And then there are prizes - yes, genuine Russian souvenirs to give away. So sit back and enjoy this vicariously.

Approaching Red Square. Photos: March 2006. (Click to enlarge)

Adventure One was getting through airport customs. Thing is, I had enough gear along to outfit a small army: five pieces of checked baggage, which included 3 duffel bags and 2 suitcases, and that was back when the limit was - what - 70 pounds a bag? And in those bags were weights, yes, honest-to-goodness weights. See, I wanted develop some muscles here in Russia and emailed a contact here in Rostov as to whether weights were available in Russia. She said No, if you want weights you'll need to bring your own. (So, so untrue!) But I considered that advise reliable so I did. Shall I admit this: In those bags was a pair of 12-pound free weights, a set of 8 pounders and a 5-pound set. That was just for upper body. And then there were leg weights too. So you get the picture: My luggage was heavy.

Red Square: St Basils Cathedral, left, and Kremlin tower and walls, right.

Oh! And I was carrying cash. Lots of cash: $6k in brand-new, 100-dollar bills. Nowadays, there's no need to do that and I do not (attention potential pickpockets), but back then most people traveled with serious cash. Besides that, I declared all that on my customs declaration - silly, silly me. Well, going through customs, the inspector folks there told me with straight faces about a mysterious new law that limits the total kilograms a person can bring into the country. I had brought too much in and the fine would be $2,000 as I recall. Now at that stage, I had already been up maybe 36 hours and I was simply numb. So I decided to act disinterested, a skill I highly recommend for such encounters, by the way, and wandered over to some seats while my Moscow contact, a dear brother named Israel, managed to get the fine down to $500. I saw the inspector girl put all that directly into her pocket. I expect it went into her savings for a new mink coat. Since I paid the money there rather than to an official cashier and since there was no receipt issued, I have reason to believe that those funds were for someones personal use. That was the first adventure of Day One.

Emerging then from Sheremetevo-2 airport with my wallet considerably lighter, Israel and I stashed my luggage in the long-term baggage storage at Sheremetevo-1, the regional airport I was scheduled to fly out of that evening. Baggage storage rooms tend to be located in the airport basement and that means dragging the baggage down stairs. (An elevator or escalator? Whahahaha. . .) So we stashed the bags and then went to see Red Square. Oh, and eat at the big Moscow McDonald's, which was the world's largest when it opened in 1990.

During our touristy trekking around the city, a blizzard blew into northwest Moscow and snow came fast and furious that afternoon and evening as we headed back to Sheremetevo-1 to catch my 9:40-ish flight to Rostov. After we had gotten the bags lugged up steps, hauled across the waiting area (Luggage carts? Oh, if only. . .) and checked in, the flight was changed because of the blizzard and rerouted to Domodedova, a regional airport located near southeast Moscow where there was less snow. So Israel and his crew got me and the luggage out into the parking lot in the fresh snow, onto the transfer bus and the two of us stood up the whole hour-plus across town. By then, I had been up way too many hours without sleep. But were so many tender mercies along the way. For one thing, Israel was so calm and kept saying, God is in control. God is in control. My flight eventually arrived here in Rostov around 5:00 am, as I recall. But that day, January 29th, 1999, was just the start of quite an adventure in missions.

And I must say that the good Lord has held me in the palms of his hands each step of the way. And I have learned a lot. A whooooole lot! For one thing, that a 12-pound weight makes an excellent doorstop.

And so dear blog readers, it's time to celebrate! I have three little prizes. These will go to three lucky people who comment here on this blog post between now and Sunday evening midnight Moscow time (GMT +3). These souvenirs were made in Tomsk, Siberia from white birch, a tree common in the vast northern forests. As you see, there's a square box and a round box and the little birch shoes. The vendor was telling me about the good fortune the shoes are said to bring: On January 7th, which is Orthodox Christmas day, if the mother or sister of a single girl drapes the shoes over the young lady's shoulder, it is guaranteed that she will marry sometime that year. (Don't think I'll be needing them, myself. . . )

So in your comment, please include your name or nickname and indicate which prize you want. Also please share briefly why you would like to visit Russia. I'll plan to have a drawing on Monday and notify winners here. And of course if there are three respondents, everybody gets a prize! Well, good luck my dear komrades. And thank you so much for helping me celebrate this special day!