5th of October, 2022.
Hitchhiking in Russia.
It is funny how things work. On our way to the centre, we pass by a monastery, and I look at it, curious. I also see a mall and tell the driver I can get out there. I must check if I have found a CS host by any chance, and if not, to make new plans of where to go.
The mall has free wi-fi and I find a place where I can plug in my computer. But as in Norway and so many other countries nowadays (what a hell is happening in this world?), you need to enter a mobile phone number in order to get a verification code for the wi-fi. Ridiculous! Just ridiculous!
I manage to ask for help to a young lady working in one of the food shops. People living in the cities are so scared of everything! They live in fear! The world is almost the 1984 novel by George Orwell already.
I get nothing on CS. I quickly make a plan of going to that monastery, asking to spend the night there, because it is on my way to St. Petersburg. Better saying, on the way to my hitchhiking spot. That basically mean I will not visit Murmansk at all, because in this scenario, most of the time, they allow me to stay only one night. Apart of a few exceptions, where they actually ask me to stay a few more nights. But not visiting Murmansk is not a total loss. Taking a look online it seems that the most interesting spots are quite far from the centre. It says that the monastery closes at 8 p.m., so I quickly get the directions and run.
It is a long way but I feel myself strong to walk all the way without stops. I have eating some of my muesli at the mall, with a delicious vanilla pudding Tambet gave it to me.
When I arrive, I talk with one of the monks and even though he cannot speak English, he understands what I am asking for. After a few phone calls, it seems everything is settled. They invite me for dinner. There are two monks and a few more men. They offer me so much food that I wish I hadn’t eaten before at all. I have soup, buckwheat, salad, different pickled vegetables (including ginger, for my entire surprise), and also some tea. I am extremely full and unfortunately cannot finish everything.
After eating, they lead me to a separate house and one of the monks, a third one who arrives later, even carry The Hulk. Laugh. It is a two-story building, with a living room downstairs and a bedroom upstairs. They show me where I can sleep, ask me at what time I would like to leave tomorrow morning, and give me the key. I use an outside toilet to wash my socks and to wash up myself. In order to have a good night of sleep and get up early, I go to bed immediately.
In the morning, I try to get in the kitchen room again, so I can wash my face and use the inside toilet. Plus, I have plans of getting some hot water to have with my muesli. But my plans are frustrated by an elderly man who opens the door for me and, not speaking any English, is unable to understand anything I am trying to show him, like my explanation that I was sleeping in the outside house and was here last night. Unfortunately, he is incapable of understanding anything, and doesn’t allow me to go inside.
I use the outside toilet again, I don’t eat my muesli because I have no water, and I wait until 9 o’clock. Luckily, the monk who gave me the key last night comes a bit earlier, and invites me to have some breakfast. Later on, he comes back not dressed as a monk but in a black leather jacket and jeans, and I can barely recognize him. He looks quite charming then and I think nobody would think he is a monk. After eating, I gather my stuff, give them back the key and take a walk of only about 10 minutes to outside town. Last night I made a hitchhiking sign saying “St. Petersburg” and I hope it is big enough.
This will be my first time hitchhiking in Russia. Que sera, sera? What ever will be, will be…
10 Years Around the World 