For the first time a participant is taking over this blog. Thanks to Leo for his text, and hopefully he will be followed by other soon:
“Gold teeth smile on plump friendly lady
White long bearded old man
Young boy plays cards in football top
Smart woman in sandals plays with her mobile phone
Bulgarian girl uses her video camera to capture the wagon we are travelling on to Sludianka
A Moustached father stares me down
The Russian gaze
The penetrating stare
What’s in this look
Its hard to tell?
I have seen it all the time
On the subway I had a staring contest with a pretty brunette
We share a look on the metro for what seemed a lifetime but in reality it was a few seconds
This does not happen in the west we divert our gaze
I felt connection…
I could not take further because of my lack of the language
She left a few stops before me, nothing said
What was in this experience?
Siberia rolls by the window
For days the landscape was a flat muted green
Littered with tall skinny trees
Suddenly a change
I saw a hill today, 15 hours from lake Baikal
I sleep in a wagon with 50 others my long legs stick out the bed at night
Its very hot all the windows are closed and there is a constant smell of sweaty arm pits old socks and strange food.
We eat like we are in space, ready meals
Pot noodles just add water, serve with bread and poor salami
Wash with warm beer or lemon chai
Hot water is provided at the end of each wagon
Each wagon has two toilets a guard to watch over us
What they call a provodnitsa all girls they give us bedding, tell us off when we make too much noise and keep a watchful eye for wrong doing
Our provodnitsa is a Marilyn Monroe look alike
Her long lashes and curls make a striking first viewing
but she is nothing special when you around they are always pleasant looking girls to gaze upon much prettier ones
As the landscape slowly changes and we leave Yekaterinburg
For Asia no longer in Europe
I look for the facial changes,
Cheeks become broader and eye’s wider
The orient is coming……….
In Yekaterinburg we were taken care off
Tall Russia girls stare with hungry eyes
Every girl I meet seems to be less than 20
Are the rest married?
But even these girls seem smarter and older than European girls the same age
Pretty curious eyes what are they after?
We just talk to girls
Flirting but no more there is an genuine innocence here
Or did we just meet good Christian girls?
We talk until day breaks and then longer
They don’t want to leave us
I need to sleep and must say goodbye
I feel sorry for one girl she just does not want to go, why?
Because we are attractive men from the west?
Are they hoping it will rub off on them?
Russia is more modern than we give credit for
These are new days for me celebrated in aged-old ways
Passing the time by actually trying to listen and talk to people on the train
That last this particular journey 62 hours
A constant speed of 50 m.p.h
How is it possible we can go so far at such a slow pace, one third of the world’s land mass?
Music is pumped out into each wagon
Russian pop sounds like its from the 80’s
People in the carriage sing, eat, laugh and generally make themselves at home
Sipping tea an attractive young girl with Mongolian eyes reads vogue for the latest styles
I can’t take my eyes of her we share many long looks I give her my full stare
She looks 17 but is 19
Thank God
An hour before she leaves the train we have some time I launched myself into having a real cultural exchange
Open mouth kisses next to the toilet, she does not speak English and we can only really communicate through touch smile and general groping
My urge to take it further is defused by having something meaningful
We swap email addresses and the train continues without her…
I wonder whom else I will meet
Older women make crossword puzzles with red pens and mobile phones go off at night
Carriage lights are turn off and we must sleep in the cramped conditions but its worth it
People have opened up shared food, words, vodka and kisses.
We will continue to Vladivostok but first a swim in lake Baikal...”
“Gold teeth smile on plump friendly lady
White long bearded old man
Young boy plays cards in football top
Smart woman in sandals plays with her mobile phone
Bulgarian girl uses her video camera to capture the wagon we are travelling on to Sludianka
A Moustached father stares me down
The Russian gaze
The penetrating stare
What’s in this look
Its hard to tell?
I have seen it all the time
On the subway I had a staring contest with a pretty brunette
We share a look on the metro for what seemed a lifetime but in reality it was a few seconds
This does not happen in the west we divert our gaze
I felt connection…
I could not take further because of my lack of the language
She left a few stops before me, nothing said
What was in this experience?
Siberia rolls by the window
For days the landscape was a flat muted green
Littered with tall skinny trees
Suddenly a change
I saw a hill today, 15 hours from lake Baikal
I sleep in a wagon with 50 others my long legs stick out the bed at night
Its very hot all the windows are closed and there is a constant smell of sweaty arm pits old socks and strange food.
We eat like we are in space, ready meals
Pot noodles just add water, serve with bread and poor salami
Wash with warm beer or lemon chai
Hot water is provided at the end of each wagon
Each wagon has two toilets a guard to watch over us
What they call a provodnitsa all girls they give us bedding, tell us off when we make too much noise and keep a watchful eye for wrong doing
Our provodnitsa is a Marilyn Monroe look alike
Her long lashes and curls make a striking first viewing
but she is nothing special when you around they are always pleasant looking girls to gaze upon much prettier ones
As the landscape slowly changes and we leave Yekaterinburg
For Asia no longer in Europe
I look for the facial changes,
Cheeks become broader and eye’s wider
The orient is coming……….
In Yekaterinburg we were taken care off
Tall Russia girls stare with hungry eyes
Every girl I meet seems to be less than 20
Are the rest married?
But even these girls seem smarter and older than European girls the same age
Pretty curious eyes what are they after?
We just talk to girls
Flirting but no more there is an genuine innocence here
Or did we just meet good Christian girls?
We talk until day breaks and then longer
They don’t want to leave us
I need to sleep and must say goodbye
I feel sorry for one girl she just does not want to go, why?
Because we are attractive men from the west?
Are they hoping it will rub off on them?
Russia is more modern than we give credit for
These are new days for me celebrated in aged-old ways
Passing the time by actually trying to listen and talk to people on the train
That last this particular journey 62 hours
A constant speed of 50 m.p.h
How is it possible we can go so far at such a slow pace, one third of the world’s land mass?
Music is pumped out into each wagon
Russian pop sounds like its from the 80’s
People in the carriage sing, eat, laugh and generally make themselves at home
Sipping tea an attractive young girl with Mongolian eyes reads vogue for the latest styles
I can’t take my eyes of her we share many long looks I give her my full stare
She looks 17 but is 19
Thank God
An hour before she leaves the train we have some time I launched myself into having a real cultural exchange
Open mouth kisses next to the toilet, she does not speak English and we can only really communicate through touch smile and general groping
My urge to take it further is defused by having something meaningful
We swap email addresses and the train continues without her…
I wonder whom else I will meet
Older women make crossword puzzles with red pens and mobile phones go off at night
Carriage lights are turn off and we must sleep in the cramped conditions but its worth it
People have opened up shared food, words, vodka and kisses.
We will continue to Vladivostok but first a swim in lake Baikal...”
Posts
2 comments:
Wow Leo!
Love the poetic descriptions.
Seems like girls got you mesmerized, captivated and won't let go...
I'm curious to read where the train takes you in your journey between European and Russian girls...
And yes: sometimes words are unnecessary to know and understand...
Go Leo!
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