Somewhere along the way, my back went out. I wish it would come back. It's been mildly sore for a few days but yesterday, just in time for my trip, it starting hurting with a vengeance. The walk uphill to the metro station with a fairly heavy backpack and valise was difficult, very difficult. I had to stop many times on the trek. The Metro was really crowded. Getting pushed and crammed into a train is an experience we don't much have in the States. I had to go two stops and then change lines for five more stops to the station for the bus station. It was also a very warm day so I was glowing, as they say.
I found my bus to Mykolayiv with no problem and fortunately, for most of the trip, I had no seat mate. Ukraine was the 'bread basket' of the USSR. As soon as you are outside any city, all there is to be seen are agricultural fields. All along the eight and half hours' trip were newly harvested, newly plowed or ripening fields. There were amazing expanses of sunflower fields, commercially grown for the seeds and the oil. The fields were a unique shade of brown as the flower heads ripened. I wonder how they harvest them.
It was, at best, an uncomfortable trip with numerous stops. Twice we stopped for a half hour so people could find toilets and refreshment, usually in that order. I had shopped before leaving to get bottles of water and stuffed breads for the trip. I needed more water. By way of comparison, the trip was longer than a transatlantic flight. I took the bus because 8.5 hours seemed preferable to the 12 hours the train takes. With a really sore back, it seemed much longer. I got a few texts (called "sms" here); one from Sergei to make plans in Kyiv for Sunday. One from Florin in Romania seeking information on a project we're working on.
We got into Mykolayiv only 10 minutes or so behind schedule. I had received a phone call as we entered city limits from Andrii who was at the station wondering how far out we were. I was very happy to see him. We grabbed a taxi and went to my hotel. Techno hotel. You enter the lobby which doubles as a Mercedes showroom. That was different. Within minutes I was in my room and ready for sleep. It's a bright, spacious, modern building. The room is a mini-suite. bathroom, living room, bedroom, all bright and sun-filled in the morning. The bed is comfortable. I woke Friday morning, read a while, showered and went down to the dining room to have a glass of water and a cup of cappuccino. I wasn't up to ordering more and there was no menu. Today I'll consult with Andrii about what to order tomorrow. As I was getting back to my room, I got a text from Jenia saying good morning and asking how I felt and how the trip was. He generally checks in every morning to make sure I'm ok even if I'm going to see him at Glossary later in the day. My life is good here. Actually my life is good wherever I am.
At 1, I'll go over to the LIGA office and at 5 we have a wedding of two women (the purpose of my visit). It will be small, with just family and close friends. The political and cultural context right now requires secrecy and security around anything relating to LGBT issues.
I'll try to take some pictures to day for you to see and I'll also try to decide whether to return by bus or train tomorrow. The train trip takes much longer but I could lie down or walk around.
No comments:
Post a Comment