Well now this wasn’t going to be easy. It’s some 600KM to Kiev, around seven hours without traffic, and of course the area is currently unstable. I plan to hitch down to a place called Gomel, then strike for the Ukrainian capital from there. On paper it looks straighforward, in reality it could be a …
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Hitchhike to India leg 27: Minsk to Kiev
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Belarus, Minsk and the National Ice Hockey Championships
I’ve crammed more cultural and tourist stuff into the past two days than I’ve managed in months of getting pissed up in bars around the world. This is due in no small part to traveling with my Czech friends, who of course have their own car. So up and down the country we zip, visiting …
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Hitchhike to India leg 26; Vilnius to Minsk and beyond…
This should be pretty easy. So easy that I break my usual tradition of getting up at the crack of dawn to catch the morning traffic, and I lazily make my way to the first hitch spot for around midday. I’ve a nice big MINSK sign, added to that a little drawing of two hockey …
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Vilnius and Trakai Castle
The sun is shining and the people are singing. Literally. I’ve managed to stumble onto a day of festivity in the Lithuanian capital, as everywhere you turn people are performing on the streets. It seems as the whole city has come to life for a traditional “day of music”, when bands and artists of all …
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Hitchhike to India leg 25: Šiauliai to Vilnius
I’m up at 5am. That’s FIVE AM PEOPLE. Actually I’ve been awake for most of the night. Going cold turkey on years of drinking isn’t really a good idea; you need to taper off. As a result I’m experiencing my usual bout of nightmares, anxiety, panic attacks and sleep paralysis. Added to this a genuine …
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Hitchhike to India leg 24: Riga to Siauliai and The Hill of Crosses
Now I’m not in any way a religious man. Each to their own, but I don’t have a believing bone in my body. Strange then, that I’m drawn to a rather interesting spiritual and cultural object located in Northern Lithuania. Just outside the town of Siauliai (I don’t know how to pronounce it either) is …
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Rock bottom in Riga
Well it had to happen. What did I expect coming to the party capital of the Baltics? The place runs amok with cheap English stag wankers, strippers and shady Russians. Of course I would choose such a place to epically fail in my attempt to get things back on track. For a week I’ve been spectacularly …
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Hitchhike to India legs 22/23: Tallin to Parnu to Riga
Alright so it’s gone a bit pear-shaped and I find myself in the Baltics, slightly off route, but nonetheless the show must go on and I’m getting to see more countries anyway. I managed to persuade a nice French chap (and incredible pool player) to give me a lift to Parnu, then after a week …
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Tartu student shinanagans
I’ve bought myself a pair of running shoes. This in itself is a new experience for me, as it has never happened before. A year or so ago I purchased a jump rope. This I left, unused, in a hostel in Croatia; as it was taking up too much room in my bag. But needs …
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A day for the boy
I feel the cold metal in my hands. The weight. The power. Everything else is shut out. I feel myself breathing slowly. The only thing I see is the man in front of me. I focus on his arrogant shoulders, his obnoxious head teasing me, his chest puffed out like a bull pigeon. It’s …
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