Thursday, August 22, 1991
We woke up and had breakfast. We had fried eggs, bread, and Pepsi. Nicolas gave me Soviet passport covers, cigarettes, and other pins. After breakfast, we all took the bus to St. Peter and Paul Fortress. The church had an incredible altar. What pisses me off is that everything is under restoration so you can’t see much. Ana traded the white jacket she had for a watch so that was good. We then took a boat to the River Neva from the fortress. It cost 50K and it went around for 15 minutes, then it dropped us off at the Winter Palace which was convenient. We then walked (again) through the Winter Palace Plaza and saw Leo get on a horse and ride around on it. She looked hilarious and that too is captured on video tape.
After that, we walked to St. Isaacs Church & Plaza and passed by the Aeroflot office. The church is awesome because it was wasn’t being restored so you could see every detail. It is probably one of the best churches in the world. We also climbed up to the bell tower. Leo’s mom almost died, but she survived the climb. The view was incredible. No pictures or video was allowed, but we snuck a few shots in. After church, we went back to the Pan Am office to check the flight again and the agent assured us it was empty and we would have no problem.
After that we went back to the Astoria Hotel to watch some CNN, go to the bathroom, and buy some chocolate and Sprite. Everyone was hungry, so we went to the Literary Café. The Spaniards at the hotel highly recommended it. Well, it costs five rubles just to get in and a typical Russian meal was only 150 Rubles per person (that’s about $5 USD). We wanted to leave, but we were hungry. We had bread-like things that were cold, caviar, tomatoes, soup, beef, and ice cream. Everyone hated it because it costs a lot. We were getting used not paying for meals, so this was a big shock to us. The only good thing about the place was that there were two women played the violin and piano throughout lunch and the atmosphere was typical Russian, ornate, and elegant.
After that, we had to go to the LED hotel to change money again. Ana and I changed $8 USD each so we would have enough money for taxi and other things. Then, Anne, Vivian, Ralph, and I took a cab to Art Unlimited. It’s an art store that wasn’t that good. Ralph bought a nice water color for $1.50 USD. As soon as we left the place, hustlers hounded us with watches, shirts, sweats, etc. I traded two Pan Am headsets for an awesome Soviet watch. I also swapped my Coppertone T-shirt for the LED Hard Rock Café shirt. Even though the shirt is fake because there is no Hard Rock in LED, I still wanted it. I think it was the best trade so I am happy.
After that, we walked to the Palace Plaza and there was a concert that was about to begin. We decided to go back to the hotel. We took a cab there, stayed, and tried to rig a late dinner at the hotel, but it didn’t work. We had some bread, but to our surprise Leo’s Mom saved us some Pepsi, more bread, and some butter. We pigged out and then Anne, Leo, and I took a bus back to the concert. We took the wrong bus so we had to hail a cab, which took about 30 minutes. Finally, we got there and it was awesome.
There were people everywhere: on top of the statue, on top of cars and vans, and every inch of the plaza seemed to be occupied. The rock concert was held to celebrate the failed military coup. Everyone was enjoying it. The music was good and we stayed for about one hour. After that, we walked back to the Astroia hotel so Leo could meet this guy. I get diarrhea so we left the hotel. I had the biggest pain in my stomach from all the non-complete meals.
On the way back to the hotel, we saw this guy grabbing this girl around her neck and the girl was screaming. We didn’t know if they knew each other or not, but it looked violent. Come to think of it, it was the first time I saw anyone angry and violent. The people are great, friendly, shy, happy to talk to you and quite funny. On that note, I forgot to write about some of the people stories from that day. We had stopped at the black market earlier in the day. People were hounding us to buy everything. No one would trade anything for the Pan Am items. They all laughed at Anne and I. It was funny as shit. Leo told some guy, Gregory, that she was going to give him sneakers and to wait for her tomorrow at 1700. He was hitting on her and she wanted to get rid of him so this poor guy thinks she’s going to give him some sneakers.
After the concert, we went back to the hotel and we heard the neighbors arguing again. The bitch took another tour without the cargo guy. We packed, showered, and went to bed. Oh, by the way today was Ralph’s birthday (28 years old). In the morning, we went to his room with a Twix bar stabbed with a candle and sang him Happy Birthday. It was the best we could do.
UPDATE ON SITUATION: Everything is stable now. They arrested the military heads who tried the coup, Gorbi is fine, people are happy, we are safe, and our parents will live!!!! By the way, I would definitely pay to come back. It was great and the experience was once-in-a-lifetime.
Showing posts with label Leningrad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leningrad. Show all posts
Visiting the U.S. Consulate and Diman our "black market" friend - Wednesday, August 21, 1991
Wednesday, August 21, 1991
Everyone fell asleep last night pretty late. Anne wrote in her journal and did word searches the whole night. She kept me awake and it was quite uncomfortable, but she was worried so I didn’t care. The reason we were up late was because Anne, Leo, Ralph, Conchi, Chiqiu, and I stayed up talking about everything (school, Cuba, the situation, and just bullshit banter). It was funny because all of a sudden someone threw something at the window and we just shitted, but we figured it was someone upstairs who wanted to sleep. We were very loud and making too much noise.
Anyway, we finally woke up and went to breakfast. Breakfast was an experience. We had arepa-like things that were not too good, but Ana got there late so she didn’t have one…at first. This loca vieja with pony tails from Michigan (we’ll refer to her as just loca) had like five on her plate. I turned around and asked her for one and she said fine, but in a pissed off mood. I gave it to Ana and the loca was complaining that she paid for the food. So, I turned around and said, “Excuse me what did you say?” She acted like an innocent victim. Ann then gave the arepa back to her and the loca took it back. What an asshole!!!!!!! The loca then had the nerve to take all the tables’ Pepsi bottles, bread, and other items to take to her “guest.” I’m telling you this woman was crazy.
After breakfast, Anne, Leo, Chiqui, Conchi, and I took a cab to the U.S. Consulate so they could register us and then we went to the Pan Am office to check Friday’s flight. The woman was nice and the flight was booked 70 out of 131 so we weren’t too worried about not getting out. After Pan Am, we went back to the Astoria hotel to change money. We went back to the hotel at about 1400 to each lunch. Lunch was good, but the same as the days before: meat and potatoes.
After lunch, Anne started talking with Diman, a black market hustler kind of guy. He is 19 years old and all he does his hang out in the hotel lobby to sell to tourists and trade things. He spoke street-English and he knew exactly what to say and sing. He did a rap song for us which we have on videotape. Politically, things were still bad and he expected fighting in LED this weekend. He was real nervous and Ana asked him why.
He said, “I am worried about my mother, civil war, and most importantly my future. I will leave this place with communism prevails. I cannot stay in the Soviet Union. Why are all of you so worried about this?” He couldn’t understand why we were so worried about what’s happening because we were going back to the U.S. and we had nothing to worry about. He was the one that had to stay because he couldn’t just get the right visas to leave the country. He asked Anne if he could go in her suitcase. The conversation with Diman was funny at first, but then it turned cold and serious. He left an impression on us because he was a little bit younger than us, funny, nice, and he was deeply affected by what was going on.
In the afternoon, we continued with the city tour. We had to go to the same sites in the beginning because there were a bunch of new people. Of course, the city tour sucked because of Helen. She was driving us freaken crazy. She is one moody bitch. After the city tour, we went back to the hotel for dinner. We spoke with Diman and others for a while and then Anne, Ralph, Vivian, Cristina, and two Worldspan (WPS) ladies went to the Astoria Hotel. Ana called her Mom and she said everything was fine and that everyone back home knew that the coup had failed and that they had arrested the six people who organized the whole thing at the MOW airport. We found that out during the city tour. In St. Isaacs Square near the Astoria, there was a democratic rally and the place was packed. We stayed for a while and then Anne, Leo, Ralph, Vivian, and I went back to the hotel.
Leo hung out in our room and we started to talk about everything. It was funny because our neighbors started to fight. The guy works for Pan Am in Miami for the Cargo department and he was mad. Anne, Leo, and I started to listen closer because they were really loud. Well, it turns out that wife got mad because he had talked to Leo and Anne and because the wife was late getting dressed and they missed the city tour. So, she left him and went on another tour. He was hurt and she didn’t care. We all agreed he was right and she was an inconsiderate bitch. After that, we videotaped a make-believe news update talking about the coup and the neighbor’s fight. It was stupid, so we erased most of it and went to bed.
Everyone fell asleep last night pretty late. Anne wrote in her journal and did word searches the whole night. She kept me awake and it was quite uncomfortable, but she was worried so I didn’t care. The reason we were up late was because Anne, Leo, Ralph, Conchi, Chiqiu, and I stayed up talking about everything (school, Cuba, the situation, and just bullshit banter). It was funny because all of a sudden someone threw something at the window and we just shitted, but we figured it was someone upstairs who wanted to sleep. We were very loud and making too much noise.
Anyway, we finally woke up and went to breakfast. Breakfast was an experience. We had arepa-like things that were not too good, but Ana got there late so she didn’t have one…at first. This loca vieja with pony tails from Michigan (we’ll refer to her as just loca) had like five on her plate. I turned around and asked her for one and she said fine, but in a pissed off mood. I gave it to Ana and the loca was complaining that she paid for the food. So, I turned around and said, “Excuse me what did you say?” She acted like an innocent victim. Ann then gave the arepa back to her and the loca took it back. What an asshole!!!!!!! The loca then had the nerve to take all the tables’ Pepsi bottles, bread, and other items to take to her “guest.” I’m telling you this woman was crazy.
After breakfast, Anne, Leo, Chiqui, Conchi, and I took a cab to the U.S. Consulate so they could register us and then we went to the Pan Am office to check Friday’s flight. The woman was nice and the flight was booked 70 out of 131 so we weren’t too worried about not getting out. After Pan Am, we went back to the Astoria hotel to change money. We went back to the hotel at about 1400 to each lunch. Lunch was good, but the same as the days before: meat and potatoes.
After lunch, Anne started talking with Diman, a black market hustler kind of guy. He is 19 years old and all he does his hang out in the hotel lobby to sell to tourists and trade things. He spoke street-English and he knew exactly what to say and sing. He did a rap song for us which we have on videotape. Politically, things were still bad and he expected fighting in LED this weekend. He was real nervous and Ana asked him why.
He said, “I am worried about my mother, civil war, and most importantly my future. I will leave this place with communism prevails. I cannot stay in the Soviet Union. Why are all of you so worried about this?” He couldn’t understand why we were so worried about what’s happening because we were going back to the U.S. and we had nothing to worry about. He was the one that had to stay because he couldn’t just get the right visas to leave the country. He asked Anne if he could go in her suitcase. The conversation with Diman was funny at first, but then it turned cold and serious. He left an impression on us because he was a little bit younger than us, funny, nice, and he was deeply affected by what was going on.
In the afternoon, we continued with the city tour. We had to go to the same sites in the beginning because there were a bunch of new people. Of course, the city tour sucked because of Helen. She was driving us freaken crazy. She is one moody bitch. After the city tour, we went back to the hotel for dinner. We spoke with Diman and others for a while and then Anne, Ralph, Vivian, Cristina, and two Worldspan (WPS) ladies went to the Astoria Hotel. Ana called her Mom and she said everything was fine and that everyone back home knew that the coup had failed and that they had arrested the six people who organized the whole thing at the MOW airport. We found that out during the city tour. In St. Isaacs Square near the Astoria, there was a democratic rally and the place was packed. We stayed for a while and then Anne, Leo, Ralph, Vivian, and I went back to the hotel.
Leo hung out in our room and we started to talk about everything. It was funny because our neighbors started to fight. The guy works for Pan Am in Miami for the Cargo department and he was mad. Anne, Leo, and I started to listen closer because they were really loud. Well, it turns out that wife got mad because he had talked to Leo and Anne and because the wife was late getting dressed and they missed the city tour. So, she left him and went on another tour. He was hurt and she didn’t care. We all agreed he was right and she was an inconsiderate bitch. After that, we videotaped a make-believe news update talking about the coup and the neighbor’s fight. It was stupid, so we erased most of it and went to bed.
Gorbachev kidnapped, but we enjoyed The Hermitage! - Tuesday, August 20, 1991
Tuesday, August 20, 1991
At 0830, I was awakened by the sounds of fists pounding on the wooden door. For a second, I thought I was late for school or taking too long in the shower. The pounding continued and suddenly I realized the pillow smelled like dust not Downy, the sheet was like paper and not a comforter, and my legs dangled over the bed instead of touching its edges. I smiled at the thought of my observations, but was again interrupted by the loud sounds of fists pounding on the old wooden door.
Leo & Helen, the tour guide, banged again and yelled, “This is the police! This is the police! We’ve come to arrest you!” As I approached the door, I almost tripped on the neatly packed emergency evacuation bags waiting by the door. I rubbed my eyes, opened the door, and told them to SHUT UP! Ralph and Vivian opened their door as well. Helen is a short woman, a little overweight, red to brownish hair always pulled up in a bun, and made-up with lots of lipstick. She is feisty and I believe she is WITH one of the drivers. They seem all over each other in an on-the-side dirty kind of way. She spoke perfect English and her voice, although thick and Russian-accented was strong, independent, and assured.
Leo, her mom, and her aunt arrived fine in Leningrad (LED). They said that on Monday at about 1330 all the MOW sites closed. They couldn’t see the Kremlin cathedrals and Red Square was closed off with buses and Soviet reporters were all around. All the streets up to McDonalds were closed. They said there were tanks in the Square and mobs of people. Everything was peaceful, but Leo’s mom and aunt were a bit scared, but Leo thought it was adventurous and exciting. I kind of wish I was there videotaping it, but I was glad to be out of the center of it all. At least, if anything happens, we would be close to Finland.
Helen and the others said it was safe in LED. The tour of the Hermitage started at about 1100. We all were excited to finally get out of the freaken hotel. We were sick of the seeing the same four walls. Oh, by the way, breakfast was awesome. We had bread and eggs. A new waiter, Nicolas, gave us pins and Soviet flags. He was real cool. On the way to the Hermitage, we saw huge crowds of people crossing the bridge and men with flags (and without hats) riding on horses. It was pretty cool, but a bit crazy.
The Hermitage is incredible. It has five buildings and it’s located in the Winter Palace. It got its name because the Czars and Peter the Great built Catherine a room so she could hide away from visitors and become a “hermit.” We were there for about three hours. It houses thousands of art objects from paintings to sculptures to furniture. Helen said if you saw every object for one minute, it would take you nine years to see everything. The museum also has paintings from Matisse, Picasso, Da Vinci (two of the 14 originals in existence). It also has Florentine inlay table carvings in color. We left the museum and went to the Winter Garden Plaza which you can see from inside the Hermitage’s many windows. It’s a huge plaza. We started to trade stuff with some Soviet guys. They had watches, hats, etc. and we had Pan Am headsets, Marlboro T-shirts, calculators, and other items. During one of the stops in the museum, Helen started to speak loudly of the situation on how lucky we were and she tried to explain what was happening. We caught the whole rant on video and it is quite moving as she spoke with conviction and fear.
After that, we went back to the hotel. For lunch, we had potatoes and meat, but I did not eat the meat. Nicolas gave us cigarettes, Soviet passport covers, pins, and viewfinders. He is probably in his late 50s, early 60s. He is short, wears sweaters, and he seems happy being a waiter.
YEARS-LATER NOTE: Throughout the trip, we would see him walking home at night which made me wonder about this life, his family, how he came to be the waiter of some crazy MIAMI kids flying around the world rather spoiled, but totally impressionable by what they were experiencing in the moment with no worries and no regrets. It was beyond belief what I was experiencing and it made me overwhelming grateful to be me. I had never quite experienced that up to my Pan Am days and I welcomed it with open arms. I think of Nicolas now and I wonder where he is. Is he happy? Is he sad? Does he remember us?
After lunch, we went on a city tour and saw St. Peter & Paul Fortress, St. Nicholas Church, St. Isaacs Church, and St. Issac Square. In this square, the bus stopped so we could buy water at the Astoria Hotel. It’s a hotel that has every Western comfort in a gift-shop-like store. After buying water and sodas, I found out that we could call back home, but it would cost us big time. We had NOT called home before because we simply had no way of doing so. We went to the business center to use a hotline phone. After the introductions, I noticed a television set blaring international CNN. We saw the coverage on the news for the first time and realized what everyone back home was watching: complete upheaval and tanks on the streets. I felt like finding a CNN reporter who would interview us so the world can see we were OK. Better yet, I have to call Mom so I did.
She was glad I called, but she didn’t let me talk. She was screaming, “vete para Finlandia! Vete para Finlandia!” By the tone and capacity of her voice, all I heard was: Get the fuck out of Russia now and go to Goddamn Finland before you give me a heart attack and we told you not to go to fucken Russia. I told her we were all registered with the U.S. consulate and that we were not in any danger. I ended the calm explanation of our existence with the words parents do not like to hear, “No te preocupes. No te preocupes.” I believe all she heard was: Don’t worry overprotective mother who smothers me and nags me about everything including a trip to the Mother of all Communist countries that is directly related to the asshole Fidel Castro and all the bad things he has done to Cuba. I told her to call Vivian and Ana’s parents. It was a weird two-minute conversation about Finland and no worries. We hung up. The call cost $37 USD. I was glad she knew her Commie son was alive and well kicking it back in the U.S.S.R.
We finally left the place after 45 minutes and everyone on the bus was waiting for us. Helen, the American women from Worldspan(?), and the Swiss man were pissed and they couldn’t understand that we HAD to call home. Obviously, they do not know what it is like to be born of Cuban parents. They do not realize or begin to fathom Latin parents and their nerves. I didn’t care that we made them wait. I felt bad, but what are you going to do. By the way, the old woman from the night in the Moscow hotel didn’t go on the tour because she fell at the hotel and was pissed because no one saw her. I am glad she didn’t go because she is a nagging bitch.
We went back to the hotel for dinner. We had picadillo and rice inside squash. It was good. Nicolas had left each of us pins and we gave him money and American coins. He is the coolest. After dinner, we went upstairs and hung out in Conchi’s (Leo’s mom) to watch TV and discuss the whole situation. Conchi called the U.S. consulate and they told her that LED is safe, but MOW is heating up with all this political shit. So, I am glad we were in LED. Tomorrow, we plan on going to the U.S. consulate and to the Pan Am City Ticket Office (CTO) to see how the flight looks. We’re kind of worried because Pan Am only has one flight a week and we have the feeling a lot of Americans would want to leave LED. So, we’re praying things will be fine.
UPDATE ON SITUATION: So far, there are note any military tanks in LED, but MOW is full of them. The latest news is that Gorbachev is under house arrest in this summer home in some Baltic state. Yeltsin is the new acting President and wants to give Gorbi his time to speak to the people. The military has seized all power. Things are shaky, but we have no CNN and the people don’t really know what is going on. All we know is that a self-appointed social committee took over and Gorbi is out. This situation is serious and everyone back home must be worried, but I have a feeling everything will turn out for the better.
At 0830, I was awakened by the sounds of fists pounding on the wooden door. For a second, I thought I was late for school or taking too long in the shower. The pounding continued and suddenly I realized the pillow smelled like dust not Downy, the sheet was like paper and not a comforter, and my legs dangled over the bed instead of touching its edges. I smiled at the thought of my observations, but was again interrupted by the loud sounds of fists pounding on the old wooden door.
Leo & Helen, the tour guide, banged again and yelled, “This is the police! This is the police! We’ve come to arrest you!” As I approached the door, I almost tripped on the neatly packed emergency evacuation bags waiting by the door. I rubbed my eyes, opened the door, and told them to SHUT UP! Ralph and Vivian opened their door as well. Helen is a short woman, a little overweight, red to brownish hair always pulled up in a bun, and made-up with lots of lipstick. She is feisty and I believe she is WITH one of the drivers. They seem all over each other in an on-the-side dirty kind of way. She spoke perfect English and her voice, although thick and Russian-accented was strong, independent, and assured.
Leo, her mom, and her aunt arrived fine in Leningrad (LED). They said that on Monday at about 1330 all the MOW sites closed. They couldn’t see the Kremlin cathedrals and Red Square was closed off with buses and Soviet reporters were all around. All the streets up to McDonalds were closed. They said there were tanks in the Square and mobs of people. Everything was peaceful, but Leo’s mom and aunt were a bit scared, but Leo thought it was adventurous and exciting. I kind of wish I was there videotaping it, but I was glad to be out of the center of it all. At least, if anything happens, we would be close to Finland.
Helen told us, "Don't worry‚the police isn't here yet, but I am here to tell you the tour to the Hermitage Museum is leaving in 30 minutes.” She then went on to tell about some important news and ended the conversation with a loud and sudden Bye! I closed the door and thought about what she had told us “Gorbachev is sick in his summer home overlooking the Black Sea and no one knows what's wrong with him. He may even dead. “We don't know," she said.
It was funny how she said, "his summer home‚overlooking the Black Sea." It seemed to make the situation more pleasant. Looking back now and thinking that as I visited all the sights, haggled with the street hustlers, and ate bread and butter, a Russian Revolution was taking place. History was changing before my eyes and it was incredible. It was dangerous and I felt lucky that I was there. Surprisingly, I could actually say that the whole experience made me more conscious of how delicate the fabric of a country's political and social structure is. I did not prevent the coup from happening or save Gorbachev from the “evil empire”, but I lived through it. I was scared to die, but you know in the face of death one appreciates life and for some the view of the Black Sea.
Helen and the others said it was safe in LED. The tour of the Hermitage started at about 1100. We all were excited to finally get out of the freaken hotel. We were sick of the seeing the same four walls. Oh, by the way, breakfast was awesome. We had bread and eggs. A new waiter, Nicolas, gave us pins and Soviet flags. He was real cool. On the way to the Hermitage, we saw huge crowds of people crossing the bridge and men with flags (and without hats) riding on horses. It was pretty cool, but a bit crazy.
The Hermitage is incredible. It has five buildings and it’s located in the Winter Palace. It got its name because the Czars and Peter the Great built Catherine a room so she could hide away from visitors and become a “hermit.” We were there for about three hours. It houses thousands of art objects from paintings to sculptures to furniture. Helen said if you saw every object for one minute, it would take you nine years to see everything. The museum also has paintings from Matisse, Picasso, Da Vinci (two of the 14 originals in existence). It also has Florentine inlay table carvings in color. We left the museum and went to the Winter Garden Plaza which you can see from inside the Hermitage’s many windows. It’s a huge plaza. We started to trade stuff with some Soviet guys. They had watches, hats, etc. and we had Pan Am headsets, Marlboro T-shirts, calculators, and other items. During one of the stops in the museum, Helen started to speak loudly of the situation on how lucky we were and she tried to explain what was happening. We caught the whole rant on video and it is quite moving as she spoke with conviction and fear.
After that, we went back to the hotel. For lunch, we had potatoes and meat, but I did not eat the meat. Nicolas gave us cigarettes, Soviet passport covers, pins, and viewfinders. He is probably in his late 50s, early 60s. He is short, wears sweaters, and he seems happy being a waiter.
YEARS-LATER NOTE: Throughout the trip, we would see him walking home at night which made me wonder about this life, his family, how he came to be the waiter of some crazy MIAMI kids flying around the world rather spoiled, but totally impressionable by what they were experiencing in the moment with no worries and no regrets. It was beyond belief what I was experiencing and it made me overwhelming grateful to be me. I had never quite experienced that up to my Pan Am days and I welcomed it with open arms. I think of Nicolas now and I wonder where he is. Is he happy? Is he sad? Does he remember us?
After lunch, we went on a city tour and saw St. Peter & Paul Fortress, St. Nicholas Church, St. Isaacs Church, and St. Issac Square. In this square, the bus stopped so we could buy water at the Astoria Hotel. It’s a hotel that has every Western comfort in a gift-shop-like store. After buying water and sodas, I found out that we could call back home, but it would cost us big time. We had NOT called home before because we simply had no way of doing so. We went to the business center to use a hotline phone. After the introductions, I noticed a television set blaring international CNN. We saw the coverage on the news for the first time and realized what everyone back home was watching: complete upheaval and tanks on the streets. I felt like finding a CNN reporter who would interview us so the world can see we were OK. Better yet, I have to call Mom so I did.
She was glad I called, but she didn’t let me talk. She was screaming, “vete para Finlandia! Vete para Finlandia!” By the tone and capacity of her voice, all I heard was: Get the fuck out of Russia now and go to Goddamn Finland before you give me a heart attack and we told you not to go to fucken Russia. I told her we were all registered with the U.S. consulate and that we were not in any danger. I ended the calm explanation of our existence with the words parents do not like to hear, “No te preocupes. No te preocupes.” I believe all she heard was: Don’t worry overprotective mother who smothers me and nags me about everything including a trip to the Mother of all Communist countries that is directly related to the asshole Fidel Castro and all the bad things he has done to Cuba. I told her to call Vivian and Ana’s parents. It was a weird two-minute conversation about Finland and no worries. We hung up. The call cost $37 USD. I was glad she knew her Commie son was alive and well kicking it back in the U.S.S.R.
We finally left the place after 45 minutes and everyone on the bus was waiting for us. Helen, the American women from Worldspan(?), and the Swiss man were pissed and they couldn’t understand that we HAD to call home. Obviously, they do not know what it is like to be born of Cuban parents. They do not realize or begin to fathom Latin parents and their nerves. I didn’t care that we made them wait. I felt bad, but what are you going to do. By the way, the old woman from the night in the Moscow hotel didn’t go on the tour because she fell at the hotel and was pissed because no one saw her. I am glad she didn’t go because she is a nagging bitch.
We went back to the hotel for dinner. We had picadillo and rice inside squash. It was good. Nicolas had left each of us pins and we gave him money and American coins. He is the coolest. After dinner, we went upstairs and hung out in Conchi’s (Leo’s mom) to watch TV and discuss the whole situation. Conchi called the U.S. consulate and they told her that LED is safe, but MOW is heating up with all this political shit. So, I am glad we were in LED. Tomorrow, we plan on going to the U.S. consulate and to the Pan Am City Ticket Office (CTO) to see how the flight looks. We’re kind of worried because Pan Am only has one flight a week and we have the feeling a lot of Americans would want to leave LED. So, we’re praying things will be fine.
UPDATE ON SITUATION: So far, there are note any military tanks in LED, but MOW is full of them. The latest news is that Gorbachev is under house arrest in this summer home in some Baltic state. Yeltsin is the new acting President and wants to give Gorbi his time to speak to the people. The military has seized all power. Things are shaky, but we have no CNN and the people don’t really know what is going on. All we know is that a self-appointed social committee took over and Gorbi is out. This situation is serious and everyone back home must be worried, but I have a feeling everything will turn out for the better.
Smell of Coup Attempt in the Air from beautiful Leningrad! - Monday, August 19, 1991
Monday, August 19, 1991
The train was rocking so hard this morning that it woke me. I had a sore throat, dry mouth, and blisters on my lips. I didn’t feel very good. I couldn’t brush my teeth because the bathrooms were really gross and the water did not look clean. Thank God I brought Evian, Tylenol, Sucrets, and Anbesol. They saved my life. The train arrived in Leningrad at 0800. As soon as the train stopped, a man from GTC Corp came and met us on the train. I was surprised they were right there waiting for us. I thought we were going to have to wait a while. Off the bat, I felt the people were more talkative and open.
We arrived at the Grand Palace Hotel (Palace of Youth). The rooms were awesome. There was a living room, spacious bathrooms with big showers, and a working refrigerator. We had breakfast (fried eggs, bread, and cold cuts). After breakfast, we were told they were going to take us on a tour at 1000. We went upstairs to change and unpack. We had not realized a tour was included so we were pleasantly surprised.
NOTE: Before arriving at the hotel, we passed through the city and it was beautiful. We passed by the Winter Palace, where the Hermitage is, cathedrals, and other buildings. The city has over 300 bridges and beautiful architecture.
While I was getting ready, I heard some people outside the room talking to Ralph. He called me to hear what they were saying. I opened the door and a woman called Helen and two drivers were standing there saying the tour was postponed until after lunch because they did not know how safe the streets were. They had just heard that Gorbachev was overthrown in a coup attempt and the military was taking over. I thought...wait a minute, can’t they wait until Friday afternoon... They said Gorbachev had no power and the military was saying he was ill. It was scary and bad news, but they assured us we were safe in the hotel and not to worry. Helen took our passports to register us (whatever that means). We trusted her because she looked decent and she spoke perfect English.
The first thing I thought about was our family members. They probably knew by now and they were probably extremely worried. I wanted to use the phone, but the government cut all phone lines even the ones in MOW. We were also worried about Leo and company because they were supposed to arrive two days from now. We knew from before that it was difficult to call out of Leningrad, but this situation made it even more difficult.
We all sat in one room saying how adventurous, dangerous, exciting, and scary the situation was. I was a little skeptical because even the employees of the hotel didn’t know exactly what was happening. Either they were left in the dark, or they did not want to worry us. We decided to take a nap until lunch. After lunch (at about 1430), Helen said they had confirmed it was a successful military coup and that Gorbachev was no longer in power. Some guy named Nievev or something was the leader. Yeltsin was even ousted.
We were tired of being in the hotel so we asked them to take us around the city. They dropped us off at a flea market. The people were more aggressive. Boys came up to us asking for gum. I guess they saw us chewing some. They were surprised we shared the gum with them without asking for some of the dingy postcards in their hands. People were selling old religious icons. Ralph wanted to buy a $250 one, but we all doubted its authenticity and he felt they would confiscate it at the airport. Another thing we were worried about was that there is only one flight per week out of Leningrad so we were stuck here. The only way out, if anything would happen, would be to take a train to Helsinki, Finland and fly from there, but we didn’t even want to think about it.
After the market, we asked them to take us to the U.S. consulate so we could register and try to call home. We got there and there was a crowd of Soviet citizens waiting for visas and applying for them. We walked passed them up to the guard and advised him we were U.S. citizens so he let us right in. Once inside, it felt safer. Outside, the people looked tense. Not happy and not sad, just tense. I guess they were just waiting for something to happen.
It was funny because earlier in the market there were some guys saying “Gorby is dead! Gorby is dead! and that there was a special sale because it was the last day of capitalism. We laughed, but it was weird because I didn’t know what to think. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? I knew it was bad, but they were laughing about it and almost taunting us. Another strange thing was that I asked Helen about rock concerts and she said “no more.”
Anyway, we talked to the employees at the consulate and they assured us it was safe in Leningrad. They confirmed again that Gorbachev was out, but that’s all they knew. An American girl told us that there was a curfew in the Baltic States and that in MOW there were some peaceful demonstrations. After we registered with the consulate, I had to go outside and ask Helen for the address and phone number of hotel in case of an evacuation emergency. When I stepped outside, I heard a woman say that there were tanks in the streets of MOW so it kind of freaked me out a little. After I got the information from Helen, I went back inside.
The consulate was full of more Americans. I felt safer knowing there were other Americans in the city because I hadn’t seem them at the hotel or in the streets. They also told us the phone lines were out so we definitely couldn’t call home. Although that was bad, we felt good about registering with them and we left our home contact information in case anything would happen. We left the consulate and they took us to the mall.
The mall was depressing. Helen told Ralph and Vivian that 80% of the people were poor and alcoholic. Leningrad seemed to be more real than MOW. The people seemed more honest and less stuffy. They weren’t afraid to say things are bad and that they too are scared. The mall had little to offer. People stood in line to buy the strangest things: hairspray, barrettes, and buttons. Things were quiet. We left after 20 minutes and went back to the hotel because dinner was at 1830. We got back to the hotel and took a nap.
Dinner was good. We had bread, potatoes, steak, and Pepsi. Thank God we didn’t have to drink another seltzer water. After dinner, we went back to the room and just hung out. It was funny because I made Ana pack everything. All of us showered and had everything ready in case anything happened in the middle of the night. We stayed up late writing in our journals and doing Russian adventure and Greek Island word searches.
Essay written about this day:
I woke up as the train pulled into the Leningrad train station at about 0800. I remember waiting five days before the trip to tell my parents where I was headed. I had told them I was going to Europe and when they would ask me where, I would say I was flying into London and out of God knows where. In that time of my life, I worked for Pan Am and they were used to me just picking up and flying off somewhere on a moments notice. But, this time I felt really guilty because I knew how strongly they felt about me visiting a Communist country.
“We left Cuba to get away from a political situation you’re going to admire as a tourist,” they said.
“The situation is a little bit different. It’s not about politics. It’s not about me wanting to hurt you. It’s about me having this learning opportunity to see a part of the world now and I’m not going to pass it up. There are many places I want to go to see for myself, and Russia is one of them," I responded.
“You can stay here, finish your last semester of college, and learn all you want. Please don’t go.”
For a moment after we arrived in Leningrad, I thought of myself stuck in traffic trying to make it to an Economics class. Then, as the hotel driver knocked on our door calling out our names, I knew I was exactly where I was suppose to be.
After checking into the hotel, we ate breakfast. The hotel’s tour desk had advised us we were going on a tour of the city. They suggested we go to our rooms, unpack, and be ready within the hour. Not even 20 minutes had passed, when we heard a loud conversation in the hallway. At the same time, we all opened our doors to find Helen our tour guide and two of her drivers giving us a message.
“The tour is postponed until after lunch because they didn’t know how safe the streets were. They had just heard that Gorbachev was missing and the military was taking over. Gorbachev no longer has power and they are saying he is ill. Don’t worry about anything. We will keep you posted.”
We were all stunned. As we gathered in one of the rooms, all we thought about was our family. We wanted to use the phone, but the government had cut all phone lines. There was no way to communicate with our loves ones. At lunch time, Helen came to give us an update.
“They had confirmed that it was a successful military coup and that Gorbachev was no longer in power.”
“So, what do we do know. We need to call home. We need to call Pan Am to see when they are going to re-instate the flights,” we all said in unison.
“Don’t worry. Leningrad is surrounded by tanks and it’s own military police. They will fight to their deaths before letting anyone destroy this city. What are you so worried about? At least you will have the option of leaving. What about the people that are here? What are we going to do? I know Gorbachev is not perfect, but we were finally getting the freedoms people deserve. We were finally seeing a future. What about us?”
For the first time in my life, a government was controlling me. We could not call home. We could go out, but had to be back by a certain time due to a curfew. I felt I was stuck in a situation where I did not know how to react. For the first time, I realized how within my life, I thought I knew everything. I made my own decisions and did what I wanted to do. But now, I was just another being on this planet in a situation beyond my control. For the first time, I felt trapped and helpless. These people we met in Moscow, Helen, and her guides, must have felt like that all the time. I thought of my parents and how this is what they never wanted me to feel.
Alex
The train was rocking so hard this morning that it woke me. I had a sore throat, dry mouth, and blisters on my lips. I didn’t feel very good. I couldn’t brush my teeth because the bathrooms were really gross and the water did not look clean. Thank God I brought Evian, Tylenol, Sucrets, and Anbesol. They saved my life. The train arrived in Leningrad at 0800. As soon as the train stopped, a man from GTC Corp came and met us on the train. I was surprised they were right there waiting for us. I thought we were going to have to wait a while. Off the bat, I felt the people were more talkative and open.
We arrived at the Grand Palace Hotel (Palace of Youth). The rooms were awesome. There was a living room, spacious bathrooms with big showers, and a working refrigerator. We had breakfast (fried eggs, bread, and cold cuts). After breakfast, we were told they were going to take us on a tour at 1000. We went upstairs to change and unpack. We had not realized a tour was included so we were pleasantly surprised.
NOTE: Before arriving at the hotel, we passed through the city and it was beautiful. We passed by the Winter Palace, where the Hermitage is, cathedrals, and other buildings. The city has over 300 bridges and beautiful architecture.
While I was getting ready, I heard some people outside the room talking to Ralph. He called me to hear what they were saying. I opened the door and a woman called Helen and two drivers were standing there saying the tour was postponed until after lunch because they did not know how safe the streets were. They had just heard that Gorbachev was overthrown in a coup attempt and the military was taking over. I thought...wait a minute, can’t they wait until Friday afternoon... They said Gorbachev had no power and the military was saying he was ill. It was scary and bad news, but they assured us we were safe in the hotel and not to worry. Helen took our passports to register us (whatever that means). We trusted her because she looked decent and she spoke perfect English.
The first thing I thought about was our family members. They probably knew by now and they were probably extremely worried. I wanted to use the phone, but the government cut all phone lines even the ones in MOW. We were also worried about Leo and company because they were supposed to arrive two days from now. We knew from before that it was difficult to call out of Leningrad, but this situation made it even more difficult.
We all sat in one room saying how adventurous, dangerous, exciting, and scary the situation was. I was a little skeptical because even the employees of the hotel didn’t know exactly what was happening. Either they were left in the dark, or they did not want to worry us. We decided to take a nap until lunch. After lunch (at about 1430), Helen said they had confirmed it was a successful military coup and that Gorbachev was no longer in power. Some guy named Nievev or something was the leader. Yeltsin was even ousted.
We were tired of being in the hotel so we asked them to take us around the city. They dropped us off at a flea market. The people were more aggressive. Boys came up to us asking for gum. I guess they saw us chewing some. They were surprised we shared the gum with them without asking for some of the dingy postcards in their hands. People were selling old religious icons. Ralph wanted to buy a $250 one, but we all doubted its authenticity and he felt they would confiscate it at the airport. Another thing we were worried about was that there is only one flight per week out of Leningrad so we were stuck here. The only way out, if anything would happen, would be to take a train to Helsinki, Finland and fly from there, but we didn’t even want to think about it.
After the market, we asked them to take us to the U.S. consulate so we could register and try to call home. We got there and there was a crowd of Soviet citizens waiting for visas and applying for them. We walked passed them up to the guard and advised him we were U.S. citizens so he let us right in. Once inside, it felt safer. Outside, the people looked tense. Not happy and not sad, just tense. I guess they were just waiting for something to happen.
It was funny because earlier in the market there were some guys saying “Gorby is dead! Gorby is dead! and that there was a special sale because it was the last day of capitalism. We laughed, but it was weird because I didn’t know what to think. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? I knew it was bad, but they were laughing about it and almost taunting us. Another strange thing was that I asked Helen about rock concerts and she said “no more.”
Anyway, we talked to the employees at the consulate and they assured us it was safe in Leningrad. They confirmed again that Gorbachev was out, but that’s all they knew. An American girl told us that there was a curfew in the Baltic States and that in MOW there were some peaceful demonstrations. After we registered with the consulate, I had to go outside and ask Helen for the address and phone number of hotel in case of an evacuation emergency. When I stepped outside, I heard a woman say that there were tanks in the streets of MOW so it kind of freaked me out a little. After I got the information from Helen, I went back inside.
The consulate was full of more Americans. I felt safer knowing there were other Americans in the city because I hadn’t seem them at the hotel or in the streets. They also told us the phone lines were out so we definitely couldn’t call home. Although that was bad, we felt good about registering with them and we left our home contact information in case anything would happen. We left the consulate and they took us to the mall.
The mall was depressing. Helen told Ralph and Vivian that 80% of the people were poor and alcoholic. Leningrad seemed to be more real than MOW. The people seemed more honest and less stuffy. They weren’t afraid to say things are bad and that they too are scared. The mall had little to offer. People stood in line to buy the strangest things: hairspray, barrettes, and buttons. Things were quiet. We left after 20 minutes and went back to the hotel because dinner was at 1830. We got back to the hotel and took a nap.
Dinner was good. We had bread, potatoes, steak, and Pepsi. Thank God we didn’t have to drink another seltzer water. After dinner, we went back to the room and just hung out. It was funny because I made Ana pack everything. All of us showered and had everything ready in case anything happened in the middle of the night. We stayed up late writing in our journals and doing Russian adventure and Greek Island word searches.
Essay written about this day:
I woke up as the train pulled into the Leningrad train station at about 0800. I remember waiting five days before the trip to tell my parents where I was headed. I had told them I was going to Europe and when they would ask me where, I would say I was flying into London and out of God knows where. In that time of my life, I worked for Pan Am and they were used to me just picking up and flying off somewhere on a moments notice. But, this time I felt really guilty because I knew how strongly they felt about me visiting a Communist country.
“We left Cuba to get away from a political situation you’re going to admire as a tourist,” they said.
“The situation is a little bit different. It’s not about politics. It’s not about me wanting to hurt you. It’s about me having this learning opportunity to see a part of the world now and I’m not going to pass it up. There are many places I want to go to see for myself, and Russia is one of them," I responded.
“You can stay here, finish your last semester of college, and learn all you want. Please don’t go.”
For a moment after we arrived in Leningrad, I thought of myself stuck in traffic trying to make it to an Economics class. Then, as the hotel driver knocked on our door calling out our names, I knew I was exactly where I was suppose to be.
After checking into the hotel, we ate breakfast. The hotel’s tour desk had advised us we were going on a tour of the city. They suggested we go to our rooms, unpack, and be ready within the hour. Not even 20 minutes had passed, when we heard a loud conversation in the hallway. At the same time, we all opened our doors to find Helen our tour guide and two of her drivers giving us a message.
“The tour is postponed until after lunch because they didn’t know how safe the streets were. They had just heard that Gorbachev was missing and the military was taking over. Gorbachev no longer has power and they are saying he is ill. Don’t worry about anything. We will keep you posted.”
We were all stunned. As we gathered in one of the rooms, all we thought about was our family. We wanted to use the phone, but the government had cut all phone lines. There was no way to communicate with our loves ones. At lunch time, Helen came to give us an update.
“They had confirmed that it was a successful military coup and that Gorbachev was no longer in power.”
“So, what do we do know. We need to call home. We need to call Pan Am to see when they are going to re-instate the flights,” we all said in unison.
“Don’t worry. Leningrad is surrounded by tanks and it’s own military police. They will fight to their deaths before letting anyone destroy this city. What are you so worried about? At least you will have the option of leaving. What about the people that are here? What are we going to do? I know Gorbachev is not perfect, but we were finally getting the freedoms people deserve. We were finally seeing a future. What about us?”
For the first time in my life, a government was controlling me. We could not call home. We could go out, but had to be back by a certain time due to a curfew. I felt I was stuck in a situation where I did not know how to react. For the first time, I realized how within my life, I thought I knew everything. I made my own decisions and did what I wanted to do. But now, I was just another being on this planet in a situation beyond my control. For the first time, I felt trapped and helpless. These people we met in Moscow, Helen, and her guides, must have felt like that all the time. I thought of my parents and how this is what they never wanted me to feel.
Alex
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