Sunday 5th August

Finally got into Vilnius for about ten in the morning. Jamie went looking for a hostel while I changed money and tried unsuccessfully to contact a friend in Kaunas, Vilija, whom I'd met while staying in Taize in 1992. After failing to get the right number just from name and address I saw the Youth Hostel sign directing me 300 yards down the road. I made my way there and, lo and behold, found Jamie again.

After checking in I took a well needed shower and found that the washroom and kitchen array was an interesting arrangement. The unisex washroom has shower units that are only sealed off by shower curtains. I can only imagine some of the stuff that's gone on, intentionally or not, in that hostel! I was invited to have a cup of tea by a young girl (Katie, I think.) who'd made it and then been informed by her friends that they were heading out - a nice welcome and the hostel has a really friendly environment. Another example was that the internet is free to check mail. How many places are this hospitable?

The manager, Livijus, it appears, has trips to the Belorusian border and some people run across the border, if only for less than a minute before the border guards come - just to say that they'd done it. I had nothing planned so went along for the ride. I tried to ascertain with the locals on the trip, "How do you say,'Please don't shoot!' and 'Nice doggie, nice doggie'?"

There was a large group of us who went. Three sisters from Norfolk, whom I nicknamed the 'Norfolk Broads', Shelly, Katie and Polly. There was also Jamie, a Belgian - Australian named Didier who was doing his best with one of a group of three young Lithuanian girls, another Australian, Ryan, some Americans, one with an unlimited supply of red wine called Mark (I think) and a very humorous Kiwi (john?) There was also a lot of alcohol flowing in the back of the transit van that we were travelling in - so much so that in the end no-one got even close to the border(even though we'd spent an absolute age in the back of the van). Livijus was sure that if we'd tried crossing the border someone would've been arrested.

Instead we had a barbecue (although someone was so drunk that they really gave the Kiwi guy (John, I think) a hard time about feeding bread to the land owner's dogs!) and the use of a sauna (complete with outside river for cooling off - lots of naked guys that day but no girls - go figure that) in beautiful scenic woodlands (after what seemed an endless trip to get there, though.) Gotta say that although it was a fun day I think I should have done the city tour seeing as I was on limited time and still had to get to Ukraine. Of course I was as happy as a fish swimming in the ice cold waters of the river and although I didn't have my cossie with me I did have my snorkel(Go figure that!) Cool! The only drawback was that I'd set my specs down somewhere and by the time it came to finding them - it was too dark! The rest of my trip back to Taiwan was to be somewhat a blur!!

Back in the city, after the long trip back, I joined a smaller group who were out to have a few quiet beers in a bar in the old city - which has some really beautiful old buildings. We were out for an hour or two but when the others went back I still wanted to see a bit more - heck! I hadn't seen anything of Vilnius. I stayed in town and an Italian guy I met told me about a Soviet retro bar. I asked a couple of locals about it and one told me that if he knew of such a place he would torch it! Eventually, I paid 7 litas for the taxi (about GBP1.24) and just one litu (17p) to get in. Met a couple of Russian TV cameramen who insisted on buying me vodka slammers. Cool.

I eventually got out of there at about five in the morning and tried to find my way back to the hostel. I walked for about 30 mins and then took a trolly bus. I don't know how many times I can go round the city in one and a half hours but I woke up at the train station and it was just before 9.am. Needless to say I went straight to bed and woke up again about 11am and made ready to take the train to Minsk.

Monday 6th August

It just so happened that one of the Australian guys from the trip to the woods, Ryan Py, was also going to Minsk that day, so we ended up buying tickets and catching the train together. Before we did we had lunch with the Norfolk sisters, Didier and a French guy who I think was called Alexander. Ryan paid the highest price for a kebab and to be greeted with only three kebab sticks which he finished off in next to no time. Didier ordered a steak which was still practically mooing and the poor French guy had to wait for his because they only had a small kitchen. Apart from that the place seemed okay (tongue in cheek!)

We set off on our train ride to Minsk at around 5 and had a pretty good time, joking, telling travel stories and the like. Ryan renovates houses and whilst working in Italy some years ago had worked with a Belorusian renovater, Vladimir, and now it was time for a reunion.

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Last updated 29/01/2002- Created using Tripod Freeform by Rob Price.

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