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Riga: 15.11.2003
Riga at last, although only for half-a-day and night! After the major run-around in Moscow, that visa-sticker in the passport had increased heavily in value.
.Even the departure from Moscow was not hitch-less. We had collected out boarding cards, checked in our luggage, cleared immigration and were about to board the plane when a busybody Russian immigration lackey, who was checking ID against the boarding card for the people moving into the aircraft, asked me why I hadn’t taken yesterday evening’s direct flight to Riga and why was I going via Copenhagen today? It was actually none of his business, but he simply felt like throwing his weight around. He kept us waiting, took our passports and tickets back and returned after a few minutes and graciously let us go in! They must have something against Indians – they let a Chinese group smoothly through. All this after Vajpayee’s visit, mind you!
.I have transited earlier through Copenhagen (can’t remember which trip). The change in the flavour of atmosphere and people is palpable. The airport is well-decorated and the wood-flooring gives a feeling of warmth.
.Riga, on arrival, was also a hassle-free entry. The three Baltic States are slated to enter the European Union on 1st May 2004, so they are doing their best to emulate European culture and low bureaucratic hassles. Of course, even before their annexation into USSR in 1940, European influence was very strong in the region; they simply have to drop the Stalin/Lenin cloak.......
Riga at last, although only for half-a-day and night! After the major run-around in Moscow, that visa-sticker in the passport had increased heavily in value.
.Even the departure from Moscow was not hitch-less. We had collected out boarding cards, checked in our luggage, cleared immigration and were about to board the plane when a busybody Russian immigration lackey, who was checking ID against the boarding card for the people moving into the aircraft, asked me why I hadn’t taken yesterday evening’s direct flight to Riga and why was I going via Copenhagen today? It was actually none of his business, but he simply felt like throwing his weight around. He kept us waiting, took our passports and tickets back and returned after a few minutes and graciously let us go in! They must have something against Indians – they let a Chinese group smoothly through. All this after Vajpayee’s visit, mind you!
.I have transited earlier through Copenhagen (can’t remember which trip). The change in the flavour of atmosphere and people is palpable. The airport is well-decorated and the wood-flooring gives a feeling of warmth.
.Riga, on arrival, was also a hassle-free entry. The three Baltic States are slated to enter the European Union on 1st May 2004, so they are doing their best to emulate European culture and low bureaucratic hassles. Of course, even before their annexation into USSR in 1940, European influence was very strong in the region; they simply have to drop the Stalin/Lenin cloak.......
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Riga is located on the site of an ancient settlement of the Livonians, an ancient Finnic tribe, at the junction of the Daugava and the Riga River, at one point forming a natural harbor called the Riga Lake, neither of which exist today. It is believed that the name of the river gave Riga its name.
.We had landed at 1.00 pm in a temperature of 2 degC, but it seemed colder because of the wind. Riga is near the coast, situated on the Dongra river that flows from Russia to the sea beside Riga. We took a cab to the hotel, checked in, dumped our luggage, and went out to meet customers. Could meet three of them before the day closed at 5.00 pm. Tomorrow 16th is a Sunday, 17th is their National Day and holidays had been declared till the 18th. What a timing for our visit!
.It was cloudy and foggy and had been snowing a couple of days ago. At 6.00 pm, it was night and we could do no more than look for an Indian restaurant and have a late lunch.
.This ‘Indian Restaurant syndrome’ is an amazing thing! Never have we been stuck in a place till now (except Noukchott of Mauritania, and the Siberian towns of Russia) where an Indian restaurant could not be found! The guidebook listed two here – Nataraja and Sue’s Palace. Apart from this, our cab-driver Vladimir reeled off Hare Krishna, Komal and Santi as veggie joints. That too in Riga, of which many Indians would not have heard of.
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We went to Nataraja, which boasted of an Indian chef. He turned out to be a lanky lad in his twenties, whose bio-data included Tandoor of Moscow and some place in Mumbai before that, who promised to churn out “aap ko jo chahiye…”
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The décor of most of these ‘Indian’ restaurants are so extremely ethnic that it is often an overdose. Brass Shivas and Natarajas and dancing girls’ statues would jostle big brass unlit lamps. Paintings of Indian scenes (maharajas and beggars) would line the walls, interspersed with rolls of hanging cloth. Old Hindi numbers, mostly tragic, would be softly crooning. This Nataraja place, to top it all, had lit some nauseating incense going by the name of sandalwood that gave me a headache in one minute flat! I told the Russian waiter to get rid of it. He thought I wanted more (being an authentic Indian) and stuck on another stick!.
.It was cloudy and foggy and had been snowing a couple of days ago. At 6.00 pm, it was night and we could do no more than look for an Indian restaurant and have a late lunch.
.This ‘Indian Restaurant syndrome’ is an amazing thing! Never have we been stuck in a place till now (except Noukchott of Mauritania, and the Siberian towns of Russia) where an Indian restaurant could not be found! The guidebook listed two here – Nataraja and Sue’s Palace. Apart from this, our cab-driver Vladimir reeled off Hare Krishna, Komal and Santi as veggie joints. That too in Riga, of which many Indians would not have heard of.
.
We went to Nataraja, which boasted of an Indian chef. He turned out to be a lanky lad in his twenties, whose bio-data included Tandoor of Moscow and some place in Mumbai before that, who promised to churn out “aap ko jo chahiye…”
.
The décor of most of these ‘Indian’ restaurants are so extremely ethnic that it is often an overdose. Brass Shivas and Natarajas and dancing girls’ statues would jostle big brass unlit lamps. Paintings of Indian scenes (maharajas and beggars) would line the walls, interspersed with rolls of hanging cloth. Old Hindi numbers, mostly tragic, would be softly crooning. This Nataraja place, to top it all, had lit some nauseating incense going by the name of sandalwood that gave me a headache in one minute flat! I told the Russian waiter to get rid of it. He thought I wanted more (being an authentic Indian) and stuck on another stick!.
......
.Apart from the food, we were regaled by a so-called belly-dance. The poor girl was so thin, she hardly had a belly to dance with.
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The erotic industry roars quite well in Moscow as well as these countries. In Moscow, calls to my room were common. Free directories with pictures and phone numbers are dumped in cars at junctions. Parlours and all-night strip-bars are dime-a-dozen. It may not have been cultivated as a semi-official tourist attraction like in the Netherlands or in the Far East, but there are definitely no inhibitions about the aggressive marketing.
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We got back quite early (8.00 pm) and a good thing too. There is a part of Riga called the Old City, comprising important old houses, restaurants and cafes and a few residences, with narrow cobbled streets, where taxis are not allowed. This restaurant was in the Old City and our cab had dropped us at the edge anf gone off. That little 10 minutes that we had to walk to find the place, practically had all bones shaking. It would have been a bit below zero, but the wind and the humidity of a seaside town carried a chill-factor of at least minus 10 degC!
.Our hotel was a medium-sizer, but had beautiful rooms, spanking new, with a small kitchenette section. In the toilet, even the towel-racks and flooring had heating arrangements.
.Tomorrow, our flight to Tallin is at 11.20 am. We have decided to leave a little early and sightsee Riga for an hour or so before carrying on to the airport. Our friend Vladimir would act as guide. [Details appear in the first day of Tallin visit]
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.Apart from the food, we were regaled by a so-called belly-dance. The poor girl was so thin, she hardly had a belly to dance with.
.
The erotic industry roars quite well in Moscow as well as these countries. In Moscow, calls to my room were common. Free directories with pictures and phone numbers are dumped in cars at junctions. Parlours and all-night strip-bars are dime-a-dozen. It may not have been cultivated as a semi-official tourist attraction like in the Netherlands or in the Far East, but there are definitely no inhibitions about the aggressive marketing.
.
We got back quite early (8.00 pm) and a good thing too. There is a part of Riga called the Old City, comprising important old houses, restaurants and cafes and a few residences, with narrow cobbled streets, where taxis are not allowed. This restaurant was in the Old City and our cab had dropped us at the edge anf gone off. That little 10 minutes that we had to walk to find the place, practically had all bones shaking. It would have been a bit below zero, but the wind and the humidity of a seaside town carried a chill-factor of at least minus 10 degC!
.Our hotel was a medium-sizer, but had beautiful rooms, spanking new, with a small kitchenette section. In the toilet, even the towel-racks and flooring had heating arrangements.
.Tomorrow, our flight to Tallin is at 11.20 am. We have decided to leave a little early and sightsee Riga for an hour or so before carrying on to the airport. Our friend Vladimir would act as guide. [Details appear in the first day of Tallin visit]
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