Minsk: 1.06.2004
This was a very peaceful journey (one hour flight) at a very peaceful time (11.15 am).
.
Minsk, at first exposure, was cooler than Warsaw the way we had left it. Our customer Mr Boris had come to meet us at the airport and took us down a 40 km drive to Hotel Minsk at the centre of the city.
.Minsk is a 2 million city (Belarus country has a pop of 10 million), which is the same as Warsaw. But Minsk is far less crowded, with wider roads, less traffic and if possible, ever greater greenery! On the airport route, more than half the rolling meadows were actually covered with small yellow flowers – they looked wonderful, alternating yellow and green stretches. Forests of conifer trees lined the road, sometimes close by, sometimes beyond the fields, and the scent of juniper was in the air.
.
After the business discussions were concluded at around 6.30 pm, Boris took us for a round of the city. The city had been very badly damaged by German invasion in WWII, but unlike Poland, they had not been able to restore historical buildings again. So most of the architecture is new and a few old buildings stand here and there, reminders of a history that has been written over..
This was a very peaceful journey (one hour flight) at a very peaceful time (11.15 am).
.
Minsk, at first exposure, was cooler than Warsaw the way we had left it. Our customer Mr Boris had come to meet us at the airport and took us down a 40 km drive to Hotel Minsk at the centre of the city.
.Minsk is a 2 million city (Belarus country has a pop of 10 million), which is the same as Warsaw. But Minsk is far less crowded, with wider roads, less traffic and if possible, ever greater greenery! On the airport route, more than half the rolling meadows were actually covered with small yellow flowers – they looked wonderful, alternating yellow and green stretches. Forests of conifer trees lined the road, sometimes close by, sometimes beyond the fields, and the scent of juniper was in the air.
.
After the business discussions were concluded at around 6.30 pm, Boris took us for a round of the city. The city had been very badly damaged by German invasion in WWII, but unlike Poland, they had not been able to restore historical buildings again. So most of the architecture is new and a few old buildings stand here and there, reminders of a history that has been written over..
......
.Belarus (“White Russia” in Russian) has perhaps remained the most ‘Russian’ of the CIS countries. Although independent for long, the current President’s pro-Russia stand has ensured that Belarus remains in a trade deficit with Russia, dependent on Russia’s electricity and gas. While other CIS countries have relaxed their bureaucratic procedures, Belarus’s governmental procedures have remained as unfriendly as ever, preventing industrial development. Boris was lamenting that to achieve whatever growth he wanted, it would take him twice as long as in any European city!
.
Meanwhile, he loved Minsk as a place. So did we. Wide open spaces, green parks, low traffic, electric trams and buses, cool but stylish people – a nice capital city. Very few people speak English; Russian is the official language here.
.
We treated Boris to dinner and wanted to eat some Belarusian dishes. The restaurant, a very old one, called the ‘Rekovsky Brewer’, was originally a brewery and a pub and is now a very well-decorated restaurant. I had eggplants ‘au gratin’ with tomatoes and potato pancakes as garnish – excellent!.
.
Meanwhile, he loved Minsk as a place. So did we. Wide open spaces, green parks, low traffic, electric trams and buses, cool but stylish people – a nice capital city. Very few people speak English; Russian is the official language here.
.
We treated Boris to dinner and wanted to eat some Belarusian dishes. The restaurant, a very old one, called the ‘Rekovsky Brewer’, was originally a brewery and a pub and is now a very well-decorated restaurant. I had eggplants ‘au gratin’ with tomatoes and potato pancakes as garnish – excellent!.
......
.Cost of living is reasonable here. Boris’s family of four, without extravagances like eating out etc, needs $250 per month in expenses. He said that 1994, however, he used to need only $50!
.Today my family is leaving for India by themselves. First time such a thing is happening, thanks to the delayed tour schedule. Feels odd, but seems to be under control.
.Today my family is leaving for India by themselves. First time such a thing is happening, thanks to the delayed tour schedule. Feels odd, but seems to be under control.
Minsk: 2.06.2004
Our usual search for an interpreter ended with the hotel receptionist who was on night duty. He became free at 8.00 am and was immediately on duty in our room, calling up potential customers. Young chap of 25 or so, good-looking, speaks perfect drawling English. He was in Leicester in England for a couple of years as hotel receptionist, including a stint at an Indian restaurant called ‘Kaboolese’, or some such peculiar name (“Maybe a Bangladeshi word”, said Alex). Anyway, he was a very apt and enthusiastic addition to our team, pitching in with his battered Mercedeze. If we though Gregory’s Merc in Warsaw was old, we had another think coming! This one, unwashed, of unsound body (making lot of sound), rear suspensions gone, belching smoke, would have been an insult to an Ambassador! “Trifle old”, said Alex, without a hint of apology. “Plan to buy a Civic; a Celica is too expensive ….”. He was very sentimental that we stood him lunch at the ‘Taj’, the only Indian restaurant in town. The smell of chicken tikka, of which he had a bowlful, brought tears to his eyes – reminded of him of his England days..
......
.Morning, before leaving the hotel at 11.00 am, we had a hiccup. It’s amazing how these things happen! On 4th, we were supposed to go to Bratislava via SVO (Moscow airport). We gave the tickets to the hotel travel agent and she calmly informed us that we needed ‘transit visa’ at SVO as a change of terminal was involved and we would be passing over Russian soil!
.All our market-visit plans went out of the rear window as we quickly rattled to the Russian embassy. There was a big queue waiting. After waiting for more than an hour, the embassy closed its gates at 1.00 pm. “Show’s over for today, folks! Tomorrow again, please ….”. So we went off for a well-deserved lunch at the Taj and Alex’s chicken tikka.
.In the meanwhile, we had out our home office on the job to find an alternative route. They came back with a super proposition. Fly to Vienna on 4th dawn (5.30 am), then travel to Bratislava by road or rail – just 50 km. This would give us a chance to see a bit of Vienna also. [Whatever happens, happens for the ____]
.
We finished work by 6.00 pm. Wonderful. Could fiddle at the business centre for some time, relax for an hour and go for dinner at the Taj. The chef, a Delhiite, came up to meet us and was very happy to have Indian guests in whose food he could, at long last, be able to add some spices! “Idhar ka log bahut pheeka khate hain”, he lamented. “Aapke liye chatpata banataa hoon!”. But in spite of his best efforts, it was still not spicy! Maybe he has simply forgotten how.......
.All our market-visit plans went out of the rear window as we quickly rattled to the Russian embassy. There was a big queue waiting. After waiting for more than an hour, the embassy closed its gates at 1.00 pm. “Show’s over for today, folks! Tomorrow again, please ….”. So we went off for a well-deserved lunch at the Taj and Alex’s chicken tikka.
.In the meanwhile, we had out our home office on the job to find an alternative route. They came back with a super proposition. Fly to Vienna on 4th dawn (5.30 am), then travel to Bratislava by road or rail – just 50 km. This would give us a chance to see a bit of Vienna also. [Whatever happens, happens for the ____]
.
We finished work by 6.00 pm. Wonderful. Could fiddle at the business centre for some time, relax for an hour and go for dinner at the Taj. The chef, a Delhiite, came up to meet us and was very happy to have Indian guests in whose food he could, at long last, be able to add some spices! “Idhar ka log bahut pheeka khate hain”, he lamented. “Aapke liye chatpata banataa hoon!”. But in spite of his best efforts, it was still not spicy! Maybe he has simply forgotten how.......
.
Tomorrow we can afford to start work at 9.00 am, as Alex has already bought some Auto magazine at home and is sitting at a table circling ads of spares shops…..
Tomorrow we can afford to start work at 9.00 am, as Alex has already bought some Auto magazine at home and is sitting at a table circling ads of spares shops…..
.
No comments:
Post a Comment