Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Set it off
About to start a sixteen-day, six-city tour of the Baltic countries. I'm in New York now, waiting for my flight to Warsaw. Here's the itinerary:
| 5/25 | Warsaw, Poland |
| 5/26 | Vilnius, Lithuania |
| 5/27-5/29 | Riga, Latvia |
| 5/30-6/2 | Moscow |
| 6/3-6/6 | St. Petersburg |
| 6/7-6/8 | Tallinn, Estonia |
| 6/9 | Warsaw |
Why this trip? For starters I traveled to Western Europe last summer and had a blast, so I wanted to return, but to a different region. I felt that Central Europe (Prague, Vienna, the Balkans) has already been discovered by tourists and I wouldn't be missing much if I waited a year or two. On the other hand, I've heard that relatively few tourists have treaded on Baltic and Russian soil. I'd like to experience this part of the world in its unspoiled state, and perhaps even be a travel evangelist (travelangelist?), spreading the good news to my friends. Not least, even as the American currency continues to get pummeled, I can still get a big bang for the buck in this part of Europe.
I am traveling alone. I was going to go with a friend but my friend got a job just before finalizing the plans. I had already bought my plane tickets so there was no turning back. I've never traveled so long by myself before, but I believe that with some planning and a lot of common sense I'll manage. I will stay in hostels and perhaps meet other travelers along the way. Not too long ago, I discovered a website called CouchSurfing. This site was designed by travelers for travelers to find locals to stay with or just meet up with during their travels. I've gotten in touch with CouchSurfers in Riga, Moscow and St. Petersburg. I have no idea if this site is reliable or what these locals will be like, but I'm excited to find out.
I've already had one setback on this trip. I tried to use my ATM card in the airport but couldn't get any cash. After I called my bank I realized that the ATM card expired last month! (Why didn't I bring a backup?) I called Visa and they told me I could use my credit card to get cash advances, just like an ATM card. That was a huge relief. I also brought $200 in cash for emergency use.
