El Diario del Hombre Bàltico

Is not true that life is boring. For example, in a normal day of spring, in 24 hours, is possible to do a lot of things:

1. To go, in the evening, in the airport, trying to fly to Pekin, even if there are not visa, only a weak “invitation’s letter”.
2. To fight two hours with the employer of Siberian Airlines, that doesn’t want give permission. Everybody know the strict Russian mind…
3. To come back in the city, in Irkustk, talking about the employer with expression like “son of a bitch”.
4. To meet a incredible youthhostal-worker, that (without asking nothing) take care about you and start to study the situation.
5. To wake-up some early, in the morning, for going in the Siberian Airlines’s office and fight again. This time in Russian.
6. To receive this answer: we could give you a flight for tomorrow morning, not for Pekin but for Xi’an. It’s ok?
7. To look your travelmates with this expression –> ??: Where is it Xi’an”? What is it Xi’an?
8. To search on the map of the world Xi’an: it’s in China, 841 kilometers far away from Pekin, near North Korea. Let’s go!
9. To spend ALL the day running office by office, in the airport, speaking with strange people, and…police.
10. To try to be more “italian” than possible when policeman want give you a fine of 140 euro because visa is expiring. For 12 hours! At the end, after a big market, the bill it’ll be…0. Nothing to pay.
11. To know, in all this story, incredible good people, the owners of Irkustk Youth Hostal, that spent all the day with you, trying to give more help as possible. Incredible. And finally discover that Russian people isn’t all the same. No.

And now, a homework for you: read on the world map where is it Xi’an. Tomorrow, we’ll be there. Maybe.

How you can imagine Central Siberia?

……………………..

It’s right.

Green and grey, a big run behind the time, here it looks like that Cold war isn’t finished, yet. The people is the jewell…other expressions, other faces, this is Asia and there are the products of Stalin’s shaker…

A plane bring you in the world of -2 degrees, again. Near to you, snow and ice on the Baikal Lake. It’s Siberia, boy!

Another sunrise. Another time walking between first workers of the day, empty bottles, tired expression and drunk people. Another city saw by the born-side, the most real and the most interesting.

Walking looking for a bed, stopping in front of every kiosk with a big hopeness called food, and last energy it’ll be found for understand that a кафе could be your destination. Even though it’ll be watching the first shinning on Red Square, or under some unknown monument, doesn’t matter if a policeman is looking you like a FBI agent in the Moskow of 20 years ago.

Enjoy your night.

…e poi, il ricordo si portera’ via in archivio le immagini della Moska di giorno, piena affollata e incasinata, capace di trasformarsi e svendersi come una delle citta’ piu’ costose al mondo nonostante il panorama delle facce comuni sia tarato su altri livelli. Citta’ ricca di discoteche proibitive, casino’, contenitore perfetto di quella classe sociale nata dopo la fine del comunismo e chiamata verosimilmente quella “dei nuovi ricchi”.

Metropoli piu’ che citta’, metropoli avviata a dimenticare sotto i fasti del capitalismo di plastica piu’ assurdo la capitale dell’impero di plastica che fu, oramai visibile solo piu’ nei monumenti o negli strascichi reali che si e’ portato dietro. Come le mentalita’ di troppe persone pesantemente appiattite. Come la fuga nell’alcol da parte di chi aveva lavori assurdi e si e’ trovato ad essere assurdo ma senza lavoro.

Come cani davanti alla televisione, siamo rimasti incantati una buona mezz’ora davanti a uno spettacolo significativo, proprio di fronte alla Piazza Rossa. Processione di gente, a flusso continuo, con l’obiettivo ultimo di piazzarsi di fronte a un qualche Padre Pio ortodosso e tirare monetine dietro le proprie spalle. Proprio verso un esercito di barboni e alcolizzati, un metro dietro, pronto a buttarsi sullo spreco degli altri, immortalati da mille fotoevideo camere.

Specchio sociologico della divisione del mondo (secolare) e di quello che e’ la Russia (oggi).