18-07-2006

Tomsk – Kemerovo 18-07-2006

Doug’s repairs are taking a bit longer than he would have liked. He is off to the garage to work on his bike and I go to an internet café. After that he takes me sight seeing through Tomsk. We visit the local biker café and some sight of Tomsk. I snap a lot of pictures. Sergey is very proud to show his city. Actually, all Russians I have met are very proud of their city and country. Doug still isn’t finished by late afternoon and gives me the OK to take of to Kemerovo, he will join me there as soon as he can. I am eager to get out of Tomsk. I want to ride my motorcycle and see Nadia. After dinner the lady of the house gives me a haircut and I get escorted out of Tomsk by Sergey. It is around 21:00. It is still 210 km to Kemerovo and it will probably take me 3 to 4 hours to get there, but I want to get out of Tomsk and see Nadia. I arrive in Kemerovo around 01:00 at night. I am not at the designated meeting point because in the dark I took the wrong road to Kemerovo. Nadia is worried sick about me as I did not stop to check my phone until then. I have no clue as to where in Kemerovo I am and ask the guard from a factory for directions. I contact Nadia and she is heading towards my location. I run out of gas and stop near a taxi. I call Nadia and give the taxi guy the phone so he can explain where in Gods name I am. I use my jerry can to fill up my tank again and once this is done Nadia shows up with her Ural. She was a sight for sore eyes. She is glad to see me and I am glad to see her. I had no clue it was so late, but apparently Nadia’s boss gave her the day off tomorrow after he heard I was coming over for a visit. She wasn’t tired and she showed me the city before we head to her apartment. It was an interesting tour.

Her apartment is in one of those typical Soviet concrete blocs and is just one room with the tiny entrance hall also serving as a kitchen and next to it a small bathroom. The hot water is disconnected in this district for the next couple of weeks, but the cold shower is OK as it is rather warm. We talk, eat and drink until the sun comes up. It’s OK, we can sleep in tomorrow.

Nadia is short for Nadezhda. Nadia is 26 years old and has a 4 year old daughter called Antanina. Nadia lives on her own because she thought it was time to get out of her parents apartment. Nadia has an interesting job and is proud of what she does. Anyway, I like her a lot and she likes me too.