08-10-2006

Barabinsk – Omsk

The ride to Omsk is cold and dull. I’m just happy it is not raining. In Novosibirsk they gave me the telephone number of a biker in Omsk called Krokodil. I could not get him on the phone, but this was actually a good thing. It gave me a chance to call my friend Ruslan. You may remember him. He was the biker that was standing next to the road when I was heading to Novosibirsk in July. His bike had a broken camshaft.

I call Ruslan from a kafe just outside Omsk and we agree to meet somewhere in the center. In Belgium it is easy to find the center of a city or town: just find the church. In Russia this is somewhat different, but if you find Lenin, you’re in the center of town. So I follow the main road into the city and park my bike in front of Lenin. After I take a photo I call Ruslan. A couple of minutes later he arrives. He escorts me to his home. He is a tattoo and piercing master. He doesn’t drink, so no vodka or beer. That’s OK, Russia has not yet made an alcoholic out of me. We eat and talk and watch photos on his computer. He did not think that I would call him, but he is happy that I did. I am happy too, he is an interesting guy. He is also glad that my Russian has improved as he does not speak a lot of English. Anyway, we go to sleep late, but have to get up early to get my motorcycle of the parking lot.