Sputnik Adventures

Hey Sputniki, hopscotching my way through the Vertical Stripes Tour to tell you about Ufa, where I spent two days en route to Kazan. This was the easternmost point in my travels, ten time zones east of home in Indiana, and about one hour’s drive shy of the border between Europe and Asia. This is the capital of the Republic of Bahkortostan, an autonomous republic within Russia. Although Russian is widely spoken, I regularly heard Bashkiri, a Turkic language, on the streets and in the shops. I was shocked after the oppressive dry heat of Crimea to slam suddenly into drizzly, coldish weather here, but plowed ahead along with many Ufa stalwarts to take in a football game. The rain mercifully let up that evening, and the fans were clearly stoked against rivals from neighboring Oryol. Ufa’s fighting Nyeftyaniks (‘Oilers’; perhaps Ufa is Houston’s sister city) carried the day, so all was well in town that night. My hotel was incredibly cheap, but then again so was the breakfast that awaited each morning. Usually breakfasts are a great deal here, coming as a package with the hotel–this one was bitter roots and a dollop of sour cream. My cholesterol level probably now hovers at around 800.

Overall, Ufa’s green and friendly, and will be visited again. This is necessary as I’m working to connect every place on the planet I’ve ever visited. The connection must be made by rail, boat, road etc (i.e. planes don’t count). The rules permit me to fly somewhere to reconnect the thread, and on a future trip I’ll probably fly to Ekaterinburg, the westernmost Siberian outpost, to link things up and continue the journey. The Vertical Stripes Tour joins two large chains for me, linking every place in European Russia I’ve visited, several former Soviet and Eastern Bloc nations, and cities from above the Arctic Circle to the Black Sea. This is a minor compulsion, and I could deal with it if I wanted to, but then I just wouldn’t be Sputnik Lee. Anyone else out there have over-the-road quirks they’d like to share/confess?

I met up with friends in Naberezhnye Chelny, west of Ufa, the next stop. This was the jumping-off point to last year’s rafting adventure in the Urals, and it was great seeing old pals, including several I’d be staying with in Kazan, during the huge shindig which was to come.

I was here last year and saw a vibrant city alive with commerce and culture. The focus this year has been the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the city’s founding. Banners, pins, souvenir stands, everything’s geared to the celebration. The concerts held alongside Kazan’s magnificent kremlin (‘kreml’ is Russian for ‘fortress’, but you knew that) run the gamut. Groups mostly are squeaky clean pop acts, except for one that was kind of Joe Jackson gone big hair, if you can imagine that. Last night was the culmination of the celebration, with every square foot covered with people of every stripe, even vertical. Aside from the general positive vibe, it’s worth noting that the celebration was conducted more in Tatar (another Turkic language) than in Russian, and that there was a genuine outpouring of pride in Tatar culture and patriotism. The celebration showed none of the friction which has prevailed between Russian and Tatar peoples in both the Imperial and Soviet pasts, and I enjoyed myelf with a posse of both Tatar and Russian friends during my time here.

Laser lights on the kremlin and the newly-opened mosque (the largest in Europe), music and more music, smoke and light show beacons, a fireworks display to die for, and an overhead air show of fighter jets from around the world made this an orgy of sight and sound. How else to finish up a celebration like this, but to hop on to the opening day of the city’s subway system. Kazan’s new metro is spanking-new clean and slick, and goes to all the places around town that have been painted, remodeled, or built from scratch to be ready for the event. Looking at the new basketball fieldhouse, the hockey arena, the broad new public concourses, and the overall hum of prosperity I was forced to ask, ‘Where’s all this investment coming from?’ ‘The oil revenues, of course.’

It’s no secret that I love Russia and its many peoples. I wish them well in all things, and am gladdened by the material and civic progress that greets me with each new visit. So, if the price at the pump frosts you today, at least take solace that all the profits aren’t going to the Halliburton balance sheet. It’s making a real difference with real people over here too. So gas up that Land Cruiser and go for a spin. Cheers

Sputnik Lee

More about Kazan later.

Tags: Russia, Travel, Travel, Travel, Travel

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