Another day in Russia

I have some fitfull sleep that night (morning) and get a call in my room at 9am. It is the concierge telling me that I have to go to the US Embassy in Russia to get my passport or the Russians will not let me sail off with the boat and will not let the ship leave with me on it. DAMN IT! He tells me there is a car coming to get me in a half hour. All of my team except the sick host are flying out today, so no one can come with me back into hell.

I exit the ship and am again questioned to death about not having a passport. My new guide who is taking me to the Embassy explains everything and off we go. I am sent there with 2 kids who can't be older then 21. They have no idea where the Embassy is and we aimlessly drive around St Pete's for like 1 1/2 hours. The entire time, they say absolutely nothing to me, just speak to each other in Russian. I am convinced it is a set up and I am getting detained again! How could they not know where we are going?

Let me divert a little here to discuss driving in Russia. Apparently lanes are insignificant, red means jump on the gas as hard as you can and hope you don't get hit by everyone else driving a mach-a-thousand and there are no stop signs at 4 way intersections. Yes, you heard that that - no stop signs, so everyone just flies ahead without slowing and you hope no one is coming in the opposite direction.

Anyway - we finally arrive at the Embassy and I go to fill out the paperwork. I have never been so happy to see an American flag! I am asked (by a russian - not an American worker) where my passport photos are. I don't have any I tell her. Apparently I need to get them. So now I have to go out into the mean streets and wander 10 minutes away to find the photo place, first stopping at a bank to change $20 of the only $80 I have that Dane gave me into Rubles so I can pay for the photos. I return to the Embassy and am told it will cost $100 to get the new passport. I try and explain all my money and credit acrds have been stolen. It is no use, I have to pay. So, I had to use the company credit card which is the only one I still have left. I am then told to "walk around town" until the passport is ready at 2:30. It is 11:30. You have to be kidding me. I don't want to wander around town, looking at unfashionable angry people who seem to smoke 10 packs a day. I want to go to bed as I have had only 3 hours of fitfull sleep. I decide to wait int he car, bcs apparently I can't wait in the Embassy and watch tv and feel safe, bcs they have to go to lunch.

So I sit in the car with the 21 year olds, who talk amongst themselves for 3 hours. No lie - not one word to me for 3 hours as I sit in the backseat of a strange car in Russia. At 2:30, my "guide" calls the Embassy and my passport is not ready. I have to be back on board by 5pm for sailing. I am starting to get nervous. We call again at 3 and it is ready. I wanted to kiss the lady when she handed it to me. I went running through the Embassy yelling "YEA I can get out of this place" to the mass un-amusement of the Russian security guards.

I arrive back to the ship at 4:00pm to great fanfare by the staff. I decide to go eat somethng before sleeping and quickly discover that my story has spread like wildfire across the ship and everyone I pass - those I know and don't know - stop to talk to me about my ordeal.

At 5pm we set sail and I happily stand in the rain on the deck waving goodbye to Russia for good. Now some sleep and off to Estonia. I hope they are friendly.