The Baltic States

I am now in Lithuania and Latvia is becoming a blur so I better blurt some stuff out before I travel too far into time to get back to where I came from. Kristine, ah, where do I start. I have been going with the motions of my gut. Let me start there. When my gut makes a motion, I listen to it. More often then not it lurches in a passionate whirl and I twirl on behind it. So far, I have ended up in the right places at the right times because of it. I decided to stay with Kristine for a night for no real reason. I had another couchsurfer that was closer to the center of Riga and more of a match to the type of people and personalities that I have been trying to stay with but for some reason I thought it would be nice to break it up between a few people and start at her place for a night or two. The last time I wrote I was sitting in her sky high, run down, cat piss smelling, apartment building. It was one of a fifty or so in an area outside of the city. Unfortunately, the only true descriptive words that ring appropriately in my mind are "Russian Latvian white trash with a little alternative buzzing on top" . She was more then kind but in an aggressive and comparative sort of way. I would talk about my travels and she would some how measure them against hers. The conversations didn't go far because one, I didn't care to compare at all, and two, she finally realized that she couldn't really measure up. I walk away knowing that she will now try traveling on her own, which excites me to be sending woman out into the world with a new sense of strength and will. WE CAN TRAVEL ALONE AND WE CAN DO IT IN WHATEVER FORM WE WISH WITH OUR THUMBS OR OTHERWISE AND YES THERE ARE STORIES AND YES THERE ARE DANGERS BUT WE CAN JUST AS ANY MAN. That soapbox serenade has been waiting to be sung.

As the conversations progressed we did find common grounds. We both feel the same about smoking cigarettes: you are not a smoker until you think to yourself you need a cigarette or until you buy your own. We will never buy our own and we will never need to have one therefore we are not smokers no matter how many we may or may not smoke. There you have it, common grounds. The sleeping arrangement wasn't a problem, I was perfectly fine with sleeping on the floor, I have a sleeping bag and it was fine. The party was a little weird. Being the weekend, her boyfriend, Sergei, who also lived in the apartment, Kristine, and later her roommate, had friends over to drink the regions beverage of choice....vodka. Kristine and I drank a few of these sweet port/coke concoctions and I decided to go to bed because I have no interest in getting drunk and feeling like a can't cope with the situations I put myself in. I was awoken several times by some weird guy who couldn't blurt out anything sensible in neither Russian or English but his message was fairly easy to grasp. I ignored him. I was so ready for morning to come and as it came they continued to decline in mental capacities. They finally went to bed as the sun came up. Unfortunately for me, it didn't stay up long and it started to pour. So, I felt mildly trapped in a room with surround sound of the bumping and howling from the room separated by paper thin walls. As the climax became deafeningly nearer I couldn't stand it any longer and booked it. "I am going out, I don't know if I am coming back...I may stay in the city!" Kristine unpasted her still drunkenly glued eyelid and wished me well.

So why that I thought? Everything happens for a reason, and generally things have been happening to me to impact me in good ways. What could I possibly get out of this situation? Well, amidst our conversations, a small paragraph was devoted to a certain boat hopping opportunity......and that I will reveal to you as time reveals it to me.

As for the rest of my time in Latvia, I met up with Reinis a 19 year-old kid who completely rocked my little Riga world! He was into good music, he had nice friends, and a nice girlfriend. He lived with his mom who was awesome. He was friendly and wanted to spend time with me and was proud to show me around and let me into his life for a few days. He first took me to Andre's Port which is basically a series of abandoned building near the bank of the river that runs through Riga where all of the alternative youth of the city hang out, drink, listen to music, and go wild. Over the hours we collected a unique but worthy crew and toured the streets, stopped to make food, etc. Back at Reinis' house, I shared a king size bed with him and Skakri, my new found friend. I am to Skakri as Maude is to Harold. If that makes any sense at all. We spent the entire night taking turns holding in bursts of laughter at how funny the whole thing seemed to be and excusing each others belly rumbles. It was an international sleepover. The three of us and two Lithuanian travelers we picked up, who also slept at the house only in another room, went to the sea and joined up with another handful of people. We spent the day at the beach, in the forest, and admiring one Latvian girl getting over her head in the bottle of bourbon. So the Lithuanians took her home never again to be seen and Reinis, Skakri, and I formed a new troop which continued late into the night at this guy Andre's house. We sang and danced and then walked back home late in the evening.

Two silent Latvians, one Polish truck driver, and a girl named Kata later.......Lithuania. I have been here for a few days now and am enjoying my time with Justina/Bacila. Tonight, she will take me to the theatre.