Bliss after the storm
I've just dumpeed my pack down on the floor in a ten bed dorm of a hostel in Riga, Latvia (yes... a different country than I was in before) and bliss of blisses... it has wifi internet access! For free! It's a bit slow, but still it makes me a happy happy girl.
I've had a hectic couple of days after leaving the lovely Klaipeda. I travelled to Siauliau which isn't that big a place, and hiked about 2km out of town searching for the HI hostel. I started to go past all these icky old Soviet apartment blocks. Ok, that's fine, seen plenty of them here. The apartments begin to get shabbier and shabbier. Ok, whatever. Then, there is no longer tar on the road. Ok, getting a bit rural now. But the map says it shouldn't be much further. Keep going. People's large dogs jump up against the fences and scare me, and I am starting to notice farm animals in people's front yards. Most of the houses look like a strong wind could finish them off. OK, must be nearly there. Finally find the address, located at which there is a scary looking building that reminds me of a Soviet orphanage I saw in some doco. Go in. A scary lady says loudly "NO go back". I am like huh! "NO BEDS". Right. OK. Then am left to walk all the way back to town, and I am sticking out like a sore thumb walking around a semi rural area of Lithuania with my backpack. Fun fun.
Anyway, luckily I made it back to town just in time to get to the tourism office before it closed, and they found me a room in a college... that was actually in town. Fine... but the time I wasted meant I couldn't go to the Hill of Crosses (my sole reason for going to this town) until the next morning.
Next morning comes, I get up really early and catch the bus 10km out of town to go to the Hill of Crosses. As soon as I get on the bus, it starts to piss down rain. Tops. The bus is funny, it has khaki curtains and a flower arrangement all around the front windows in a demented "w" shape... I think the driver's wife had been adding special touches. So I get out in the countryside, and then have to walk 2km through the countryside to find the hill. It was a pretty cool sight, I will post pics. So then I see that the next bus is coming soon so I rush back to the bus stop to get it, only to note that the sign says "not Sundays". The next bus doesn't come for an hour, so I am left to stand in in the pouring rain in the middle of the Lithuanian countryside (like, there was nothing around it except grass and trees) for an hour. I've never been so happy to see a bus in my life. The Lithuanian countryside is very beautiful and green... but not very enjoyable in the pouring rain. My shoes are still squelching.
Then I had to check out, and catch a bus to Riga. I had to wait another two hours for the bus, and there wasn't anything to do in Siauliai because most of the shops are closed on Sunday. Fun fun. I caught the bus, where there was a really nice Aussie guy on it (very hot as well!) and we chatted once we realized we were both Australian after pulling out our passports at the Latvian border.
Riga seems really nice, I've already seen a lot of it rushing around trying to find this damn hostel. But free wifi was worth it.
Now I can kick back and explore this place for several days before heading back to the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius.
I've had a hectic couple of days after leaving the lovely Klaipeda. I travelled to Siauliau which isn't that big a place, and hiked about 2km out of town searching for the HI hostel. I started to go past all these icky old Soviet apartment blocks. Ok, that's fine, seen plenty of them here. The apartments begin to get shabbier and shabbier. Ok, whatever. Then, there is no longer tar on the road. Ok, getting a bit rural now. But the map says it shouldn't be much further. Keep going. People's large dogs jump up against the fences and scare me, and I am starting to notice farm animals in people's front yards. Most of the houses look like a strong wind could finish them off. OK, must be nearly there. Finally find the address, located at which there is a scary looking building that reminds me of a Soviet orphanage I saw in some doco. Go in. A scary lady says loudly "NO go back". I am like huh! "NO BEDS". Right. OK. Then am left to walk all the way back to town, and I am sticking out like a sore thumb walking around a semi rural area of Lithuania with my backpack. Fun fun.
Anyway, luckily I made it back to town just in time to get to the tourism office before it closed, and they found me a room in a college... that was actually in town. Fine... but the time I wasted meant I couldn't go to the Hill of Crosses (my sole reason for going to this town) until the next morning.
Next morning comes, I get up really early and catch the bus 10km out of town to go to the Hill of Crosses. As soon as I get on the bus, it starts to piss down rain. Tops. The bus is funny, it has khaki curtains and a flower arrangement all around the front windows in a demented "w" shape... I think the driver's wife had been adding special touches. So I get out in the countryside, and then have to walk 2km through the countryside to find the hill. It was a pretty cool sight, I will post pics. So then I see that the next bus is coming soon so I rush back to the bus stop to get it, only to note that the sign says "not Sundays". The next bus doesn't come for an hour, so I am left to stand in in the pouring rain in the middle of the Lithuanian countryside (like, there was nothing around it except grass and trees) for an hour. I've never been so happy to see a bus in my life. The Lithuanian countryside is very beautiful and green... but not very enjoyable in the pouring rain. My shoes are still squelching.
Then I had to check out, and catch a bus to Riga. I had to wait another two hours for the bus, and there wasn't anything to do in Siauliai because most of the shops are closed on Sunday. Fun fun. I caught the bus, where there was a really nice Aussie guy on it (very hot as well!) and we chatted once we realized we were both Australian after pulling out our passports at the Latvian border.
Riga seems really nice, I've already seen a lot of it rushing around trying to find this damn hostel. But free wifi was worth it.
Now I can kick back and explore this place for several days before heading back to the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius.
posted by Ashlee at 2:53:00 am
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