Kryžių kalnas, hill of the crosses

0630hrs: Woke up with the buzz of my alarm in my pocket. Jurgita was already preparing to get to work. Made me feel slightly bad from the "not enough sleep" look on her face after the late night. I said bye to her with toothpaste still in my mouth as she left for work whilst I was still brushing my teeth in the bathtub. Got all ready at 7am to take the trolleybus to the bus station before Jurgita's friend offered to drive me there instead.

"Next bus to Siauliai?" I asked the lady behind the counter at the bus station. I squint towards the tiny numbers which she pointed on her screen. "Tie-eep, 7.50, Ta-eep, ahh-choo (this is really how thank you sounds locally)", I replied before handing over 47Lt that she has indicated to me using a calculator. "25", as she circled the number on my bus ticket indicating the platform of my coach.

3 hours into my journey, over mostly flat plains covered in white, with the occasion rolling mounds of hill, I was reaching my destination Šiauliai, northwestern part of Lithuania, close to the borders with Latvia (It is actually easier to travel to Šiauliai from Riga if you are coming from the north, before continuing your journey onwards to Vilnius). From the bus station, transfer to another bus that goes to Joniskis costing 2.70Lt each way and drop off at Domantai (tell the driver when you board so that he will remind you to stop). It was another 2km walk from the main road to the hill of the crosses; and if you are going there in winter like me, don't be surprise to find no other living soul if you are going off peak in the winter. Do remember to check the bus schedule to plan your return without having to wait too long for the bus.



The awe of the sight quickly change to a very surreal feeling when you start to walk between the crosses - there are literally hundreds of thousands of them, on 2 hill moulds. Legend says that Lithuanians started putting up symbolic crosses here during their uprising against the Soviets during the 1800s, in memory of loved ones whose bodies were never found. After the 2nd World War, the Soviets tried to bulldoze the site thrice, but each time Lithuanians continued to find a way to creep up behind the guards at night to plant the crosses again.

It is amazing that religion can play such a big part during those tough times to give any little hope which one might be able to cling on to. Even the Pope visited the site in 1993 and declared it as a place for hope, peace, love and sacrifice.

I also bought a small wooden cross for 2Lt and wrote "may there be peace to this world, dennis tang, 陈友祥, 9 mar 09, singapore" just behind the virgin mary statue. Let me know if anyone chanced upon it when you do have a chance to visit this amazing site.

Another 4hrs later, I arrived back at Vinus bus station and took the trolley bus for the first time back to Jurgita's flat. "Let's go Krakai for dinner!", suggested Jurgita when Vytatos came through the door. Krakai is 28km west of the capital and is the perfect day trip out of the city during the summer with its beautiful lakes and ancient castles. The sect that lives there are called Karaities and are so 'endangered' that there are only less than 300 left in Lithuania! We headed for the restaurant straight and was recommended to order a cumin drink (which taste funny but was nice enough to finish), kibinai - meat stuff pastries that looks exactly like Singapore's curry puffs, and cepelinai (non-fried version this time round). Took a very unromantic stroll (I was the odd one out) around the Island castle under falling snow flakes on our heads, which felt really magical!

Got back home for a nice cup of green tea with lemon, ensuring that my road trip doesn't end prematurely with illness.

Arriving in Vilnius

Vilnius - which recently took over the title of European Capital of Culture 09 from Liverpool. One that is no stranger to cultural events, activities and monuments. Starting with the UNESCO listed old town, the world famous annual Jazz festivals in Kaunas and summer parties that attract thousands of people to stream into this lovely little country.

The coach reached Vilnius bus station at 1940hrs but it felt more like 2345hrs as the bus bays were completely deserted. My hopes of meeting my host whom agreed to put me up did not turn up and I was keen to follow some of the guys in the group who seemed to be heading for a hostel. As I head to the main road, a chinese guy came up to me，“你好, 讲华语吗？“ he asked.

We chatted after and found out that we were staying in the same hostel in Riga and were on the same coach to Vilnius. I found out later that Xiao Bin is a mechanical engineer working for a chinese firm with half his time is based in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He has studied in Belarus and has been running around the Baltic states for a while (he has still yet to tell me why a Chinese will end up studying in Belarus)

Hearing that I was looking for a hostel, he recommended one in the old town that he used to stay before and offered to bring me there. "какая шина к старому городку?" Xiao Bin asked the lady behind the glass window in fluent Russian. The lady replied "the one in front...", and pointed to the bus behind us in a grumpy way. Xiao Bin immediately bought 2 tickets and helped with my bags aboard the bus. Just as he was saying that we could have saved buying the tickets as there are usually no bus inspectors at night, 2 burly men stood at the exits of the doors just as we were alighting at the stop!

We walked under the moonlight, snaking round several dark alleys before we arrived at the gates out VB Sleep Inn. Thanking him for his kindness, we bade each other goodbye after exchanging phone numbers. Luckily, the hostel was not filled and I ended up paying EUR10 for a night stay in a 8-bed dorm, with an additional 2Lt (£1 was about 3.7Lt at time of writing) for a towel. I quickly left my backpack and headed for some Lithuanian food for dinner. Found a Lithuanian restaurant not far from the hostel and ordered a soup and hearty Cepelinai (Lithuanian fried dumplings) - 2 huge balls of potato flour shaped like an egg with minced meat in the middle, topped with my preferred mushroom sauce. YUMMY!!!

Received a mail from Jurgita, my CS (couchsurfing) host when I got back at the hostel, informing me that I could stay at her place the following day, and arranged to meet up after dinner. Was quite excited but also slightly wary if she decides not to turn up again like my last host. I collapsed in bed not long after...

Awoken again from loud snores, checked my phone - it was only 0300hrs; the snoring was coming from a guy sleeping on the bed directly beside mine...2nd night in a roll, surely it is not going to be trend?

Next morning, I chatted with Andy in the pantry, a 24 year old Kiwi who had only arrived from Gdnask, Poland after a 12hr bus journey, and has been travelling in Europe for 5 months! He thinks he will go on for another few months before settling somewhere for a temp job before his next adventure. Half an hour later, we headed out for a bite before we chanced upon Vilnius once in a year Sunday fair, where locals in Lithuania as well as the Baltic states, Poland, Belarus and Russia come into town to flock their wares and products. The day was a freezing 0 degrees with light drizzle falling on the crowds who were trying their best to enjoy the world's women day. There were smoked fish, handmade pottery, flowers, food and "bagel necklaces"! Andy was game enough to try some 'soup' scooped from a boiling pot with a frog dipped in it. The french stall owner was struggling to get any conservative Lithuanians to try before Andy's 'seal of approval' got a queue forming to taste the delicacy.

The old town was a lot bigger than Riga's, and is full of churches and cathedrals - Lithuanians are supposed to be very religious with the majority been Roman Catholic. Such was the variety of architectural diversity that it is listed on UNESCO world heritage list. Did not manage to take into many sites due to the gray weather and ended up back in the hostel for a hot drink.

Later in the evening, I packed, said goodbye to Andy and met up with Xiao Bin for dinner at his friend, Mr Zhang's restaurant called Hongkongnas. I found out after that Mr Zhang has been in Lithuania for 11 years, worked his way up from a chef to own 2 restaurants in Vilnius. He has since married a local woman and have 2 lovely daughters although his businesses have been hit hard by the credit crisis as well in which he lost over a million (not sure what currency, don't think I should probe any further) in a hotel venture that he had to pulled out due to cash flow problems. I felt quite at home all of a sudden, sitting in a table, with 2 newly found chinese friends in the middle of a baltic state. We chatted like old friends over good alus (Lithuanian beer) and excellent chinese stir fry dishes. Mr Zhang even offered to put me up for my remaining stay but I kindly turned down his warm gesture as I left with Jurgita when she arrived with her friend to pick me up. His kind gesture reminded me again of how Chinese people take good care of each other when they are alone aboard, even though I am a distant chinese from Singapore :)

We took a short spin around the city showing me the night sights of the city although we were struggling to make out anything through the cold foggy night. Jurgita's flat seems to have been built during the former Soviet days, grey on the outside, and simple on the inside. She explained that her parents have left her the flat as they have moved out to live in a house since she started working and has been staying alone ever since. It was a typical 2 bedroom flat with wooden floorings and basic furniture across the rooms. The one thing that surprised me the most is the lack of a basin, meaning that one would have to brush their teeth and wash their face in a bathtub that was also missing shower curtains too (there were no curtain rails). One can only imagine how basic life was for most of the people during the Soviet ruling. Even though Jurgita did not have to pay rent, she added that the bills were already taking a huge chunk of the little pay that she gets. The costs of living seems quite high, coupled with low wages and high taxes. Feels a distant memory to read that Lithuania is a country of steroids, with sky high annual growth and imminent adoption of the Euro as its currency. It just made me appreciate the benefits of mingling with locals through CS who will tell you things that you might not otherwise hear.

After more desert, fruity tea and advising where I should head to the next morning, the hosts bade me goodnight before the start of a new work week whilst I continue to search for bus timings to Siauliai and Hills of the Crosses - which literally blew me away the next day...

ps: falling very far behind in my photos, will try to pick it up in the coming days...

Moving down south

Last night was one of my worst sleep in a hostel so far; constantly woken up by constant snoring of a french guy who booked in during the day. He seemed a really friendly guy with the lights on, but turned out to be a complete nightmare when the lights went out - he perpetually snored NON-STOP throughout the night. Ended up catching few interrupted breaks and decided to wake up at 7 and pack to get out as soon as possible. I suspect he probably knows his snoring habit, which reminded me that I should definitely bring ear plugs or my in-ear earphones on my next trip!

Whole bunch of party folks checked in yesterday and thanks to the warm welcome by the hostel, everyone literally gets a free beer and didn't stop till they left for clubs at the strike of midnight. Most of them only got back around 6-7ish in the morning. Riga, been one of the stag party destination, did not seem to disappoint in that aspect, although I will avoid those crowds as far away as possible, unless you are aiming to rock till 7am as well.

Took a day trip out to Sigulda, 60km east of Riga today. Cost of the bus ticket was 1.6 Ls and took a very precise 65min to arrive from Riga bus station. Been a general flat country, Latvia does not have any ski resorts to boast, but for the Latvians who wish to put on their skis or hop onto their snowboards, this tiny town is the place to be. Besides boasting a few castles that date back to 800 years in exact, I reckon the bob sled course is probably more famous than the sights, especially during low season where the cable car that ferries travellers across the Gauja River for 1.50 Ls in winter. There was a slightly minor mishap where I almost fell down the slopes due to the slippery snow accumulated on the steps. Made me look extra stupid when you have people who were happily going up the hill on their ski lifts whilst I was literally on all 4s trying to grab hold of anything to prevent me from falling 100m down. Picking the idea from the cross-country skiers, I did realise that I can use the same technique to walk faster on my shoes by literally 'sliding' on the black ice on the road. Surprisingly, it was quite effortless, and added a little bit of fun on the long walk. The weather was fantastic too, which allowed me to bring out my solar panels to start powering my bag of gadget (photo to come soon).

Rushed back to Riga just in time to pick up my backpack from the hostel before scurrying back to the bus station to catch the coach to Vilnius. Sometimes I think I live life too much at the edge, always planning things to the very last minute to make full use of every minute, really need to buffer more time in between! By the way, I hope to only travel on bus/trains during this trip except for my return back to London at the end.

Riga has been wonderful, although I might spend more time going to other parts of the country if it wasn't winter. Probably leave that for now and leave with good memories and head to my next destination, Vilnius in Lithuania, where I am really looking forward to meet up with my host through couchsurfing!

Starting from the Baltics

A country with a past that most would rather look to the future. Latvia's history in the last 100 years have been peppered by conquering countries who have seen the importance of this Baltic state. Since its independence in 1991, it has been trying to claw back lost time, especially with the inclusion into EU in 2004, when it recorded one of the highest growth since, although it has not been spared by the current economic crisis affecting the whole world. Since opening its doors, streams of travellers have been trickling into its capital, especially with the help of budget airlines that have started to fly to Riga in the last few years. So strange it was that there was no immigration when I landed at the airport via Warsaw, although there were only 2 luggage belts in the arrival hall of the entire airport!

Getting into town was a breeze, jumping on the local bus that goes into Old Riga, costing a very cheap 0.4 Ls (1 Ls is about £1), dropping off beside Gaugava River where I booked 2 nights with Friendly Fun Franks Backpackers Hostel. Old Riga is a real charmer, with its winding cobbled streets and historic cathedrals dating back to the 13th century. Make sure you try out the local Latvian food delights in Lido (ask for Alus Seta) or one of the local cheap eats. Vegetarians will struggle to find anything decent as Latvians are geared for meat, whether it is a simple pork chop or Russian dumplings (Pelmeni XL) wrapped with lamb or chicken.

There aren't many museums worth mentioning but a visit to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia is highly recommended if you like to understand more about its history. Make sure you time your visit with an English guide, for free! The change of guards at the Freedom Monument is also worth a mention although the 2 guards are never going to have the same impact as what you get at Buckingham Palace.

Guidebooks highlighted the Art Nouveau district in the New Town, which showcased buildings that were built in the 19th century that embraces the decadent and expressive - which for me, wasn't something that I was able to appreciate easily. There is also a big local market beside the bus and train station, selling everything from fruits and vegetables to fresh meat and pastries which are very fresh and reasonably priced. For folks who need a caffeine fix like me, head for the coffee chain Double Coffee, which serves reasonable coffee. If your hotel/hostel does not provide breakfast, this place offers very cheap breakfast deals which serves the purpose.

During winter, head across the impressive Vansu Bridge and watch the locals sit on the river ice, drilling holes into the thick layer and fish. Make sure you have plenty of warmth as it can be a very long wait before anything comes up :)

Will be heading to Sigulda tomorrow and maybe even have a go at bob sledging! After which I cross over the borders into Lithuania for it's capital Vilnius.

Exploring Eastern Europe

Will be heading to Riga tomorrow after giving up all hopes of continuing on the Blueventures dive expedition in Madagascar, especially since new violence has erupted on the island over the past few days. Have been trying out a new website this week and hope to get to stay with some locals during my 1 month away. Aiming to cross through Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and Albania, mainly on bus/trains before heading back to London for my "REAL" farewell drinks with all friends. Will update the blog during the trip and share my experiences where possible.

Looking forward to the big chill! See you all in a month's time :)