Krasnodar - Part 2

On arriving in KRR, Vakhtang picked us up and we headed to my hotel. St.Ass was staying with family, so I was flying solo at a local mom & pop hotel.

I started to get a feeling on why there are so many videos on YouTube of traffic accidents in Russia.

Russian drivers take the concept of Offensive Driving to another level.

O.M.F.G.

Let's just say my sphincter got quite a workout from all the close calls, frightening merges and creative lane use as we traveled the 5 miles from the airport to the hotel. Holy crap.

The Hotel Terem was... Interesting.

It was a hotel dominated by it's restaurant, or a restaurant that provided beds and breakfast to patrons who decided not to leave after an evening of drinking and drinking some more.

On arrival the manager insisted on making St.Ass and I drink a glass of lighter fluid...

Yum.

It's exactly what I needed after 4 airports and 20 hours of travel.

Listen to your Uncle St.Ass: Don't drink this stuff on empty stomach.

The entire hotel/restaurant was a huge collection of Russian knickknacks and gewgaws like matryoshkas, decorative plates, religious icons, and stuffed bears. 

The overall style of the Hotel Terem is a rustic log cabin/hunting lodge motif...

I was somewhat concerned when I originally booked it, wondering how long the music and festivities would last in the evening...

I got checked in around 7pm, and the manager suggested I wait until 8 or so before coming down for dinner since all the tables in the restaurant were occupied...

I unpacked and freshened up, took an inventory of my bag to make sure I had everything I started out with, then killed a little more time reading "Castigo Cay" by Matt Bracken. I headed for dinner at 8:01, since I wasn't sure how much longer I'd be awake...

I'll talk about dinner in a bit, but first - the entertainment.

There was a "band" consisting of a sound guy who slapped around iPad full of backbeats and audio effects, one guy playing various string instruments, and 3 girls that I thought were groupies since all they were doing was hanging out with the musicians...

Until they took center stage with their violins...

The girls put on quite a show- they played three rousing and very energetic songs- dancing while playing and moving all around the dining room without missing a beat.

Very entertaining, and very enjoyable.

I noticed, near the end of my meal, a chair piled with blankets near a door to the outside balcony...

Ah! Is for smokers to bundle up and go out to the balcony.

Most places in Russia smokers aren't treated like lepers, so it was odd to see a restaurant making smokers go outside... 

I went upstairs to my room and crashed- the last thing I heard was violin music from the dining room below and the smokers outside on the balcony talking and laughing.

Could have been worse... I remember nights in LA and Detroit being serenaded gunfire and police sirens. 

Coming up: Krasnodar Impressions & Food

TBG - a/k/a - NBC IT's Hatchet Man