russia

June 6-7, 2007
So lets talk about the vodka in St. Petersburg, Russia. Y’all don’t know vodka. Its so smooth and creamy and doesn’t burn and is tasteless and MESSES YOU UP. This ain’t no burnetts or mccormick 5 dollar stuff, this is straight from the USSR with love.

Now about the land of Russia. I found its still very cold to American anything. Its slowly starting to open up to the rest of the world but St. Petersburg is a very prideful city and is proud of their past and honors it immensely. Back in the day of the cold war if you spoke English you were either a spy or training to be one so I noticed they still treated us very differently. Russians are very friendly people…once you are in and they know you. The youth, mainly the men are much more direct and open. Makes for an interesting evening.

We got off the ship at 11pm. Went straight to this club called Metro Club. It was three stories with each floor being a different theme. The bottom was a big huge open bar for the younger kids and normal music dance floor. Full of lasers and fog. The second floor was for your Russian gangsta’s. it was all rap music. The third floor was where we stayed ALL NIGHT LONG. Three side by side rectangular rooms the dance floor was 2 stories and stuck between two bars. On the second floor was a balcony that ran around the perimeter where men were dancing. They were sailors, then military, then they were just in thongs and oil. They were simply gogo dancers and nobody could get up there but them. I made for a really really cool environment. Teenagers and early 20’s all dancing to the latest in dance music lights and fog and screaming and sweat. It was AMAZING. No cameras were allowed but you best believe I have video and stills of the dancers and the crowds. It was so cool. Turns out tonight was student night and the drinkin age is 16 in Russia. I felt like I could go to jail as a pedophile at any moment. But a couple of vodkas and life was amazing.

Then me and mashawn want to go to a gay bar so we leave and get a taxi to this club called Sinners. Its 4:00am at this point. We get there, it’s a dungeon looking place and they gave us a card upon entering. As we left we gave this card back to him and it had what we drank or any dues we had. Pay as you leave. Cool idea. Anyways, there were 6 people there cause it was a weeknight so it was kinda lame. We ran into some of the gay philipeanos on the ship and we hung out with them for a while. It was tragic. The bartender was straight and should be a model and needs to get out of Russia and go to the states and be famous. It was ridiculous. I’m talking Abercrombie&Fitch/shaggy brown hair perfect body and a smile/gorgeous face and spoke English. He’s ready to be famous on some WB tv show for teen girls. Anyways, I go dance with myself for a bit, found I had some new moves, mashawn started talking to this guy who fell in love with him and got jealous if anybody else talked to him but him and his friends ended up giving us a free ride back to the ship.(not too smart getting in a car with strangers but hell, how often are you in st. Petersburg at a gay club leaving at 6:00 in the morning with people you just met who’s car keeps breaking down) you only live once I say. I digress. Back at the bar I’m sitting up with the crew and this guy comes to me, says I’m beautiful and doesn’t speak a lick of English. I don’t speak Russian so its really awkward. He puts his hand around my hand and kisses me. I WAS LIKE WHAT THE HELL???JUST CAUSE I’M BEAUTIFUL DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE LICENED TO KISS ME BITCH. I turned around and look at my friend jo and he turned into the bitchy gay I was too stunned to be. The guy went up to some other guy to translate for him and basically he said that if I bought him a beer he would sleep with me. It was at that time that I said goodbye to the pretty bartender, wished him luck with his girlfriend, found mashawn and said we were leaving.

We got back to the ship at 6:30, went to breakfast and now its 8:00am. Russia was fun.

Keep in mind this whole time it’s been sunny outside. The sun doesn’t set till 2 or so in the morning and then its twilight for an hour and then it’s sunny again. It’s easy to lose yourself in all this sun. And apparently we were here for one of the 6 sunny days in Russia. How cool is that. Its about 70 degrees

Lesson of the day: things happen for a reason and because of that I was able to not buy a drink for somebody. Also, I told some Russians they need to smile more. You feel better when you smile

We go to Helsinki, Finland tomorrow but I have IPM. Sorry dad. Hope you can check this while you’re in Australia. Be safe. Hi mom. Hi…