Before I came on this trip, I knew virtually nothing about the country of Belarus. If you had asked me, I probably would have said it was part of Russia. It's not. I'm assuming my readers have a similar lack of knowledge of this country, so I'll be including a decent amount of background in this entry. I'll try not to be boring.
My guide to Belarus begins, "when the Soviet Union fell in 1991, nobody bothered to tell the Belarusians," which is an accurate introduction to the country. The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and is an essential dictator, maintaining the country's Soveit ways - including collectivisation and the KGB. In March 2006, he was elected to another 5-year term with an unbelievable (literally) 83% of the vote. Those who protested, and there were thousands, were arrested.
Some Highlights of Recent Belarusian History:
April 26, 1986-the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear plant explodes in neighboring Ukraine, polluting 23% of Belarusian territory.
August 25, 1991-Belarus declares independence from the USSR.
June 23, 1994-Former collective farm boss, Alexander Lukashenko is elected president on a pro-Russia platform with 80% of the vote.
December, 1994-two major papers critical of the president are closed.
November 28, 1996-Lukashenko signs his new constitution, extending his term from 5 to 7 years.
September, 1999-opposition figures Viktor Gonchar and Anatoly Krasovsky are shot to death. Two years later, KGB agents admit to the murder.
October 2000-parlimentary elections are held with most opposition candidates barred from running.
September 9, 2001-Lukashenko is re-elected with 76% of the vote.
October 17, 2004-Lukashenko gets presidential term limits scrapped.
December, 2004-opposition politician Mikhail Marinich is sentenced to 5 years in jail for alleged theft of office equipment.
March 19, 2006-Lukashenko is re-elected with 83% of the vote. Protestors occupy October Square.
So why would I visit such a messed up country? I spent the ride to the border trying to think up answers to that question that would flatter the guards sufficiently to let me in, but really, there are three reasons: 1. I hadn't been here before. 2. It's conveniently situated between Lithuania and the Ukraine. 3. I was four when the Wall came down. I don't remember the USSR or even perestroika, and from all I've heard, Belarus is the closest you can come to visiting the old Soviet Union. I couldn't pass that up. Besides, quotes from my guidebook such as, "expect to spend lots of time shouting at people through very small holes in very big windows," or its description of the police as "corrupt members of the state machine who carry large sticks," just made the place sound irresistible.
But visiting Belarus is not easy. Virtually every needs a visa, unless you're from a CIS or communist country. If only I had that North Korean passport...Being American, it's not enough for me to simply fill out an application for, either. I require an invitation from a hotel or inviting organization. Personally, I think this is just a big scam so some Belarusian agencies can make some extra dough.
On my arrival in Vilnius, I discovered that Lonely Planet's recommended Belarusian visa provider (Kelvita) no longer did them for foreigners. Nor did the other agency they directed me to. However, Villota (www.villota.lt) still does. They have moved since the last LP book was published, to the middle of Sopeno Gatve, near the train station, and for the low low price of 314 Litas (right...that's $126) they got me a Belarusian visa in 24 hours. My hotel voucher is entirely bogus, but hey, it did get me across the border.
Minsk, the Belarusian capital is a short 3 hour ride from Vilnius (add an hour for the border crossing). After reading my guides, I was expecting the worst at the border. I had hidden my Lonely Planet (their discussion of Belarusian politics is a little too frank for the current regieme and guards have been known to confiscate guidebooks) and stuffed the majority of my US cash in a dirty pair of socks. Guards can't extort bribes from you if they think you have no money, and they're unlikely to rifle through dirty socks. Fortunately, crossing the border between Lithuania and Belarus by bus is easier than crossing from Canada to the US by bus. We didn't even get off. A guard collected our passports, then came back half an hour later with them all stamped, and we were off. Lovely.
At 1.8 million people, Minsk is larger than all of Estonia, and my introduction to the city was trial by fire. My host was supposed to meet me at the bus station, but as the international bus station is being renovated, we were taken to a different station (Minsk has four or five) on the edge of the city. So I get off the bus, with no host, no money, and no idea where I am. No one speaks English and everything's in cyrillic. Fortunately, I've spent the last couple weeks teaching myself cyrillic (it's really not that difficult, but I am inordinately proud of this accomplishment) otherwise, I would have been irrevocably lost. There is no ATM at the station in the middle of nowhere, so I mime withdrawing money until someone gives me directions to one. There are 2150 Belarusian Roubles to the dollar, so I take out 390,000. I'm a Belarusian millionaire. Who knew? I've made a habit of taking out odd amounts of cash to ensure I get some small bills. It would be difficult to pay bus fare with a 100,000 Rouble note.
In Minsk, I have arranged a homestay with a guy off hostelworld.com, so I spend the next hour trying to catch a bus to his flat. Everyone I talk to points me to different stops and after waiting 20 minutes or so at each and having no luck, I opt to just take a cab. The bill for a 20 minute ride comes to $5 and I am taken right to the door. Clearly, I should have just gone for the cab from the start.
Alexsandr, my host, lives in a Soveit highrise. I ring his apartment, but no one answers. Uh-oh. Fortunately, someone is leaving the building, so I manage to slip in. Soviet apartments lack lights in the stairwells and halls and I am suddenly very very glad I brought a flashlight on this trip. To think, a week ago I thought of ditching it in Riga. I walk up several flights of dark stairs and find that apartments 18 to 23 are behind one door. There is no ringer for 21, Alexsandr's, or if there is, it's not labelled. I ring 22. A guy in a bathrobe comes to the door, speaks some English, and thankfully lets me into the hall to knock on 21. A man opens the door and it's Alexsandr. Hallelujah! Two and a half hours after I arrived in Minsk, I have made it.
Alexsandr offers me tea or coffee, I like neither, but go for tea, you have to be polite, and explains that I will be staying in a different flat where he will take me; the lady just needs half an hour to get it ready. We watch TV: Scrubs, Animal Planet, and National Geographic in Russian. I had read Lukashenko controlled the media and western influences, but perhaps a documentary on mongeese isn't considered threatening.
At 8:30, I finally arrive at my new home, in another Soviet highrise. Glena, my host, is bubbly friendly (the Belarusians have been much more friendly than the Balts) speaks German mixed with Russian to me, and gets me all settled. I'm staying in a real Belarusian's apartment! How cool is that!? Now I just have to figure out how to register my visa so the government can keep track of me. At least I'm pretty sure the KGB haven't bugged my room...
Minsk Hotels
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