Hurry! Don’t loose a moment. There are just a few places left in the world that aren’t the norm, i.e., western style, consumer driven economies with some form of democracy, or countries desperately trying to join the same club. The countries that have defied this trend are falling like dominoes, so get in a visit while you can before they’re gone forever.
Well that was my thinking process while deciding where to travel. I had dim memories, as a child, of waking-up in a train compartment, while the train had pulled into a station, in the midst of a tempestuous snowstorm. The city was Minsk and the country at that point was still the Soviet Union. I promised myself then that I would be back one day for a proper visit. It has taken the best of thirty-five years but I have finally made the trip.
Entering Belarus is a challenge. If you’re an American you’re going to require a visa. Visa free entry is only available to the citizens of the former Soviet Republics. And getting a visa is not as straightforward as you might imagine. First the intending visitor must obtain a letter of invitation from a “business enterprise”, or an accredited tourist related business. I contacted Smok Travel in Minsk. The visa support costs upwards of $20.00 and the money has to be transferred via a bank wire. The first time I tried this it was rejected because the banking information for Smok was old/incorrect and they hadn’t updated their documentation. In addition to the visa support a visitor is also required to have prepaid hotel accommodation before making a visa application to the Belarus Embassy. The consular fee is $100.00 for a single-entry visa. After all the paper work was submitted the visa, to my surprise, was stamped promptly.
I flew from Minneapolis to Warsaw, Poland and spent the weekend in Warsaw (a fascinating place in its own right but more about that another time) and then caught a Belavia (Belarus airline, yikes!) flight to Minsk. The flight left Warsaw in the afternoon and I would be pervaricating if I said that I felt no trepidation about the trip. Like the rest of the world I had heard horror stories of ancient and decrepit Soviet airplanes: TU-154s, etc. But I needn’t have feared my flight was onboard a brand new Boeing 737. The flight was over a vast snow covered vista (this was February) and the closer we got to Minsk the darker it got. The plane was on its landing approach and looking down I could only see pastoral scenes in the lengthening gloom. I was ready for a landing in a meadow when suddenly a few lights appeared and we were over a snow covered landing strip. The airport is dark, dank and very cold. The minute you enter the arrival area you are obliged to buy “health insurance”, which can run a few dollars a day so be sure to keep a few loose dollars on you. Immigration and Customs are slow and I had a particularly nasty time of it. The passport control line inched slowly forward and when my turn came the official looked at my American passport, with a valid visa, and said something in fluent and brisk Russian, which naturally defeated me. A few more things were said back and forth, his Russian to my English. The upshot of it was that I was waived to the back of the line. It was now really cold and even more lights had been switched-off. The thought crossed my mind that I might be denied entry, and would have to spend the night in the ever darkening and cold arrivals, waiting to be deported back to Warsaw in the morning. Finally every passenger has been processed and I came up to the immigration officer again. He looked at my passport and said something in Russian again. This time I thought I caught the word “Billet” and in desperation produced the return half of my ticket; this was the magic act because I was then granted entry. Hallelujah!
Once through customs I was accosted by several men purporting to be taxi drivers. From previous experiences I knew it was best to get a taxi from an “official” place outside the terminal so I ignored them and went in search of an ATM. The ATM was one floor up and in almost complete darkness. I climbed up the stairs with the taxi drivers still in tow. Amazingly my bankcard worked and I was now in possession of Belarusian Rubles of worryingly high denomination. Outside the terminal there were huge snowdrifts and not a taxi in sight. The persistent taxi touts were still behind me and with reluctance I chose the least inimical looking one. The ride to the city cost me the equivalent of $20.00 and was made at high-speeds over a poorly plowed and dark highway.
Minsk has several hotels to choose from but since I wanted a Soviet experience I chose a hotel that is a relic from the days of the Soviet Union: The Belarus Hotel. My room cost the equivalent of $50.00 a night.
The hotel has several restaurants and bars but nothing worth writing home about. And be very careful about which elevator you use: don’t use the two really old elevators – I did and I spent a nasty, scary 30 minutes stuck between floors in a tiny, pitch dark elevator, where my calls for rescue fell on unsympathetic and uncomprehending Russian ears. The hotel reminded me of a dormitory in a reform school. Each floor has a stern looking matron who keeps a close eye on the inmates (customers) staying there. The rooms are tiny and the furniture has a tattered and worn look to it. In case of a fire all bets would be off because I don’t recall seeing a fire exit (or stairs). The hotel has a very good gym with modern equipment but to use it you must either be staying in “business class” or pay a usage fee of about $10.00. In the evening the lobby is full of working girls that I had naively assumed to be delegates attending a women’s conference!
In the winter the city looks beautiful but there isn’t much in the way of street life. Food and drink is plentiful and cheap. I ate and drank at the best restaurants (this isn’t saying a lot) in Minsk and don’t remember ever spending more than $50.00 on a meal. One dining recommendation would be The Astara, a central Asian restaurant with an interesting Levantian cuisine. You can also try the several Chinese and Italian restaurants of indifferent quality. For local food I would recommend cafeteria style restaurants which are cheap but surprisingly good.
The old Soviet Union was big on music, theater and dance and this tradition lives on in Minsk. I saw a gorgeous production of The Marriage of Figaro (in Russian) at the Belarusian State Academic Theatre of Opera & Ballet. The Russian style circus that I remember seeing (and loving) as a child was less impressive now and I felt the animals hard done but you can check it for yourself at the Belarusian State Circus.
I took several day trips from Minsk and for this a rental car with a driver is essential. The first trip was to go skiing at the Logoysk Skiing Resort about 20 miles outside Minsk. The gentle slope was icy in the extreme but having skied in Minnesota I was used to icy runs. Not having skiing clothes made for a cold and miserable day but that’s my fault not the place’s. The second trip was the highlight of my stay in Belarus. It was a trip to Khatyn, a village that was burnt to the ground by the occupying Nazis and then "liberated" by the glorious Red Army. I walked through this village in knee deep snow. Every house is burnt to the ground, with only the chimneys surviving which contain bells that chime at regular intervals. The village has a towering statue of a grieving man carrying a dead child. This was very poignant, especially in the snow and the eerie twilight of a late afternoon. My final trip was to Dudutki a 19th century Belarusian village. All aspects of village life have been preserved. The visitor can ride a horse in the snow; hammer shape a horseshoe; engage in a bit of pottery; view some classic old Russian cars; and finish up with a glass of potent moonshine that one can use to wash down Salin (a slab of pork lard).
On my last day I was invited to a Belarussian acquaintance's house, where I sat in a steaming sauna and then dived into freezing cold water, a plunge that I surprisingly survived. Minsk and Belarus are a wonderful escape from the West. The people are friendly and hospitable. Get in and see the place while Lukashenko still runs the show. The people are chaffing at the bit to be like their neighbors to the West but there’s still time for a nostalgic East European trip.