FLY TO OMSK - OMCК

Ah, finally, a good sleep. I am slowing catching up on my sleep. My coughing session wasn't so bad this morning; I am getting over my cold as well. Should I get up or stay in bed? We are in the middle of nowhere, so there is nothing to do. Ah, but there is that trail into the forest. A morning walk might be nice. I decided to go and have breakfast first. It was 9:30, some of the crew may be there already.

I walked over the restaurant building, it looked deserted. I went upstairs, it was pitch black, but in the corner was a waitress setting up tables. It wasn't one of the twins. She spoke no English, but I gathered there was no breakfast, at least right now. I asked her about coffee and she pointed downstairs. I walked down to the bar, there was a guy and a girl sitting on the couch watching a Russian war movie. There was another girl playing a poker gambling machine. I might as well have been invisible. No one was at the bar. I waited for several minutes, then left.

It had started snowing. I decided to walk down the trail. It was absolutely beautiful, not a soul in sight. The wind was blowing through the trees, the snow gently falling, a very serene place. It was silent except for the wind and the occasional "creak" of a tree. I walked for quite a way, then the trail started to go downhill. There was a large ravine off to my right. Ahead in the distance, I could now see a lake. After a few more minutes, I came upon a bridge leading to what looked like some type of beach resort. There was a beach on the lake, with a derelict looking pier. An old boat, rather large, was tied up to the pier. The place was deserted. It was obviously a summer hangout for our resort, but this time of year it was dead. I sat on a stump and contemplated life. It was so calm, quiet. It was actually so nice to be alone with my thoughts.

The snowfall started to get heavier, especially since I was not under the cover of the trees. I headed back to the resort. I picked up a rock on the path, I do that every so often, it reminds of a place I liked, and I feel it is kinda like taking a part of the place with you. I was disappointed that I hadn't brought my camera, but I was also glad- there was no way I could of captured the feeling of the moment though a simple photograph. My minds eye would be the only thing to do this memory justice.

The wind picked up, it really sounded nice whipping through the treetops. It was cold, but I was nice and warm inside my heart. I was really glad that I went on this walk, it was definitely good for the soul. Such a place of beauty, thousands of miles away from my home, but I felt at home here. I felt rejuvenated. I made my way back to the resort, sat on a bench near my building and was happy to be alive. The wind slowed and the snow started to make its way through the trees and settle on the ground.

I walked back to my room. I heard Robbie in the hallway and opened my door. He was heading to breakfast, so I decided to go with him. It was after noon by this time. We went to the restaurants and lo and behold, they were now open for breakfast. We sat, Irina joined us, and then Peter arrived. The Twins were also back on duty, and they brought us coffee and breakfast.

After breakfast, I went back to my room and packed. We left the hotel at 2 PM for our long drive to the airport. The snow was still falling.

It took an hour to get to the airport. We went into the terminal and checked in. There were a few shops and restaurants there, but nothing great. There was a souvenir shop there, I bought a couple of things and headed through security. We were placed in this room to wait, as usual. We finally were allowed to board, so we made our way to the plane.

This was to be a short flight, about an hour and a half. It was uneventful, and quick. The weather seemed to be better in Omsk, but still cold. When we landed, I saw an old Beriev Be-12 Russian Flying Boat- I had never seen one in the flesh before. Happily we taxied right by it. I was stoked to say the least.

We got off the plane, then stood on the ramp while the local media swarmed the band. There were a bunch of other people around, we were told that they were airport staff. Remember, the Scorpions coming to all these cities is quite an event. I met this little Russian cutie named Natasha. Imagine that. She was a television reporter for Channel 12. She spoke very good English and told me how excited the people were about the Scorpions playing here. The band were whisked away in their cars and we boarded a bus, as did the media and airport staff. We went to a building, were we got off the bus and got into vans to head to the hotel. We asked the driver if there was a McDonalds here, and he said yes! Hooray! Could it be true? Finally.

Fortunately, the hotel was only 5-minutes away. The lobby was mobbed with reporters and other unknown persons, probably fans, and hotel staff. It was a nice hotel, I went up to my room. Very tiny, with a tiny bed, I mean tiny but hey, it was newly renovated and very clean. This half of the hotel was new, but the other half was still old, probably dated back to the 50's or early 60's. The Russian crew stayed in that part. They called their rooms "jazzy." I think they meant ragamatag. I asked the front desk if the hotel had Internet access, they said yes, but what they really meant was just telephone access. Then we were told there wasn't a McDonalds in this city. Bummer.

We were supposed to have dinner in the hotel, but it was a rather small restaurant, and the band was meant to eat there as well, so we were told that we were going out. I love to go out, and mix with the locals. James, the drummer, decided to come with us. We were taken to this restaurant called "21st Century" and it was a Russian sports bar. Great! We ordered beers, food and just had a great time. They even had cabbage soup with a dollop of sour cream. We had a blast. They even had American hockey on TV, which made Robbie ecstatic. He's a huge Redwings fan. It was also great to hang out with James. We did a few shots of vodka and headed back to the hotel.