Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
vast flat plain. It soon became obvious that the author of the map (which screamed
'reliable' in big red letters) had never set foot in the region and had been indul-
ging in a bit of make-believe. Occasionally, we tried to follow roads that were
marked but had never been built, and sometimes vice versa. Mostly, we were
simply baffled by villages either inaccurately named or marked. This, together with
the fact that none of the minor roads were signposted, made navigating a frustrat-
ing challenge.
We both needed space and mostly travelled several kilometres apart, catching
up only when we stopped for meal breaks and at uncertain-looking intersections.
We also made a habit of cycling into villages together. This gave us extra kicking
power in the likely event of a dog attack. It also helped when asking directions
from locals.
We rode into a village on the first of June, the first day of summer and three days
after leaving Omsk. It was called Chistovo, but our map located it almost twenty
kilometres away. The main street was a continuation of the road we had arrived on
- a single lane of worn bitumen with wide, potholed dirt shoulders for overtaking.
It stretched only a few hundred metres through the village with a dozen or so log
houses scattered on either side.
Fields dotted with workers and heavy machinery reached for miles around, but
the only signs of life from within the village were a few barking dogs and a very
old man sitting on an uneven bench outside his house. We pedalled up to him. He
half struggled to his feet and half tried to wave his stick at us. We left the bikes and
walked cautiously over to him, map in hand.
'Um, could you please tell us the way to Yaminka?' Tim began.
'Eh!' he said sharply, peering with bright eyes. He'd obviously noticed the ac-
cent. 'Where are you from?'
'
Avstraliya
,' I replied, reluctantly. This was going to be another one of
those
conversations.
'Eh!' he said again, looking us slowly up and down. We waited uncomfortably
for almost a full minute while he considered this information. Then he finally
smiled. 'Austria! Well I never.'
'Ah … Yes.' Tim let it pass and tried again. 'Do you, by any chance, know the
way to Yaminka
?
'
'Eh!' He turned his head slightly and thrust a wrinkled ear towards us. 'Where?'
'YAMINKA!'
