Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
'No, I like women. I like women, not men. Women I like!' I stated, emphatic-
ally.
'Oh! Oh! But you are so beautiful! I liked you the first time I saw you! C'mon,
why don't you try?' he pressed.
There didn't seem to be any point in arguing with the man, so I strode out.
'Oh why? Ask Chris. Maybe Chris wants it!' were his last words before I
slammed the door shut.
Outside I stood naked, speechless. I stood there gazing into nothingness, water
dripping off my body. Chris was placidly preparing to go back in. Silence prevailed
and the steam wafted off my cooling back. I didn't utter a word until I was clothed
and ready to leave for the train station. My first reaction was to take the bikes and
get out of there - only our train was leaving in less than an hour. We had no choice
but to trust that our bikes would be safe until we returned.
What got me wasn't the fact that he was homosexual. It was his unrelenting beg-
ging, his refusal to take no for an answer, and the way he had lured us to his home.
As the carriage swayed and creaked over the ruts toward Novosibirsk, it oc-
curred to me that in the past month much of the challenges had involved running
the gauntlet of Russian hospitality.
