Home again

Yesterday as I rode the bus north from SFO, we crossed the Golden Gate bridge mid-afternoon. The city, the boats on the water, and all around sparkled in the sun, and I was reminded of the beauty I take for granted in the place I all home. I remember the feeling of awe at this place when I first moved here, but of course everyday life is all-encompassing whether you live in Sonoma County or a ger in western Mongolia. It was good to be reminded.

Thank you for coming along on this trip with me. Someone along the way pointed out to me the added pleasure of sharing an experience with another, and I agree. It added to my experience to be able to share it with you, so thank you for that.

I will of course commence planning for the next adventure just as soon as I can stay awake!

A little bit of Seoul

Monochrome

Like most regional airports, Irkutsk made up its own rules, which seemed surprisingly relaxed for Russia. I was unsure how the customs and exit process would go so left plenty of time, which turned out not to be needed. I found a seat at the only place open after security, a so-called Irish Pub. It had a cozy booth for me to hang out in, and I was lost in my book when I happened to glance up. The entire gate area (one big room) was filled almost to capacity with people in gray. All gray. Their heads were shaved so at first I wasn't sure if they were men or women (a mix). Each had very loose (gray) pants with elastic at the ankles, and wore a sort of large, loose (gray) frock over it that had a wide tie at the front. I felt like I'd somehow taken a wrong turn and entered an alternative universe. Even the shoes were gray. Hats and backpacks were either all gray or at least partly gray. There were about 100, and they were the bulk of the passengers on the flight to Seoul.

I knew they must be part of a religious order, and it turns out they are Korean Buddhist monks, who wear gray because it represents harmony, and also as a reminder that when they die their bodies will be burned, and ash is also gray. Or so Google says.

Wandering but not lost

On the days when I had a hotel room to return to at will, I stayed out all day. Today I don't have a room anymore, and I find myself feeling the urge to return to base for a few minutes. But the 'base' has vanished as of check-out time. So I've stopped off in this coffee shop for a rest.

I took the trolley (electric bus) to the airport to make sure that would work tonight.

The airport was so close, I walked back! This park is Constitution Square.

My transit options tonight with luggage- flight is at 11:55 pm to Seoul, where I shall explore in a sleep-deprived state.

There is one mosque in Irkutsk. Like the Jewish synagogue, it has historically been restricted, and the building was nationalized during the Soviet era- the polite way to say it was taken, I guess.

  A stand outside the mosque selling prayer rugs, men's hats, and cigarettes, mostly.

Then I ran into the market.

Back to the streets

Happy morning to you

It's the morning of my last day here. My flight is at 11:55 pm, so it's a loonnngg day, especially given that I'll give up my room by noon. I have a 15 hour layover in Seoul, hoping to see a little of the city, so I need to pack strategically this morning. But first, coffee.

Finders keepers

Part of the impetus for completing the Trans-Siberian Railway as fast as humanly possible was to be able to get troops and supplies to the east, both during the civil war between the Whites and the Reds, and to defend against Japanese aggression. In the years leading up to, and during the war, Japan saw itself as the superior nation with a significant plan of expansion by force. Before the railroad, it would take months to get soldiers from Moscow/St. Petersburg to the Pacific. Yesterday as we rode the bus back in to the city from the lake, Helen pointed out some buildings that she said were built with labor from Japanese POW's at the end of WWII, which is what started me down this rabbit hole.

Probably everyone knows stories of exile to Siberia- some as prisoners whose lives were gruesome in the extreme, and some who were able to bring their families and re-settle themselves.  Before the Russians used exiles to populate this vast land, there were Buryats, Kalikans (precursors to the Turkic speaking Yakuts), Oirats, Khalkha, and Tungus. And before the Russians, there was Genghis Khan, who took this land along with most of Asia and some of Europe by force.

By now you are asking, what is the point of all these unrelated comments? No point, exactly, but a thought anyway. For me it raises again the question of who has the right to a plot of land, and on what basis are those rights established?

First in time seems the most equitable approach, except that in almost all cases except perhaps Iceland, those we now consider indigenous to an area were at one time the interloper, and probably took the land by force in many cases. So who really has that claim?

I'm not suggesting that means first in time won't work. I'm just noting the obvious point that all bases for establishing right to ownership or control of land are human constructs, subject to continuing agreement by all parties. Where consensus fails, war or conflict is the likely result throughout human history.

The first settlers to what is now the US faced the same dilemma- they needed to have a means to establish clear title to land, and they had the pesky little problem of those who were here before them. They reached back to around the 1400's for a legal theory that would justify their taking the land.

(the Pope had issued a papal bull for the benefit of the Portuguese who wanted to colonize parts of the African continent  - and thus gave birth to the discovery doctrine, which might also be called "I saw it first so it's mine." The Christian God gave these 'Christians' a divine right over all except any prior arrivals from a 'civilized' (aka Christian) nation, according to the Pope- not the first or last time religion has served for political purposes.)

As humans seem to have done since recorded history, those who want land (or oil, or other resources) for themselves continue to find ways to justify taking it. All this results for me in the idea that we can't stop ourselves from being human. We can strive to let our better selves govern, but that is all it is, an effort. Sometimes it will succeed, and sometimes it will fail. And they say travel is broadening!

What's a lungo?

It's after 9 am and do you see what I see?

That's right- it's still not open. Can you feel my pain? When I finally got my chance, I got a latte because those seem universal. I've seen an Australian lungo on several coffee shop menus, so this afternoon I tried one. Turns out it's like an Americano except all the water is brewed instead of added after. I suppose that makes it stronger but each coffee drink I get seems to be different regardless of the name, so I'm not sure. By that time I was tired, and the caffeine boost was welcome. I'd started out early this morning with the intent to wander for a while, but one thing led to another, and I never went back to my room until evening. So the coffee break was a relief for my feet too.

More to see at every turn. This city is full of pocket parks, statues, fountains, flowers, flowers everywhere.

The synagogue in Irkutsk is part of an interesting and sometimes painful history of Jewish people in this town. I had to ring a bell to be admitted but once in, I was made welcome (no words, of course, because of the language difference), and when I asked about photos, this too was alright.

While there is only one synagogue and one mosque in this city, there are a lot of Russian Orthodox churches- most of them were made to serve some secular purpose during the Soviet era, and a lot of icons and relics were lost. Many are still fairly plain on the inside, but not the Kazan Church. There is also a Kazan Russian Orthodox Church in San Francisco, by the way. This particular branch of the Russian Orthodox Church commemorates Our Lady of Kazan, an icon of the Virgin Mary that was discovered in the town of Kazan, Russia in the 16th century. This particular church was built in the 1880's in the Byzantine style. It suffered the effects of sovietization, like almost all churches, but was restored in the 1990's, and is pretty incredible inside and out now.

All the churches have baskets of scarves available for women who visit without a head covering.

More churches of Irkutsk

The sign of a barber shop

I'm wondering if this is the building where the school was located that Natalia told me about

Flowers abound