On the Train to Ulan Ude

[swehtt]

Our final roommate configuration came to us as a gentleman clad entirely in camouflage. He was rather stinky and a little distant. It’s awkward coming into a train car. Who knows what to expect? Who are these people you will be spending such close quarters with for the next 50+ hours? I dubbed him Ol’ Stinky and he seemed a good humoured fellow.

Comments

Neat

[anonymous]

That sounds like quite the experience. I imagine myself being very uncomfortable making small talk with strangers but i guess that's why there is alcohol. Its nice that you had two EDs for the price of one, especially since you seemed to have gotten raped so hard on the cups.

--The Red October

[anonymous]

Ol' Stinky's name was Serge, or Sergei. In retrospect, he was indeed a great travel companion. Unlike our roommates on the next long leg, he had no interest in the TV and read books instead. And he had a good sense of humour. When all of Adam's drunk friends showed up to disturb Serge's peace and quiet, he merely smiled and drank a beer. Indeed, he seemed to know what the rest of the trip would be like for Adam once he started drinking with these guys. Smart too. I think having the beer to sip on protected him from the constant urging to have more vodka, something which I had to fend off. But unlike Adam, I managed to avoid more than a couple ounces of booze that night and thankfully wasn't offered any the next morning