Luckily we’ve managed to obtain a reliable Internet connection for the next few weeks, so you may get a few regular updates for once! In contrast though, I can’t guarantee any updates after we leave Russia… which could mean a good 3 months of incommunicado Charlie.
On another note though, last time I left all of you on the edge of your seats as to what my true introduction into Russian culture was…
… And you thought I forgot. Anyways, with no further adieu I present to you the Russian banya!!!
While I’ll admit I’m not the most inspirational of photographers, you can see the homely little abode over to the right… she’s a beaut! You see, initially when my hosts mentioned the banya my thoughts first raced to my amassed Spanish vocabulary. Which led me to think it was some kind of sketchy restroom of sorts, luckily I was completely off the mark… apparently Spanish doesn’t apply this far east.
The best way I could describe the experience would be to compare it to a sauna… or more aptly associated with an “Indian Sweat Box”. Point being that friends, family, and associates gather together in close quarters for the bittersweet experience of “sweating out all that ails you”. Apparently this requires temperatures of 100+ (Celsius that is…) in order to achieve the aforementioned goals. The real kicker though is that at regular intervals the participant would leap into the surrounding snow… seeing as we don’t have snow yet, we have fallen back to a relatively frigid shower as our faithful alternative.
Fear not though faithful readers, as the steam has cleared it is safe to say that I have managed to survive the gauntlet that is the Russian banya… and to my surprise I love it! In respect to this discovery I have initiated plans (as well as started rough schematics) for Paradise’s first intercultural banya experience! Patent pending of course…
Thus far my most cherished banya experience took place a few weeks ago on a perfectly chilled night. All the fellas had gathered together, mind you we managed to stash a bunch of tea, kvass (I’ll explain later… maybe), and munchies in there beforehand, as you’ve all guessed this meant we had no reason to leave for quite some time… 3 hours, countless absurd conversations, and at least 11 ridiculous moments later I found myself victor in this battle of endurance. What was my reward you ask? Nothing short of my highlight for the evening – after hearing something outside, I figured that one more trip outside was the perfect excuse to investigate not to mention cool off! It turns out that 12am is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the fireworks of a late night wedding celebration… besides that, I had the joy of witnessing all of our guys becoming family. Something you’d normally consider to be a subtle, drawn out process… this time though, I’m thoroughly convinced I witnessed it happening before my eyes.
Quick side note: there’s something wonderful about the sensation rain leaves as it hits your skin, my favorite part though is watching the steam rise back off into the cold surrounding air. Yet another reason why I love the rain…
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