The sun sets in Moscow at 9.30 pm and dawn breaks by 3.30 am. The morning was wet and chilly. Arjun was to take the team to Red Square to take pictures with Dhannu. It's a no vehicle zone and so they were unsure of the possibility to get pictures taken with Dhannu. There was a police car parked there, so they took permission from the officer to park for 2 mins and take some pictures. It was raining nevertheless they managed to take a couple of good pictures. There was hardly anyone in the square so early in the morning.
They then had breakfast with Arjun and finally bid goodbye. The traffic was horrendous as usual. They were moving in inches and by the time they got out of the city, it was 11 am. They had a long way to go and on the back of their minds, all of them were all nervous about the Belarus border. It's popular for its notoriety and unpredictability.
It was about 4.30 pm when they reached the border only to find that there is no checkpoint at all. No border control of any sort. There were no kiosks or officers, no passport checking and no stamping, however, they to buy toll and the process was slow and frustrating. The OBU (onboard unit) must be bought when you enter into Belarus and there is a map that tells you how much money one needs to top one depending on the highway. They had to sign about 30 signatures before the device was handed over to us. By the time they left the border it was 6 pm.
They reached Minsk a little after 8.15 pm and the hotel wasn't hard to find. On reaching the room, they found flowers from the Ambassador waiting for them. It was such a thoughtful gesture by His Excellency Mr.Pankaj Saxena. The local Rotary club and its president, Mr.Yuri turned up at the hotel to greet them along with various other members! It was such a pleasure meeting all of them.
It was past midnight before they got a wink of sleep while tomorrow awaited them with a number of engagements lined up!
They then had breakfast with Arjun and finally bid goodbye. The traffic was horrendous as usual. They were moving in inches and by the time they got out of the city, it was 11 am. They had a long way to go and on the back of their minds, all of them were all nervous about the Belarus border. It's popular for its notoriety and unpredictability.
It was about 4.30 pm when they reached the border only to find that there is no checkpoint at all. No border control of any sort. There were no kiosks or officers, no passport checking and no stamping, however, they to buy toll and the process was slow and frustrating. The OBU (onboard unit) must be bought when you enter into Belarus and there is a map that tells you how much money one needs to top one depending on the highway. They had to sign about 30 signatures before the device was handed over to us. By the time they left the border it was 6 pm.
They reached Minsk a little after 8.15 pm and the hotel wasn't hard to find. On reaching the room, they found flowers from the Ambassador waiting for them. It was such a thoughtful gesture by His Excellency Mr.Pankaj Saxena. The local Rotary club and its president, Mr.Yuri turned up at the hotel to greet them along with various other members! It was such a pleasure meeting all of them.
It was past midnight before they got a wink of sleep while tomorrow awaited them with a number of engagements lined up!