EXPLODING HEAD

I ask the hotel for a taxi… sure.. No problem. 1300 ruples. I hail one on the street and snag him for 1000 ruples… about $16 less. Go Nolando. Always good at hustling…. Always good at making my flights on time… NOT SO MUCH!
I finally arrive at the St Petersburg airport after a nice scenic 1.5 hour drive from the city center. 20 km away. Traffic here is horrific… think LA at Rush Hour… and then it is that bad but forever. Km after km.. bumper to bumper.. weaving in and out.. in and out and we are making progress. I am in the back reading Alan Greenspan – Ironically learning about the Russian and South American economies. Free Markets and Populist leaders. The taxi stops. Driver tells me something in Russian… gets out – goes to the trunk – dons a glove and grabs a screwdriver… The hood comes up.. a little mechanic work and some strong Russian words – gets the Lada back into shape. Driver gets back into the car, smiles, and off we go again. No clue what that was about… but ok… We laugh and it’s all good.
Only problem… traffic makes me miss my flight. Taxi driver drops me off at Terminal 1. Aeroflot leaves from Terminal 2. Oops. I show him my ticket – in English of course… he says he understands – but obviously not. I walk into terminal 1 with a bad feeling – No Aeroflot signs. No check in…I wander around – asking everyone – no English.. then a British Airways gal tells me I am at the Wrong Airport. No problem.. Terminal 2 is less than 20 minutes away by Taxi. Great.. More $$$. No problem! I hunt my original taxi guy down outside – tell him to take me to terminal 2. Back to the lovely traffic. Wait, wait, wait.. Wait for it!!! I finally arrive at Terminal 2 in 25 minutes. Now less than 30 minutes to catch my flight. I am fucked!
I left about 2.5 hours early… Knowing it will take me at least an hour to go 20 km with all of the traffic. I arrive to the airport and they only speak RUSSIAN. My gate is closed for some reason.. the Aeroflot office is closed… the administrator of the airport… she only speaks Russian… Tourist information. Nope. Not here. Help desk.. yeah right. In Russia? Flight information.. sure… speak Russian? Nope. Big Surprise there! The younger people do speak Russian and quite well. But it has been my experience that it is far and few between.
So I finally find a young Russian girl and she sells me a ticket to Moscow for $150 USD. But to a different airport in Moscow… not my original airport. Always nice to buy a ticket to the same place twice. Well… a different airport so maybe not the same place. I am sure I will have a good story upon my arrival. Especially since I have no clue where I am going. Can I log into the airport WIFI – sure. But the instructions are in Russian.
I am notorious for missing my flights – but I think that I have finally learned my lesson. This sucks and I want to be soooooooooooo mad. But I can’t. I am so angry but I am laughing at myself. I am learning patience – I am learning to deal with difficulty and humility. I would consider myself a very seasoned traveler.. but I have to admit that Russia has been the most difficult country I have traveled in. From getting a visa, to language, to eating, to finding a place to go out… It has been an amazing learning experience – frustrating… yes but also rewarding. You bet. There is a reason for this… I just do not know it yet.