The first days in Moscow – Baikal

The train, tapping on the wheels, drew its few passengers to the city of Moscow. Although I expect to start the battle of the Kremlin chimes, from July 1, at the sign of the zero kilometer, on July 1, it turned out that my car had just crossed the Moscow ring road (under the bridge) and to go to Moscow. Two militiamen and a "civilian" passed into the car and drove the wounded peasants to the squad. At the same time, the "civilian" apparently as Elder condemned: "... nothing, nothing. Come to Moscow, we'll know ... "None of them asked for the tickets, and I still did not understand if it was a ticket without a ticket or a threat with a suspect ... The train arrived late at Savyolovsky station , but I did not intend to take the metro. Turning left into the underpass, ten minutes later, I went to Novoslobodskaya Street and put on armbands and shoe covers with reflective tape. The retroreflective "AUTOPT" inscription was attached to the backpack straps at the chest with velcro. Now is the time to take advantage of Mc Hammer's Great Teaching , called " Systop . The idea was to go to Moscow at night in the Garden Ring, go to Mayakovsky Square , then hitchhike along Tverskaya to Manezh Square . Thus, along the most important street of the country, I will go to the very center of Russia, starting point of which all the highways begin to be counted. He began to vote with his fist extended, thumb in the air. According to "experienced" hitchhikers, this gesture should scare taxi drivers, thanks to the efforts of Valery Shanin and his students from the hitchhiking school in Moscow. Alas, the first three cars that stopped at Novoslobodskaya Street turned out to be very profitable taxi drivers. Although the drivers were very surprised by my request: "... in fact, I'm going to Baikal, but at least on the Garden Ring? ...", but ... In addition, a few more cars stopped, surprised by the "sparkling outfit". They identified and satisfied their interest. Although they can not take me away because of their workload , I have heard many words and warm wishes. ... Well, the good starting words will not hurt - I comforted myself mentally. Well, here is a taxi driver, altruistic. He takes me to the ring of the garden and goes to the Mayakovsky Square. Turn resolutely towards Tverskaya and start voting next to a forty-year-old woman, wearing a long, thick dress and slippers, walking on the sidewalk. From the corner of my eye, I notice the absence of "nocturnal butterflies", which surprised me and even alerted me. But no, she looked out the door and the long-legged girl disappeared again. I wonder how it will be removed from this bridge? It turned out that the answer was (?) Next. A woman in a bathrobe took a few steps in my direction and asked confidently, "Young man, you do not need anyone?" It was said with such a tone that if there was a "young man" with boot covers and cuffs with bright arms, an "automatic stop" inscription on the chest and with a huge backpack would require, for example, "A young man with blue eyes, bald black" I had to hurt her. However, apparently not believing right away, she still approached me four times "with suggestions," until I hinted at her lack of money for the hitchhikers. After that, I immediately fell behind. It's the same ... I would now like to describe in detail to the dear reader the voting process on Tverskaya at around two o'clock in the morning: The circulation of private cars towards the center. I choose the one that, in my opinion, is the least appropriate for the definition of "taxi". Here, for example, are the red " Zhiguli " of the sixth model. I make a movement with my hand in front of the machine (it can be quite slow, it can be energetic, it turns out that it is enough to nod in time). The machine performs a maneuver, which is called a dog on foot. I open the front door, say: - Good evening I am a hitchhiker going to Baikal without money. And now, I need the end of the street, Manezh Square . If along the way, will you give an elevator? - Yes, how does it go without money? I work ... - he says, as if he had a yellow Mercedes with "ladies", the taxi driver is also called ... - Well, I'm sorry, I did not know you're a taxi. Have a nice day. I slam the door, stand up and ... ... I still see 5-6 cars, with or without green lights, aligned in the hope of winning ... naive. Further on the subject: - ... All the best. - Clap. - Sorry to bother you. - Door slammed. - Goodbye! - snap "Damn, the hand is already tired of slamming doors - you have to think of something else!" - I move four steps from the sidewalk (not to shine) and I stretch my hand tired. The machine 12 has already "processed". Let's try another way to create a conversation: - ... good evening. The hitchhiker to the end of the street will not give up, please. If you're on the way, of course ... - Sorry, brother, I have to work ... So, better already! We still have to find something. I will try another method. In the twentieth minute of the Night CityStop , I do not approach the "taxi drivers" anymore. Instead of opening my mouth and slamming the doors, I show the " mani-mani " gesture in front of the next car, then I cross and extend the palms on the ground several times. Yes, it turned out we need. Several taxi drivers leave at the same time, without any physical effort to tilt the backpack and open the door. It's lucky. The yellow taxi, having received the gesture described above, moves away and brakes again. I rush and speak loudly in the cabin: - Yes, I do not have money! - I understood. Where are you - Yes, just until the end of Tver. - Sit down, take a walk. - thank you! So the backpack on the back seat, itself - in the front. Hell, there is no belt - yes it's a taxi! "Professional Habit" - I always want to buckle up. I do not have time to talk about the itinerary of the trip, because we've already arrived ... ... yes, it's only a half-hour walk, even with a backpack ! I walk to the door of the resurrection. Lit only a monument to Zhukov . Near the sign of darkness of zero kilometer and not a soul. However no. People come from Red Square, obviously visitors. Who else will walk around Red Square at two in the morning? - Good evening Do not be afraid. (The projector shines from behind their backs directly on me - the view is probably always that one!) The woman shook her husband's hand until it turned white. - Hello ... - I'm not a stranger (smile), I'm a hitchhiker. From here, I'm hitchhiking to Baikal . Could you take a picture of me with my camera? I stretch the camera. A man puts his hand in his pocket and suddenly stretches ... a hundred ruble bill! - What do you mean? I just took a picture! - It's not good how it happened. For the thief, probably, accepted. Stoolovka disappears. He takes a camera, takes pictures sitting and standing. Thank you We say goodbye. A man suddenly asks: - Do you have a knife? - No just a knife and no. Bad turned out somehow. I lost the knife during the last campaign, I had to buy something on the road and they probably need to open or cut something. - Hold on. A gift from the Black Sea Fleet. - Pull a black elongated object. - Here, thank you. I just lost my. - I take and, without looking, because busy packing the camera. Put the gift in the pocket of jeans. - Good luck, hitchhiker! - And you happy. Thank you very much for everything. Satisfied with the divergent communication in different directions. Now I have to find a lighted place and see the outline of Moscow, which would lead to the Ryazan road . Down in the underpass - that's where the light is! I make the first entry in the newspaper. He remembered the knife and decided to push it deeper into the backpack so as not to lose. Seen by the light ... Wow! Yes, it's a real Swiss army knife! (It's worth my monthly salary for a teacher! The Black Sea fleet lives well ...) At the base of the main blade is an engraving: VICTORINOX Swiss Inox On the other side is also the inscription: DE-GM 9305297 - probably, they are numbered. For the first time in my life, I hold in my hands such an expensive toy. Yes, no wonder I stopped in the center of Moscow. Happy and fun step in the State Duma. At the corner are taxi drivers near the cars: - Hey! Where are you going so happy? - For Baikal! On Baikal ... Using the "lack of money" mentioned above, I went to Taganskaya Square with two other taxis. On Volgogradsky Prospekt , they changed asphalt (in the middle of the night!). I had to walk on the sidewalk for about half a kilometer. Three other taxi drivers went to Vykhino . They drove near, to the nearest gas station, for example. One of them, on the Black Volga, which had been led by Plasians , asked an interesting question: - Listen, I am not referring to anything, do not be offended ... Suppose you are driven by a driver who really has very little money, suppose you only have time to eat twice. coffee together. You, as you say, you take out your pasta pot and stuff, and he's ordering himself for one or something? Yes, of course, he will order for two and feed you. But! He himself will be hungry. Are not you ashamed? - It is difficult to answer unequivocally. I never insist or even suggest that, they say, "I want to eat something ..." or whatever. Usually, when I go for a snack, I only rely on my "consumables", and there, lucky ... - yes Of course, a good person will always take care of you and feed him, simply because ... if the money is really stressful, then what? I believe that the two hundred rubles you have with you for food are negligible. And you, even if you do not want to, put the right people in a bad position! You think ... well, here we have already arrived ... happy for you! - Thank you goodbye! On the clock - a quarter to three. I am standing on an empty road. On the roof of the house, near the letters " Vykhino " Very few machines, about one in 3-4 minutes. Nobody stops because all with passengers. And yet, after about 20 minutes, I sit in the brand new "Lada". The driver, Pavel, about my age, goes home to Voskresensk. Work in the police. Along the way, we talk about life, the economy, wages ... The conversation is extremely frank (journalists have to go to the hitchhikers - that's where they KNOW about LIFE!) - Pavel talk to me about working in the prosecutor's office, the police, for a salary and "extra money". I told him about the essence of the traffic police on the tracks. As a result, we learned a lot of new and interesting things (for conspiracy purposes, I changed the make and name of the car when writing this text). At 15:45, I got out of the car near the traffic police station, at the turn of Voskresensk. I decide to put up a tent and go to bed. I was walking on the left side 300 meters from the post towards Ryazan , then on the side, along the dirt road, another 200 meters. see what I was looking for - on the meadow, behind the village, to dry freshly mown hay. I stuff hay under the tent and sleep. On difficult terrain, I still have time to sleep, and so - the first night with comfort! He fell asleep and looked at his watch: 4:40. I woke up at nine o'clock - it was hot, the tent was already warming up under the sun. I see a man came out beside me and raked hay. Said nothing. He put together a backpack, did exercises instead of breakfast - a piece of chocolate. After half an hour already went to the track. On the track, the road workers begin a repair. I ask them where the nearest well is to wash and drink. They say, 500 meters away! I will not go on foot. Vote here. Immediately - UAZ. In the car, three Shaninists waving their hands - " Grigory , sit down!" It's good when you sit down with your friends, instead of voting on an empty stomach. We are going together to Kolomna. At 10:10 we leave at the beginning of the Kolomna bypass. Since I'm "caught", I suggest to guys to be early, so the position is better. They want to get away from the fork, the bridge. Well, you know better ... I stand on the other side. In one minute, I brake a huge, beautiful and bright truck. Mercedes-Benz, released in 1997! Driver, with a Baltic accent: - Where are you going? - Yes, further, the better ... - I answer. - And I can take you away ... - smiles. - Oh! And me - in Irkutsk! - Wow! - Do not worry, I'm in Tolyatti a tear ... Miracle of technology: all that can fall, at the touch of a button, even a window leaf on the roof. Stereo system with multiple speakers in different parts of the cabin. Salon itself - clean, comfortable. Ceiling height - I stand up! The sound insulation is such that with open windows, we speak in a low voice, we must shout only when KAMAZ exceeds us. And it exceeds us because this wonderful Merce has a disadvantage: the speed is limited to 88 km / h in the on-board computer. It turns out that if you do not press the pedal, you will not go faster. For the sake of justice, there is another disadvantage: on the passenger side, the handle of the inner door was broken. As a result, the exit process proceeded as follows: 1) press the button on the remote control - lower the glass; 2) Reach out - you open a door outside; 3) close the glass with the button; 3) out of the cabin. It remains to add that: the figures on the car were Belarusian, the driver came from Riga, she was traveling to Novosibirsk from Germany! In Russian, the driver spoke moderately, but during the trip, I managed to "get used to" the song of the author by listening to the tapes. There was only one passenger seat, so I could only pass my hand through the glass to the guys at MSA. When we entered Lukhovitsy , I told the driver that this was the "kingdom of cucumbers". He stopped and bought the famous Lukhovitsy cucumbers "with buttons" and at the same time radishes. From 11:20 to 12:03, we had lunch (did I have breakfast or dinner?) At the beginning of the Ryazan bypass. While I was preparing the mashed potatoes with butter on the cook's stove, as well as tea and coffee for him, he was crumbling with a SWISS knife (he did not have his own) cucumbers, radishes and tomatoes in a saucepan, poured it with sour cream ... I can - saliva has flooded the keyboard - I'm going to eat something ...) Recalling the conversation with the driver at night, I quote the provision of "consumables" for this lunch (in the future, I will try not to annoy the reader with such "spicy" details): From me - a knife, a pot, Doubna bread, mashed potatoes, butter, tea, salt, sugar, bagels. From the primus cooker , saucepan, water, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, sour cream, milk, cheese curds, coffee. We ate together, except coffee and milk, which I do not use. After a snack, it became "more fun". At 14:55, a traffic police station in Shatsk region saw two workers stop, an incomprehensible affiliation. From 16:50 to 17:00, we stopped to rest in Bednodemyanovsk . Here I made the only cash outlay from Dubna to Glade Festival (over 1000 km) - I spent 4 rubles - I bought it with ice cream - for me and the driver. They also took pictures in the cabin. In 19-17 led the market of Penza " Cock ". When the clock indicated 00:00, we crossed the dam hydroelectrically. Lenin.