After New York I had a few days off , before I was on the plane to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. I haven’t been to Tashkent since 2000. Back then, I had bad experience in Tashkent. I remember promising myself to never come back there again. And not because it’s a bad city. But because I had bad tennis experience. Plus I got bad food poisoning.
Also, you have to know something. Good or bad experiences of a tennis player almost always depend on the results. Seldom, I talked to a player who said:” I played terrible, but I had fun here” Usually it is:” I lost, I am out of here.”
Eleven years later, I was hoping for a better experience in Tashkent. And everything was pointing to a better experience. Galina was in the main draw. We stayed at a better hotel in the center of Tashkent. Tennis club has improved since my last visit. But driving around Tashkent still felt like being in Soviet Union. Even the signs of stores like “Mango”, “Zara” and “Armani” didn’t change that. I still felt like I was back in time. The other thing I will always remember, and that hasn’t changed. Is the amount of Uzbek money you get for exchanging $100. All the notes you get, don’t fit in the wallet. And it’s better to bring a purse if you are exchanging more then a $100.
Also, knowing where to go eat is a big plus. Especially when a “tennis queen” of Tashkent tells you where to go. And that “queen” is Iroda Tulyaganova. In the year 2000 she won her home tournament. Eventually her ranking went up to #16 in the world.
So with a little guidance from Iroda, we visited great restaurants! Tried many different Uzbek dishes. Like “plov”, “khonem“ and of course lots of different salads. I loved every dish of Uzbek food!
While our food experience was going great. On court results were not so great. Galina just missed to be seeded and drew Ksenia Pervak in the first round. Pervak was seeded first. Although, the seed number doesn’t matter for Galina. Still, Ksenia and Galina always had long, hard matches.
On the day of the match, Galina didn’t feel good. Her stomach hurt, and she was dizzy. I knew it was not going to be easy. But Galina gave her best. She lost in tight two sets. But she fought till the end.
That same evening we packed our almost unpacked bags, and were on our way to the airport. Seoul was our next stop.
And like eleven years ago,my visit to Tashkent was cut short. But this time around it was a much better experience. Maybe if we stayed longer I would’ve even had time to go explore Tashkent. Well, maybe next time! This time I won’t make a promise to myself to never come back again. And maybe next time I will also have time to visit a grave of my great-grandfather on my mothers side. My mother told me he was buried in Tashkent. It’s interesting, how you find out things about your family while traveling all over the world. I wonder if we have any extended family in Korea. Probably not! 
)))
p.s. photo above: $100 in Uzbek sum.
We have arrived in New York 4 days before the tournament. After Toronto we had a very brief stop in Cincinatti. Where Galina only played doubles. One match of doubles actually. She was so tired, that she miss hit a few balls during the match.
But we didn’t get upset about the result in Cincinatti. Instead we focused on what laid ahead-US Open. Of course we took a few days off. What did we do? Absolutely nothing! Just ate, swam and watched TV.
All the years I’ve played at the US Open, I always stayed in Manhattan. Being from a big city myself, I love the energy of New York! I love that you can walk everywhere. Lots of cool places to see and eat at. I always have fun in the Big Apple.
This year was different. We decided to stay with Galina’s friend in Long Island. It was my first time in Long Island. It’s about 20min from NYC, but it’s so different. Small, quiet and green. And its also closer to the tennis site, than Manhattan.
Galina started the tournament from qualifying. Even though her ranking after Toronto went up to #89 in the world. She still had to play qualifying. By WTA rules, when the tournament deadline has past, the entry list is frozen. And is only updated when the draw is made. Then, your seeding will be determined based on the previous week’s ranking.
During the first qualifying match, we had an earthquake. Actually, Washington D.C. had an earthquake. Ours were just aftershocks.
Still, I thought I was dizzy at first. I reached for my bottle of water, thinking “You should drink more water. You are probably dehydrated” Then I looked at a woman sitting next to me. And she said to me: “Earthquake” At that moment I felt the cement bleachers move underneath me. Left and right, left and right. The feeling was, like being on the boat.
I looked at Galina, who was struggling to win a point. She was upset at herself. Later, when I asked her if she felt anything. She looked puzzled, and answered:”That’s why I couldn’t win a point and felt like the ball was flying in the wrong direction”
The last time I was in the earthquake was 2005, Tokyo, Japan. It was 4.8. It happened at 12am and my then boyfriend and me just turned off the lights in a room. At first, I thought it was my boyfriend who was playing a joke on me by jumping on bed. When I reached for the light, that I could barely find on my night stand. I saw walls folding in on us. Left, right… It was scary.
I dont remember how I got out of the room. And what I wore. All I remember , that on my way down the stairs from 17th floor, I flew by Johansson and his coach. And in a matter of seconds I was in the lobby. My boyfriend followed me.
Lobby was full of people. Mostly tennis players and foreigners. Hotel stuff was quietly laughing at us. TV’s were on, showing the earthquake. I guess for Japanese people earthquake is a normal thing. Later, someone explained to me. That our hotel was built on special cushions, that prevents it from earthquake damage.
But earthquake in NYC was not the only nature disaster that week. Now we were watching hurricane Irene. TV was predicting almost destruction of NYC. There was mandatory evacuation for Long Island. Galina’s last qualifying match was on Friday. I told her to focus on it, while I was trying to figure out what to do next.
After few attempts to reserve a hotel in “low flood zone”We finally managed to get Hilton at $360 per night. They told us we got the last rooms. New York was going crazy! On Saturday morning the streets of Manhattan were empty. No cars, no people. Everyone inside, waiting for Irene to hit.
That same Saturday morning, Galina’s entourage (that would be her grandparents and me) Took our bags and left for Manhattan. It was 9.30am. We were trying to make 12pm deadline for bridges into Manhattan to close.
Every hotel we drove by, looked like it was being invaded. People with bags, food, water bottles. Serious faces everywhere. I felt like the war was coming and we were on the lock down in the center of New York.
Our hotel was no different. The people were pouring in. I’ve never seen such long lines at the reception. The lobby was not enough for all the people. And everyone had the same question to the receptionists:”Will your hotel withstand the winds?”
MSNBC interviewed us after we checked in. A cameraman followed Galina and me to our room. We, carrying all the dry food and 24 bottles of water. Worrying if we were going to survive. I have been through hurricanes before. But everytime the new one is coming, you never know what to expect. Especially when you watch TV. And there are mandatory evacuations.
The tennis center was closed for the weekend. No practice, no transportation. Some players even drove up to 5hrs away. Thank God Galina past the qualifying, so we didn’t have to worry about an unfinished match. But there was a worry if the tournament was going to continue. Because with all the media predicting “bad and dangerous hurricane” I was worried abou the state of the stadium after the storm.
But the morning hurricane Irene was suppose to show her mean face. With strong winds and flooding. I carefully looked outside the window, seeing only rain. I turned on TV. It was hitting us. But where are the strong winds? Where is all the damage promised? It’s not like I looked forward to see damaged New York. But from everything we’ve heard on TV felt like this is it! I guess Irene lost it’s force on it’s way to NYC. And all we got was rain.
We were happy about that. That meant the tournament was going to continue on time. Of course there was a big bill for two days stay. But better safe than sorry! Right?
On monday, our US Open routine went back to normal. Practice has resumed and Galina was scheduled to play her first round match agianst Schiavone on Tuesday. We returned to our Long Island housing. Where only a couple of trees lost their branches.
On Tuesday morning Galina took court against Schiavone. Francesca is a difficult player with lots of different shots in her arsenal. So it took Galina a while to get used to her game. Galina lost the first set, but came back strong in the second. Third set was intense. The points were long. Galina fought till the end, but lost 6-4 in the third set. It was a good match, that showed Galina’s pottential yet again.
But US Open was not over for us. Galina and her partner Sue Wei Hseih showed great form in doubles. They got to the 4th round loosing to Peschke-Srebotnik.
This year, New York had a couple of surprises for us. An earthquake and a hurricane. Though opponents on court. And thats why we love New York. It’s never boring! See you next year Big Apple! Let’s see what you’ll surprise us with in 2012!
We arrived in Astana early morning with an over night flight through Moscow. The stop in Moscow was only for two hours. But I had enough of the culture shock in such a short time. People were stressed and rude. Sometimes I feel like a foreigner there. And I feel like I have to be mean to people, so I dont’ get abused by them. And being mean is a difficult task for me.
Astana is a new, modern city. It was founded in 1998. Till then it was known as Akmola. And it is a capital of Kazakhstan. Even though it is the 2nd largest city after Almaty.
All the buildings in Astana are new. Our hotel was one of the modern buildings with views of the city. A view of a big Kazakh flag flying in the wind displayed from our window. You know how French people say, you can see the Eiffel Tower from all over Paris? Well, I feel like you can see this flag from anywhere in Astana.
As we decide to lay down and take a nap, we get a call from Kazakh Federation. They want Galina for press conference. And it’s in an hour. There is no way of saying “NO”, so we rush to get ready and run to the courts.
During the press conference funny questions were asked. Like, “How many medals do you expect your players to win at this tournament?” or “Can you please repeat the answers in Kazakh?” I look at the long table with men’s and woman’s tennis teams. There is only one player who is from Kazakhstan and even she doesn’t speak Kazakh. The rest of the team are Russians and one Bulgarian, who can only understand half of the question asked. Don’t get me wrong, these are all good players. And they now have an opportunity to play Fed Cup, Davis Cup and Olympics for Kazakhstan. Which was almost impossible to do while playing for Russia, because of the stiff competition. But I still think the reporters should research about the people they are about to interview. And business these people are in.
Of course our first practice was like sleepwalking in the night. Except it was day and I couldn’t even pick up balls. They just kept falling out of my hands. That’s how tired I was. And I am not even talking about Galina. Actually she played very well considering a sleepless night and eight match marathon tournament in Baku. Where she got to the semis of singles and finals of doubles. Overcoming tremendous heat and tough opponents.
No wonder Galina was dead tired when she got to her second round match in Astana. Her energy level was so low, that I was considering to pull her out of the tournament. Because it was getting almost dangerous for her to play so tired. But like all the Russians, she has a big heart and plays all or nothing. Somehow she found enough energy to win the tournament in doubles.
There was a “fun day” in our visit in Astana. Players party! Most tournaments organize parties for players with food and drinks. Some have an entertainment program. Astana party had an entertainment that involved participation of players. Some even won money prizes like $700 for first place and $350 for second.
Vice president of Kzakh Federation wanted Galina to participate too. So when the announcer called out to players, Galina stood up. I didn’t quite understand where she was going, so I told her I am coming with her. Later, when I found out what we were going to do it was already too late to back out.
The announcer told us that we are being visited by a female group called “Viagra” and a male pop singer Meladze. Of course, since I don’t live in Russia anymore I don’t know who these people are. So I turned around to see if they are coming to sing for us. Just to find out, that it was us who were suppose to portray them. The three girls, Galina, me and Ekaterina Bychkova. Meladze’s part was played by a Kazakh player Golubev.
After a couple of practice moves we get to do the whole dance. Too bad, there was no reward for best dancing. Because we would’ve won it! As different as the four of us were, somehow we all understood each other and what we had to do. I guess a pro tennis player will always understand her/his comrade! )))
It all started when Galina wore her favorite “Ellesse” dress. Russian people were as rude as calling it “spaghetti on a string” Canadian and American people loved it. But let’s start the story in the correct order….
Toronto is a great city. Being born in Moscow and living there for 18 years of my life. I love the energy and movement of a big city! Toronto is one of them.
When we were not at the courts we would go out to many different restaurants Toronto has to offer. I especially love Korean Grill House on Yonge St. You can cook the food, that is brought to the table yourself. And for those who love their “Starbucks” coffee in the morning. Don’t you worry, there are plenty of “Starbucks” on every corner.
We arrived in Toronto way before the qualifying start. Not even knowing if Galina was going to get in or not. But it was faith that orchestrated the whole week for us. First, Galina was the last one to get in the qualifying draw. Than she passed the qualifying, beating two tough opponents. When the main draw came out, Galina had the toughest draw there was. First Bartoli, than Penetta, Sharapova, Azarenka and if she would’ve won that, Serena Williams was waiting in the next round.
Every time Galina went on court to play that days opponent, I thought to myself:”Tough match. Hope she can do it” But my mental preparation with her was “Play to win!” There was never a time when I told her she couldn’t beat top players on the other side. And every time she went on court she was as tough as nails!
Even though Galina made noise with her on court wins against Bartoli, Penetta and Sharapova. It was her dress that was making a name on its own. People around the world started “like”, “don’t like” poll. Russian people has gotten meaner since the first comment. Saying that Galina made the dress herself before the match. Or “Ellesse” found another victim….The truth was. It was given to her by Nadia Petrova and was altered to fit Galina. This was the only dress Galina had with her for her singles matches. Every day after the match, she washed it by hands and let it dry on the door. Until the next day. When it was back on stadium court, making people talk about it!
At first we were a bit upset by all the mean comments. But than it became like a daily haunt, to find a new comment and laugh at it. Actually it gave Galina motivation to win. Don’t know why, but it did! So thank you everyone, who participated in the “dress” conversation, for your motivational comments!
After two weeks, our time in Toronto came to an end. It was a great city and we had great results at the tournament. Galina moved 48 spot up in rankings and became the second fastest mover after Serena Williams. Almost every day we were the first and last at the courts. There were many great interviews and lots of great food. See you in two years, Toronto! Next year Montreal is waiting for us!
photo: courtesy of Galina Voskoboeva
The day after we came back home from Honduras, I was on the plane again. This time my destination was Baku, Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan is the largest country in Caucasus region of Eurasia. And it used to be a part of Soviet Union. Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan. It’s a nice city with lots of history. Located on Caspian sea. Baku is a muslim country with democratic views and its own language. Lots of people still speak Russian there. So communicating was not a problem for me.
Galina got in the main draw, so we had a couple of days to practice. Hot and humid weather didn’t let players “enjoy” their matches or practice. Even for me, coming from Florida it was hot. From noon to about five it felt like sauna outside. At some point, Galina’s energy drink melted. The small plastic bottle became a letter “C” after laying in the shade on Galina’s chair. So everyone was trying to practice early, go back to the hotel and wait the heat out. But for those who had to play a match in a heat? Prepare to suffer.
Hotel and club were nice. People were friendly and the food was great. We only had two incidents that occurred during our stay. One of them was with transportation drivers. Every day they complained about amount of people on the bus. Too many, too little. They never left on time and one day Galina and me were blamed for relationship between Russians and Azerbaijanians. The guy basically told us that we were racists and treat them like second class citizens. And all we did was sit on his bus going to the courts!
We were really upset by these comments. We’ve traveled all over the world and have respect for all the nations. Especially when we have nothing to do with politics between nations. Than someone told us not pay attention to this driver. He was just mad that female tennis players and female director were bossing him around. And as a muslim man with firm beliefs, he didn’t like that.
There was another time, when I encountered a man like that. I was sitting on the bleachers watching a match. My feet were slightly on the top of the chair in front of me. A young security guard came up to me and told me to sit straight. Put my legs down and cross them. I was surprised by his comment. Last time somebody told me how to sit, I was seven years old. And it was in communist school. But I listened and took my feet of the chair in front.
Than I stretched my legs down the stairs next to me. Because the space between the rows was small even for me. The guard came again and started threatening me. That he will kick me out and all that crap. I smiled and told him to mind his own business. I am a free woman and I sit as I please! It’s not like I am naked or trying to be! I guess in some muslim countries, women don’t have many rights. I am lucky to be free and do what I want. Go where I want, dress the way I want. Unfortunately some women can’t.
Galina did really well in Baku. She got to the semis in singles and finals in doubles. Scoring one of the best wins of her career against Pavluchenkova. For every match she played, I was equipped with a microphone, and all of her matches were shown on TV in other countries. Russia was one of them. Unfortunately some of the commentators didn’t recognize me. Even though they commentated my matches when I played. Hopefully they will do their job and research who Galina’s coach is.
Because of a very busy schedule and intense heat during the day, we never got to see anything in Baku. Even though it has an ancient history and a sea. Maybe next time I will have more time to visit a monument or ruins. The only fun thing we did, was the player party. It was organized on the last floor of the hotel. With a large terrace overlooking the city. Food was never ending and it reminded me of Russia. Every time I come back to Russia, my mother organizes the same table. The food is never ending and the selection is incredible. If you want to get to know Russians, eat with them. We have large stomachs and when we eat we show our large souls.
I will start my new blog with my beautiful Caribbean vacation.
As a pro-tennis player, you don’t get to have too many vacations. Tennis season is long. You could basically play a tournament every week if you wanted to. Of course, not every tournament will be a WTA event. But there are lots of ITF level tournaments scheduled every week in a different country. (ITF circuit is a lower level tournaments, starting from $10.000 events up to $100.000)
For me, going somewhere without my tennis bag is still a novelty. I constantly think that something is missing. Even though it’s not. My last vacation without racquets, or should I say my first in 17 years, was in Cancun, Mexico. My than boyfriend invited me to join him for 5 days. I gladly accepted, but had trouble packing for that trip. The tennis player in me wanted to bring sports clothing. And the other half didn’t know how many dresses and pairs of high heels shoes I should bring. At the end, I took some sports clothing and running shoes as well. It made me feel comfortable. I just couldn’t part with my tennis.
This time around I was more comfortable packing for Roatan. Taking all of my favorite dresses. But some sports clothing still sneaked in my bag. What to do! At heart I am still and always be an athlete!
Our trip started with 5hrs delay in Miami. Because of a thunder-storm in the area, our plane couldn’t land in Miami and was directed to a different city. We were kept in a freezing airport till midnight. And only than announcement was made in Spanish (thank God I speak Spanish) that our flight was canceled. After an hour fight with the airline, we managed to get a hotel room. So did many other people. And as the line grew longer and longer at the reception of the Residence Inn, we were loosing hope in getting a room. As our turn came, the receptionist told us she had no more rooms available. There came another 30 min on the phone with the airline. Back to the airport and then to some small motel in the middle of nowhere. By the time we got there, it was almost time to go back to the airport.
Our itinerary said one stop. But after the cancellation of the flight it became with two stops. As tired as I was, I was trying to stay positive. But when we got to San Pedro, we found out we didn’t make our connecting flight and the next one is in the evening. I started to doubt if we’ll ever going to get to our destination. After a tasty local breakfast, that contained eggs and freshly made tortillas. We decided that instead of waiting all day at the airport we should take a bus to La Ceiba and from there a ferry to Roatan. Sounds like a lot of travel, but I am always up for a new adventure! Especially if it’s a place I’ve never been too. Of course, as foreigners, we bought ourselves first class tickets for the bus and the boat. The first class seats on the bus didn’t disappoint. Fluffy, big and comfortable. But the boat was a different story. The waters were so rough, that it didn’t matter what class you were in. People were throwing up everywhere! Our boat was rocking from side to side. Up and down. I assumed a standing position at my seat and looked outside at the waves. If only for a second I would move my eyes to look at something still, I would start feeling nauseated. For a second I thought we were going to tip over, when my eyes didn’t see any water but only sky.
When the boat ride out of hell ended, I could barely move. And when my legs touched solid ground, I fell down on my knees. But we were not there yet! We still had to endure a hilly car ride to our house. I think that was the cherry on the top of the cake for me. I was so tired I couldn’t even speak. And when I finally saw myself in the mirror, my face looked green.
At around 9am, I woke up from a streaming light coming from an opening in the curtain. I got up and walked to the window. What I saw outside was breathtaking! Blue waters all around me complimented with sunshine and blue skies. I smiled.
Upstairs, the breakfast was already waiting for us. Fresh fruits, eggs and freshly made tortillas. It all looked wonderful! I didn’t think I was hungry until I saw what was on the table. We had two maids that took good care of us during our stay. A couple of times we asked them to cook something local for us. The food was great! Coconut shrimps, tortillas from scratch, avocado dip, fresh fruits and free coconut milk from local trees! It was my first time drinking coconut milk out of the coconut shell. My excitement was that of a little girl who sees a beautiful candy. I know I’ve been around the world many times over. I stayed at the most beautiful hotels and ate at the best restaurants. But it’s the simple things in life I enjoy the most. So holding the coconut in my hands that was just taken off the tree, was priceless for me!
Roatan is a small island off the main coast of Honduras. It is the largest of the Honduras Bay Islands. The history of it goes all the way back before Christopher Columbus times. Here is a link about Roatan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roatán
The island is still not as crowded and overgrown as more popular islands in the Caribbean. But people are starting to discover Roatan’s beauty. Cruise ships starting to come in more often now. More foreigners are buying land to build a vacation home. The prices are still low compare to the other islands. Of course, it doesn’t have many luxuries other islands can offer. But thats why its beautiful and still so untouched.
Roatan has the second largest coral reef in the world after Great Barrier reef in Australia. Lots of divers come to look at its beauty. I am scared of deep water, so diving is not my thing. But snorkeling I don’t mind. The best time to snorkel is early morning. That when the water is calm and many fish come to feed. And that’s what we did after breakfast, took our snorkeling gear and went to a nearby beach.
As I got in the water, very colorful fish surrounded me. I’ve never seen fish come so close to me without fear. Last time I snorkeled in Hawaii, I remember the fish swimming away from me. But Roatan fish are friendly. As they are beautiful. I was scared at first, and swam close to the beach. But as a got more courage to go further in the deep, I started seeing incredible things. Huge corals in different shapes and colors. Beautiful crystal clear water with rays of sun cutting trough. I was amazed by the beauty of underwater life! I didn’t want to leave! There were lots of other things we planned to do during our trip. But every time we got a chance we went snorkeling.
The other thing I always wanted to do was to swim with dolphins. And when I heard there was an opportunity to do that in Roatan, I jumped of joy! Some people are sceptical about dolphins being kept in captivity. But I say that it’s better to live in captivity and be fed, than in a wild and get caught by a fisherman for dinner.
Roatan dolphins are kept in almost white clear waters near a small island. The place is beautiful! If I were a dolphin, that’s where I would want to live. Our dolphin was a young female. The trainer called her “Princess” because of her character. She likes to be spoiled. ( She is the real woman) She was not much of a show dolphin like others, but she loved attention and the fish that was given her. After 30 min of introduction we got to touch and take a photo with a dolphin. It’s rubber skin felt like an elastic band, that we warm up our arms with before the match. I couldn’t stop touching the dolphin. I was amazed to be so close to it!
The next day we go on the boat trip to the other side of the island called Port Royal. I am excited to go! I want to be glamorous, so I wear a skirt with a nice top. Put makeup on. I imagine myself on a white yacht, in a clear blue sea….Like in a movie….Thank God, I changed my mind after seeing everyone else wearing shorts and swimming suites. Because the first thing that happened when we got to an open sea…Guess? I got wet! But not just wet, it was like someone was throwing buckets of water at me. Of course my makeup was gone in a matter of a second, and I was soaked all the way to my underwear! My husband laughed at me and whispered in my ear: “And you wanted to be glamorous?”
There is a tale, that Port Royal has treasures in it’s soil and waters. And even today, people come and search for it. I am not sure how much of it is true. But apparently there is a map for treasure hunters. The wild side of the island meets us with a ship rack. No one is quite sure how long ago it happened. But the ruins of the ship are still there. Laying gracefully in the water. Guarding the land and warning other ships to stay away.
Our boat was anchored and we got off. Local people meet us in a run down truck. I am asked if I want to take a ride to the top of the island in the back of the truck? It seems like another great adventure to me and I jump in. The road we took was still green. No pavement what so ever. There are over three thousand coconut trees on that part of the island. Their long brunches hit me on the back as I duck in the back of the truck. I felt like Indiana Jons! And I loved it!
When we got to the top of the island, the untouched beauty took my breath away. 360 degree views of the crystal clear waters, hills and wild beaches. I stood there thinking how well worth our two days of travel were. To see all this beautiful nature. Standing there I wanted to scream:”I am the queen of the world!”
On the way back to our house, we stopped in the middle of the ocean near a small island. My friends and my husband jumped off the boat with their snorkeling gear on. I stayed on the boat. I have too much respect of the deep waters. So I was a bit scared. But I made an effort to get off the boat and dip myself in the cool waters. But just for a few seconds.
What else could be better than to finish a day with a seafood dinner?! We ate a very tasty lobster that was caught in the near by waters. You could eat a lobster every day in Roatan. The locals catch them all the time. Armed with a flash light and a bucket, they go to a beach at night. Catching only the grown lobsters and leaving the baby lobsters to grow.
On our last day, we finished a two thousand pieces puzzle we started on our first day of vacation. My friends and I worked on it every evening. It was our goal to finish it before we left the island. I put the last piece 2 hrs before our flight to the main land.
As I was packing, I started feeling sad. If I could only describe the beauty and nature of Roatan any better I would. But I think you should go there yourself. After our adventurous arrival to the island we decided to take a different way back. And fly to the main land instead of taking a boat. But when I saw the plane, I started to doubt our decision. Its was an old Russian plane. Everything looked old inside the plane. Our luggage was traveling on the seat behind us. My window was cracked and I could see the engine of the plane right over my head. I looked at my husband. He made a joke about the whole situation.
When we took off I looked back at the beautiful island with clear waters around it. Than I looked forward and saw that pilots are drinking something that looks like beer and the front windows of the plane are open. There is no cockpit, I could see pilots backs. I looked outside my cracked window at the beautiful sunset. One of many that we saw during our 10 days in Roatan. “At least its only 15 minutes flight.”- I thought. “Next time we take a direct one.”
Welcome to my new blog! I hope you will enjoy my travel stories from around the world.
Live every day with joy,
Alina Jidkova