Sadly, Tomsk’s winter temperatures have not quite lived up
to their billing or my expectations. I have not reached the magic -40 mark yet and
I haven’t endured bitter cold for much longer than a few days. I haven’t
succeeded in turning boiling water instantly to snow, but I did get to walk
across a river (see link below).
Walking across the River Ob.
1. Things take longer.
Clothes serve one fantastic purpose: keeping you warm.
However, in almost every other way, they can be a bit of a nuisance. Gloves
make answering the phone or paying for tickets on public transport difficult,
while hats can restrict your hearing. However, it is the number of layers that
I have found most problematic, even for something as simple as going to the
loo. In the summer months, you can rush inside and use the facilities
relatively quickly. Many men, and I suppose the odd, questionable, girl, may
even have relieved themselves on the street. But when you’re wearing multiple
layers, you need to leave enough time or you will find yourself in a pickle.
Fumbling for your keys with a large, gloved hand certainly doesn’t help you to
relax.
2. It’s too warm.
Too warm you say? Yes that’s right. -25 in Siberia is too
warm. Russians love their central heating and they don’t hold back! It is
cranked up to the max in restaurants, buses, apartments; you name it. You will
dress suitably for the outside temperatures, but even five minutes on a busy
bus and you’ll be feeling the heat. All in all, I have probably spent a good few
hours taking off and putting on items of clothing. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet
come up with an adequate solution to the problem, and seeing as I have one week
left, I may just let this one go…
3. Vision impairment.
Those of you that suffer from short, or indeed
long-sightedness, will know that your spectacles can occasionally steam up.
Things like sipping a hot cup of tea or walking into a hot kitchen can cause a
layer of condensation to appear on your lenses. This problem is magnified here.
When the difference in temperature is so pronounced, the condensation is
thicker and takes a lot longer to go away. Of course, you can clean your
lenses, but this means removing your gloves, unzipping your coat and pulling up
layers until you reach the t-shirt. At least I will have given several of
Tomsk’s shop owners a good laugh as I struggle with my zip, whilst aimlessly
squinting at the upholstery through a layer of cloud.
Despite these complaints, I have to say that the clothes I
have bought for the conditions really have been quite marvellous. My
down-filled coat has never failed me and my hat is fantastically soft and cosy.
However, today I did feel the force of the cold and just why clothes are so necessary.
Bringing the Russian festive period to an end is the “Крещение” celebration. This involves the submerging
of one’s body in the water of an ice pool. The Russian word means ‘baptism’ so
I suppose it can be considered as a form of spiritual cleanliness.
Not wanting to miss a trick, I of course took part. I had
been preparing for the past week by taking cold showers, so that the shock wouldn’t
be too severe. Despite this, it was still inhumanely cold. I think the actual
temperature of the water was about -3 or -4 degrees. The problems began long
before plunging into the water though. Because of this festival’s popularity,
thousands of people take part, meaning the queue was rather long. Of course,
you have to get changed in advance, so I found myself standing in a long line
of Russian nutcases for about 10 minutes, in nothing but my swimming trunks.
 |
| Take note of the red toes... |
My main piece of advice for anyone planning on taking the
plunge is to take a pair of flip-flops because, oh my goodness, my feet were
freezing. The snow is painful underfoot and within minutes my toes were searing,
dangerously red. And afterwards, the feet were still my main concern. At first,
numbness created a bizarre sensation, which made walking actually quite
difficult. And then the feeling returned to my toes with interest, causing me
to hobble down the street. The indoor sanctuary of a café was extraordinarily
welcome.
 |
| Slightly chilly |
I had wanted to catch the moment on video, but an
opportunity didn’t materialise. However, please enjoy this snippet of me
speaking shortly afterwards, my powers of speech still not quite back to
normal. I hope you can forgive me.
My Post-Baptism Commentaries http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9LUpqtH9NY&feature=youtu.be
No tight see thru pink swimming shorts for this one???
ReplyDeleteunfortunately not.. I sadly ripped said shorts whilst dancing in february. sad times.
ReplyDelete