Riga and Registration

Three months was up and the dual necessities of having a break from Moscow and refreshing my dodgy hotel registration were bearing down upon me. Busy with work and too low on cash to stray further afield, I decided on a Baltic holiday, Riga to be precise. Failing to learn from the hell of the last overnight international bus ride I took from Sofia to Istanbul, I decided the bus was a better option than the train - about half the price and a couple of hours quicker. Of course, as last time, I couldn't sleep and went through the process of dividing the total time (16 hours) into smaller and smaller fractions and slowly counting them off with a sense of accomplishment. In some ways it was a relief to finally reach the Russian border at 4am, just to break the monotony. But it was a break I could have done without.



All seemed okay. Customs was lax and the queue was progressing at a speed faster than the usual snail's pace of Russian border control. The only worrying sign was that occasionally people would be sent to a little room off to the side. As I got closer, I could hear that it was people with hotel registration that were being sent there and knew that my dodgy registration practices had finally caught up with me. Sure enough I was also sent to the room. There were two men there. One inspected my registration and said it was simply not possible that I had stayed at this expensive hotel for three months.

In spite of living in Russia for about 18 months I still don't really understand bribing procedure. My standard routine is to stand there with a confused look on my face, pretending I speak minimal Russian while the official goes through the usual routine of saying how serious the offence is. Soon enough they get to the price, and I figure that by keeping my mouth shut during the preliminaries, I have a better bargaining position if I deem the price too high. The second man left the room and then the official finally told me the "fine" was 1000 rubles. I saw no point in arguing with that so handed it over. Refusing to take it in his hand, he opened up a book and gestured that I should put the money there. I was happy enough with the solution but as I was leaving he told me that if I did it again I would be facing a heavy fine and a ban from Russia. Had I known they were going to record it I would have insisted on a receipt and the lower official fee. I would have thought paying the bribe would prevent any further recriminations.

But soon I was in Riga and while I was still somewhat worried about his warning, the charming, peaceful, little city, free from corruption and ridiculous laws designed to turn off tourists at every turn, managed to take my mind off things. In all honesty, there is nothing special about Riga - no incredible sights, nothing really new or exciting. It's just a relaxed, pretty place - a nice city where you can while away a couple of carefree days. I checked out the old churches, walked down the narrow, winding, cobbled streets, enjoyed the cheap beer and the overall serenity of the surroundings.



Although I'm not a fan of museums I made sure I checked out the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia so as to get some idea of the modern tensions between Russia and the Baltic countries. It is hard to feel any such tension walking around the city. Some 43% of Riga’s population is ethnically Russian, making this a truly bilingual city. Walking the streets you will pass people speaking both Russian and Latvian. Go into one establishment and you will be greeted in Latvian, in another you will be greeted in Russian, although it is much rarer to find Russian in written form anywhere. The only hint of any disunity between the communities was when I asked a Latvian if it was better to speak English or Russian while there. He said that even though everyone speaks Russian it's better to speak English in places where it is understood. I guess I should have asked him why but decided to leave it.



I opted for the train on the way back since I was in desperate need of sleep. This time there were no problems on the border, although my passport was inspected in every way possible with all sorts of gadgets. Back in Moscow I was determined to register properly for once. While I have little faith in the coordination of Russian border control I don't fancy getting banned or deported, so I figured it was better safe than sorry. Of course, there were problems. Due to a lack of documents, my landlady couldn't get the form stamped saying that I had her permission to live in her apartment. And so I'm left to ponder the ridiculous laws that mean a special form, stamped by the housing office, is required simply to live in someone's apartment, and how that stamp can be denied on a technicality.

And as I face the possibility of being banned next time I leave the country, I can't help but compare the two cities. The amazing Moscow, still one of the most incredible cities I've ever seen, and quiet, little Riga with nothing to distinguish it other than it's relative tranquility and the ease of traveling there. Why does Russia persist with this nonsense? When will they realise that it benefits no one to have all this pointless red tape? And when will they stop making the many wonders that this country holds so inaccessible to the rest of the world?