Skinny Jeans and Carabiners

What happened to this place? One of my favorite travel games is called Identify-the-Foreigners. But I'm confused. In one day, I've seen more goth teens and more skinny jeans paired with Converse All Stars than have yet appeared in good ol' G-Rap, Michigan. And then, in my favorite coffee shop (read: the best lattes on the planet), there was a 30ish man who carried himself like an American and himself carried a messenger bag with a carabiner casually dangling from the strap. Just when I was about to make some witty comment in English to find out who he was, I noticed his Russian novel and overheard him speak. Definitely Russian. My inner radar is all out of whack!

I was reminded just where I am while at breakfast this morning. A delegation of seven from North Korea sat across from me, Kim Il Jong lapel pins glistening under the fluorescent lights.

In other news, I happened to arrive in Vlad at the same time as our beloved VVP (Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin) was preparing to depart. I snapped a few pictures of his motorcade as it drove by. I like to think the big man himself was waving at me and Artur ;). Watching the news last night, I listened as Putin talked about planned construction and infrastructure expansion in Vladivostok. "The buildings should be made of solid, modern materials. Not gold and diamonds, but not shoddy either. Solid, modern materials," he sputtered. I was amused the PM would waste so much breath acting as general contractor, bothering with something my brother could handle in five minutes (hi, Matt!). Then again, rumors are flying that millions earmarked for the ambitious modernization plan have already disappeared into peoples' pockets.