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Ecotourism, adventure
travel, working holidays |
 Consider
Soul Tourism to put you in touch with whatever. Cheaper than therapy.
Need something stronger? Check out
my Russian Misery Tourism
(c), the ultimate in
understanding the essence of the country and its culture.
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See also
What to see and what to do for the conventional
tourist
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 Collecting
garbage by the Volga river. All guest, including paying guests, are
expected to do some of it. Don't feel like picking empty and broken
bottles? Kill two locals who litter - and pretty much all of them do - and bring me two scalps, and you are released
from the garbage duty. In view of my vegetarian habits the scalps need
to be properly processed and free of blood and objectionable odour etc.
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 Want
adventure? Count on at least one episode per trip of which you
won't want to tell your parents.
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Andre from Argentina is earning his keep at my
dacha by loading, transporting and, most importantly, laying stones
to make a lasting and stylish walkway. I am a slave owner at heart,
and I will be pleased to keep you in exchange for six hours of work
a day, not counting time spent on ordinary housekeeping tasks. You
must be willing to stay here no less than two weeks because it takes
a couple of days just to get oriented.
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Caves and catacombs |
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The hills over the
Volga are full of caves and catacombs. Qualified guides can be found in
Staritsa.
February 2005 photos of Staritsa caves
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Horse riding |
Three gentle home-raised animals are
waiting for you at this site owner's dacha. Details are at
www.russian-horse-rides.com The summary of our invitation to explore
rural Russia, for whatever reason, while sitting on top of an animal that
would rather see you go down into a stinging nettle jungle and never come
back, will soon move [HERE] |
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Surreal tourism |
Want to participate in ritualized substance abuse and
pagan ceremonies under the moon, naked? Fun
mushrooms, shamans, and things that live in marches start at about
Staritsa and extend north all the way to the White Sea.. If you insist we can try putting you in touch with these
circles. No liability of whatever kind is accepted.
.
Local shaman in the contemplative mood (left) and seeing
spirits (right).
Others get their kicks
from unusual life forms, such as glove-eared horse that evolved in
response to extreme cold.
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Warewolf legends may have originated in
Staritsa. Interbreeding with canines resulted in this sub-species. On
seeing one don't panic but instead offer the creature good food and a glass
or better a good-sized goblet of decent semi-sweet wine. In return
you get a good
chance to
survive the encounter. |
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 Still
others come here for the reminders of the Cold War and Space Race
years. |
In the communist days each collective farm deemed
"progressive" was required to build its own space ship, nuclear powered
with material distilled from cow manure. Soviet aspirations are gone,
the cows remain. And so does giant dill (see below), a result of radiation-induced
mutations. This shell of a spacecraft still stands about 3
miles from my dacha. |
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This giant
dill is an example of many radiation-induced mutations you'll find
here. |
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tourism with a cause
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I can suggest
several opportunities in Staritsa. Just one small request. I can
be HIRED to help you do charitable work. I can assist you for FREE
if my involvement is important but you cannot support me
financially. Just be assured I am not bored the sort of boredom
that can be relieved by doing avoidable work. Please don't get me
involved more that absolutely necessary. Don't send me petty
request eg. to find you a penpal in Staritsa. Unless you are ready
to pay a "small errand" fee of $25. Don't ask me if
children from the shelter would prefer candy or toys for
Christmas. And don't you dare calling me in the middle of the
night. By some reason people with an interest in charity tend to
generate a disproportionate amount of administrative headache for
me. Please use my resources, the main ones being my time and
attention, sparingly while I still have some patience left. Thank
you for your understanding etc. |
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| Children's shelter |
Most orphanage materials are at the
main www.unclepasha.com site. Try
www.unclepasha.com/staritsa_eng.htm or
www.unclepasha.com/orphanage.htm.
==>> MOVING TO
WWW.STARITSA.INFO
Current projects include collecting
funds for the eye operation for Paulina, the former director of the
orphanage. After her retirement from the
orphanage Paulina, its first director, got involved with the
Vozdvizheniye Fund that distributes clothing to single mothers who don't
drink and otherwise live proper lives. If you still feel like doing good
and want to do that in Staritsa, I will be happy to offer you a
consultation, to deliver funds, and especially MONITOR THAT YOUR
CONTRIBUTION REACHES ITS DESTINATION AND IS USED AS INTENDED.
While I do not claim to be particularly honest in principle, the level
when I'm prepared to cheat, steal, or kill is a couple of orders of
magnitude higher than that of an average Russian. For all practical
purposes you can assume my total honesty. Do alert me, however, of any
chance to steal enough to spend the rest of my lifetime and eternity
awaiting me, if any, hiding comfortably. My apologies to those who knew
the former me for being an example of moral regress.
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| Medical supplies for the hospital |
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3-4
years ago Ed Mattson of
www.hopefromwings.org had me deliver two boxes of written off
medical supplies to the Staritsa Hospital. I estimated the market value
of the stuff and was amazed at the dollar equivalent of what could be packed in one cardboard
box. If you have access to standard medical supplies that are nearing
the end of their shelf life, and can get them for free, sending them
here may make every sense. |
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| Combined elementary and
high school |
You can perhaps offer yourself as a
teacher of English.
Just limit my role to delivering
them your enquiry. Or I can take you there after you've made it to
Staritsa in person.
Don't ask me to make the
arrangements to have a job waiting for you. While this is doable in
principle, the cost of my time and especially energy is way above what
any aspiring ESL teacher would be able to pay. Show up, do some
time here, demonstrate your adaptability - and then I **may** open up.
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Staritsa
School thanks John Moor of San Antonio, Texas, for the donation of a printer. That was one
of the top items on our wanted list. Johns letter that accompanied the printer:
www.rural-russia.narod.ru/printer.htm
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| Bring business to poor
farmers |
Help local peasants switch from
wasteful, unprofitable, and ethically questionable dairy and beef
farming to working with tourists. In fact, this site's webmaster is one
of such locals. Stay with him at just $25/day for food, shelter, and
all-you-want horse riding. See
www.russian-horse-rides.com
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