CauKazEthnoexp. I. Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol, Pyatigorsk
July The first ethnographic expedition explored the great horizontal expanse of Russia as well as a little bit of Mongolia. The second ethnographic expedition covered all of Ukraine. The time had come to study the Caucasus region and Kazakhstan. Good old Coucousique (my Toyota FJ cruiser) was once again covered with sponsors’ logos. Two more crews came along for the trip: “Kinokruzhok” and “Tabasco.”  We began getting to know the Caucasus with lunch at an Armenian kebab place on the way to Voronezh.  Rostov-on-DonMapRostov is magnificent. The local flavor, beauty and abundance of restaurants remind me of Odessa.  Inscription on dumpsters: Rostov-on-Don There are still some electrical insulator “perches” left here. You can encounter them in very old cities like Uzhgorod or Kaluga.  The road sign mounting fixtures are interesting.  No less interesting are the public transportation route numbers on the roof of the transit shelter.  The bus schedule is very comprehensive. 
“Big Sadovaya St. (RSEU)” Type, Route Number, End Destination, Hours of Operation, Interval (Minutes): Peak, Off-Peak. Central dispatch service tel. Immediately under the “No Stopping” sign is a related warning sign. An excellent idea.  Tow Away Zone The medians on some of the downtown streets have built-in retroreflectors, as if this were the West or something.  A Rostov inconnue.  Sleepless nights? StavropolMapThe expedition’s visit to this city was undeservedly brief—we only had dinner here. I always had the impression that Stavropol was some kind of village full of old women with gold teeth. But it turned out to be an excellent city. Full of very attractive-looking restaurants (not beach-style disgracefully kitschy, but attractive in the true sense of the word). And they have the most incredible landscaping culture here. You can sometimes come across a pretty flowerbed in Moscow too, but Stavropol is a true feast for the eyes in this respect. If I ever have a gardener, he will be from Stavropol.  There are curious payphone half-booths the height of a person here (the same kind as in Vladikavkaz).  The bus stops here are two buses tall.  Driver! Protect our future! Obey traffic laws And on one of the streets, we encountered a very un-Russian abundance of traffic lights—there’s one above every lane, like in some first-world countries.  PyatigorskMap Pyatigorsk There’s absolutely nothing to do in Pyatigorsk.  A traffic light.  Lenin on the roof. 
There are no sales without advertising. Ad placement Here, like in England, warnings are used to prevent ads from being posted on electrical boxes.  Post No Bills There are three items of interest in Pyatigorsk. Item number one: the complex templates for advertisements hung above the roads, shaped like a circle with a rectangle.  Photo 2: Gallery. Photo 3: Lie Detection Center Item number two: the traffic sign pointing to the site of Lermontov’s duel. Lermontov was a poet whose work and significance as an individual were unimaginably overrated in Soviet times. He was completely uninteresting as a poet and a total bastard as a person.  M.U. Lermontov Duel Site The stele erected on the site of the duel is surrounded by eagles wearing hats like those of the old women in Tuva.  The third item of interest: storm drain grates as wide as the road.  Somebody must have actually thought these up and built them all around the city.  |
