Taganrog facts and figuresMapAugust 5–6, 2006 1300 kilometres of the most atrocious road called the “M4 Don highway”. The roadway is being widened along almost the entire length of the highway, which is great, or rather, it will be in the future. Closer to Voronezh this decent, smooth stretch of road turned into a toll road (the first I’ve ever come across in Russia). It costs 10 roubles. I paid — and ended up driving along a roadway that was on its last legs for 20 kilometres. There’s something to be said for a toll road that’s 5 times cruddier than the road that’s free. On the way there my compulsory third party vehicle insurance came in handy for the first time ever: 1014 kilometres down the M4 it transpired that the bumper on this “Mazda 3” is made out of papier mâché.  The fire brigade’s phone number is written in binary code on the police station wall.  In Mongolia every other place or thing is named in honour of Genghis Khan, whereas in Taganrog it’s all in honour of Chekhov.  Taganrog — birthplace of A. P. Chekhov The same street is by turns called “Chekhov Street” and “Street in Chekhov’s honour”.  Street in Chekhov’s honour The people of Taganrog have no use for dachas — the city itself is made up of them. 
Electrical equipment inspections Impassive.  Autogenesis Suburban traffic:  Hey there, mister, you forgot your tenner!  Mister There’s an algal bloom in the sea, which smells. There are one and a half sunbathers in total. I didn’t feel the urge to go for a swim.  A monument “from Y. G. Karasev, academic” stands in the park on the waterfront, its meaning a mystery — three fat columns in the pseudo-Doric order holding up a small granite yarmulke.  The waterfront is the spitting image of Montreal one hundred years ago.  The purpose of this trip was to buy 10 roubles per kilo cantaloupes for my colleagues. The way back took 18 hours without any sleep, but did include a stroll around the city. The cantaloupes were polished off in a matter of 15 minutes. |
