You meet people in the strangest of places…

Staying in Onguday in a little wooden lodge we met some very interesting people. On first impression the lodge was clearly a bit of a party place in summer as there was a swimming pool (empty at this time of year), a stage and tiered seating, as well as a pool bar that was cranking the tunes – a very strange mix of Celine Dion, Cher and Hanson! Not long into our stay a truck pulled up and several men, all wearing the same navy blue jumpsuit and leather jackets hopped out. They were clearly on some kind of work jaunt and initially we thought perhaps engineers… Then Hayden noticed berets in their pockets and upon removal of the leather jackets they were all wearing badges. I had a conversation with one of them in rough pigeon English and managed to ascertain that they were pilots, not just any pilots, but Russian helicopter pilots. Meanwhile, back at the car, Hayden was having his own ‘conversation’, with the help of google translate with another young chap, Andrey. I joined them with them and we managed to conclude (I think) that they had been flying their helicopters over Kazakhstan and were here for the night. It was an ambitious hope of Hayden’s to be able to see the helicopters but we did ask Andrey if he had any pictures. He had better. An exceptionally well edited video showing 36 Russian helicopters flying low over the Kazakhstan countryside. The technical aspect of these helicopters was intense, a dashboard full of dials, buttons and switches, but from a distance they looked like tiny insects scattering themselves on the earth. Andrey gave us a souvenir of an official Kazakh key ring and their squadron patch, some chewing gum and a tissue (clean of course) with a print of an American hundred dollar bill, something the Russians carry in case they’re caught short! In return we dug out two patches that we had purchased in the UK that we hadn’t yet found a use for, one Australian and one Kiwi and he couldn’t have been more pleased!! They went straight to his chest!
After a delicious Russian dinner, cooked by the lodge owners, Hayden and I were enjoying the coziness of our log cabin and some good internet when there was a knock on our door. Andrey had returned, tablet in hand and google translate at the ready. He wanted us to video chat with his girlfriend. This would have made for an interesting conversation as we don’t exactly speak Russian and she doesn’t speak English. In the end, no conversation ensued, just a video clip of the three of us with Hayden and I waving hello and saying all five Russian words that we know. He was then going to send the video to his girlfriend and the poor girl will be left wondering what kind of strange company he is keeping whilst away.