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[Odler]

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?Before you leave your hotel, make sure you know the name and address. Carry a card with you.?

I failed that rule the other night, while partying in Saint Petersburg.

At 6:00 a.m., I called a cab, I then came to the sore realization that I had no idea what my hotel?s name was. Usually, it is a Marriot, a Hilton, a Sofitel, or a Meridien, but this time it was Pribaltiyskaya. I know you don?t expect me to remember such a name. I had no clue of what part of the city the hotel was located, either. The previous day, from the airport, I slept my way to destination.

I knew no one around. I had no useful phone number on me. The people at the club could not help me. I had no way to contact my teammate. No one knew where I was. And, my driver did not speak one word of English.

I was positively lost in Russia?

I would have to live the rest of my life by the Neva, work for a free clinic, and wear heavy boots from October to March. I would have to change my name to Robertsky, Rasputin, or Peter the Third.

I would be the only black guy in Saint Petersburg, and I would create an entire population of coloreds.

I kept thinking: Before I left, did I tell all my friends and cousins how much I love them?

I was lost.

???.

How did I get out of this? Can you guess?

Please, visit http://www.jeanlouie.com/

(The Traveller, Sunday, June 22, 2003)