Today on the Nomad files we are joined by Olga of The Russian Abroad. Olga has a very unique background as she is Russian, but only ever been to Russia twice. She was born in the former USSR, raised in Latvia and her passport is Latvian but says she is Russian. I can’t wait to get into this interview!
When did you discover that you were a travel fiend and what was the influencing factor?
I think wanderlust is sleeping in each and every one of us, but sometimes it takes time for it to wake up. Either you just realize at some point that, “hey, I want to go there and see that”, or you finally get to the moment when you have a possibility to travel. Because let’s face it, travel isn’t always easy and accessible to everyone. I was born in
I was born in Riga, Latvia, and even though my country belongs to the EU and we have ‘open borders’, travelling from Riga was always so expensive! I mean, €200 for a one way ticket is not something that a teenage girl raised by her grandparents can really afford. But when in 2012 I moved to Leipzig as an Erasmus student, the open borders finally become open to me like they were to everybody else before. So I started to travel just some 3 years ago, really, and with every trip I make, my feet get itchier. It’s a continuous process.
I’m sure everyone reading can relate to the circular process of itchy feet! Do you have a particular song/video/poem/quote that particularly inspires you to travel?
My favourite travel quote is so widely known that it’s probably a bit boring to hear it already:
“Not all those who wander are lost” – JRR Tolkien
It doesn’t really inspire me to travel more per se, but it resonates very nicely with how I feel about travel in general. Just because I’m a globe-trotter, doesn’t mean I have a lost soul or that I’m looking for my lost identity or something. I just travel – simply because I like it. But I’m not escaping anything, really.
Can you let us in on a secret? What is one discovery you have made through your travels that really felt like ‘the road less travelled’?
My own country. Seriously. I only started to appreciate how beautiful, unique, and inspiring Latvia is when I left it in 2012 with an intention never to return. I’m not sure if I’m ever going to live in my homeland again, because I feel I have somehow outgrown its mentality, but I would definitely continue exploring it as a traveller. Latvia is one of the greenest spots on Earth and it’s just so peaceful, too. And Riga, the country’s capital, is an absolutely wonderful place. I’ve heard some rumours recently that Riga is the new Berlin – that the city is
Latvia is one of the greenest spots on Earth and it’s just so peaceful, too. And Riga, the country’s capital, is an absolutely wonderful place. I’ve heard some rumours recently that Riga is the new Berlin – that the city is techie, start-up driven and that the nightlife is vibrant and exciting. Even though I’m a “local” Rigan, that’s still a side of the city that I have yet to explore.
And another “road less travelled” for me would be Cuenca in Ecuador. Not many people go to Ecuador in general, and even when they do, it’s usually to Quito or to the Galapagos Islands. But Cuenca was one of the most beautiful places I’ve never heard about before. Totally worth the visit.
Are they known for anything in particular?
If we speak about Riga, it is, in fact, known for being a city of the very first Christmas tree. You can still see that very spot where it was ‘officially’ put in 1510. Also, the city is known for its Art Nouveau architecture, and, even though, when people think about Art Nouveau they usually think about Gaudi and Barcelona.
Riga, in fact, has more buildings built in that particular style than any other city in the world – 600 something. There’s a famous street where every building is inspired by Art Nouveau – you really feel like travelling back in time when you’re there.
And since I already mentioned Cuenca in Ecuador, that place is famous for being the best city in the whole world to retire to. It has a relaxed and yet very dynamic rhythm, since there are lots of artists living in Cuenca and lots of tourists, too – either coming to visit its beautiful UNESCO city centre or hike in even more beautiful National Park El Cajas, which is probably the most inspiring place I have ever seen.
What about Cuenca, what did you do there and why do I want to visit?
For starters, you gotta be prepared for your visit to Cuenca – the city is 2500 meters above sea level, so it’s not a joke. If you get soroche, or altitude sickness (like I did), then the whole experience will be marked by migraine and physical weakness. You don’t want that, trust me.
But in spite of suffering from severe soroche, I still managed to enjoy my time – I went hiking and horse riding in the mountains, I caught my first trout in the river amidst the Andes, I visited an indigenous village Guavidula, which was the most interesting history lesson I’ve ever had… There’s so much to see in Cuenca, really! The city centre is gorgeous and the beautify of the El Cajas park is beyond any description!
So why Cuenca? What took you there and how did you find out about it?
I was living in Guayaquil at that time, and Cuenca is a popular weekend trip in that area. It only takes you a few hours on a car to get to a whole new world: Guayaquil is suffocating and hot, full of palms and bromelias, whilst Cuenca looks nothing like that. It’s amazing to see how flora changes with every metre that you drive up into the mountains.
Tell me about the food. Was it different to anything you’d experienced before?
Ecuadorian cuisine is amaaaaaazing, seriously! Even though it might be heavy on your stomach sometimes, because Ecuadorians are obsessed with peanut butter sauce, everything is super delicious.
The variety of fruits is just mind-blowing – so much choice that it’s hard to make one, really! And with every dessert that I ate in Ecuador I went to the seventh heaven. My favourite dessert is Mil Hojas, which means ‘thousand layers’ or, according to a translation of my own, ‘thousand moments of happiness’.
What was the culture like? Did you have much interaction with the locals?
Ecuadorian culture is very different from European. I had quite a lot of frustrating moments, actually, as I found it hard to fit in – especially when it came to dressing myself. In Europe, especially in Germany, the way people dressed is very relaxed – we just like to feel comfortable in our bodies and feel good in our own skin.
In Ecuador, however, you doll yourself up wherever you go. Once I went to an Ecuadorian wedding and I put on my best everything – pearls, little black dress, and so on. And yet, I never felt so underdressed in my entire life. Huge eye lashes, long ballroom dresses, everything sparkles and gleams… And I’m talking about a ‘small wedding’ for ‘friends and family only’. Ugh.
Integration is a hard process in general. And when you come from Europe to South America, I think it’s even a bit harder since the culture shock is bigger, there’s no question about it. In Europe, I’ve never seen real poverty before. No matter how ‘poor’ some Europeans are, even the most unfortunate of our homeless street beggars looks like one million dollars.
In Europe, I’ve never met people who didn’t know how to read. In Europe, I’ve never walked in the streets under the fear of being robbed or kidnapped. In Europe, it wasn’t that hard to be a single female traveller. So I definitely saw a lot and learned even more from my 6-month-long expat experience.
Beyond the things to visit, do you have any tips on how one might best experience this place?
If you ever visit Ecuador, try to travel to every part of it. The country is, in fact, a unique travel destination since it covers 3 or 4 climate zones and therefore has a fantastic variety in flora and fauna. Try everything. Go everywhere. Snorkel in the Galapagos Islands, hike in the Andes, experience the wild rainforests of the Amazon, conquer the Chimborazo mountain… Ecuador is THE place to feel like the whole world belongs to you!
Changing lanes a little now, think of your favourite big city. Can you share with us a tip about this city that you would never find in a travel guide book?
I’m not a big city girl. Riga is a relatively small place (we have around 700,000 people living there), Guayaquil was huge (around 4 million) but felt like a town, and Berlin, where I’m living right now, with its 3.5 million people feels so relaxed and so laid-back that it doesn’t even feel like a capital.
That’s what I love Berlin for, actually. Another thing I love this city for is its incredible coffee bars. Berlin’s coffee scene is quite something, actually, and my favourite two places to chill with a book over a cup of cappuccino and a slice of cheesecake are Five Elephant and Westberlin. The interior design is cool and cheesecake is the best in Berlin, I’m telling ya!
Can you recommend any of your favourite travel blogs? (up to 3)
I love World of Wanderlust – it actually inspired me to get my own travel blog. I constantly check updates from The Tech Gypsy, as Robyn, an Australian girl who stands behind this blog, has the most wonderful writing style you can ever imagine. It’s just so enjoyable to read her blog. And I also really enjoy The Young Adventuress as I admire her honest style and her occasional ‘f’ words. Her writing is real, down-to-earth, and super refreshing, I love it.
Thanks for joining us today Olga, I loved your story and I’m sure the readers did too. Make sure to drop Olga a line at her blog or social accounts.
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