I found the best bathroom in the world )

The Dargavs cemetery looks incredibly Instagram-worthy. But these charming structures are actually family crypts where generations of the same family were buried. Bodies were simply stacked inside on wooden boards (sometimes in boat-shaped coffins) in 4 layers. When space ran out, mummified bodies were just thrown down below and the cycle repeated.

In the 19th century, after a plague epidemic, this cemetery was abandoned and burials stopped. People generally thought it was best to avoid the place altogether. During Soviet times, scientists came and declared it safe, said tourists could visit, and opened it as a museum.

Everything is remarkably well-preserved. The only thing missing is the covers on the openings where bodies were placed. That's why you can see the boats, boards, and bones through them.

In recent years, there have been incidents where visitors moved bones around for nice photos and even tried to take souvenirs. In response, officials seriously discussed closing the museum to visitors. But for now, it's still operating.

The mountains are beautiful! (and no internet)

All around Vladikavkaz, you'll find these mobile coffee kiosks. They seem to be open 24/7 (or at least stay open very late). The coffee is really good. Prices are reasonable.

Overall, the city is very pleasant. Lots of old buildings, plenty of lush greenery. In the evening, the center feels very cozy, with crowds of people strolling around. Tons of cafes and eateries with delicious food. But I'll tell you more about the food separately.

But at least you can taste ready-made dishes in stores :)

I was hoping to snap the perfect postcard-style photo of the main street with a streetcar and mountains in the background, but I suddenly discovered that everything here has been dug up and the trams aren't running yet. Plus, the mountains are hiding behind clouds :)

PS in case you haven't Googled it yet, Дзæуджыхъæу is Vladikavkaz in Ossetian, though the city was officially called this in Russian too for almost 10 years during Soviet times.

I think it's time to wrap up my remote work travels. Made it to Dzaujikau. It's great here: sunshine and +25°C. The weekend forecast looks just as good :)

Right now, Tanzania is one of the few countries that's actually open and worth visiting. And it's not just about Zanzibar—on the mainland, you'll find national parks, safaris, and tribal communities. Sure, planning a trip like this can be a headache sometimes. That's exactly what our massive guide is all about: how to plan it so everything goes smoothly and what to see!

https://perito-burrito.com/posts/tanzania-guide

Hooray! My big (really big) guide on how to prepare for a trip to Tanzania just came out on the amazing Perito Burrito. If you're thinking about going, definitely give it a read :)

Remember the film Hotel Rwanda, based on real events, about how during the Rwandan genocide a Hutu hotel manager saved Tutsis and moderate Hutus from certain death? (If you haven't seen it, watch it—it's a powerful film)

The real Paul Rusesabagina (the Hutu manager) resettled in Belgium as a refugee with his family after the events depicted in the film, and later moved to the States. He lived a modest, unremarkable life there. As a public figure, he spent years openly criticizing Rwanda's president Paul Kagame, a Tutsi who, by the way, has been in power since 2000 with no signs of stepping down. Kagame took the criticism very hard, even going so far as to accuse Rusesabagina of never actually saving anyone during the genocide and just trying to make money.

This public feud might have dragged on indefinitely, but in late August 2020, after years of failed attempts to resolve the conflict, luck finally seemed to smile on Rwanda's president. Rusesabagina was planning to fly from the UAE on a private plane to Burundi to give a lecture at the invitation of a local religious organization. But suddenly, instead of heading to Burundi, the plane flew to Kigali, Rwanda's capital, where Paul was arrested, charged with aiding terrorism, and even accused by local media of genocide denial.

A man who saved over 1,200 lives, and in return they've been building a case against him for months and clearly plan to lock him up.

Since I'm not traveling anywhere yet, I got curious about what people listen to in different countries. I discovered this amazing everynoise site. Now I know what Mumbai indie, Mexican trance, and African metal sound like :)

Plus there's a cool breakdown by countries for 2020. Highly recommend!

Since I happened to be near Sergiyev Posad, I decided to check out Gremyachy Waterfall too. From the descriptions, it looked really intriguing. In reality, it's not worth making a special trip out there. But if you're passing by, you can definitely stop in.

The wooden buildings are relatively new. About 20 years old. Although, the main temple actually burned down this year. They're planning to rebuild it.

The last 1.5 kilometers of road to the place is an absolute nightmare — terrible dirt road. I managed to get through in my sedan, but only because there hadn't been any rain. Just before the turn, there was a nice sign about the governor's paved roads program :)

In descriptions of the waterfall, they write "the highest waterfall in the Moscow region," "a quick alternative to Caucasus waterfalls." In reality, it's much more modest, though crowds of pilgrims do fill bottles with water from it. And they even argue about which stream has the most healing properties.

The Moscow region has lots of amazing estate museums. They really put in the effort and are eager to welcome visitors. They offer not just house tours, but all kinds of activities (looks like weekends only): painting masterclasses, pottery workshops, and all sorts of other stuff. Not just for little kids, but for adults too.

I checked out Muranovo and Abramtsevo yesterday and I really recommend them.

There's an surprisingly huge number of people wanting to see the city. Some museums require you to book in advance. If you just walk in off the street — there are no spots available. On Saturday afternoon, they're offering reservations for Sunday evening. Apparently that's when all the weekend tourists leave town.

The café situation isn't much better. I tried a couple of decent places and they said I'd have to wait an hour and a half. On the fourth try, I managed to find a free table.

Kolomna has bike lanes! And pedestrians don't even walk on them.

The city center has some really charming old buildings. Wooden houses, little fences, carved shutters. Beautiful.

I stopped by Lazhechnikov's estate. Almost nothing has survived from the original, and the restoration only roughly shows how everything used to look. But the tour guide was absolutely colorful and engaging. You could tell he's really passionate about the subject—he lives for his work.

He also told us that a couple of hundred years ago, healthy teeth were considered almost improper. Unmarried girls, especially from less wealthy families, would stain their teeth black with special soot. Cavities showed that there was plenty of sugar at home. And where there's sugar, there's wealth in the household. And a dowry :)

Good thing we don't do that anymore.