YTHETIMEI HADHITMYLATE
twentiesmy first,eventfulbut
short-livedmarriagewas over
and I was a singlemotherto a
toddlerand a baby.It was shocking,but also
exhilarating,sincethe futurelay entirely
inmy hands.I was workingas a freelance
journalistand wrotein the pocketsof time
Ifoundwhenthe childrenwerenapping,
orlate at nightafterthey’dgoneto bed.
Lifeas a singlemotherwas precarious
butalso excitingand, as a traveljournalist,
Iwas also luckyto haveregulartripsaway
on my own,to contemplatemy life and
whereI wantedit to take me.
Just beforeI turned30, I met a Russian
acrobatworkingfor a summerin England.
Heseducedme withurgent,romantic
storiesof his homelandin NorthOssetia,
deepin the Caucasusmountains,in wildest,
mostremotesouthernRussia.Whenhis
visa endedand he askedme to visit him in
Russia,I knewI had to go.
As a journalist,I also jumpedat the
chanceto writeaboutthe Caucasus,since
it’s an almostmythicalregion,sometimes
describedas the Gardenof Eden,a place
that few Westerntouristsvisit.Two months
later,withmy childrenspendingholidays
withtheirfather,I huggedthemtightly
thenflew to Moscow,meetingmy acrobat
atDomodedovoAirport,and fromthere
weboardeda trainto Vladikavkaz.
As the trainsnakedacrossthe steppe,
I felt somethinginsideme shifting.I was
leaving behind my everyday life, boundby schoolrunsand workdeadlines,
andenteringa completelynew world.
Itwas exciting,and as the trainstopped
atincreasinglyremotestationssouth
of Moscow,tradersboarded,selling
goldchains,pots of honey,finelyspun
cashmerescarvesand bagsof spiced
pastries.A day later,at Rostov-on-Don,
soldiersboundfor Chechnyaboarded.
ThetravellersI met on the traindisplayed
akindof unquestioningsenseof hospitality
and generosityI’d neverreallyexperienced
before.Therewerecard games,late-night
shotsof vodka,coffeeson freezing
platforms.My Russianwas very basic,
butthis was, unquestionably,the most
exciting,eye-openingjourneyof my life.
I wentbackto Ossetiamanytimesover
the next few years,snatchinga weekhere
ortherewhenI couldleavethe childrenand
had sold anotherarticle.I alwaysarrivedby
train,sincethe two-dayjourneygave me a
chanceto decompressfromthe pressuresof
homeand somehowbecomemyselfagain.
Ossetiarevealeditselfto me as a land of
highromance,framedby the snow-peaked
Caucasusand the boundlessgenerosityof
its inhabitants,who werepassionateabout
theirhomeland.My acrobatboyfriendwas
an excellenthost,determinedto help me
experienceeverythinghe lovedabouthis
home:colourfulmarkets,trekshighinto
the mountains,ancientpagantraditions
andits famedmountainhospitality.
Ossetiagave me the chanceto step
outside convention and the demandsofnormallife, and experiencethe deepjoy of
real travel.But it also did somethingelse:
itallowedme to growup. It remindedme
how hugeand beautifulthe worldreallyis,
aftera few difficultyears,and in doingso
mademe reachfor a bolder,braverversion
of myself.Morethananything,it mademe
realisethat in takingrisks,I couldalso grow- and whilethe romancedidn’tlast for ever,
that lessonhas beeninvaluable.
FAlthoughtheFCOcurrentlyadvisesagainst
travelto NorthOssetia,Russiais notshortof
long-distancetrainsfora similarexperience.
TheTrans-Siberianproper(fromMoscowto
Vladivostok)is muchlessusedbyvisitors
thantherouteto Beijing,so you’remorelikely
to havea realadventure.Befriendthe
provodnitsa(femaleguard)whorunsthetrain,
andtip well.Youcanorganisethetripthrough
realrussia.co.uk,withpricesstarting at £260
fora second-classupperberth.
Be yourself
‘Therewerecardgames,late-night shotsofvodka,coffeesonfreezing platforms’cloverstroudis anOxfordshire-basedwriter
andbroadcaster.Hermemoir,TheWildOther,
is published by Hodder Books (£8.99).Alongwayfromhome,in thedepthsof anunfamiliarculturewherenobodycared whereshe came from,Clover Stroud found an elusive opportunity to truly be herselfBPHOTOGRAPH: PHILIP LEE HARVEY