Planning My Next Trip in St. Petersburg
Since I got in late last night, I woke up even later than usual today. I've already seen almost everything I wanted to see here, so I don't really have any specific places left to go. Because of that, I decided to spend the afternoon taking a walk, organizing my thoughts about the trip in a park, and quietly figuring out where to head next.
When you travel aimlessly, you sometimes lose your way. Not literally getting lost, but losing your way in the big picture—like what to do next and how to add more meaning to the journey. In my case right now, I've lost track of where my next route should be. I started with no plans and I'm running low on money, plus I have the double dilemma of needing to match my next destination with my girlfriend's flight schedule since we're meeting up halfway. It makes it hard to just pick a place and go. Whether it knows my situation or not, my bank balance is racing toward the bottom, and with hardly any foreigners to befriend—let alone Koreans—I'm starting to feel lonely, or more accurately, increasingly bored. They say baseball, marathons, and travel are a lot like life. If I were to lose my way in life like this and become unable to move forward because of others, what would I do?
Even after sitting on a bench all afternoon trying to sort out my thoughts, I couldn't predict anything and failed to make a decision. Ultimately, I decided to stay three more days and extended my room until the 27th. I spent a little more time thinking about what to do during this delayed farewell to St. Petersburg. The amazing thing is that with just a little bit of planning, my itinerary for the next three days is already packed. It truly feels like a dream city for travelers.
My plan is to first take a Neva River boat tour tonight. Then, if time permits, I added watching a ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre since I missed the Bolshoi in Moscow, and visiting Peterhof (the Summer Palace). For reference, Russians often abbreviate St. Petersburg as "Piter." All three are pretty expensive activities, so I'm not sure if I'll actually be able to do them all, but just having a faint plan in place puts my mind at ease.
My original plan was to travel through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, but somehow I ended up feeling trapped in this pretty city. Nevertheless, sitting alone on a bench in the rain, I think it's a relief to be stuck in such a beautiful place.
Expenses
- Lunch 266R
- Water, drinks 152R
- Room until the 27th 600R
- Dinner: two Dosirak ramens 80R
- Night boat 900R (I think I got ripped off)
Total Expenses 1998RUB
Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 44,251 RUB + $152.26