Choices

I did it! I made it a whole day without coffee or caffeine of any kind. This, of course, was not by choice. 160 rubles doesn't go very far and I decided hydration comes before caffeination, and stuck with buying the water and a bag of trail mix. So ensued the day of headaches, stomach aches and body aches and lying in bed. Around nine o'clock last night I got a phone call from reception saying that my friend “William” was in the lobby, and wanted to talk to me. I didn't know a William.
It turned out to be another member of my group, who had just come in from the airport, but couldn't book a room here because they were full. He wanted to dump his stuff in my room and go look for a hotel. Yes, on foot, yes, in the dark, yes, in a foreign country. Who was I to stop him? He came up to me after breakfast this morning and asked if he could come up to my room and get his passport: he had spent the night in the lobby of my hotel, as he couldn't check in anywhere else without his passport. I felt pretty bad about this :( But he's now sleeping two rooms away (in a bed, this time). After yesterday, breakfast this morning was heavenly. Have you ever had Russian cottage cheese with shredded beets?!?! With a stomach full of good food and some coffee back in the system, I'm ready to conquer the world. Or at least Torzhkovskaya Street.