I tried to book a hotel from Aug 12-13, and most places were full. I looked at a nearby city and I thought, why not stay there? I spent about 20 minutes looking for buses, but turned out it was Tiraspol in Poland.

So the two girls I met yesterday are Sabrina and Ksyusha. I ran into Sabrina at the bus stop. She was with another girl. We chatted for a bit and the other girl left on another bus. Sabrina said Ksyusha would come soon, and we waited there. Turned out it was like an hour. Sabrina apologized that Ksyusha couldn't come because she was dressing up.

Sabrina asked me about many things. She asked about the salary in China. I said, "10000 Yuan." This is 4500 Rubles. I asked, "много ли это?" She said yes. She asked, "жарко ли здесь?" I said yes, it was over 35 degrees. She asked about housing costs. I said 6 million Yuan. It's 2.7M Rubles. She said an apartment here is 100k Rubles. She asked if I want to buy a house here, I said no. She said she liked Korea and she asked me, "Почему ты не поехал в Корею?" It was weird. She asked if I like Korean dramas. I said no. I asked her if she likes Tiktok, and we exchanged Tiktok. I said I like Valya Karnaval. She asked if Valya Karnaval is popular in China. I said nobody knows that. It got hot, not too hot but the sun was shining. Then Ksyusha finally arrived.

We went to the restaurant, and they didn't eat anything. I said I could invite them to eat, but they said they didn't want anything. It was 22 Rubles. Sabrina and Ksyusha left.

I was stuck here until 7 pm, when I would catch a train to Brest. During the day the park is full of children and young people. I was sitting there when a group of 4 children greeted me. They are 12. They asked if I liked the country. "Да, красивая, чистая." Then they rode off with their bikes, saying, "пока, мы сейчас приедем."

The young boy and girl returned to me on their bikes and asked, "Надолго ли вы здесь?" "20 дней." "Тебе нравится это место?" "да." "Где ты остановился?" "Гостиница." I said I am going to Brest today.

I walked around the city.

A boy was walking back and forth and saying, "Можешь подбросить несколько монет?" His name is Матвей and we exchanged Telegram. There were a group of 2 playing guitar. I said, "Если ты сыграешь, я дам тебе". And he played пачка сигарет. I gave him 1.5 Rubles. I said, "Можешь сыграть Спокойно Ночи?" So we sang together for a while. People everywhere like Tsoi. The boy was holding a Belarussian passport. I showed him my Chinese passport, and I had 3, including 2 old ones. Matvei exclaimed, "держу в руках китайский паспорт!" And then he saw my visas to the UK, Canada, Germany, and the US. His passport was empty though. I asked if he wanted to visit China? He said yes. Then we said goodbye and he said удачи. And he told me I didn't zip my backpack. And we said goodbye again.

The main bus stop in Baranovichi is the busiest place in the city.

I am going to Brest.

I went out again.

After 23 the street is quiet, and there are some young people but not a lot. Most restaurants closed. There are people selling hot corn and flowers. I am hungry and thirsty. I went into a cafe, and they only had soup. I bought soup for 14 Rubles. The worker's name is Nikita, and he awkwardly said "Nihao". I got a bottle of water for 4.5 Rubles.

I heard Kukushka again. They were singing it at a Cafe. It's midnight and the streets are mostly empty. So the nightlife here only happens on Fridays and Saturdays. Two men said hello to me and told me they are gay. I said, "Круто! Классно!" And the man kissed my hand. Three young men sitting across greeted me, and someone said, "Nihao."

I walked to a bar, and the bar was open, but there wasn't anyone inside. A group of young people and some old men are outside the bar. I didn't go in. I went back to the hostel. It was 1 am and I was so hungry.

There were 3 other people in my hostel dorm. The young man on the top bed had lost a leg, so there was only one shoe. At 1:20 the lights were still on. Then they turned off the lights.

Добрый утро.

I put my suitcases in the hostel. I am going to a different hotel today.

We are going to "Мужество". I went to eat at Domino's and it cost 16 Rubles.

Вот "Мужество"

And I felt nothing. I had enough of ВОВ monuments. It just felt empty and this country is still poor.

I went back to the hostel at 11:50. The hostel is full today, so I have to move somewhere else.

I waited for the bus for 20 minutes. Then finally the bus came. I got on the bus and tried to hand cash to the driver after a babushka paid, but the driver ignored me. The old woman told me to pay at the next stop and I paid.

And here is the hotel. 120 Ruble. It seems to be at the countryside or the middle of nowhere.

Then Matvei from Baranovichi asked me to come to drink. I said I was in Brest. He said удачи.

Yandex maps showed the wrong bus schedule, so I called a taxi to the city center, and someone named Olga answered. 8 Rubles. I said, "Спасибо Ольга." And at 7 pm, the street is filled with young people.

I ran into the babushka I met 2 days ago on the train from Lida to Baranovichi. They asked if I liked the place? I said yes. I said I have friends in Baranovichi. "Китайцы?" I said Belarussians. They asked if I have friends here. I said no. They said до свидания. It's such a small country!

I walked into a bar "Draft House" and ordered some soup for 10 Rubles. I sat alone at the ledge, which are the only free spots in the bar, and I watched the bartenders.

I heard Kukushka again. I walked for another hour, took the bus, and walked the last 2 km back. It was so dark!