We checked out of the hotel and we are heading to Восточный Вокзал. It is very close to Sokolniki. I arrived an hour early but there was nowhere to sit.

In Russia they check tickets physically, one by one.

Вот поезд ласточка.

Дзержинск

My battery was 50% after the train ride.

I haven't talked to many people so far. Someone on Telegram told me people talk on trains. But most people actually don't talk - they travel in families or groups. Besides me are two women. On the other side, a babushka, a dad, and a daughter. There are also children here, on my left two girls with their fathers and mothers.

On Telegram there is also the friend Sergey. Sergey is in Armenia, and he is working as an online English teacher. He is from Nizhny. He said he has a cousin here who I can meet. I am so grateful! He gave me Alex's Telegram. Alex works here from 10 am to 11-12 pm. Oh, Sergey is so kind!

However, I need to try to figure out the Unionpay today. And I am very tired. I said I'd probably meet Alex tomorrow. Alex told me to get some rest in the hostel.

Привет Нижний Новгород!

When I left the railway station, I suddenly lost my MTS Internet connection.

I went across the street at Rostics. I still didn't have mobile data. There is Internet inside Rostics. Then I took a screenshot of the route to the hostel. Then I entered the metro, and I have mobile data.

It's not 35 degrees, but still quite hot. I stepped out of the metro and I am at Bolshaya Pokrovskaya.

Посмотреть какая красота!

Beautiful European-style buildings and small stores line up the street. The street is clean, and people are singing. What else can I ask for? Friends, connections, that's all.

Thunder, dark clouds, rain is approaching.

A hostel is located at the end of the very beautiful Bolshaya Pokrovskaya street.

I bought slippers for 100 Rubles. I charged my phone at the hostel. Then I am heading to the Credit Europe Bank. One toilet, one urinal, and two showers for men.

I tried to buy water and I went into the Белорусская Косметика. "Есть волы?" "Нет."

The rain is getting heavier and heavier.

I should've stayed in a hostel, but I am stuck on the street.

Finally I walked to the metro station.

I took the metro back to the Railway Station. Near the Moskovsky Railway Station there is no Internet.

I walked around for a while and found nothing, so I went back to the Rostics I just ate three hours ago because they have Internet there. I started to look for a bank for Unionpay. According to what people said online, only Eurobank, Rosselkhozbank, and Raiffeisenbank worked with Unionpay.

I went to Райффайзенбан, but I couldn't withdraw money there.

I am tired. Fuck this Chinese bank card! I have 19000 Rubles right now. This is my 4th attempt to get money out of the bank - at the airport, at Gazprombank, then at Rossiyabank, and now here.

I took the bus back to the hostel.

And I saw the most unforgettable sunrise of my life

I got off the bus early to look at the sunset.

God, the sunset over Volga. How much do I have to pay for this? It's priceless.

Then I realized that it is a steep climb back to the hostel. But eventually I made it back. I am tired everyday, but back in China I didn't feel any emotions - no happiness, no tiredness, and no energy, nothing. Every time I travel, whether it's to the UK or the US, I didn't want to return to China.

Ok, here's the deal. I figured out why the withdrawal kept failing. I hadn't enabled the "overseas payment" feature on the app. Then I tried to activate it, but I couldn't. The Chinese app is incredibly confusing and full of crap. Basically I think I got blocked because I tried to withdraw money several times already. So I only had one Unionpay card with me, I have no money besides the few thousand Rubles left.

So something imperfect usually comes with the perfect ideal (the sunset and this city).

I called the Chinese bank. I was like, "I am in Russia and I can't withdraw money." She asked if I enabled the feature. I said I couldn't and the card is blocked. She told me to go to a branch in China. I said I am not in China. She said then there's nothing you can do. I said, "then this is a very terrible bank." She said, "I am very sorry."

And there is a Chinese guy in my hostel room. He's a student in Kazan, but he doesn't have much energy. We talked in Mandarin. He asked, "How come you speak Russian? You came here to travel? Why Nizhny? Are you majoring in Russian?" I was like, "Never mind, I am just a normal university student in Hefei. Nizhny is convenient from Moscow." He said it's 5000-6000 Yuan a month in Kazan. I said it's 2500 Yuan a month in Hefei. But I thought when I was in California, it cost around 2500 USD a month out of pocket. He said prices are multiplying every year. I said, "I like Russia." He said, "You can come here too." I asked if he knew Kamila Valieva, and he is in Kazan. He doesn't - he can't remember Russian names, or even his professor's names. He doesn't even watch Russian TV.

So I have 19000 Rubles left. Let's calculate how long that lasts. A trip to Kazan is 4000 Ruble. Everyday I spend 2000-3000 Ruble. We can continue for around 6 days if we don't do expensive activities. The plan is clear: take the night train to Kazan on 16-17th, then return to China on 20th. But I will miss out on the VK Fest. It turns out that 100k people are attending the VK Fest at Luzhniki. I am also missing out on a tour of Mosfilm and the TNT standup comedy in Moscow.

They hang your clothes for you here in the hostel and everyone's clothes are mixed.

I went to the hotel lobby to write my blog, and when I came back, it was 2 am. The sun was already rising. I checked on this hostel and there are no rooms available tomorrow. I need to find another place then.