Good afternoon! Welcome back to another new series.
Welcome to Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, one of the countries in the Eastern European region,
where this is my very first experience being in the region itself.
A simple question if you ask me why Belarus?
The simple answer to that would be because as an Indonesian passport holder, I do not have a lot of privilege
in being able to, you know, travelling around the region without considering the visa situation.
So the reason being here is simply because, if I only have got one country that I can go to for a 30-day,
you know tourist duration where I don't have to think about the visa situation, why not use that
and utilize that to the best ability. My reason being here is to focus on the human side story
on the tourism part of the country, you know try to reduce the preconceived ideas that we all we
all have probably about Belarus and anything that we have heard so far about the country.
I flew into Minsk at the beginning of October and was in one of the
only two flights arriving on that day. I was eligible for a 30-day visa free as
long as I enter and exit the country through Minsk international airport.
I booked a $19 room in a shared apartment with a window overlooking the train pass by.
The first 48 hours of my solo travel was merely observing and absorbing this new environment.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous or anxious coming to Belarus. I sensed fear in me
from the news that I consumed while researching and the uncertainty that came along with it.
While fear is important to keep us alert, I know that every country has different layers to unravel.
Through my solo travel, I hope to showcase the other side of Belarus. We're currently in the
Independent Square where I can see a Lenin statue from here. It is sitting majestically over there
and quite eerily empty because it's Saturday in the morning and I think this is sort of the main landmark of Minsk.
As you can see this is the Lenin monument, in comparison to a real person over here
and behind the Lenin monument, there is a house of government.
Minsk oblast or region, being that Minsk city is the capital city of Belarus, is located right at the heart of the
country, meaning that this is the only region and the only city that is not so close to any kind of
border, of any kind of country surrounding Belarus. Belarus itself being a landlocked country
it is surrounded by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania as well as Latvia.
Minsk has suffered many disasters, destruction and occupation since 1505 and was almost completely
demolished throughout World War II and during the Soviet era. In 1919 it became the capital of
Belarusian People's Republic and remained the capital when Belarus gained independence in 1991.
Minsk grew in population and was subsequently rebuilt with abandoned parks, wide boulevards and
many blocks of apartment buildings. If there is one word to explain Minsk, from my impression is
that it's entirely clean. I mean at least, at least so far the area that I've seen. There is no single
trash or litter or people littering. It's so much cleaner even in comparison to London, Manchester
let alone countries in Asia or the South Asian region. It's not an apple to apple comparison.
As you can see, this is St. Simon and St. Jelena/Helena church and over here you have Minsk hotel.
This particular hotel probably, not probably, is definitely much older than me. Over here we do have
another statue/sculpture but along of this is supposedly a fountain if it's working. If you see the
statement or name over there, it indicates the six oblasts or region in Belarus, from Brest,
Grodno, Mogilev, Vitebsk as well as Gomel and Minsk itself so there are six regions.
Apart from being clean, there are a few other things that I find magnificent from this
particular city, one of it is the central post office building. I think it is a "Magnifique"
or a grande type of building. It just let me in such an awe with the details, the architecture,
everything that I have never seen. I personally have a thing for a central post office, postcards,
train station, railway and everything surrounding it. This feels to my heart with such joy!
Can you please adore this magnificent four pillars, with an actual clock that tells the time.
Welcome to the inside of the main central post office. From here you can probably send out postcards,
letters, over here there are many souvenirs. That's a quick tour but I always find it fascinating
to be able to visit a different post office. This whole avenue, all of these busy streets are basically
known as Lenin Ulitsa (Lieninski praspiekt) or Lenin street but I am walking towards the Karl Marx ulitsa
or Karl Marx street basically quite known for its nice cafes and restaurants.
I am sorry, this is for you, but it's so hot! Aw, spasibo bolshoi (Thank you in Russian)
Can you see this casino building?
Shangri-La, not that I'm interested in playing casino but the Shangri-La building
reminded me probably one of the buildings I've seen growing up in Jakarta that probably no longer exists.
So far this is strategically located in front of this Crown Plaza hotel and many other
hotels like Minsk Hotel within walking distance, probably aiming for tourists to spend their money
on this particular place. For me personally as a tourist, Minsk and specifically this Independence
Avenue is basically very efficient because all of the landmarks, all of the main sites are located
within this stretch of avenue or street. all of the buildings within this particular area is
a great example as to how the Stalin Empire style looks like. Due to the warmer weather, everyone is
out and about and I think it gives this feeling of weekend feeling you know I mean?
It's nice actually we got lucky with the weather because it could be just grey, cold and misty.
Over here we have a central bookstore sorry. If you feel like finding some books about Belarus,
Russian speaking books or postcards, this is also a very great alternative to the post office.
Can you see here? It says Lenina and over here, the first time I saw it I was curious as to why there
were so many people coming in and out.
I realize now that this is a department store. This is not some kind of your regular department store.
This is GUM, a department store dating back to the 1950s with a cafeteria, dining room, as well as Soviet realist architecture.
A friend of mine, Alina McLeod, on Youtube here, recommended me to check out the stolovaya or canteen in this particular
department store. Let's enter one of these. Look at the grand design of the stairs, who
would have thought a department store could be so exciting like this? If you're tired of shopping
or walking, there are some benches on one of the floors. I don't know I adore it I've never seen
quite nothing quite like this in terms of the architecture. Welcome to the stolovaya in GUM!
Oh, they are closed? Oh, because it's Saturday. What a shame, what a shame! If you're visiting
during weekdays, it'll probably be open. Another underground in Minsk, because we're going to take
the underground metro. I think I was wrong! That was not the way to go to the underground metro.
I think it's still a few meters away.
If you see the sign this means that there is a metro
underneath it, but what I find very very fascinating upon this particular metro
is this mural art that depicts the SSSR or The USSR.
The entrance is over here.
So you see there is a Minsk metro map, so we are currently in Kastrycnickaja.
Zdravstvuyte (Hello in Russian) Odin ticket, skol'ko? (One ticket, how much?)
Vosem'desyat kopeyek (80 Kopek) Ah, da (yes)!
So it's 80 Kopek (less than Ruble)
Spasibo vam! (Thank you)
We have our ticket right here, so we put it here and get in!
Make sure that you save all of the coins you have from all of the changes from any kind of payment,
because it'll be useful to pay for buses, trains. My train is coming!
Could this station be more soviet? Look the reminiscence of the Soviet Union,
with the station name being Plošča Lienina (Lenin).
Oh my God, it is fascinating! This underground metro it's like tapping into another world that I
didn't know existed and I don't care where it takes me, I just need to have this experience
and stopover even one after the other of such metro station.
Welcome to the Victory monument!
The afternoon sun makes it a bit romantic, especially with the flowers on the street right here.
People are cycling and enjoying the Saturday afternoon. Being my first time here, I can only
see and showcase sort of the main areas, the sort of tangible sights of Minsk, because if you like to
see and experience an alternative of Minsk, there is this particular website that I would recommend
reading. It is such a great, sort of, travel guide from a local perspective.
Look at this beautiful gate to one of the parks in Minsk. I always love green areas but look at this park
and how there are kids playing around right here in the playground.
My pet peeves for myself is that I have such a weak bladder that I have to pee once in every probably 30 minutes.
Oh my God, that's my struggle! Worry not because at this park, we have a toilet!
As you can see this toilet costs 80, not 80 rubles with 80 cents of rubles.
What a life saviour honestly, toilet.
I think I am entering an amusement park? Over here you have many different games
and cashier over there but it's closed. There are different shops selling popcorn, ice cream,
and there is a Ferris wheel I think that way! I think the Ferris wheel is not open
if you can see over there it says Minsk, the colour it's so outdated. It looks outdated but so fascinating!
Wow, the state of this Ferris wheel! I wish it is open so that I can actually try.
Everything seems to be closed during autumn and winter season, but over here
Do you see? There's a sign to Gomel, Orsha, another city in Belarus and Brest.
Thank you so much for watching today's episode from the city of Minsk, the capital city of Belarus.
I hope that you learn a thing or two or enjoy this video as a form of entertainment and
a bit of education. A glimpse into this particular city that I didn't know anything
about prior to visiting. It sort of has opened up my eyes to the other side of Eastern
European countries as well as Belarus as a country itself. As of recording this video
Belarus does not have any kind of flights flying into Minsk other than flights from Russia
as well as Istanbul. I hope in the future things will be better for the country because
sympathy is one word to actually address my feeling towards the Belarusian people.
Let me know what you think down in the comments section below, would you actually travel to different places
that you don't know anything about to learn from it, first hand? Would you actually travel
alone in the first place? despite the language barriers and zero knowledge about the culture?
I would like to know what you think and I can't wait to see again on the next episode, see you bye!