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Eurolines just printed off the bus ticket I’d bought online and I’m now on my way to Lithuania, all surprisingly easy and efficient. It was 15 Euros which isn’t bad for a just over 4 hour trip.

I had a few remaining Lats to get rid of so was buying a plethora of different snacks and drinks at the station. It actually seems quite hard to find anything substantial in Latvia unless you eat in a restaurant, all the little shops just do crisps and chocolate but not much else. Luckily there were a few vending machines though. I threw an orange juice (one where it uses fresh oranges in front of you, too pulpy for my liking) and a hot chocolate down my neck and got myself a big bottle of water, some onion crisps (not cheese and onion mind, just onion) and a distinctly minging looking sandwich (I couldn’t begin to tell you what’s on it and I’m perpetually putting off actually eating it).

Last night’s sleeping was better relative to the previous few nights, maybe 5 hours. The room was darker and quieter and when my alarm went off early this morn I could happily have dozed for a week or more in that very spot. But that is not the life of a traveler, onwards.

One of the lads from Wolverhampton happened to be in the bunk above me and woke me up at about half 4 in the morning when he got in and then proceeded to chat to me for the best part of an hour. Nice chap but boy can he rabbit. It’s probably just as well I didn’t end up bumping into them earlier as I’d of ended up going out and a night out at a Latvian club might well have just finished me off.

A major international incident was just nearly sparked off by myself when an armed man in combat gear boarded the bus asking for passports, I’d left mine in my bag in the luggage haul, gulp. Luckily he decided not to shoot me and gave me permission to go and get it. Though he didn’t actually bother checking it in the end anyway, I reckon by this point he had twigged by my demeanor that I knew my way round a Kalashnikov.

I’ve been attempting to get a little kip time the past couple of hours but these Baltic roads just aren’t on par with the ones back in Albion, no Siry.

So I’ve given up and am spending the journey listening to some excellent bluegrass – ‘Catfish On The Line’ by The Water Tower Bucket Boys. That and a bit of reading and blogging is making it a decent enough trip.

My Dad has warned me to be extra vigilant in Lithuania as he reckons the Liths are nearly as dodgy as the Mexes, not to be trusted. I’d better hope I don’t come across a half Lith half Mexey on my travels, that bad ass Eastern Bloc desperado would be one mudda not to turn your back on, you could easily end up sporting dead man’s hand I reckon.

Am there now and I’ve just managed to sort my train ticket for Warsaw (after weighing up the bus options) come Monday in the adjacent station. 66 Litas (or Leroys as I will here-on-in refer to them) which is roughly the equivalent of 16 quid. Not bad for around an 8 hour journey.

Though I managed to acquire said ticket it was not done without a stiff upper lip. I encountered various levels of disinterest, impatience and downright rudeness with the worst being a woman who made a huge frown, sigh and roll of the eyes because I dared to enquire how long the night-bus took. I’ve had this a fair few times before and the way I handle it is to switch to ultra polite and sarcastic mode while mumbling insults under my breath. All in a traveler’s day you see.

Some would argue, well it’s a different country and a different way of life and they well may be right, but for me manners are manners in any country, language, race or creed. You don’t have to know the lingo to know whether or not you are being treated or are treating someone correctly.

I’m just watching the City game in The Dubliner now. I’m pretty much the only one here and the commentary is turned down, but still, I’m happy to have found somewhere, plus the beer is very cheap as the British stags (and the British language) have yet to add this city to the big list.

The jukebox (or whatever is piping the music into my ears) is a diverse one. Jonathan Richman and The Beach Boys being the highlights and U2 and Aswad being the low so far.

Two old arrogant Southerners have joined the proceedings now and are sat behind me making a big noise with no sound. “Man City is it, they’ve all taken their Chelsea tops off and put Man City ones on”. Yeah, I’ve just flung my 2005/06 Chelsea shirt off and put my 1995/96 City one on. ‘ossers.

Anyway, 2-0 and the proverbial game of 2 halves. Well it just goes to show you get what you pay for and what you train up. Class strike (and even classier first pass) from Adebayor and wonderful composure (I’m reluctant to say it, but it was George Best like) from Ireland. That kind of stuff wins games.

To celebrate I had some lovely mince meat potato dumplings in crispy bacon and white wine sauce at a local Lithuanian cuisine gaff. Lovely food but again little in the way of friendliness.

Blimey, country number 5 you know. How many do you reckon I’ll do in all?

The picture is of a bridge where Latvian couples place Halfords bumper-locks for symbolic purposes when they become bestowed to each other. Lovely isn’t it, I’m filling up here.

I post this at nearly 6:00 am in the morning after a pub crawl. I’m yet to fully form my opinions on the fellow crawlers.