Where is the exit? If you are Russian, go to the exit...

After 4 hours in Russian airport quarantine, we were finally allowed or should I say escorted to a bus for transport to Terminal D--the domestic terminal. It took 3 airport personnel to escort us to the bus, two more people to drive the bus with another person driving the trail car to get to Terminal D. While on the bus, I snapped a photo of the plane graveyard. See below. We waited about 10 minutes until someone opened the door and told us to walk up the stairs. I was the last one up the stairs when suddenly the line of people stopped moving--due to barrier on 2nd floor stairs. The guard who let us in started yelling, keep going up, keep going up--apparently not realizing the barrier was in place. We finally removed the barrier and kept climbing to the 5th floor, the secret section where we went through another check point, and where we were in our 2nd quarantine. No one was at the gait for us to pass through, yet the sign in English read, don't be late for check in...

On the way over before getting on the bus, Grazina started to translate some of the conversation exchanges between a Russian airport worker and a passenger. The


passenger asked where the exit was. The worker replied, if you are Russian, go to the exit. The passenger then repeated the question, where is the exit. Response, if you are Russian, GO to the exit...the three of us just broke out laughing--probably the product of a 5 hour quarantine. This whole experience reminds me of my passage through Kiev. We sat and waited in a hot and run down section of the airport, only to be let in to the new and air conditioned section complete with shops just minutes before our pane departed.

I promised myself that whenever I returned to Russia, I would bring with me a stamp and almost dry ink pad...well, I forgot...and It sure would have helped. But I did see a number of airport workers with them...

We heard from Lance, our companion who was to meet up with us in Almaty. He got delayed in Phoenix, which dominoes his departures to Almanty. He arrives a day later...hopefully he gets through to the train and gets to Shymkent. Maybe it'll be more fodder for the fire.

Note on photo: the 3 planes in foreground are working and in good order. All the rest in the background are isolated on the grass, just off the run way.
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Location:Moscow Terminal D quarantine