The real Hinterland, Bear corner. Luptug.

Luptuk? Luptchook? Not sure how to spell it even. Now this is the Outback , the Hinterland, Bear Corner. Cousin Andrey is the local Gamekeeper, Bear, Elk, Wild Boar, to name but a few of the wild creatures in the massive forests of the area. Situated just to the north of the Wetluga river, the river where the Kostroma relic of the crocodile was found. It would not suprise me one iota if they still lived here, not at all. This land is wild, beautiful and somewhat eerie. 

Conversations about people doing deals for Elk meat in the forests in the 1990s, a time in Russia of change and of real poverty and problems. This story brought it all home to me, I may look upon a house with an outside toilet now as something from the dark ages, yet this is how people live, this is how it is. The people are welcoming and interested in you, if you show them the respect they deserve and not blank people out because of  P.C. bullshit.

The church in this tiny village [200 people] is probably the best rural church I have seen. A quick phone call meant that we could have access, The priest asked of I would like to make a confession, I politely declined , his English was suprisingly good and then I discovered that a group of American volunteers had been to the town fairly recently, I seem to be following a group of Americans in this area. More to be mentioned later when I have more information. The priest left me his card with his website. 

We were allowed to go up the tower, it was during a storm and the ascent was very scary, but we made our way up the tower. It was frightening, both the storm and the stairs up to the bell tower. There wouldn't be any possiblity in the UK that a member of the public would be allowed to climb this tower. Which made it all th emore exciting really.

 This town will long stay in my memory , we visited the town museum which is a house where a person lives alongside Soviet memorabilia, immaculately kept and cared for. It is not a place that many Westeners would find a lot to interest them, there is no MacDonalds, no fancy hotel, restaurant or for that matter Tourist office.
But this place is part of the real Kostroma Oblast, I have found part of the puzzle here. Part of the enigma, God only knows what it must be like to live here in the winter. Chatting to Andrey, I relaised that he only visits the city when required, a new gun, supplies, but otherwise , he is more than happy doing what he does as he has always done.