Been there, seen that
By Aaysha Cader
He’s spent a couple of days in the infamous Iraqi prison of Al Ghuraim, been attacked by an elephant in Sri Lanka, was once accused of being a spy for the Russian government, and has even landed a few cameo roles in Bollywood. You could say Grigory Kubatyan has certainly seen the world, his own way.

Kubatyan, who hails from the Russian city of St. Petersburg has always wanted to travel, and began his adventures with a friend while at university six years ago. A member of the Russian Geographic Society since 2000, he has hitchhiked his way over 40 countries across the globe.

His latest globetrotting venture began with a friend six months ago, their primary objective being to travel the world and promote ideas of peace and tolerance amongst nations. The adventure began in May, when the two young people trekked from Russia to Armenia before hitchhiking their way to Eastern Europe via Georgia. “Sometimes we walked for 40 kilometres at a stretch,” says Grigory, adding that it didn’t matter if it was a donkey, tractor, camel or horse-ride so long as transportation came free of charge.

Crossing the mountainous region of Nagorny Karabakh in Georgia, he says that apart from the destroyed tanks visible in the aftermath of the armed conflict, one could see huge metal chains between the mountains. “It was to prevent attacks from aircraft as Azerbaijan had an air force and its opponents in conflict did not,” he explains.

From Armenia it was on to Turkish Kurdistan, after which the pair trekked their way past several military checkpoints to the Iraqi division of Kurdistan. Though major combat war in Iraq was declared over by May 2003, Grigory says that the ground situation showed that war was far from over.

“We were there in July, and the war was still very much on. We realized that what we were told on the news is not always true,” he says. Having arrived in Baghdad within two days of the slaying of the sons of Saddam Hussein son Uday and Qusay, he recalled that it was total chaos with an lack of law and order.

It was in the Iraqi city of Basra, in the Al Qasem town that the two Russians were confronted by locals in the service of the coalition government. “They stopped us and asked us, ‘Why are you going to the South? They will kill you there!’ and convinced us to come with them,” says Grigory. Trusting them, the two mounted the dilapidated military vehicle, only to be driven back to the town they had just left, to be reported to an American patrol as ‘suspicious Russians on the move’.

What ensued seemed like something out of the pages of an espionage thriller. “They thought we were spies,” laughs Grigory, “they didn’t believe us when we said we were hitchhikers.” They were then taken to interrogators at the Military Base, after which each one of them was flown in separate marine helicopters to the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.

“We spent two days there,” he says. The prison is surrounded by three layers of barbed wire. Their liberation was a long and complex process and it had to go from the US State Department, to the Russian Embassy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Russia and finally the Administration Office of the President of Russia. Finally they were taken to Saddam’s Palace (where the coalition government now meets), after which they were met by representatives of the Russian embassy who secured their release.

They then made their way to Iran, where they visited ‘madrasas’ (Islamic religious schools) and interacted with local students. “Communication was sometimes a problem,” says Grigory, at times they resorted to drawing pictures to get the message across.

Pakistan was next, before they made their way to the Indian city of Amritsar. “We realized that both countries want peace but the lack of trust between the two parties was distinct,” he says of his discussions with university students of the countries. His efforts were recognized, as he was awarded an Indo-Russian Friendship award by a Minister of State in India.

The entire adventure was paid for by the trekkers themselves and they had to guard against overspending. “We never stayed in hotels, sometimes we stayed in temples, or pitched tent,” says he. But in India they found that cash was draining and alternative methods of securing money had to be found. The answer came from Bollywood, where Grigory landed a few cameo roles, one as a British officer. “It was a lot of fun,” he says adding that he has even learnt Indian dance moves in the process! That stint was a success he feels for he has now received summons from his agents in Bombay for more cameo roles.

With the money coming in, they decided it was time to move on, but the two of them separated ways as his friend decided to travel to Nepal, while Grigory opted for Sri Lanka. “I wanted to visit Sri Lanka because this country is like ‘terra incognita’ for us, it’s unknown,” he explains.

In Sri Lanka, Grigory has already trekked his way to the South, Ratnapura and Uda Walawe, where he had a close encounter with an elephant. “I saw a lone wild elephant and decided it was a good opportunity to snap a picture,” he reveals, adding that he had been warned not to venture too close. He approached the elephant, and the animal suddenly jerked its head and made its way towards the inquisitive human.

“I began to slowly walk away from it, and it walked towards me, faster and faster by the second.“ Grigory then started running around a nearby tree. The wild animal gave chase and the two circled a nearby tree twice, before the giant pachyderm raised its trunk and struck him. “I fell and got a few scrapes, “he says, pointing at red scars on his arm.

On another of his lonely jaunts a couple of years ago, he got lost and eventually found his way into the mountains of Mongolia. While on a trek to Africa, he contracted malaria. “I was very ill for two weeks in Ethiopia and almost died,” he says. Hitchhiking in Africa is different, “ You have to walk for miles before someone offers you a ride on a run-down truck that resembles a washing-machine because it’s so packed and the roads are so wobbly.” He reveals that there are times when all the passengers have to get off and help lift the truck when it gets stuck in the mud.

Of Sri Lanka, he says that hitchhiking is a wonderful experience as there are beautiful forests, waterfalls, and mountains on the way. “It’s like a chunk of paradise!” An economist by profession, Grigory has always looked for adventure, and wants to lead a life that’s more interesting than the banality of a day job.

He hasn’t ruled out the possibility of settling down to an ordinary life someday in the future, but before that he wants to hitchhike in South America. Grigory has his own website (www.geocities.com/koubatian) with descriptions (mostly in Russian) complete with pictures of the various places. He wants to encourage young travellers from all over the world to take up the adventure as well, and says that he can be accessed via email at sejaha@yandex.ru.

There’s a difference between tourists who pay their way and stay in hotels, and the ones who opt to hitchhike, he says. “You look out of a train, and it’s like watching it on TV,” says this globetrotter, “But when you go it alone, you get to see the ‘real’ world and exactly what different people’s lives are like.”

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