Fast Times in Tula

For breakfast, it's been hot-dogs, plain yogurt, tomato salad and 1 black tea bag. In the evening, we dine on a feast meant for a king - soup, salad, a plate of cheese, a whole mess of caviar with rye bread and the list goes on. It's all part of our last supper before falling into a deep sleep without dreams. I do my best to balance the frantic pace but taking catnaps in a van dodging potholes is all but impossible.

The crumbling conditions of roads, apartment complexes, parks and cathedrals is a left-over from Soviet times and because Tula lacks the proper the funding to fix the infrastructure, Band-Aids blanket the city. It's a patchwork of poorly paved roads, over-grown lawns and boarded-up buildings. But what lacks in hygiene and beauty on the outside is made up for on the inside. The medical teams and staff we've interviewed do their very best with what little equipment they have to help the sick.

Yesterday, Benita and I spent all day walking up countless floors (only the disable use the elevator - when there is one) to videotape the entire spectrum of healthcare available - from general practitioners to heart surgeons to a camp specializing in caring for autistic children. And just like at home, happy smiling children rush up to the camera wanting to be on tv. Parents of autistic children who attend the Valeo Camp are most thankful for the progress, albeit slow, they receive. With only 3 camps like it in the entire country of Russia, the staff at Valeo have their work cut out for them.

Despite the rain, today's excursion was spent in sunnier places. First, we sprayed footage of Tula's Kremlin (every town has a Kremlin or walled city) with stops at towers once used for torture. 2 men reenacted a medieval sword fight to heavy-metal music playing on loud speakers. It was too surreal to keep my mouth shut and I giggled with disbelief.

Following that, we photographed Tula's oldest cathedral church with wonderful green onion-shaped domes, though they look more like Hershey's Kisses when they're wrapped in gold. Later in the day, we tore through the Sunday market with only 15 minutes left before closing. High-heeled shoe stores are a basic necessity for women here and there's no way I'd survive in the spikes they wear. Every pair gives them another 4 inches of leg lift! Lastly, a ride in the park on a horse-drawn carriage. So much more to write but it's getting late and by the looks of me, I need more than just a catnap!