Sunday, August 12, 2012

Thoughts on the Unfriendly People of Riga

Another leisurely day spent in Riga. During my second Sunday here, it was warming up a bit and sunny outside. After taking my usual tram down to Riga Old Town, I noticed that they were disassembling the basketball courts near Freedom Monument. I wasn't complaining since I wanted the real Old Town back! I decided I didn't feel like spending a lot of money on an overpriced tourist trap restaurant, so I headed for the LIDO inside of Old Town. Hopefully in the near future I will meet a Latvian who can show me some other restaurants in Riga..

The smaller LIDO inside of Old Town is a perfect little spot. It's not too small or too big, and there are usually tables open. I like the dark interior as well. Inside the LIDO I ran into a local man who was complaining about the hard life in Riga. He was waiting for smaller salad bar plates, which have a flat rate of around 1 lat (put as much as you can fit onto the plate). He piled all kinds of food onto this tiny plate.. Smart idea to get a lot of food for a cheap price. I'm sure he was glaring at my .25 liter Coke which cost almost as much as his entire meal.

As for my meal, it came out to 2.50 lats for the food and .70 for my small Coke. A far better deal than so many tourist trap restaurants around the area. I had a chicken filet with cheese and tomato, and fried potatoes. As usual I watched the poor tray collecting girl running all over the place trying to keep up with the customers.

I decided to head to Sefpavars Vilhelms to get a large crepe with raspberry jelly. I also bought a fresh squeezed orange juice which was a little over 1 lat. This is a great little place to hang out with interesting decor. It resembles a polar bear's cave with the white artistic walls.

I'm still trying pretty hard to meet some locals so I can discover more in Riga besides just Old Town. Unfortunately this has been an uphill battle. The locals simply are not polite or helpful here. One trend I've noticed is that the locals never seem to know the answer to any questions. For example, Latvians and Russians working in Old Town never seem to know where another restaurant or hotel is. I find it hard to believe, and think they are just being lazy or don't like tourists. It's simply easier to pretend they don't know the answer instead of helping somebody.

Yesterday while I was spending time with Whitehat, we must have asked three different locals working at bars where his hostel was. None of them even tried to help, and just immediately said, "I don't know" and went about their business. At my hotel it's the same way. I have asked the workers at the convenience shop a few questions and they never have an answer. Best case scenario they say, "I don't know" politely.. Worst case scenario they blow you off like my favorite Russian waitress here. I have simply learned to stop asking any questions, and to figure everything out myself, whether through experience or internet research.

Honestly, when I came over to Riga, Latvia, I had an open mind, and I certainly didn't want the blog to take on a negative vibe. However, that's just reality. The locals are not friendly here, and the only people you will meet easily are beggars and scammers. As an American, it's a different experience for me. Sure back home we have some icy people, but it's far more prevalent here. You know something is wrong when people in public recognize you as foreign, only because you're smiling! I will continue to have an open mind, as I meet new people (if that happens). Hopefully at some point I can meet a local who will explain the Latvian attitudes to me.

I do want to make something clear however.. I'm not a flashy kind of guy. I don't throw money around or dress like a wealthy businessman. I am also not an alpha-male or aggressive in nature. I'm sure if you come to Latvia and you have some of these qualities, you will have better luck meeting locals, especially women. Spend some time in an expensive club throwing money around, and I'm certain you will find some company. That's not my style, and I am not a sex tourist or a wealthy showoff. I'm simply a guy trying to experience life in a different and unique way.. To find something fresh in the world. It does make you a bit sad when you travel so far, only to find more of the same negative qualities in people. But as my friend says, "people are people".

Since it was Sunday, some shops were closed in Old Town, and the crowds were less populated. I also noticed less street performers than usual. I decided to head back to the hotel to see what was going on. I saw a lot of tourist buses arriving and leaving the hotel. They appeared to be from western Europe, from places such as Germany. I wonder what all these buses were about? Tours of eastern Europe? Most of the tourists were older, from 40-60 years of age. In fact most of the tourists in Riga Old Town appear older as well. Well, another day finished in Riga, and I decided to watch the Olympics on TV as usual. Latvia won a gold medal in BMX, good for them!

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