The long arm of the law heading to Moscow
(World News Russia)

Click the link to follow the journey in the series, Train Of Thought Arriving in Moscow´s Belorussky (aka Smolenskaya) station in the afternoon, I scoured every inch of the station to find an English speaker. There was none. My worst nightmare had come true. Reviewers had warned that the staff at my hostel also spoke no English. A deep sense of loneliness emerged from the pit of my stomach - an emotion I had not felt since I travelled solo to India 20 years ago. It was this pain that had kept me away from solo travel. I found a mobile phone kiosk with an English-speaking assistant and got myself a local SIM card. I rang Elena Barinova, a contact I was given. But there was no answer. I longed...