WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Irina Sidorenko, a former top manager from Russia, and Greta, her amiable dog, cannot wait to see an end to the coronavirus pandemic for a very special reason. They have a car journey around the world to continue.
An almost 3-year and 100,000-mile-long adventure richly-packed with breathtaking vistas, natural disasters and social calamities, human cruelty and heartwarming generosity brought both globetrotters through 65 countries to the United States – only to find its land borders locked in an effort to contain the outbreak.
In the meantime, Irina stays at her friends’ house near Washington, DC, where Greta befriended local dogs and attempts chasing deer in a forest. Irina hopes the hiccup won’t last longer than two or three weeks and, inadvertently echoing US President Donald Trump, looks forward to the country’s opening as soon as possible.
Irina Sidorenko, a former top manager from Russia, and Greta, her amiable dog,
Going back to Russia is looked at as the last resort and the worst-case scenario. It would mean an untimely finish of the circumnavigation, dubbed “S Gretoy Vokrug Sveta”, a Russian-language rhyme which means “Around the World with Greta.”
Road Adventures
Before venturing out into war-torn Syria, braving torrential rains, escaping robbers’ gunpoint and self-medicating for a tropical disease, Irina had a successful white-collar career. She built a TV company in Siberia, managed political campaigns and worked as PR Director in a high-end real estate company in Moscow.
To make her dream into reality she learned to drive and got a driver’s license, bought a car, a modest Hyundai sedan, and in May 2017 after two shorter-range test voyages – to the country of Georgia and Morocco – finally hit the road with Greta as a sole companion.
Greta, a mixed breed of a husky and Labrador, has spent three out of five years of her life on the move. She loves thorough belly rubs, tasty snacks, but would occasionally bark at children passing by – an after-effect of mistreatments by kids in the Asian and African countryside.
Dog Greta
In Guinea, a country in the west of Africa, they drove right in the middle of civil unrest. Protesters pelted the car with stones, broke windows and ransacked the belongings before security forces came to the rescue. In neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire Irina contracted malaria and, unable to reach a hospital, a hundred miles away, treated herself for three days until fever receded. In Tanzania’s wilderness, Irina had a tense stand-off with locals who asked for money brandishing a rifle.
Africa with its patchy civilization footprint was the toughest leg of the journey, but the most picturesque one.
Conversely, her Syrian drive-through was so uneventful, that Irina barely mentions it.
All of a sudden Jordan reopened its border with Syria. “We drove through Syria, from south to north, to Aleppo. Roads controlled by government forces are safe, absolutely safe,” Irina says.
Linguistics Overrated
Irina speaks no foreign languages, except for a few phrases in English and French she picked up during the travel.
Irina and Greta everywhere meet people ready to help. Strangers would fill up a gas tank for no charge or – on the most recent occasion – convince Washington policemen to waive fines and not tow away the car with Russian license plates carelessly parked next to the Capitol building.
Irina Sidorenko, a former top manager from Russia
The car now has a five-day stock of supplies, including anti-malaria drugs, a vacuum cleaner and an extra bag of canine food. Travelers are ready to go as soon as borders reopen.
She expects her adventure to last one or two more years but is already making plans for the future.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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