23-8. THE TRUE, RAW CAPITALISM

The spare-part for Green Car has been in Irkutsk since Friday. At DHL Hjalte got an employee start the process to get our long-awaited goods released from customs. That done we took a street-car down to the central market. It was bursting with all kinds of food-stuffs, an impressive change from when we were here during communist-times. Then 22 years ago the fridges were all empty make-believe. Shops had paintings of food but nothing you could eat. You had to be a war-veteran to buy a piece of susage on your ration-card. To buy a bread you had to stand in a line. Now the vast hall is full of fresh fish, meat, dairy-products, berries and vegetables - all from around Irkutsk. Imported wine, cheese, tea and coffee are sold from rows of small kiosks. In central Irkutsk trendy cafes and restuarants line the streets. People are well dressed, everyone seems to be in a hurry to earn money and spend them.

Nina