M-whY

The day didn't get off to a great start though. When I approached the bar/reception inquiring about the special Sigulda day trip flyer, highlighted by a run down down an Olympic bobsled training track, posted in the kitchen, I was informed that it had been called off.

"Sorry, mate," said Adam, the Australian expat who worked here. "Just look at the weather." As it has been the past week, it was dismal outside. "We're still going to do the bobsled run though. If you're interested, just meet down here at 4:00pm."

I had actually been more interested in Sigulda than bobsledding. My guidebook described it as an enchanted place and called it the Switzerland of Latvia. Personally, I think nicknames like these (New Paris, Venice of the East, etc.) are bland and unoriginal - it'd be like calling myself the Marco Polo of the 21st century - but something must be there for it to have earned such a gaudy title.

Back in the dorms, some people were just waking up.

"So are you coming to Sigulda with us?" asked Tina, the Australian who had given me cough medicine the day before.

"Haven't you heard? They cancelled it," I said, repeating what Adam had told me.

"Oh, that's too bad." She passed the news on to another Australian girl - I forget her name - and the two of the concluded they'd try to go out there anyways. "Want to join us? We'll meet downstairs in about an hour?"

This was as good a plan as any, and by noon, a bunch of other backpackers had decided to come along too. Adam gave us some maps, we agreed on a time and location to meet for bobsledding, and the eight of us (six Australians, one Brit, and one American) set out to the train station. Distance-wise, Sigulda was only 50km out, but our train was took its sweet time, making stops at the most obscure places, sometimes literally in the middle of the pine forest. There were no platforms, people just waited by the tracks to get on and off.

It took over an hour to get there. "What's the plan now?" asked someone as we congregated at the edge of town.

"The plan now is I'm hungry," piped up another, with the majority of agreeing with that statement, we sought out a dingy cafe for sandwiches. Except there were no sandwiches, and we ended up purchasing a loaf of bread, some cheese, and some ham to make our own.

Needless to say, we weren't a very efficient group. We sat around the dimly lit room staring at each other until someone suggested we go outside for a walk. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much to see. I haven't been to Switzerland, but I'm sure it's nicer there. Certainly weather had something to do with it, but this looked more like...

"Have you guys seen The Blair Witch Project?"

"There should be a road here..." someone cracked.

The forest setting, the mysterious piles of rocks, the guy with video camera filming it all. And there were more similarities to come. When we came to a ravine and a series of steps, half of the group wanted to climb down, the other half (myself included) didn't. There was only about an hour of daylight left anyways, not enough time for a return trip to the Sigulda castle in the distance. As a result, people went separate ways.

"Didn't they split up in The Blair Witch Project too?"

"Oh my god, you're right! We're never going to see them again!"

The four of us decided to poke around town, but were met with more disappointment as Sigulda town also wasn't inspiring either. At this point, I made up my mind to do the bobsledding thing. Originally, I was going to pass - the 25 lat (US$1 = 0.6 lat) fee was a little pricey - and had Sigulda been more captivating, I would've settled for a commune with nature. But now, I felt like I needed to do something to justify my trip out here.

Everyone managed to make it back to the appointed place and the appointed time. Our group swelled to about a dozen people, as Adam showed up with a few more backpackers. Walking in the direction of the bright lights, we arrived at the winter sports center. While waiting for the Latvian national team, we paired off; The bobsled held three people, but obviously someone more experienced would have to steer for us. Adam would be my partner, and the two of us were slated to go last.

"Excited?!" "Yeah!"

We strapped on our helmets, received some basic pointers from our driver ("Hold onto the handles", "Don't hit your helmet against mine"), and we were off. The track measures 988m, and each run took between 49-51 seconds, the exact time being displayed on a scoreboard above us. That comes out to an average speed of 70km/h. Top speed obviously was much higher - I was glad I had run out of cough drops to suck on or I would've swallowed it on the way down. At the bottom, a truck was waiting to take us and the bobsled back to the top.

"What was our time?" "49.609 seconds. First place!" New and exciting adventures indeed... and possibly even the beginnings of a new bobsledding career?

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!