Rapid Travel Chai

I arrived Moscow this morning and used a few hours’ layover before continuing to Sochi to visit Red Square. I thought this was the last in my leaders under glass series. I have seen Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, and now Lenin.

Ranking the visiting experience,the Messrs Kim are in a class of their own, then Mao, then Ho, then Lenin. With Lenin the only formality was guards telling people to take their hands out of their pockets. Lenin looks the least lifelike, the shape from chest down does not seem like a body.

I reasonably exclude Eva Perón and Stalin since they are no longer on display, however check out the tangled tale of Ms. Perón’s remains. Reports are that Hugo Chavez was not in good enough shape to take the wax.

I did some fact-checking and to my consternation found that I am missing Ferdinand Marcos.

I am not going to go out of my way to swing through the Philippines, I am not big fan of archipelago Southeast Asia, mainland Southeast Asia is more to my liking, yet once the collecting bug has grabbed hold it is hard to shake.