Special edition: guest post

JC's top-10 new best friends (a guest entry by Lisa and Freya, traveling comrades for the first 10 days)...

1. Anna (but really, her hotter than hot bro), who let us test our abilities to argue a point - and to make up our own exchange rate when it suits. These abilities which would be tested time and time again

2. The waitress JC developed a crush on (despite her hairstyle), who lulled us into a false sense of security then unleashed a mega-tantrumon us after a little misunderstanding over the wine. Yikes! Location: Novgorod's only restaurant open at 22h00 on a Wednesday night

3. Valery, a Russian military pilot who needed company while downing numerous vodka shots on the overnight train to Moscow (candidates included anyone willing to listen to him speak English at a rate of 10 words a minute)

4. Leo, a young (married, sadly) ballet dancer masquerading as a computer programmer, also on the overnight train

5. Dennis, a mind-reading Montenegran para-psychologist, who doesn't know what he believes but is undoubtedly right about everything, and who likes Japanese food but will also buy everyone a Russian buffet whether they like it or not

6. The babushka flatmate who cooks JC porridge every morning in Moscow, and leaves incomprehensible notes that are conveniently backed up with drawings for the non-literate

7. The pianist in bar 44 who invited JC to sing a duet of "Moscow Moscow" to the tune of "New York New York"

8. Jaguar Bar, located next door to the stunning Novgorod Theatre, which is not just any lump of concrete (that's the Intourist hotel next door)

9. Anyone selling half-edible cakes or pastries, whether they're dry, tasteless or just plain creamy

10. The dyevushka (young Russian female) who may be so lucky as to receive JC as her own personal fashion consultant. Some principles of dyevushka style include: 4 inch heels, anything too tight or too sheer, no differentiation between day- and evening-wear, and a frightening array of hair dye