1. The Master Plan (Or Lack Thereof)
It was a search for accommodation in Aglona for the annual fest that I noticed the camping in Pusa on Booking.com. The reviews were few and all positive. I could not understand what kind of accommodation it was, but I went with the positive reviews on Booking.com and Google. It looked genuine, fun, raw, and close to nature.
Next, I saw the access. I use only public transport, don’t have a car, and don’t intend to. Google Maps did not have any proper directions and preferred a car. I looked up 1188.lv, the official website for public trains and buses in Latvia. I found three buses a day from Rezekne. 1188 does not say about the local buses in the city, which is said by the local ones like the Rezekne transit site. This was important for me because Rezekne Stacija and the AO (bus station) were 30 to 40 minutes away, and my son cannot rush, and in wet weather, it becomes really tricky.
As nature would have it, it was raining more than cats and dogs in Pusa and Rezekne from the evening we arrived till the late afternoon we took the train back to Riga. Buses to Rezekne from Pusa do not run frequently on Sundays.
I checked the weather in Riga on the Monday morning we left. It was not hot and not raining, so we reached the station to take the 8:01 Zilupe train. At the station’'s Narvesen, we got some supplies to wear the train time out. I bought hot dogs and a cheburek from a kind lady before the stairs to the platform. I got my coffee to drink on the train, and my son made fun of me on the quirk I saw people do in Latvia—since you cannot eat or drink on the LRT in KL!
The train is the old type, looks cute, and some windows can be opened—especially the old-style toilets with windows opened to let the fast breeze go in, the foot pedal flush, and push-type taps. My son was thrilled on the toilet. The three hours went fast, with me looking at the various stations that stopped and whizzed by. We reached Rezekne exact at 11:21 AM
2: The Bus Stop Gamble & The Meat Panic
We rushed out of the station to run-walk to the AO about 30 to 40 minutes away. But I saw a few people waiting at the bus stop, scared to ask because of the language barrier. As I crossed and struggled with Google Maps to guide me, I saw a bus drive in. As I walked past the road, I noticed another bus stop. I waited for the bus, asked the driver for AO, got two tickets at €0.70 each, and whizzed to the AO.
Immediately, I took note of the timings at the local bus stop and scanned the QR code to the Rezekne local bus site, where I saw a few routes connecting Stacija (station in LV) to AO. I went to the AO office to find our next bus and learned it leaves from Platform 1.
Then I also got the message from the Pusa tent guy: no food! Oh no! I rushed to Citra in the AO and got marinated chicken and pork, and a lot of marshmallows, crackers, and chocolate to make s’mores. I rushed back to Platform 1 and the bus was there, but it was the wrong one! We waited for the right one, which left on time at 12:30 PM.
The ride was all nature. I was concentrating during this bus journey to see if local buses in Rezekne could help us decide if we should leave early afternoon or late afternoon on Tuesday, the next day. I decided to leave Rezekne by the train at 17:12. That meant we needed to reach Rezekne AO at 16:50, take the 16:59 route no. 6 to Rezekne 2 Stacija, and if we lose any connection, stay in Rezekne for the next day’s train. Luck or my planning, everything worked out as planned.
3: Into the Wild (Snakes, Souls, and Mosquitoes)
We reached Pusa (Monday) before 1:30 PM and started the walk to the campsite. No person was on site, and the bus driver looked at us long before he left us. The place had a few houses, seemed uninhabited, and had a lot of apple trees
We were startled by a small black snake, which was more startled than us and ran to the bushes. I warned my son, telling him how snakes can sense vibration, so make big steps and talk loud to create vibrations. Soon we saw a crushed dead snake, probably by an unintentioned car.
On the way, we saw a Kapsēta (cemetery). We saw the old souls, some 100 years old when they left this world, and also a toilet designed with love and wood.
The internet was patchy, as well as Google Maps, which showed the way longer every time we checked. We saw the car park patch and walked among mosquitoes and horseflies, being bitten everywhere. We looked for the blue tent and where the green one was, saw the green one, and then the shed which had the kitchen.
Wow, my dream of camping—is it true? No soul around, just my 50 years and a supporting 13-year-old.
4: Trial by Fire & The S’more Sacrifice
We set to work, no time to be lost. We checked the supplies; everything was there to start a fire, cook, clean, make tea, and coffee. The ground was wet, as well as the fire pit.
The fire pit was lined by stones. I set to work. I did not know what a fire starter was or how to use the blowtorch. I figured it out one by one, wasting some fire starters before starting a small fire. I gathered the damp dry leaves and put them on. Smoke came, then fire, but not enough. We needed light wood, available in the wood place. I put some on, and then the hardwood also got heated to start burning. There was bark of trees, but I did not know it worked as a fire starter.
I saw the grill and started working on it as the fire pit was starting and spluttering with our fire. My son found some dry stout sticks cut to size and plenty, and he said it was for the grill. I listened, and he started the fire this time: fire starter, blowtorch, dry leaves, stout sticks. He did it! It started burning well.
We rushed to put the marinated pork on, but it got burnt in 5 minutes! The other side came out well, though. We scraped the burnt part and ate while the chicken cooked on the grill. The fire was big and almost burned it, but it was better this time. I learned to have glowing embers rather than burning wood for a grill. Next time!
5: The Rescue in the Downpour
We explored the hammocks and fell over, bit by all the flying objects. We went to the hanging tent—greatly designed, sturdy, opening by a protected triangular window. There were sleeping bags and pillows, and a blanket, which was very thoughtful considering the overcast sky. The sky gave its warning that it might rain, and the fire had quieted down.
We left for the only store in the village center, which was not on Google Maps but I found in Gemini. We went walking and reached almost closing time at 7 PM. We rushed to get more supplies and started back in the rain.
The umbrella was no match for the rain. My son’s raised hand was ignored by three speeding cars, but the fourth stopped hesitatingly. The driver asked if we had papers, and I said in broken Latvian that I live in Riga. He hesitated, stopped, and allowed us in with water dripping off us. We raced in the rain and in a minute crossed our place. We thanked him and got down, and my son was in high spirits in the soaking rain by getting help and believing in human kindness.
We walked the same path to the camp, by now slippery and dangerous. We rushed to the shed kitchen. While I checked the battery, oh no, I could not figure out the lights! The fire was out by the rain. I told my son to reach in the tent before darkness falls. He listens to every word I say.
While I arranged all our foods so that no animals might get scented, he climbed in the tent and snored, tired, before I even closed the kitchen and had my coffee. I climbed in with him, snugged in a sleeping bag, watched the sky through the tent, and fell asleep to wake at 7 AM to continuing light rain.
6: Embers, Axes, and the Journey Home
I restarted the fire in the fire pit and the grill to reheat the food. I made my coffee, learned how to axe the wood, and stretched my stiff joints. I woke my son to have more s’mores, chicken, pork, some ham, and a few drinks.
The rain was relentless till we left early. We arranged everything to our best ability, cleaned the place, trashed and locked up, and put out any fires still embering. We started slow and steady in the steady light rain, lucky there was no heavy rain like the other day.
We reached our bus stop an hour early. I explored the old church while my son sat to play his game. Our phone batteries were in the red. The bus was early by 10 minutes—I had warned my son that intermediate stops will get early, and I have seen people getting to these stops early.
We reached by 16:40 and rushed to find the connecting local bus to Stacija. We got it, paid in cash, and reached to end our journey back in Riga through the train.