Minsk is booming!

After three flights and eighteen hours of travel, we’ve arrived in Minsk safe and sound. We were last here in 2005, and the city is booming! There is new construction all over, roads are refurbished and resurfaced, and apartment buildings and single-family houses are being built everywhere. It’s really something to see. Everyone knows that the official government figures for economic growth are padded and baloney, but perhaps there’s more to the bluster than it would appear. “On the ground” evidence would point to some real strength after all. There is no denying, though, that this remains by and large a command economy with little sanctioned free market activity without oppressively heavy red tape and taxes that are higher than gross revenues in some cases. I just hope that when freedom does come and the economy blossoms for real that it doesn’t grow too fast and result in the huge disparity between the “haves” (the oligarchs) and the “have nots” (everyone else) as in Russia. I suppose it could be a blessing in some ways that Belarus does not have the tremendous natural oil and gas resources that does Russia so that that windfall will not be available to the select few to hoard for themselves.

We’re sitting in our room in the good ol’ Orbita Hotel resting a little while before dinner with some of our friends and other leaders here. Even the hotel has been spiffed up and renovated since we were last here in 2005. The rooms have carpet, and the reception desk has been totally redone. It actually looks nice instead of like a mafia den.

I slept about five hours between the flight to Frankfurt and the flight to Minsk. Not too bad, and I feel pretty good. By nine o’clock tonight, I’ll surely be ready for bed, but so far, so good. We flew Northwest Airlines from Norfolk to Frankfurt (via Detroit), and it was fine. Nice flight attendants, typical American airline “comfort” which is basic but fine. Then we flew Lufthansa, the German airline, from Frankfurt to Minsk. Everyone jokes about German efficiency, but it’s a very real thing. The only problem is that the attendants and customer service staff are almost robotic. Helpful but not exactly friendly. Not my favorite airline, but our choices are limited when flying into Minsk. I don’t think that Delta will be bidding for a NY-Minsk non-stop anytime soon.

I exchanged a couple of text messages with my wife. Jonathan had a bit of a difficult evening with me being gone, and Karen said that she can sense some spiritual attack to discourage her and against the kids’ health. I’d appreciate your prayers. More to come…