Andrés Cruz is already in Russia. Read his testimony on the first two days on the way to the summit.
Also, remember to make a donation to support his cause.

At this very moment, Andrés Cruz is four hours away from Moscow, in a valley surrounded by mountains. He spoke with Conexión Colombia at 5:30 pm Russian time. The following is his testimony, right from his descent on the second day of his adventure.

"The most interesting part is the arrival in MOscow from London. We had to drive for four hours before we arrived in the valley where we are currently camping. What struck me the most was the fact that the road went to the middle of nowhere. All the houses are made of concrete, everything is grey. You don't see any colors aside from the scenery, and we're 25 degrees. You can see the poverty these people live in. This isn't Europe any more, it's a different worls. We are in Russia, but this is not the Europe I'm accustomed to seeing.

"We arrived in the most interesting village. One of those build by the communists, all buildings are grey, 20 stories high, broken windows. I asked one of our guides about the place and he said that these buildings are mostly populated by squatters who used to be workers at a now-closed factory. Since the demise of the USSR, these people have nothing to do and nowhere to go. It's like watching the failure of the Soviet experiment right before my eyes.

"At the end of out 4-hour drive we arrived at Nakra, a ski resort town. The place we arrived in is called Cheget, and it's one of the most luxurious places to ski in Russia. Still, you can see the peculiarity of the place. There is a well-built hotel on one side and another hotel being built on the other side. There are seven pairs of hotels like that, one properly built and the other still in construction, which I find very odd. You can also see very clearly the contrast between the rich and the poor. This is a valley surrounded by huge mountains, and we are 2000 meters above sea level. You can see Mt. Elbrus in the horizon.

"At about 3pm (Russian time), we arrived at the site. No one was in the mood for sleeping, so we went to a bar and played a round of dice. Vladimir, a Russian guy who was obviously drunk, came and offered us several roungs of 'Gorbachev' cognac, which is the popular brand of cognac in the region. Thanks to Vladimir, I got a little tipsy. Afterwards, we went for dinner.

"I went to bed around 6 pm. I got up at 4 in the morning and by 8 we were all having breakfast. Then we had our meet and greet: Seven Brits, two Norwegians, and me. Two of the Brits are friends of mine who also work in real estate. The others are two people from Liverpool and a specialist in female fertilization. The two Norwegians are female police officers.

"Our guide's name is Alexander, but everybody calles him 'Sacha'. He was an olympic rowing champion and he has written several books on the flora and fauna on the Elbrus and Mongolian regions. He's 55, and he climbs Mt. Elbrus eight times a year.

"We started our first hike of the trip, from Cheget to a ski station which is 3.000 meters high. So we climed 1000 meters and then climbed back down. It's going to be three days of training, goping up and down, acclimatize and see how well prepared we all are. Today, the two norwegian women were always ahead of us men. My toe has not hurt yet.

"When we returned, dinner consisted of potato salad, lamb kebabs and beer. They shove alcohol down your throat over here.

"This place is extremely kitsch and full of contrasts. On one side, the place is very poolry biult, you can see the pipes everywhere. But on the other side, there are two gigantic bronze tigers at the entrance! It's very strange, because it could be very beautiful, but because of how poorly biult it is, it just looks awful. Our guide tells me the place is apparently subsidized by the State, but due to corruption it looks like this. Just like the Puente de Boyacá in Colombia, but in Russia.

"Culturally, it's also quite exotic. They play very cheap Russian dance music at the hotel. One of the women at the check-in counter really called my attention. She's Russian, with very long black hair and was wearing a leopard-print track suit on the first day we arrived. She seems to have some sort of turkish ancestor. Everyone speaks Russian and no one ever smiles.

"Generally, though, it's a positive experience. I was extremely worried because I had knee surgery a year ago, but I've been pain-free. The same with my toe. I feel great, not tired or anything. We're going to a Russian observatory, which is 3.400 meters high. Next Sunday, I'll be reaching the summit.

Andrés Cruz is climbing Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, in support of 157 single mothers and teenagers who live in Cartagena. Follow his blog, and remember to make a donation.