03 May 07
Video: From Latvia with Love
I wonder if James Bond felt like this when he got caught by the Russians. I'm sat here in a pitch black cell, wondering what on Earth is going to happen to me. Only moments ago, I was shoved in here by a guard in Soviet uniform, whose only comment in English was: 'We own you.' Now all I can hear outside my cell is angry shouting in Russian and the metallic echo of slamming doors.
Alright, I confess. I'm not here on some secret spying mission. The whole thing is a set-up. The reason I've come here, to this disused military jail on the west coast of Latvia, is to experience what life was like as an inmate. As the Balkan states and eastern Europe open up to tourists, who are increasingly finding that it's very simple to drive here, some of those tourists are seeking out extreme experiences. And they don't get much more extreme than this. For the next few hours until dawn, I'm at the mercy of my guards - who no doubt have some nasty surprises in store.
The prison is in the town of Liepaja (pronounced lee-i-pi-ya). It was built in 1905 by Tsar Nicholas I, to house mutinous sailors from the Russian Imperial fleet and later used by the Soviets. The 'guards' are a mix of ex-Soviet military personnel and tour guides in character.
To most people, this sounds like a night of living hell (and they're right), but for an increasing number of lunatics it's a holiday. A few years ago, British company Baltic Adventures began flying tourists over here to experience some traditional Soviet military hospitality. In the last year alone, 20,000 people have served sentences ranging from one hour to several days. The nutters.
To find out what all the fuss is about - and indulge my fascination with Soviet history - I hopped on a plane to the Latvian capital, Riga, before heading west to serve my stretch.
