Russian Women Forum: Trip Reports & Travel Experiences - (Current)

Travel to Russia in 2008

2009-01-18T03:46:22-04:00

I had a good time both trips. My first trip in April lasted 30 days. I was only able to stay for 10 days the second trip in November. There was a noticeable change in attitude towards Americans on the second trip, no thanks to former president "butthead" Bush. Money: I took traveler's cheques the first time. They were a pain in the rear trying to find a bank that would agree to cash them. They will charge you a fee and then you lose money again on the exchange rate. I took cash the second time. Stopped at the ATM before leaving. They didn't like my money because it had marks on it. I had a hard time finding a bank that would exchange the $20 bills I got from the machine at home. Take only crisp, as new as possible $100 bills. You can use a credit card for everything if you travel only to Moscow or St. Petersburg, but you will pay exchange rate and international useage fees with most credit card companies. Transportation: Taxis are the most expensive even if you have a Russian to negotiate the fee. A taxi to and from the airport to my destination was about $180. Of course, that is traveling outside of Moscow. You can get a bus for about 200 rubles or about $7.00 from Tula to Moscow. A local "line" will cost you 10 rubles. Most trolley busses are between 8 and 12 rubles. You just have to know where it is going before you get on. They only travel certain routes. I didn't ride the metro in Moscow. Can't help you there. Food: Not much different in price from the U.S. for a decent meal. Expect to pay about 1000 rubles for dinner for two ($40). That includes such dishes as caviar, salmon, and drinks. Not bad really. I hope you like mayonnaise and vinegar. Parliament is the best vodka I ever drank. Avoid the samagoyne (moonshine). Lodging: I stayed at a private residence. Can't help you there either. I heard it was outrageous though. You won't find a Motel 6 in Moscow. The sights: Fabulous! Red Square, the art district, shopping centers, museums, cathedrals. Go to them all. Don't spend too much on the souvenirs. The most expensive item I bought was a fur cap for 1500 rubles. It was overpriced. Entry fees are reasonable, but you will pay extra to take photographs. It rains a lot. People on the street don't smile much. They are friendly though. Go to the countryside if possible. It is awesome. If your lady has a datcha, you will enjoy going there for shashlik and a relaxing time.

RE: visa??

2009-01-18T03:24:20-04:00

Jagguy, It really depends on where you live and what type of visa you want. I got a private homestay visa by sending the invitation letter (provided by my lady), a passport photo, my passport, the application letter for my region's consulate, the application fee, and return mailing to the Russian consulate in my region. All of the details are on the website, but it is difficult to figure out at first.

RE: Real Russia in pictures

2008-10-19T18:39:02-04:00

On this site there are a lot of pictures and videos of Russian cities and towns[url=http://russiancities.blogspot.com/]Russian cities and towns[/url].I am not sure if there are pictures of Kazan, but you can look for them there.

Just got back from Omsk

2008-09-15T14:52:10-04:00

Gorky Guy said:

Our suspicions might be allayed if you told us how you found this board and why you chose to post here...

There is another "TR" posted where you can see some similaritys. Show some photo's and do indulge us in your 3 hour walks. And please do tell us how you found this forum,I am interested as it's almost off the cyber charts.

Just got back from Omsk

2008-09-15T14:34:23-04:00

sunnyinsd said:

I find it interesting that using a service and enjoying it gets construed as an advertisement for the service.

You'll have to forgive us; cynicism is an unavoidable downside to hanging about on boards like this for far too long. Our suspicions might be allayed if you told us how you found this board and why you chose to post here...

Just got back from Omsk

2008-09-15T07:54:59-04:00

Expand? I was introduced to my girl BEFORE I went there by a friend who had been living there and we had already been communicating on the internet for 5 months. I flew over to Russia to meet her to see for sure that we liked each other in person as sometimes things do not work out when people meet. We got lucky and fell for each other completely and I am pained that I cannot see her everyday again. I didn't use an online agency or a dating service. It is just like having a friend introduce you to a girl here in the US except she is in Omsk and I'm in the US. That will be remedied soon enough though. To each his own experience with Aeroflot. On my flight to Moscow one didn't know how to tell me to try the bathrooms in the middle instead of the front ones. She told the other girl there who response was "Do it in the middle." When food or drink was offered and I asked for english all that was said was orange , apple, tea, coffee, or chicken or beef. Like i said it was enough to convey what needed to be said. I don't need to have a detailed conversation with them. I find it interesting that using a service and enjoying it gets construed as an advertisment for the service. I enjoyed flying Aeroflot but i don't see everyone wondering if I'm an Aeroflot advertiser. There are lots of stories abound of guys heading over to Russia only to be dissappointed by their girls and not having anywhere to go from there. I just wanted to bring to light another resource out there if someone is interested, take it or leave it.

Just got back from Omsk

2008-09-14T15:46:41-04:00

sunnyinsd said:

I had already met my girl before I even went to Russia and this trip was mainly to confirm that we wold have chemistry and would make a good match.

Can you exand on it pls? As about the Aeroflot girls not speaking English I have to dissagree with you because I have flown to Russia 12 times now from the UK and I noticed that most of the girls spoke very good English. Maybe on the internal flight they were not many but there is always 1-2 who speak some Englsih too. As everybody pointed out to you, before me, your posts come accross like an agency and services advertisment and NOT like a travel report which probably could help other newbies here.

Just got back from Omsk

2008-09-14T09:26:43-04:00

I happened to meet my girl through a mutual friend. He introduced her to me many months ago and we git it off. She was not able to be with me the whole time because she had to work and was very busy during the days. We still got to spend plenty of time together though on the weekends and nights. She did not have time to worry about me getting food, seeing the city, getting an apartment, or any of the basics so I secured the translator. Omsk is not a tourist friendly city. Many people do not speak any english at all in Omsk like the would if in Moscow. You are really on your own there. It isn't an "agency". It a guy in Siberia who can speak english well with an American partner who set up the site for him. When the money was sent for the domain name they would not take it from a Russian address so the Austrialian one was used at the time because that is where the American partner was living at the time. I'm not the American partner either I am a guy that found the service, used the service, and was very happy with it. Why do I know all of this? Because the guy, Vadim, in Omsk is very honest and up front about it. You can gmail him if you want, siberiavip87@gmail.com and set up a live voice chat even if you have any question about the service. I'm not sure what he charges for most things because I hired for a different reason than to meet girls. His prices vary depending on the situation as well so he doesn't post them. Each person is going to be treated as an individual and is going to be charged on what it is they want and their situation. Again, send him an e-mail and he will respond to it. Aeroflot stewardesses know very basic english. They know basic english enough to get you your food, or tell you where the bathroom is. It is a Russian carrier so they are Russian people. Don't expect much else though once you leave the US. I didn't even try with any of the ticket agents in Moscow or Omsk, I just handed them my passport to find my reservations. My story does focus on the agency service because he really did make most of my trip. If you want me to describe how I walked around the city for upwards of 3 hours a day looking at buildings I can muse about that. Omsk is not a tourist city though so there isn't much to look at beyond the new church that was built, the rebuilt walkway along the river, and the 2 roads Lenin and Marx street which compose most of what would be referred to as the city center. Victory park is a great place to spend a long day together if the weather is good, it is an expansive park commemorating WW2. The few clubs are great, except that smoking is allowed in them. They are really packed on the weekends and most of the people there are girls. They are dead during the week though so plan accordingly. I just got back from this trip like 3 days ago and I absolutely loved it. I left on August the 25th and got back on Setember the 10th. It was a real eye opener to see how these people live and cope with their lives. I'm still excitied about being there and depressed at the same time as i am no longer with my girl, and it will be many months before I see her again. I posted this mainly just to let other guys know about my trip there. I posted up siberiavip because I used that service and really thought it was fair and a good service. I posted about areoflot becuase I thought they were good as well. I did this because these are the main issues that I faced when heading over there. It is not to hard to have a vacation and relax all day once your there. It can be difficult to try a new carrier, and get around a city that is not American friendly. Hope some of this is helpful, SiSD

Just got back from Omsk

2008-09-14T07:08:31-04:00

One word: [i]backlinks[/i] Pity that 'Kevin' doesn't realize how little traffic this board has... :chuckle: Oh, and btw, this 'Russian' site is actually owned and registered a little further south than Siberia... Domain name: SIBERIAVIP.COM Administrative Contact: Prokopenko, Kevin 85 Stirling St, Perth, XX 6000, AUSTRALIA FWIW, the email addy he posted is genuine but almost certainly pops (pun intended) straight into Kevin's mailbox.

Just got back from Omsk

2008-09-13T13:53:45-04:00

pepecarlos said:

How much do you charge for introductions? There is no story to this trip other than talk about the agency services. Aeroflot does not have bilingual staff? You met the girl in Russia and you needed an agency? How strange...

Actually the only real reference is to this service that arranges your trip to this city. Accomodations, translators, night life, and other places to take your date to. And no prices, for all these services in their web site. The girl you have you to find for yourself, before you go, or those dating places may seem a little lonley. :chuckle:

Just got back from Omsk

2008-09-13T13:24:07-04:00

Just got back from Omsk

2008-09-13T12:56:18-04:00

Hi all, I thought I would start out by reporting on my trip to Omsk, Russia. I literally got back 2 days ago and I'm excited to report all I can about it. I live in San Diego so I was able to fly straight from LAX to Moscow on Aeroflot airlines. Then Moscow to Omsk on Areoflot again. Not only was it convient to only have 1 layover I found the service to be very good on this carrier. The crew only knew very basic simple english but it was enough to get across what I needed. Thumbs up to Areoflot. When I got there I was greeted by my interpreter Vadim from www.siberiavip.com He made the trip for me because he was able to easily take care of all the details of the trip. Whenever I needed help or advice on anything it was the best to have someone dependable that I could turn to. He also knows all the hot spots in town for meeting the girls :) I stayed at the Mayak hotel in Omsk. At $149 a night though I only stayed there a few days to get my visa processed then had my interpreter get me an apartment. The Mayak was a decent hotel, even though the outside looks a bit run down. The Tourist hotel is the same with the outside looking run down but it looks nice on the inside. At $30 a day, the apartment was much easier to budget than either hotel :) The apartment wasn't the best accomidation but you learn to make do with what you get sometimes. I had already met my girl before I even went to Russia and this trip was mainly to confirm that we wold have chemistry and would make a good match. Well we hit it off right from the beginning and had a wonderful time. This will definately be a pairing for the ages :) We are already starting to plan another trip somewhere warmer this winter/early spring, perhaps the Dominican Republic. I'm 31 years old and she is 23, so age is really not an issue for us. It is a complete treat to take one of these women out on a date. I would describe her as modern feminine. She would open her own doors, seat herself, order for herself, order for me, her inner strength was very strong. She was still relatively passive and feminine when it came to our discussions and what we wanted in a relationship though. She also let me pay for everything without issue. I'm very happy with the blend of traditional values and modern influence on her. She has the dreamiest eyes I have ever seen and I spent hours simply staring into them. Once you spend time with a girl like you perspective on what a woman is changes completely and fundmentally. She is a very shy girl :D or else I would post a picture of her. Even though I was already spoken for I was still an object of interest to quite a few different girls who were curious about me and wanted to know more. I definately enjoyed this attention but of course did not take advantage of any of it. My interpreter had said that he was going to be helping an American guy so a great number of his female friends were interested in meeting me. There were a whole lot of beautiful ones too :) It's amazing to be over there. You can't walk a city block without seeing a 3-4 beautiful girls completely dressed up to the max. What I liked even more is what is in the Russian realm of "normal" looks for a girl was easily falling into what I would consider "beautiful" in my opinion, so the beautiful ones were out of this world. You really have to adjust your senses to read these girls. They are much more subtle in their messages and won't ever give you a straight answer unless pressed. I learned how to read a girls answer to a question without her giving an answer. Russians are people that act, not say, and learning to read and interpret non-verbal cues is a major part of learning to comminicate with these girls. At the beginning my interpreter would say, "Hey did you see that girl checking you out?" and I had no idea, by the end though I was fully aware of who was checking out who :) All in all I had a wonderful trip and would highly recommend it to anyone whether you go to find a girl or not actually. To see how different life is for different people truly changes your perspective on how we have it here in the USA. I would have been completely lost without my interpreter and would highly recommend his services as well. He got me to my hotel, got me an apartment, showed me the hot spots to take my date, counseled me on how to act, got my apartment, helped me shop for things for hot dates in the apartment :) and a host of other things. My e-mail is at sunnyinsd@mail.com and I would be more than happy to answer any questions that anyone has regarding my trip. I want everyone who wants this to experience it :)

Minsk 11July 2008

2008-08-09T07:23:28-04:00

GregfromGa said:

Congratulations. What a nice picture,but dont let the single guys hellhack you to death trying to find out if the girl in the glasses <skip> single.

Saw a bit of flesh and got excited? I wonder who in her right mind would wear something like that to the wedding... :grin: NZboy indeed is a lucky man, lovely bride. Congratulations!

Minsk 11July 2008

2008-07-31T12:56:38-04:00

Lovely photo's man! good luck and may it last long!

Minsk 11July 2008

2008-07-31T06:39:34-04:00

Lovely Photos and lovely Mrs nzboy. Mrs Wiz and I we wish you all the best Wiz

Minsk 11July 2008

2008-07-30T19:41:46-04:00

Good to read about the news ! Best wishes for the years ahead ! :grin: :grin:

Minsk 11July 2008

2008-07-30T16:39:29-04:00

Congratulations!! Great pics!! :smile:

Minsk 11July 2008

2008-07-30T00:59:42-04:00

Minsk 11July 2008

2008-07-30T00:41:45-04:00

Minsk 11July 2008

2008-07-30T00:34:10-04:00