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Author Topic: Peterblog  (Read 22622 times)

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Offline jone

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Peterblog
« on: August 28, 2015, 12:30:46 PM »
Hello from St. Petersburg.


For those of you wondering why I was not posting, I have been traveling.  This month finds me in Petersburg and I will create a short blog that relays things that may be of use to people wishing to travel to Russia, and, more specifically, St. Petersburg.

I live in Los Angeles, but have closed down my home for a number of months.  Getting a visa to Russia was a snap and the cost of flying here was outrageously low.  I flew Aeroflot.  I found the service adequate.  But I must confess, someone could have figured out how to give the (rather cute) flight attendants uniforms that were a better color than flaming orange.

This blog will not address politics of any type except when I run into something that relays back to my ongoing stay.

The first thing one sees upon arriving in St. Petersburg is that the airport, while naming the city correctly on most signs, still maintains a huge sign that says:  Leningrad.  While that may not mean much to those newbies.  For an old Cold War relic like myself it relayed shades of a Nazi siege coupled with years upon years of hearing Lenin's name memorialized by the city.  It actually was quite symbolic of a long history, punctuated by WWII remembrances.  I was surprise at how small and provincial the airport was when compared to, say, an airport in Midwestern city in the US.

My apartment is over forty minutes from the airport.  It is not in a particularly geographically desirable location.  I had flown in by myself, my fiancee having arrived a few days before me.  She told me that I should pay around 1300 rubles for the cab fare.  After being assaulted by over 8 hawkers trying to sell me their private car service, I marched up to the official taxi cab stand at the airport.  The sweet gal there quoted me 1400 rubles.  It did not upset me.  The difference in price quoted an Eastern European and an (obviously) Western man was 100 rubles or about US 1.5.  I have heard too many stories about the private car services not to go to the official Taxi stand.  She gave me a ticket with the price on it.  I took it up and gave it to the driver.

I should point out that we brought the dogs on this trip.  They are two small miniature pinschers.  Both fit in one medium sized cage and they are well behaved.   When I put them in the back seat of the car, the cabbie had a fit.  He told me that I had not paid to have dogs in the car.  (He didn't know that I understand Russian pretty well and I was not going to inform him at this point.)  He called over the gal who had quoted me the price.  He wanted another 100 rubles.  Poor gal.   She was being brow beaten by a Russian cabbie for what amounted to $1.50.  I smiled at her and told her that I would not mind paying the extra $1.50 if he would change his attitude.  Instead, she relayed to him that she had negotiated the extra $1.50.

Now the trip is supposed to take 40 minutes.  We start off from the airport and the guy turns on the radio.  He obviously wanted to forget that I was in the back seat.   I quietly asked him in Russian what time it was.  He immediately turned off the radio, which then displayed the time.  Then he accused me of speaking Russian the whole time and that my ruse for asking him what time it was is simply a way to get him to turn off the radio.  I, once again, pretended not to know what he was saying. 

The trip went from bad to worse.  In an effort to get rid of his irksome passenger, we went at break neck speed, with lots of cuss words at anyone who would get in his way.  This driving was punctuated by slamming on the brakes when he couldn't squeeze into better lane positions.  One half an hour later he realized he was lost. 

He had gone to Kolomyazhskiy Prospect.  My address was on NOVO Kolomyazhskiy Prospect.  For the next twenty minutes we wandered around with him shouting at pedestrians asking if they knew where this street was.  (I was tempted to ask if he ever had considered investing in a map.)  Finally, he identified the building but had no desire to help me find my flat.  So I walked into a Salon where a lady was still working (at 8PM) and asked how to get to the apartments.  There was a drive through the middle of the buildings and all of the apartment units were located there.

With help from one of the locals, we figured out which door would have my flat in it.  I rang the buzzer and my beauty asked if I needed help in bringing up the doggies and bags.  I told her to stay there and paid the cabbie once I was sure that my baggage was completely out of the car.  Partly in embarrassment and partly because that was his personality, the cabbie lit out of the parking lot at top speed. 

So the cost of what should have been a half an hour cab fare was $23.00.  That is the new reality in Russia.  Last week the Ruble inched up over 70 Rubles per dollar.  Currently it sits at 65+ rubles per dollar as the Russian try very hard to prop up their economy.

More later.........
Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Offline ML

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2015, 12:55:33 PM »
Good story; thanks for posting.

On my first trip to SPb, my driver went down one way streets the wrong way, and drove on sidewalks.

He said if you follow the rules, you will never get anything done.
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Offline tfcrew

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2015, 01:40:55 PM »
  ..........if you follow the rules, you will never get anything done.

Try telling that to a cop.
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Offline Chicagoguy

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2015, 06:51:16 PM »
I was with Russian woman and we were running late for the Bolshoi so she told the driver this info. He turned and went down active train tracks !
My heart was in my throat. We were late but alive. A good trade off.

Offline ML

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2015, 07:22:02 PM »
I had a driver do the RR tracks trick also.

It was in Kyiv.
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Offline jone

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2015, 08:11:58 PM »
Entry 2:

Do you remember your school janitor.  We always said that you could tell a janitor by how many keys he had on his key ring.......

A couple of years ago there was this idiot poster who became locked in his apartment on New Year's Eve because his 'girlfriend' went out to party with family and friends.  I could never understand how this was done until my first visit to Eastern Europe.  Eastern Europeans treat apartment doors like some kind of door to a vault.  The locks on the doors are not just a single dead bolt.  On the key chain of my current apartment we have eight keys that we are supposed to know what to do with.  And the keys are both sophisticated in their cut, but they are also varied due to their use.

For instance:  We have two deadbolts on our apartment door plus the locking mechanism for the actual Ruchka (doorknob).   By the way, Ruchka is a great Russian word.  It is used, primarily, for three things:  Doorknob; Small Child's Hand and, of course, Pen.  It also has around seven other definitions which I won't go into here.   The hallway to the apartment has another door in between the elevator and the apartment door.  That door has two locks on it and to open them, you need to have someone first give you instructions.  Finally, there is another set of keys that gets you into the building.  One is a regular lock and the other is magnetic.

Why should I care about all of this? WELLLLLL.  There are no lights in the hallway.  I mean not even any light fixtures.  (What were they thinking.)  I have to use a circular key in the black of night and a tumbler key to open the door after getting off the elevator.  Then, after completing this major accomplishment, I enter into a completely dark hallway, whereby I am forced to open the myriad of locks that safeguard the front door to the apartment.

The first time trying to complete this operation, I had to yell for N to come out and help me.  She didn't seem to think it too strange.

I'll try and take some pics of the locks and keys.  But I think such pics would only interest me.  On to better stuff, hopefully tomorrow.
Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Offline BillyB

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2015, 08:44:50 PM »
  There are no lights in the hallway.  I mean not even any light fixtures.  (What were they thinking.) 



PhilDAmore used to live in St. Pete and he said everyday Russians would curse the darkness in the hallways when coming home at night but nobody changes the light bulbs. Somebody in your apartment complex got smart and did away with the light fixtures that are useless without light bulbs. Check your phone for a flashlight feature or turn up the brightness on the screen.
Fund the audits, spread the word and educate people, write your politicians and other elected officials. Stay active in the fight to save our country. Over 220 generals and admirals say we are in a fight for our survival like no other time since 1776.

Offline Chicagoguy

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2015, 09:43:57 PM »
We have given little keychain flashlights to all my wife's relatives. They were much appreciated. Ace hardware usually has some by checkout counter.

Offline jone

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2015, 07:22:54 PM »
Entry 3:

I am a confirmed claustrophobic.  When in Russia, in May, the electricity went out in the building I was in.  Unfortunately, we were in an elevator at the time.  Unable to be patient and wait for power to return, I forced the door open on the elevator, allowing our escape.  Now, every time I get in an elevator in Russia, I do so with a wary thought of what I might do to escape in the event of a power outage.

Today, still on California time, the dogs woke me up at 4AM to do their duty.  I reluctantly got up and managed to get them on the elevator, down to the street and they promptly discharged their responsibilities.  Little did I know that I was about to experience a different type of elevator horror.

I have two dogs.   Both are Miniature Pinschers.  One is smart, while the other is not so smart.  The not so smart one is quite small.  About the size of a large Chihuahua. 

Well, as we were getting on the elevator, he took it upon himself to leave the car just as the doors were closing.  I saw immediately what was happening but was too late to prevent the doors from closing and the car from moving.  These are industrial style elevators.  They don't stop for anything. 

I immediately punched the emergency stop button, but I knew I was too late to stop what was going to happen.  The elevator went up and the leash that I was holding in my hand suddenly became slack.  Then there was nothing left to the leash but the end of a frayed piece of cord. 

I was fortunate that I could reverse the elevator after the emergency stop.  I went down to the ground floor.  As the elevator went down, I could hear a plop on the ground next to the door.  I resigned myself into thinking that I had lost one of my dogs and would see him lying there with a snapped neck or other trauma.

The door opened and there, shaken but alive, was my little guy.  I looked at the striation marks on the elevator door and was able to piece together what had happened.  As the elevator went up, it pulled him off the ground from his collar.  When he reached the top of the door opening, he could not be pulled any further and the leash snapped.  As the doors opened, he was then released and fell to the ground.  I should point out that it literally scared the poop out of him as there was evidence of his fear all around him.

What saved his life is the metal ring that was sewn into his collar.  It served as the point which absorbed the tension and ultimately was strong enough to break the leash.

As I write this, he is now sound asleep on his usual place on the bed snoring softly after having received copious treats and lots of affection.  From now on, I will be carrying him into elevators  as he is not quite smart enough to figure them out by himself.  Apparently from my repeated encounters, neither am I.

Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Online Faux Pas

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2015, 09:06:33 PM »
I gotta tell you jone I would not for the life of me consider traveling to Russia with dogs in tow. I know dog lovers like cat lovers or any pet lovers have that attachment but, no effin way would I travel for short or extended periods to Russia with a pet.

I love dogs although I haven't owned one since the kids left for college and the last one past several years later. I remember you took them to UA and now to Piter? I don't get it

Offline calmissile

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2015, 09:34:59 PM »
Jon,

Gotta laugh about the keys and locks.  Same thing in Ukraine.  On one of my later trips to Kiev I was put up in a more modern apartment complex.  It used a key fob gadget to unlock the door on the street.  When we came home one night the thing would not work.  There was no manual key to override it.  Finally another tenant came and his key fob would not work either.  Fortunately he was able to call someone and within 10 or 15 minutes the door was unlocked remotely.  Had he not come along, I would have been waiting forever because there were no instructions as to who to call.

I personally would never take a pet overseas.  What a hassle!

The story about no lights in the hallways is typical.  Newbies should know this in advance.  There were many nights that I prayed that no thug was waiting to rob me in the dark hallways.  It's also true, that even though there are fixtures there, no one changes the light bulbs.  I asked about it and was told that in the apartment complexes everything is controlled by the building management, including whether to even enable the lights to work if they are present.

Have fun.

 
Doug (Calmissile)

Offline LAman

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2015, 03:34:28 AM »
'After being assaulted by over 8 hawkers trying to sell me their private car service, I marched up to the official taxi cab stand at the airport.  The sweet gal there quoted me 1400 rubles.  It did not upset me.  The difference in price quoted an Eastern European and an (obviously) Western man was 100 rubles or about US 1.5.  I have heard too many stories about the private car services not to go to the official Taxi stand. '

What were those stories??? That the official taxi's get lost or don't know where to go???? :o
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Offline Noch1

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #12 on: August 30, 2015, 04:12:11 AM »
People  stop replacing light bulbs in the hall, because tenants steal they.
Hey look free light bulbs. LOL Flashlight app. works great.

Love my dog, but would never take him on a trip like this.
mine you he is 100 lbs not 2.3 :)
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Offline jone

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #13 on: August 31, 2015, 06:54:12 AM »
Entry 4:  Internet Services in Russia

After reading the forum for the past few years, I had been under the impression that the internet was restricted in Russia, to the point of not being able to access many Western sites.  While this still may be true, shortly before I came over, I had my fiancee try out the sites that I would need to conduct business back in the States.  Every one was functional.

While I say functional, I meant that they were not blocked.  I notice  that when I request a new URL, that the first response of the internet is that the 'Website is not available'.  Then, after a few moments, the website comes up, none the worse for the wear.  I don't know if this is a function of handshaking with the West or if there is an additional filter my request must traverse before I am allowed to see what I am looking for.

As an additional test, I pulled up some websites that would seem to give the Russian government pause:  CNN;  The Kyiv Post, etc.  All were available.

I am impressed with the quality of response time and throughput once a website is accessed.  As my stay continues here, and if I have anything more to report on the internet, I surely will do so. 

But I should probably make note that that 'forum of toxicity', the Russian Women Discussion, is still accessible here in the Rodina.  If it becomes blocked during my stay, I won't let you know about it.   8)

Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Offline Slumba

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #14 on: August 31, 2015, 11:48:26 AM »
Entry 4:  Internet Services in Russia

While I say functional, I meant that they were not blocked.  I notice  that when I request a new URL, that the first response of the internet is that the 'Website is not available'.  Then, after a few moments, the website comes up, none the worse for the wear.  I don't know if this is a function of handshaking with the West or if there is an additional filter my request must traverse before I am allowed to see what I am looking for.

Though unlikely, you may want to check your DNS settings. It is possible that if you have 2 or more DNS server configured, and one responds very slowly or not at all, that this could happen.  Google runs 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as publicly accessible DNS servers, if you want to test out using a different one.
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Offline jone

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #15 on: August 31, 2015, 12:52:41 PM »
I accessed the internet through both a Local Area Network and a Wireless Access Point.  The same event happened with both access methods.  That would lead me to believe it is not DNS.

Jon
Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Offline jone

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #16 on: September 01, 2015, 03:50:07 PM »
Entry 5:  Russian Visa Registration:

Here's the scoop.  I surrendered my Passport today to a surly landlord who was put out that she had to register my Visa.  We're in her apartment.  I can't imagine that I won't get it back, but, still, it makes you somewhat nervous that you are surrendering a passport to the accommodating party.

Where does all this come from?  Well, it hearkens back to the Soviet days where the authorities wanted to have tabs on you in their country.  No foreigner was allowed to visit Russia without registering their passport with the local authorities.  It used to be a stamp on the passport.  Now it is a piece of paper that is carried around stating that you did, indeed, register.

It looks like this:



My woman was telling me that we needed to go down to the post office to get the registration done.  I told her that I did not want to go and that it was our landlord's job.  I won.  Not through persistence, but simply showing her some online resources that backed up my claim.  And, or course, she thinks I'm not too bright surrendering a passport.

So when our landlord came today to collect the last payment for our stay here, we told her to get busy.  She is new at being a landlord and not too accommodating.  The rules are that you must register your passport/visa within 7 business days of arriving in Russia.  There are various fines for not registering.  But I would be more worried that I would never be let back into the country.  The accommodating party is the registrant.  It is kinda like 'you are responsible for this individual while in country, make sure he/she doesn't screw up.'

At a hotel, they immediately take your passport upon registration.  They usually return it the next day or maybe the subsequent day. Our landlord is a mother of two, and, clearly was put out when we asked her to take care of us.  After talking with her tonight, I have the feeling that we are living in her actual apartment and that she and her husband and two kids are living elsewhere with family.  She is neither experienced or good natured about taking care of her tenants.

Here is one of the articles I read that explains the process:

http://waytorussia.net/RussianVisa/Registration.html


Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Offline Boethius

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #17 on: September 01, 2015, 04:10:35 PM »
In Soviet times, you surrendered your passport to Intourist.  Students surrendered theirs to whatever organization sponsored them.  If you were a tourist, it was taken at the hotel, and returned when you were leaving the country.  If a student, you received it if you had permission to travel anywhere else.  One could not travel outside the areas listed in their visa without permission


In later days, when one could stay in private residences, you had to register at OVIR, with the person who invited you to stay, and you kept your passport.  At no point during any of this was your passport stamped.


I'm fairly certain Russia does this to keep track of who is in the country, and where, even though there obviously are illegal aliens in the country.
After the fall of communism, the biggest mistake Boris Yeltsin's regime made was not to disband the KGB altogether. Instead it changed its name to the FSB and, to many observers, morphed into a gangster organisation, eventually headed by master criminal Vladimir Putin. - Gerard Batten

Offline Anotherkiwi

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #18 on: September 01, 2015, 06:56:07 PM »
I'm fairly certain Russia does this to keep track of who is in the country, and where, even though there obviously are illegal aliens in the country.

I can remember this discussion a couple of years ago, when somebody was asking about the need for registration.  I think it may have been Faux Pas who pointed out that Russia didn't have a centralised tracking system for registrations, so it would be moot as to whether or not anybody really DID know who was where at any given time.

However, I personally wouldn't want to run the risk of not being registered when stopped in the street by one of Moscow's "finest."

Offline ML

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #19 on: September 01, 2015, 08:47:54 PM »
Jone, I am surprised an experienced traveler like you would give your passport to anyone like this.

She most likely will exhort some extra money from you to give your passport back.

In my travels to Russia, I always stayed at apartments, yet took my passport and visa to a hotel where for about $20 they did the paperwork and immediately gave me back my passport while I waited.

One hotel that was very accommodating in doing this was the small St. Petersburg Tchaikovskogo hotel, on Tchaikovsky’s street.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline jone

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #20 on: September 01, 2015, 10:10:28 PM »
I would happily be exhorted.  Just not extorted.   ;D
Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Offline msmobyone

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #21 on: September 02, 2015, 12:24:59 AM »
To back up ML

I would NEVER had over my passport, if doing a DIY trip to Russia

It seems registering is a very diverse process..having discussed this with friends who have been to Crimea, and long-term RF republics.

The price varied from 115 Roubles - about 2USD - and a lot of form filling in Russian to 15 minutes waiting at a post office, while my 'sponsor' and I waited for the forms to be completed on a computer attached to the Federal Migration Service network, the 'sponsor' signing the forms - and handing over 450 Roubles.. about 6 dollars.

During the process - you'll have no passport, or the immigration card. If stopped by the Police, I'd rather HAVE id.





Please excuse the Curmudgeon in my posts ..he will be cured by being reunited with his loved one ;)

Offline jone

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #22 on: September 02, 2015, 11:57:33 AM »
Entry 6:

The big joke: 

Anyone living in Russia will tell you that the Kremlin selected targets of opportunity when creating the ban of Western foods and imports. 

I have been here for about a week.  The influence, at least in St. Petersburg, of US or Western European is not only prevalent, but entrenched in society.  For instance, we went today to a pharmacy.  While some generic type over the counter drugs were of Russian manufacture (think basic aspirin) all of the things Russians would buy have at least one offering from the West.  We were looking at Gummi Bear vitamins, for instance.  Then there were the Johnson and Johnson products.  (I especially liked the baby oil!)

In the grocery store, too, there were many products that were either imported or licensed to be manufactured in Russia.  The Coca Cola display, for example, is completely obnoxious.

We went to the pet store.  The two major offerings there were Royal Canin and Purina.

All in all, it is import business as usual for Russia with a couple of high profile examples that were deemed expendable by the Russian authorities.
Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #23 on: September 02, 2015, 01:28:42 PM »
Jone, have you seen cheese yet that is packaged in tamper proof plastic boxes?

(Mendeleyev Journal)

In the wave of all that destruction of cheese, it should be no surprise that cheese products are becoming both expensive and scarce. Imagine what a shock to see cheese on supermarket shelves that is packaged in tamper proof plastic boxes!

cheese tamper proof height=371
(Photo: Ilya Varlamov)

While the government continues to bleach and bulldoze under any cheese that makes it come Customs, supermarket shelves are beginning to take on a new look. The special plastic housing is to prevent shoplifting, as cheese has become a valued commodity given the government's bent on destroying any cheese that comes in from the outside world.

Customs official are especially keen on destroying cheese and related products from the Netherlands and Finland.




The joke on Russian social media is that cheese, as it is becoming scare and valuable, will be the new gifting fad. Instead of flowers, supposedly men will arrive with cheese when courting a lady.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2015, 01:30:43 PM by mendeleyev »
The Mendeleyev Journal. http://mendeleyevjournal.com Member: Congress of Russian Journalists; ЖУРНАЛИСТЫ.RU (Journalist-Russia); ЖУРНАЛИСТЫ.UA (Journalist-Ukraine); ЖУРНАЛИСТЫ.KZ (Journalist-Kazakhstan); ПОРТАЛ ЖУРНАЛИСТОВ (Portal of RU-UA Journalists); Просто Журналисты ("Just Journalists").

Offline jone

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Re: Peterblog
« Reply #24 on: September 02, 2015, 01:34:23 PM »
Jone, have you seen cheese yet that is packaged in tamper proof plastic boxes?

(Mendeleyev Journal)

In the wave of all that destruction of cheese, it should be no surprise that cheese products are becoming both expensive and scarce. Imagine what a shock to see cheese on supermarket shelves that is packaged in tamper proof plastic boxes!

cheese tamper proof height=371
(Photo: Ilya Varlamov)

While the government continues to bleach and bulldoze under any cheese that makes it come Customs, supermarket shelves are beginning to take on a new look. The special plastic housing is to prevent shoplifting, as cheese has become a valued commodity given the government's bent on destroying any cheese that comes in from the outside world.

Customs official are especially keen on destroying cheese and related products from the Netherlands and Finland.




The joke on Russian social media is that cheese, as it is becoming scare and valuable, will be the new gifting fad. Instead of flowers, supposedly men will arrive with cheese when courting a lady.

I've seen the tamper proof packaging.  But my woman loves to buy cheese and we have not really seen a significant difference in price from the last time we were in Russia.  I guess it is all relative.  Food prices here are a lot cheaper than in Los Angeles.  Doesn't hurt with the Ruble floating at 65 to the dollar.
Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

 

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