Have I fallen prey?

[Jumper]

I find mentioned prices extremely high for Perm.

And I do not understand why you need all day taxi and a horse for 5 hours!?

A ride from one end of the city to another one will cost around $3-5. Isn't it easy just to call to a taxi service when you decide to go somewhere? And honestly I don't think you will go somewhere out of the centre. What's the reason for a all-day taxi? 

Russianwind Agree!

 i think he mentioned if he were to take the horse carriage it would be for 1 hour,not 5?
I can't speak for the poster, but i think he is considering  just the first day with taxi/interpreter
and probably more so  for the interpreting..?

but yes local taxi, or even mashrutka (sp? how do you transliterate that into latin characters correctly??),
   would be my choice since his lady seems to speak reasonably good english.

When in the FSU, I enjoyed exploring the city by walking,or mashrutka, it wasn't too difficult to learn the routes if you learn some basic Russian.Plus i didn't mind if i got lost,for a bit.. such adventure is part of the travel there?
     
 I would look into contacts for a good local interpreter (or have her do so?) before the trip , in case you want to have some help at times?

[RussianWind]

No, if somebody wants to spend extra money, it's his choice. I think it's better to hire a helicopter then, it will be really cool 

CanadaMan, there will be plenty taxis to stop on a street. Just imagined your all-day taxi together with a horse awaiting while you are having a dinner or walk around. Find it really stupid 

[OlgaH]

but yes local taxi, or even mashrutka (sp? how do you transliterate that into latin characters correctly??),
  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshrutka       - "routed taxi(cab)"

[CanadaMan]

Thanks for the tourism page Vaughn, I'll have a look at it.

I find mentioned prices extremely high for Perm.

And I do not understand why you need all day taxi and a horse for 5 hours!?

A ride from one end of the city to another one will cost around $3-5. Isn't it easy just to call to a taxi service when you decide to go somewhere?  .... What's the reason for a all-day taxi? 

 Thanks RW. Now I know the prices are very high for Perm.
You are quite right. I don't expect to go for that horse ride for more than an hour or so.
I'm not sure what my lady was thinking really.   

Yes I plan to call a taxi or flag one down on the street when needed.
That's the way I usually do it in foreign cities and it works out well most of the time.
It's nice to know that it will only cost $3-5 to get from one end of the city to the other.
That's very manageable.

Do you happen to know the going taxi rate to/from the airport-downtown?

[CanadaMan]

CanadaMan, there will be plenty taxis to stop on a street. Just imagined your all-day taxi together with a horse awaiting while you are having a dinner or walk around. Find it really stupid 

Yeah that sounds like a scene out of a movie, I can just see it now.
My personal horse-carriage chauffeur waiting at my beck and call all day.
He tears off his horse-buggy clothes and dawns his Superman tights and flies us quickly off to our next destination when time is of the essence.   

[OlgaH]

It's nice to know that it will only cost $3-5 to get from one end of the city to the other.
That's very manageable.

Do you happen to know the going taxi rate to/from the airport-downtown?

Perm covers an area of 799.68 square kilometers  

I looked through the Russian websites (taxi services in Perm). Taxi prices depend on a taxi company. For example Prestige Taxi's prices are 150 rub ($5,19) for 7 km (4.35 miles) and 300 rub for 1 hour. "Taxi Leader" - 100 rub for 7 km and then 10 rub for each next km. "Your taxi" price is 100 rub for 5-7 km and 350 rub from the airport to the city's center.
Taxi waiting time 4 -5 rub per minute.  
On one auto forum somebody wrote  that Alpha Taxi's price to/from the airport-downtown is not less than 600 rub (in March 2009)  

[JR]

I don't see any red flags, just some agency pushing to make a little money. Go and have fun.

But don't let your fear of being scammed overshadow your journey. Go bravely into the unknown...you'll find great reward. Keep your heart lite and remember, it's your journey, do it your way.

[CanadaMan]

I don't see any red flags, just some agency pushing to make a little money. Go and have fun.

But don't let your fear of being scammed overshadow your journey. Go bravely into the unknown...you'll find great reward. Keep your heart lite and remember, it's your journey, do it your way.

Thanks Jolly, I am in Russia now and you were quite right with your assessment.
I wish I was staying longer (here for one week), my lady and I have hit it off really nicely. More later.

[RussianWind]

Congratulations! But did you hire a horse? 

[CanadaMan]

Congratulations! But did you hire a horse? 

Not yet. It's friggin' cold here!
Tomorrow we'll decide about the horses.

[JR]

Congratulations! But did you hire a horse? 

Hire a horse? It's not one of THOSE tours is it? Say it isn't soooooooooo  !  !! ! ! ! !

[rockford75]

well since you planned your trip any ways. Enjoy it!! Its to bad about the lady that part sucks!! But while your there while not try to meet another? Just a thought.

[RussianWind]

Now you two confuse me.

I thought CanadaMan was doing well, no?

[CanadaMan]

Now you two confuse me.

I thought CanadaMan was doing well, no?

Yes RW, Rockford confused me too!
I am doing well with my lady.
I've got just two more full days here.

Today we did do the horse thing!
It was quite a bit different than what she was describing over the phone
but it was fun nevertheless.
I was picturing a horse-drawn carriage somewhere in the town.

Instead we drove 45 minutes out of town into the countryside with her friend, husband and their daughter.

My girlfriend their daughter and I went horseback riding for about 40 minutes or so (it was freezing especially coming back into the wind). Afterwords we warmed up a bit in a cabin with some hot tea.

I could use a reality check from you folks here.
If you have hit it off well with your girl on your first visit of say a week, what do you do for an encore?

I mean these are very expensive 'dates' compared to what we normally experience in the west. And seeing as the penultimate success would eventually be marriage and about a year+ wait until the lady could arrive in Canada, how can a guy like me who wants to be with his lady, rather than away from her, go about his business?

Just asking from the experienced here what to expect and what to do next.
 
 

[RussianWind]

Plan next meeting as soon as possible, better invite her to for a vacation in the third warm country with sun, sea, palms and mochito. Leave the horse at home 

[JR]

I assume you've "met the parents, seen her town, etc." Now do as RW says and meet in Jamiaca or some other warmer climate for a vacation. It's up to the both of you as to the pace of things. At least you're not engaged after a week Only you can decide when it's time to propose (or not to) and it's up to her to answer. Take whatever time you need to learn her character and understand if you love her or the idea of her...

[Ulysses]

     Be prepared for the cost of these "dates"......in more than $$$

[RussianWind]

     Be prepared for the cost of these "dates"......in more than $$$

I think all men here understand that the international dating can't be cheap. If you are not ready, better stay at home.

[Sculpto]

I think all men here understand that the international dating can't be cheap. If you are not ready, better stay at home.

True RW, but, it doesnt have to be ridiculous either.  Being frugal is not being cheap.  Getting a good value for purchases is smart.  Wasting money is really stupid.  Most people are not millionaires.  Trying to pretend you are, or, only considering a millionaire as being a worthy husband is a big turn off to most men, including the millionaires. 

Once, when in Odessa, a very good looking young lady who had spent a summer in Santa Barbara went on and on telling me that age gaps relationships were fine because she saw lots of men in SB and Malibu with very young girlfriends.  I pointed out to her that the very rich men can afford to buy all the young girlfriends they want, but, a relationship/ marriage with a man who has values and a good heart is one that will endure. 

What Brave Girl, and girls like her, fail to understand in the tone of her postings is that the so called value she places on her assumingly beautiful ass is considerably lower than if she just kept her mouth shut and her stupid ideas to herself.  No one loves a gold digger and any hot girl married to a very rich man must surely know she is expendable and replaceable.  Hot girls are a dime a dozen but girls with golden hearts are priceless.  It is a reflection of bad upbringing and low self worth when women place more value on the financial success of a man rather than other factors.  And dear Brave Girl, no, its not that my pockets are empty, its that they are closed to people like you.

[Chicagoguy]

Canadaman,

Just a suggestion.

Consider Turkey. Close and not too expensive. Many Russian charters leave every day and some very nice all inclusive resorts. The coast of the Mediterranean Sea near Antalya and South. Your woman probably knows about this.

[CanadaMan]

Plan next meeting as soon as possible, better invite her to for a vacation in the third warm country with sun, sea, palms and mochito. Leave the horse at home 

Ahhh... great minds think alike. 
Actually I got this idea from reading other threads here and ran it by my
lady. She's into it.
She just sent me an e-mail with her list of possible places:
 "Tunisie, Egipt,Tailand, Cuba, Dominicanskay respublic" (sic).

She definitely likes warm places especially at this time of year.
The day before I left Perm the temp plummeted to -35C (not a typo) and was heading lower in the coming days.

[CanadaMan]

I assume you've "met the parents, seen her town, etc." Now do as RW says and meet in Jamiaca or some other warmer climate for a vacation. It's up to the both of you as to the pace of things. At least you're not engaged after a week Only you can decide when it's time to propose (or not to) and it's up to her to answer. Take whatever time you need to learn her character and understand if you love her or the idea of her...

Thanks JR. I didn't quite meet the parents (was supposed to on the last day but I had caught a cold and she didn't want to chance me giving it to her parents who are quite frail now).
But I saw a lot of her family, friends and town.
Met her two daughters (youngest is still living with her), her daughter's husband, one of her older brothers and his wife (they had us over for dinner), and a few of her friends.

Yeah Jamaica is looking pretty good to me too. 
I'll weigh this one very carefully as I don't want to tax her too heavily on a trip.
I know a trip to the Caribbean islands would be very tiring for her, travel-wise.

[CanadaMan]

Canadaman,

Just a suggestion.

Consider Turkey. Close and not too expensive. Many Russian charters leave every day and some very nice all inclusive resorts. The coast of the Mediterranean Sea near Antalya and South. Your woman probably knows about this.

Thanks CG. I've seen others mention Turkey too.
What is the weather like there in January?
Surely it can't rival the Caribbean?

[Sculpto]

Canada.. Thailand might be a good choice and is not terribly expensive from Moscow.  I paid $700 for my girl to fly there on Emirates via Dubai.  It is high season in Thailand now though so it might be more and the cost on the ground a bit higher.  MY RW hated Thai food though and I have heard her opinions about Thai food are common with RWs.

[Chicagoguy]

Turkey is not for January. Cold and maybe snow.
It is recommended that April, May and Sept., Oct are best. I went in June and it was hot. It is not the Caribbean.