Dressing code and how to disapear in the crowd ...

[PeeWee]

Can not disagree with JB on that if you are in larger cities you do not want to go around with a taint of vodka all scruffy - though it definitely would help in the smaller cities and out of the way places.  Dark conservative clothes as well as close cropped hair without a mustache or beard is generally the best way to blend in.   Shoes are a give away if they are just so out of fashion for the region you are going to (or too new) so watch out.  If you wear glasses, odd styles or different fashion are a dead give away as well.  Lack of a smile (look at me, dumb Westerner),  remaining humble, appearing that you know where you are going (do not fiddle with maps in public, persistently gaze to admire architecture etc.) and not making direct eye contact goes a long way to blending in.

I don't see too many Russians wearing glasses in Moscow. Can't the afford them?

Peewee

[Roger]

Great post Ste!

[Jet]

I remember arguing with Rvr about whether it was a good idea for him to show up in Russia with his Stetson hat, "dinner plate" belt buckle, and cowboy boots, on his first trip over . Having been there a number of times, now I wholeheartedly agree with him. They WILL pick you out of a crowd no matter what you're wearing. Facial expression and body language will minimze the silly questions by strangers, but they'll still know you're a foriegner - You're probably going to look as out of place as a New Yorker on a Florida beach or an Iowan on his first trip to "the big city".

Bruce brought up an excellent point about shoes and glasses. Most Russians I saw, favored German styles in glasses:



http://www.english.interoptika.ru/optics/

and Italian styles in shoes:



http://www.aldoshoes.com/store.cfm?CKEY=US

[Jet]

I don't see too many Russians wearing glasses in Moscow. Can't the afford them?

Peewee

PeeWee, Moscow has more Millionairs and Billionairs per square mile than almost any place on earth, they can afford them :cool:.

[Elen]

I don't see too many Russians wearing glasses in Moscow. Can't the afford them?

Peewee

 Muskovites can afford contact lenses

Glasses cost from 150 - 300 rubles ( not big deal at all)  up to 700 rubles ( and more - depending on brand)

[viking]

Oh Boy. Reading all this just to pretend you are something you are not.

When I went to Moscow and SPB, I took the clothes I had in my closet, wore what I was comfortable in and went out. I could not care what some stranger in the street thought of me. Most did not even look. Too busy with their own lives. The woman I was with said I had good taste in clothes and that was all I cared about. If I blend in, then I blend in. If not, then not. If some one recogizes me as an American, well I am. Maybe I will make a new friend. Start a conversation. No matter where I went, I made no qualms about myself. "Excuse me, do you speak english? Can you help me". Most did. Be a bit modest, be a bit humble, its their country, respect their culture, learn,ask, be nice, never had a problem. (yes, I may have been ripped off a bit when buying a ticket, but what can you do. If I came home spending a few hundred dollars more than I should have, so what. I had a good time). I'll just need to learn some Russian before I go back.

[PeeWee]

I don't see too many Russians wearing glasses in Moscow. Can't the afford them?

Peewee

 Muskovites can afford contact lenses

Glasses cost from 150 - 300 rubles ( not big deal at all)  up to 700 rubles ( and more - depending on brand)
[/quote]
It seems to me that when I have visited Moscow that few citizens seem to wear glasses while in the US I see them worn more often. I thought that either the Russians have better eyesight for some reason or they are more vain about their appearance than other societies are, or they all wear contacts. One of the three.

Peewee

[Dave305]

Thanks for provoking some good memories.

 I was in Belarus in February... locals would often mistaken me for a Belarussian. They'd strike up a conversation, ask the time, for directions etc. We thought it was hilarious, as did the locals when they realised. Black dress shoes, long grey wool coat, scarf, neat blue jeans, and one of those really warm beanies they wear. Just like a local. Our language tutor tells me that I blend in well, and that perhaps my distant Polish heritage helps (I'm Aussie btw). Then you try to tell them, "ya ni goveru paruski", and at first they don't believe you - because you just did.

 Then we went to the circus in Minsk - my lady spoke to me in English, and a family next to us remarked "look, there are some foreigners"!

 It is very difficult not to grin ear to ear when walking hand in hand with your beloved, but it definately gives you away as a foreinger (or a crazy)!!!

 Dress dark/conservative, dress neat, well groomed, look serious. You'll probably blend in.

 

David

[PeeWee]

[user=1033]Dave305[/user] wrote:

Thanks for provoking some good memories.

 I was in Belarus in February... locals would often mistaken me for a Belarussian. They'd strike up a conversation, ask the time, for directions etc. We thought it was hilarious, as did the locals when they realised. Black dress shoes, long grey wool coat, scarf, neat blue jeans, and one of those really warm beanies they wear. Just like a local. Our language tutor tells me that I blend in well, and that perhaps my distant Polish heritage helps (I'm Aussie btw). Then you try to tell them, "ya ni goveru paruski", and at first they don't believe you - because you just did.

 Then we went to the circus in Minsk - my lady spoke to me in English, and a family next to us remarked "look, there are some foreigners"!

 It is very difficult not to grin ear to ear when walking hand in hand with your beloved, but it definately gives you away as a foreinger (or a crazy)!!!

 Dress dark/conservative, dress neat, well groomed, look serious. You'll probably blend in.

 

David

David, Australia seems about the farthest from Belarus as any one place could be. What is the travel time and routing from one place to the next?

 

Peewee

[Dave305]

peewee,

 

  I don't have the itinerary handy, but from memory, the total travel time was about 39 hours. That's about 30 hours flight time, the rest being waiting for connecting flights, and train to Melbourne. The longest leg was about 12 hours. The route was, Melbourne, Singapore, Frankfurt, Minsk. Then a 4 hour trip by train to my fiancee's city to the north. It was interesting going from 40 degrees C, to -25 degrees C. Quite an adventure.

 

David

[PeeWee]

[user=1033]Dave305[/user] wrote:

peewee,

 

  I don't have the itinerary handy, but from memory, the total travel time was about 39 hours. That's about 30 hours flight time, the rest being waiting for connecting flights, and train to Melbourne. The longest leg was about 12 hours. The route was, Melbourne, Singapore, Frankfurt, Minsk. Then a 4 hour trip by train to my fiancee's city to the north. It was interesting going from 40 degrees C, to -25 degrees C. Quite an adventure.

 

David

Almost two days of travel. Wow! I had thought to travel from Seattle to Vladivostok one time. The total time was going to be 24 hours. It seemed to be too much time for me. 11 hours seems like a lot of time for travel to me also. I am going to try to meet a lady in somewhere in China this summer. 17 hours travel would be the required time and I have been thinking it too much time. But compared to your 39 hours it is nothing. One has be be pretty motivated to indure a 39 hour trip.

 

Peewee

[Ste]

My last trip to the Urals from Manchester took 30hrs door to door. Had a 14hr wait in SVO1 though.....

Previous trip was 70-odd hours door to door but most of that was on the train from Moscow!

Ste

[PeeWee]

My last trip to the Urals from Manchester took 30hrs door to door. Had a 14hr wait in SVO1 though.....

Previous trip was 70-odd hours door to door but most of that was on the train from Moscow!

Ste

  I would imagine the train ride was interesting. I took to major train trips in my life. One from Munich to Zurich the other from London to Edinbourgh.

The longest plane trip was 17 hours. Seattle to Hong Kong, or the reverse. So I took two long trips.  Seattle to Syndey by way of Honolulu was a long trip as well. That was about 17 hours.

 

Peewee

[Elen]

The longest trip I had on train was about 4 days - to some place behinde Urals

[PeeWee]

The longest trip I had on train was about 4 days - to some place behinde Urals

How long was that train ride that Dr. Zhivago took the time he got exiled from Moscow and had to go to his dacha which seemed like it was in someplace like Vladivostok?  Can  you imagine having to take a train from Moscow to Vlad-k?

 

Peewee

[Turboguy]

Are you talking about imagining it in terms of the smelly bathrooms and bad food or in terms of a long, long scenic and romantic ride,  in a comfortable private compartment with a beautiful Russian Lady sharing some wine and relaxing moments.  I wanted to get my imagination tuned up and was not sure what channel you wanted me to tune to.

[Ste]

When I went on the Trans-Siberian I was in First Class, two beds, TV, constant food and drink, two trolley girls who delivered beer and a third one, who seemed to be in charge, came and sat on my bed and touched my legs.....

Looking out the window was very romantic, the murky Moscow suburbs, then the countryside, trees, snow, trees, snow, trees, snow....

More trees, more snow, trees, snow.......

God it was frigging boring so I read a book for the rest of the journey.

Had my first Borsch, and slept when I could, my travelmate having the telly on 24/7.....

Arrived at my destination to meet Nadia for the first time. Remembering it now, that first meeting, the nerves, how a photo isn't never like the real person, what are the odds on mutual attraction at this moment? If you think about it, pretty slim!

What struck me was how different Nadia looked from her pics, not cos he looked diferent really, it was just 99% of photo's are face on, and now I was walking to the station carpark, 07:15am, dark spring morning, looking at Nadia side-on and she looked different, almost like a stranger..........

This is a very risky business!!

Ste

[Elen]

The longest trip I had on train was about 4 days - to some place behinde Urals

How long was that train ride that Dr. Zhivago took the time he got exiled from Moscow and had to go to his dacha which seemed like it was in someplace like Vladivostok?  Can  you imagine having to take a train from Moscow to Vlad-k?

 

Peewee
[/quote]
 

I have not idea about Dr Zhivago's ride.

The longets train ride in Russia is a jorney from Moscow to Vladivostok - brand train "Rossia"- 9 300 kms- 6,5 days.

In older times ( before revolution) such trip took more than 12 days. on "speed" train and about 16 days - in "simple " train

Ps a trip for our dacha takes about 4 hours by car ( in a case there is a good traffic on roads)

 

[Jet]

Always enjoyed the train rides in Russia. Turbo, I'm sure you've taken the same one as I have - leaving Kursk Station around 10 pm and pulling into N.N. just before 6 the next morning (or vice versa). Russian trains being FAR more romantic than Amtrak (which is little more than a greyhound bus on rails :huh:)

 

Ps a trip for our dacha takes about 4 hours by car ( in a case there is a good traffic on roads) 

Elen you have ROADS going to your dacha?  

My wife's family dacha only has roads 1/3 the way there. Then it's down 20km of mudslides, across the concrete slab bridge with no guardrails through 8 or 10 wheat fields, along the edge of the forrest until you get to where they cut the trees to run the power-poles, bounce another 5km down that trail until you see a small "hole" in the forrest on the right, and follow the ruts until you arrive in front of the dacha :cool:.

[Ste]

Nadia's family dacha is what we call in UK an 'allotment', ie a narrow strip of land for growing stuff and a small shed if ur lucky!

Ste

PS We're 2-0 down to chelsea and I'm in a serious bad mood...

[JPjr]

Hi Jet,  I see it now and that is a nice place even without roads. Thanks for the look at rural, Russia.    Joe

[Turboguy]

Always enjoyed the train rides in Russia. Turbo, I'm sure you've taken the same one as I have - leaving Kursk Station around 10 pm and pulling into N.N. just before 6 the next morning (or vice versa). Russian trains being FAR more romantic than Amtrak (which is little more than a greyhound bus on rails :huh:)

 

Yes, Jet, I think I took that ride about 3 times and a few going the other way and it was very enjoyable.   The toilets left a little to be desired. 

My first experience with trains there was 8 years ago.   I went with my girl at the time, her dad and her dad's young girlfriend (We AM do not have an exclusive on age difference).  I went from Vitibisk Belarus to Moscow on an all night train.  (without a visa, they smuggled me in and out)   Going we had a private compartment great food, good wine and a great time.  There was a mix up in the return reservation and we had to come back in the lowest class which was like a cattle car.  Some of the characters in the train looked like people from Van Gogh's Potato Eaters painting.  I slept with my hip pocket to the wall to protect my wallet and of course did not say a word because I was not travelling legally but everyone was looking at me anyway.   The whole trip was an adventure.   The dad, who was a bit younger than me, gave me all kinds of gifts which were illegal to take from Russia (things like Icons, rare coins, art, and artifacts like a genuine Nazi penknife)  Probably the biggest adventure was the train ride back to Vitibisk. 

In December the train I wanted from Nikolaev was sold out and I had to travel lowest class all night again and was prepaired for another cattle car but it was actually quite nice and the best value in travel I ever had at a price of $ 6.00

I have been to two or three dacha's the ones I have been to were quite nice, of course those who have one that is not nice probably would not have taken me there.

[Elen]

Roads in Russsia?  Are you kidding ??? We have no roads but only "directions"

Well if seriously then our dacha is located too far from Moscow - next to Susdal. There is a rather good road to Susdal as it's federal road ( named Volga)

So it'a about 240 km to Susdal , then about 30 kms to local village,( road is still good)



 

 then all troubles with road start ( 7 kms)  because there is only a such road there and it's hard to move there after rains.



But all after all you appear here

[Ste]

Elen, honestly theres not much differnce between those pics and the place I lived in in Scotland, hard work, no facilites but I miss it like hell.

I wasn't born for the good life I know it, only really happy when penniless and living in a shithole.....

Ste

[JPjr]

Thanks Elen, that is some beautiful countryside. very much like Tenn.