Lily's Trip from Toronto to Samara

[calmissile]

You have to push in ALL of the numbers at the same time; not sequentially.
Guess you found that out eventually.   

Also . . . NEVER let the rental agent (or whomever) leave until you have  successfully used  all the keys and security codes.

Same for the washing machine !!!   

Actually some security devices were sequential and some were all at the same time.

I agree and do this.  The problem was using the key fob in the middle of the night and the system rejected everyones key code.  Fortunately one of the residents was able to call someone in an apartment and get the door unlocked.  In the future I will request the apartment owners phone number in case I have to call him in the middle of the night.  LOL

The washing machines are a mystery.  Two machines in different apartmets, in different cities did the same thing.  It stops after the wash cycle and does not do a rinse and spin cycle.  In one case the apartment manager checked it out and said it was broke.  If there is some secret to this I would like to know what it is.  It also has your clothes locked inside the machine.  Unfortunately, the instructions (if any) are in Russian.  LOL

[SANDRO43]

Inside the streetcar. The fares are paid to the lady in a bright orange vest who is equipped by a little machine that resembles to a portable credit card machine.

Reminds one of the "clippies", the conductors on London's Routemaster double-decker buses .

Conductor operation finally ceased on the 159 on 9 December 2005.

[LAman]

Actually some security devices were sequential and some were all at the same time.

I agree and do this.  The problem was using the key fob in the middle of the night and the system rejected everyones key code.  Fortunately one of the residents was able to call someone in an apartment and get the door unlocked.  In the future I will request the apartment owners phone number in case I have to call him in the middle of the night.  LOL

The washing machines are a mystery.  Two machines in different apartmets, in different cities did the same thing.  It stops after the wash cycle and does not do a rinse and spin cycle.  In one case the apartment manager checked it out and said it was broke.  If there is some secret to this I would like to know what it is.  It also has your clothes locked inside the machine.  Unfortunately, the instructions (if any) are in Russian.  LOL

Yea Doug....pay for nicer apts and learn russian...
I have always seemed to get the machines working (knowing some words)
and I have planned my washing so the cloths have time to dry ( overnight or during day while I am gone).
Just curious, when are you actually going to learn russian. You say you loved the country ....the people...the friends....yet you are dependent on everyone!!

[calmissile]

Yea Doug....pay for nicer apts and learn russian...
I have always seemed to get the machines working (knowing some words)
and I have planned my washing so the cloths have time to dry ( overnight or during day while I am gone).
Just curious, when are you actually going to learn russian. You say you loved the country ....the people...the friends....yet you are dependent on everyone!!

At my age, it is not likely to be soon.  LOL
I do have the complete Pimsleur course if I ever get motivated.
If I eventually move there, I will have no choice!
In the mean time, she is re-learning English.  Her Pimsleur course is shipping out to her this Wed.  LOL

[LAman]

At my age, it is not likely to be soon.  LOL

Which means, no 
 

I do have the complete Pimsleur course if I ever get motivated.

Which means, no 
 
Wish you my best with your new 'squeeze'!!! I know there will be  a lot of issues with her...

[Lily]

It snows in Samara today!



In the early morning, the temperatures below zero made the walking surface almost unproblematic to walk. Everything was frozen, and I could walk comfortably everywhere. At the noon however, the degrees went up, and the hard frozen ground transformed in the usual liquid mud again. 

Today I was successful to find two public washrooms! One is in the big shopping mall, another in the regional tax office. Both are small, for two visitors only, and were far from anything that I used to see in our large shopping centres.

There is an apparent shortage of accessible public washrooms in Samara. I saw it before, but now when I live in Toronto, it is just obvious. I wouldn't want to grow old in the place where I have difficulty finding one.

On a funny note. There is a joke: a lady comes to a doctor and tells that her husband started to make the mooing sounds at night instead of his usual snorring. The doctor says,'You probably do not milk him frequently enough, Madam'.  In Samara, I saw a nice illustration to this:



"Evening Milking" 

[CanadaMan]

Great milk joke Lily and a very fine trip report too!

It's interesting that the two main observations you made of Samara are the same ones that first strike me when I visit eastern Europe: the muddy/poor road/sidewalk conditions and public smoking.

Lawyers would have a field day suing cities if a road/sidewalk in the west were in as poor condition as many in the east. 

[Lily]

Finally home in Toronto 
Now a few pictures of girls in Samara 









 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[TheTraveler]

 
interesting report and photos, lily!
 
thanks for taking the time to share!

[ML]

Jack usually gets a lot of complaints when he takes rear shots of unsuspecting gals.

Let's see if the double standard continues to live here.   

[calmissile]

Jack usually gets a lot of complaints when he takes rear shots of unsuspecting gals.

Let's see if the double standard continues to live here.   

I had to laugh when seeing all the real shots of the gals.  It is a problem trying to take photos of them coming toward you or standing still.  I was surprised at how many women do not want their photo taken when you ask first.   LOL

[ML]

I was surprised at how many women do not want their photo taken when you ask first.

Not too surprising, as I suspect most worry about their pic showing up on some porn site, or as a lead in to such a site.

I usually try to avoid being in a pic taken by a stranger.

[Chicagoguy]

If anyone has one this is a good time for 200mm lens. Great for those beach shots

[Vasilisa]

  I was surprised at how many women do not want their photo taken when you ask first.   LOL

Well, if I  was approached by pohotlivyi dedushka speaking almost  zero Russian asking to take a picture of me I don't think I'd be excited about that.

If I was approached by the guy that looks like Daniel Craig or Brad Pitt or Colin Farrel and told that he is traveling around Russia and would like to take pictures with the local girl I'd probably have more enthusiasm about that. 

[mendeleyev]

Wonderful report, Lilly!

Inside the streetcar. The fares are paid to the lady in a bright orange vest who is equipped by a little machine that resembles to a portable credit card machine.

There used to be many of these cashiers on Moscow buses and trams but they've been replaced by modern turnstiles for the most part. Years ago I used to play a game (I've matured somewhat since then) and wouldn't punch my ticket at one of the window punches, instead waiting for the cashier to come by and ask to see my ticket or sell me a new one. I'd fumble around in my pocket and eventually produce an unpunched one which would launch the cashier into a speech about how it was my responsibility to buy and punch a ticket and then she'd drag me over to a window and demonstrate how it was done properly.

Thankfully I soon realized that one such stunt might have been lighthearted humour but multiple times was being a jerk so changed my behaviour.

Your photos are great! I noticed next to the milk display was a nearby tobacco kiosk. Those are common across Eastern Europe but I can't remember seeing one in the West for years.

[Lily]

Jack usually gets a lot of complaints when he takes rear shots of unsuspecting gals.

I don't see any issues with the photos as soon as the identities of the people remain undisclosed. It is not possible to identify a person from their rear pictures.
 

[JayH]

Thanks Lily have been reading and looking with great interest.I know you are planning on writing more--I am interested to hear how you see and think about your homeland after living somewhere else.One of the hardest things to explain is how perspective changes with exposure to different parts of the world.I don't mean in the "this is better" type way  .

[BorisS]

Thanks for the TR and photos, Lily! I almost forgot about how bad the mud can be...:-)

[Lily]

Thanks Lily have been reading and looking with great interest.I know you are planning on writing more--I am interested to hear how you see and think about your homeland after living somewhere else.One of the hardest things to explain is how perspective changes with exposure to different parts of the world.I don't mean in the "this is better" type way  .

If Canada is meant by my homeland, I'd say it is more comfortable to live then in the deep Russia. It is probably as comfortable as living in Germany or Denmark. I cannot tell about the countries in the Central Asia, Africa or Australia. Never been there.

[Wayne]

Thanks a lot Lily for the great report and photos. They look like normal people in a typical Russian city. The sidewalks are cracked and have low places where the water does not drain off. The other thing I noticed, especially in Kyiv, the steps have unsual height and length relationships and are not uniform. It makes it easy to trip!
 
I hope you had a good vacation!

[ghost of moon goddess]

Thanks Lily have been reading and looking with great interest.I know you are planning on writing more--I am interested to hear how you see and think about your homeland after living somewhere else.One of the hardest things to explain is how perspective changes with exposure to different parts of the world.I don't mean in the "this is better" type way  .

Lily, once you've experienced another lifestyle and discovered another culture, your attitude to your homeland (Russia) can change. I bet you have had internal monologues at certain moments in your life about different aspects of life in sunk-into-mud deep Russia and Canada where - as far as I know - pavements don't glitter with gold dust 

I too would highly appreciate it if you gave us  «access»  to your thoughts, emotions and perceptions after visiting your homeland.