Trip Report: Tver, Russia

[av8or1]

Hi y'all!

Well I found an Internet cafe that is close to the LTP office and it sells Internet cards!  However, the flat I am staying in has an OLD SCHOOL phone setup, the cable is HARDWIRED into the wall jack and phone shell.  So it's a no-go for access from the flat it looks like.  This place doesn't appear to have a laptop docking station, though I'll ask after I log off today just to be sure.

Anyway, I've been writing up a summary each night when I finish and I'll post them all when I am back in Austin.  I hope everyone is well and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving from Tver!

Best to all,

Jerry

[BC]

Hi y'all!

Well I found an Internet cafe that is close to the LTP office and it sells Internet cards!  However, the flat I am staying in has an OLD SCHOOL phone setup, the cable is HARDWIRED into the wall jack and phone shell.  So it's a no-go for access from the flat it looks like.  This place doesn't appear to have a laptop docking station, though I'll ask after I log off today just to be sure.

Go to a little electrical repair place, have them give you a telephone cable with plug on one end for your laptop and alligator clips or on the other end. Explain the situation and they should know which wires need clips. Get a small screwdriver and go at it.  Just have to watch out with the wires.. telephone wires can pack a small punch so don't touch them both at the same time, wear some tennis shoes (insulation) and don't sit on the floor while you're hacking away.   If there is no junction box where the phone wire goes in the wall, just take apart the the phone and you can find a place inside to attach the alligator clips.

[av8or1]

Hi y'all!

Well I made it back last night, safe and sound again in Austin.  Somehow or other only the first 4 days of my writeups were on my laptop's hard drive when I booted it up tonight, I musta screwed something up there somehow.  Therefore, I will post what I have tonight and finish it up over the next couple of days, albeit from a little more distant memory.   I appreciate all of the help and encouragement and thanks BC for the instructions on how to jimmy up a connection in the flat.  I didn't bother with it, just watched movies each night instead.

I would like to make a general caveat on my upcoming posts.  I am kinda picky about such things as good writing and I want to freely admit up front that these daily installments could have been written with better panache and clarity, but oh well.  I was tired each night I got back and was doing good to do as much as I did.  A common event each night would be for me to fall asleep while watching my nightly DVD...

For those who would prefer the short version:

1) I recommend Marc's LTP agency highly.  Though they weren't perfect (catalogs aren't up to date, that kind of thing) they did an experienced, knowledgable job of apartment rental/airport transfers, interpretation, scheduling meetings, suggesting places to visit and ensuring that I had whatever I needed during my stay.

2) Cannot recommend Tver Angels (though Richard was nice enough), TverRomance (learned more about them while I was there), or the city of Tver in general (not enough to do or see, but they have a good walking street).

3) Most importantly, I now have a girlfriend!   Wooo-hoooo!  We plan to see each other again over New Year's (already working on the details) and who knows, I might even be engaged come the new year!

Now for the more detailed version....

Best to all,

Jerry

[av8or1]

DAY 1

Ok the day finally arrives to leave the comfort of home for the unknowns of Tver, Russia.  In the wee hours of the morning on Saturday I load up the truck with all of the goods and provisions that I had busily and carefully packed during the all-nighter I pulled the night before.  Most of which was spent ensuring that the freakin' laptop I had just purchased off of Ebay was going to work, don't ever buy anything like that off of Ebay is my advice!  The floppy drive was INOP, the DVD wouldn't play DVDs and the carrying case didn't have a shoulder strap!  But I digress.  So anyway, I got only two hours sleep and even after going through all of my mental checklists ("Did I get this?  Did I get that?" etc.) I still managed to forget my formal, long black trench coat and the bar soap I had set out at the top of the stairway.  Not the end of the world, I am wearing my thick leather pilot jacket that got me through some preflights in the wickedly cold, howling bleak nothingness of a Wyoming winter so if I need to, I'll buy one when in Russia.  Yeah it's probably gonna be more expensive that way, but it's just money and you can't take it with you.  I have enough shampoo to keep a small army washed up and there should be plenty of stores to buy soap (of course), I'm just partial to my Ivory so I haul it along despite the lack of need.  Lesson #1 is to make sure that you have what you really need so that WHEN you forget something, it's not essential and can be replaced once you're across the pond (or from a store in the terminal if you remember it in time).

The flight out of Austin is uneventful.  I tame the 4.5 hour layover in Atlanta by doing lunch and finding a wall outlet to plug into and watch a movie on my now-working laptop, save the floppy drive (#!$~$@!#$!#$#!$@#$#@%!##) that won't be repaired until I get back.  I intensely dislike the zone boarding thing that Delta does because people board before their zone is called and when you play by the rules cause it's the only way your character permits you end up with limited baggage space.  Fortunately I have the isle seat next to a couple who are going to Moscow to begin the adoption process on their second Russian orphan.  "Good show!" I tell them and wish them the best as I inquire about the high-level details of their trip.  Then a woman and her three year old sit down across the isle from me and after only a few minutes I can tell it's gonna be a long flight because this woman knows little to nothing about discipline.  She's Russian, but I don't get the feeling that has anything to do with it.  The kid screams, carries on and ends up spilling orange juice on me so it's a longer flight than I would like.  "We will be in the Motherland soon" say I to myself and somehow all is well.  The rest of the flight is uneventful and we land without playing lawn dart or skidding off the runway, so I'm happy.  Exiting the relative comfort of an American-operated 767 and walking into the wood-and-glass corridors of Sheremetyevo, the instant odor of cigarette smoke, the silently stern faces of those who surround me and the long waits with people who have little to no concept of personal space or the notion of waiting in line all serve to remind me that I'm not in Kansas anymore.  And yet it's good to be back somehow.  Despite being a citizen in the land of the free our lawsuit-happy, unreasonably politically correct and idiotically governed society makes me feel constrained and coming here, I feel more free and liberated.  Amazing that, but it happens everytime.  Passport control is uneventful and this time (because of the annoying brat not letting me sleep) I manage to get the Russian "customs" form filled out while still on the plane.  Just what is the deal with your baggage always being THE last items put onto the carousel anyway?  I dunno, but I'd like to find out.  I grab my stuff and proceed to the green nothing-to-declare line where noone even stops me to see what I'm doing.  So I keep walking.  I get out beyond security control and am bombarded by the usual taxi inquiries.  All too common after so many visits so I know just what to say to ward 'em off.  I can't find the interpreter who's meeting me however.  I look and look.  I walk back through the line and still don't see her.  My catch-all in this situation is to pull out my American cell phone and call the office to find out what's happening.  It's only money and again, you can't take it with you nor be cheap on these trips.  Lesson #2 is to have a back-up or catch-all plan for every scenario you can imagine yourself getting into.  You won't be able to cover all of the bases, but get as many as you can I say.  The girl in the office will call the interpreter and I am to call back if I still don't find her in 10 minutes.  Ok.  She pops out from behind a row of the vultures saying my name loudly now and we make eye contact.  I guess I just missed her sign amongst the horde of agressors.   She's friendly and helpful, we'll call her Olga.  Just as an administrative note, I'll abandon the abbreviated names for the women I come in contact with that is customary for these TRs and instead I'll use full names.  However, understand that the full names I use are ficticious and therefore don't match the women in question.  So identity of the innocent is still preserved.  Ok, so I tell Olga I need to take care of a couple of things before we exit the terminal.  She says no problem.  After a restroom visit and a trip to the ATM (they're called "Bankomats" there) I tell her I'm ready and ask if she is too.  "Da" she replies and we're off.  The instant I emerge from the glass doors into the prevailing FSU type of weather conditions I am hit smack in the face with the fact that this is gonna be an adjustment for a man from TEXAS!  Been here, done this, got the shirt so all should be ok.  Cowboy Up as the saying goes or "Cold Up", as you prefer.  After getting loaded the driver wades through the insane traffic with the stealth and efficiency of an elf during the week before Christmas.  I'm in good hands.  Leaving the frenzy that is SVO2 in the rear view we make our way through the white winter wonderland enroute to Tver.  I offer to buy them lunch but they tell me they'd rather just get on the road.  Ok, I'm good too.  I seem to recall people on the boards talking about the horrible road conditions from Moscow to Tver, but I don't really see it or feel it, much to my surprise.  I fall asleep and wake up some unknown time later outside the apartment.

We bring everything in and I'm on the first floor, so that's good seeing as how I have a 29 inch TRUNK for a suitcase.  The apartment is actually being lived in by a local who rents it out when she needs money.  It's weird staying in someone else's place, the drawers and closets have stuff in 'em and no matter what I tell myself I can't get used to having old-lady panties residing 4 feet from my bed.  But it's par for the course in Tver, which is Never-Seen-Before Issue #1 about this city.  I've heard a lot of guys who have come here talking about how they stayed in an apartment that was not owned by anyone but instead it was/is occupied by a current resident.  Scratching my head on that one, but whatever.  It's comfy enough and in this case close to the agency and the center of the city.  This time around I am doing the full-service package thing and let me tell you, they mean "full service."  No, not like that, don't go there.   The interpreter gets me into the flat, offers to go to the grocery store around the corner with me (I decide to wait until later) and then irons my shirt while I shower.  Ok, I'll go ahead and bump that up to Never-Seen-Before Issue #2 status, though it's probably reproduced in other places.  The uniqeness here is that these agencies don't allow you to go a-la carte whereas in other cities you can do so easily.  In fact, that's the most common way guys go about it.  But not in Tver, Russia.  Olga is a live wire and gives me a dump truck load of crap while I get on my Sunday best, save the suit.  I remind her that I am normally asleep by now but that just adds fuel to the fire, which I knew it would, but I said it anyway.  We make the short walk to the agency office.  Along the way the views that I take in are both similar and yet quite different from what I am accustomed to seeing in Ukraine.  The walking street in Tver is a very nice one, wider than what I'd seen before, though parts of it are still under construction/repair.  Olga and I stop into a shop to buy a sim and minutes card for my cell.  Unlike Ukraine, you have to fill out documentation in Russia to get a sim card, so she does all of that and puts her name on everything.  Glad I didn't have to deal with that BS, I am preferring the simplicity of Ukraine in this regard, but I digress again.  After about 15 minutes of paperwork and testing, the phone is working now and I get Olga to call me so that I will have her number stored in the phone.  We exit, turn left and I spot a guy in the construction area who's about to be hit by the bulldozer doing the ground levelling.  He jumps out of the way just in time so I turn my head back towards Olga and, having kept walking, I come within inches of kissing a lighpole but fortunately don't.  Olga doesn't notice or at least doesn't let on that she notices and I decide to go with the she-didn't-see-that option and say nothing.  It's not too terribly cold out, but my keystone cops reenactment continues: what a time to find out that my new souveneir, I'm-proud-to-be-wearing-this head cap is too small!  Lesson #3 is to try on all of your gear BEFORE you leave home.  Good gear is important here, luckily I have an old spare in the "warm clothes" section of the TRUNK, so future outings won't be so bad.  I donate the cap to a homeless guy we see along the way, so hey, all's well that ends well.

We arrive in the agency office.  I see Yana, one of the interpreters and also one of the women with whom I have been corresponding.  Kinda awkward to be going on dates with her in the office but fortunately she's a professional at this sort of thing and we both handle it like mature adults.  I have brought a whole huge thing of assorted candies from home for the office staff and I set that down on the table and we distribute it on some old plates they have sitting around so that anyone who comes in the office may partake.  Yana tells me that my first lady will be 10 minutes late.  No problem, I get the pertinent numbers stored into the phone and call Olga and Yana to make sure it's working.  All is good.  We sit, chat and eat candy for a little while.  Then Diana arrives.  She's a bit young at 22, but I try to be open minded about these things.  Her hair color has changed from her photographs and how.  Not bad, but I wouldn't have recognized her in a lineup, that's for sure.  After some quick preliminary conversation, the three of us head out into the night for a nearby cafe.  Much to my surprise this cafe has both a smoking and non-smoking section, for which I am eternally happy.  I guess I am a "tender American", but I just don't like bathing in smoke, sue me.  The decor is great and the booths are big and roomy.  We all order tea ("Chi") and begin the usual conversation pieces.  Diana seems the Good Girl, friendly, warm and open.  Most importantly she seems relaxed around me, something I have come to value when meeting these women.  The remainder of our meeting is uneventful and short by design.  My "night interpreter" Katerina tells Diana that we must go (I have another meeting) so I pay and we leave the cafe.  Lesson #4 is that you should go out of your way to be "old fashioned" with these women by offering to get the door, the chair, help them with their coat and all like that.  I learned this a while back and it's proving both true and useful.  I give Diana taxi money, she walks in a different direction and Katerina and I head back to the office.  No sooner than we arrive, we are greeted by my second date, Anastasia.  She's only 23 but dresses the part of "high <something or other>" and pretty soon I get the feeling that this girl's got some pizzas still burning in the oven.  She doesn't make eye contact with me hardly at all and though she knows some English she speaks mostly with Katerina, either looking at her or in some random direction other than mine.  This one is going nowhere fast and Katerina begins telling me that she's told Anastasia that we need to go.  It's early for the third date, so I'm confused, but I let Katerina lead me forward anyway.  After leaving Anastasia's company, Katerina tells me, upon my inquiry, that she thinks Anastasia is kinda stuck on herself.  That she believes she's better than most people.  I had kinda picked up on that but not in those specific terms.  Regardless, she's out.  When then proceed to Club 80's by taxi.  It's a wonderful night in Tver, not that cold, no real wind or precipitation and good visibility.  I see the Volga river for the first time and Katerina points out some landmarks along the way.  We arrive and Club 80's looks deserted.  We go in and wait for Oleysa, my third and final date for the night.  Hey, this Club 80's place is cool, though small.  We're sitting in the non-smoking section (hoooray!) and it's a modern venue with nice seating and up-to-date electronics all over the place.  Olesya arrives and despite a nice greeting I can tell this is a friends-only type of situation.  She just had that look in her eye and I probably did too.  Take heed to those posts here that state that if she's not obviously into you, she's not into you at all.  It's true.  I accept it and realize that the feeling is mutual.  Which is good.   We talk, drink chi and have some snacks.  I look at our waitress and think she's attractive.  I look again and think "she's more than attractive, she's beautiful!"  Now in the background of the conversation with Olesya and Katerina, like a lifeform swimming just underneath the murky surface that you just can't see, I am trying to figure out how to get the scoop on our waitress.  After a good hour of chatting the date is ending and Olesya excuses herself to go to the restroom.  I carefully broach the subject with Katerina, who has no problem asking the waitress what her status is.  Survey says: "BZZZZZZZZZ!"  She's got a boyfriend but is flattered at my interest.  Oh well, leave no rock unturned, right?  We walk Olesya out to her car and I thank her for meeting me.  I was impressed that she drives, I can only think of a handful of women I've met in the FSU who do that, though I realize it's more common than you might think.

Deep breath.  I haven't really slept in 32 hours now and I'm feeling it.  Katerina and I get a taxi and head back to the apartment.  I stop in the grocery store that is in the same building (yeah!) and get some bottled water and juice for in the morning.  I give Katerina cab fare home and make sure she gets in a car ok.  I must be tired because I can't get the freakin' outer door to the apartment open.  I wriggle with it, I push, I pull and I repeat myself.  Then I look down, see another key hole and notice the third key on the keychain they gave me.  DUH-OH!  Did I say I was tired?   I get in and somehow manage to get this DAY 1 novel written up.  I know how much I look forward to hearing TRs from the rest of you, so I decide to do my duty and give a little sumpn'-sumpn' back to those of you in the West.  I don't have Internet connection in the flat yet, Olga (my "daytime interpreter" in case you're lost in the sea of names thus far) tells me that they don't have Internet cards in Tver.  So maybe I'll post this in a cafe tomorrow.  We'll see.  Freakin' floppy doesn't work (did I say %^@%^!@%#&!$#@$^#@& yet?) but maybe they'll have a laptop docking station or something.  No CD burner in this travelling box, so it's tough nuggies insofar as getting anything off this hard drive at the moment.

In looking back on the day now, I think all has gone pretty well.  I did what I wanted to do by hitting the ground running immediately after getting into town.  I don't think I will meet again with any of the women I met today (though Diana is a remote possibility) but feel good about practicing what I preach (eg bailing if she's not obviously interested and so am I) and listening to my instinct.  I've also refrained almost exclusively from offering jokes or sarcasm during this trip due to the stark differences between the Russian and American senses of humor, though I have spinned out a couple of them, I don't wanna give the illusion that I'm "too serious" or anything.   It seems to be paying off (noone has been offended yet) and I feel good about it.  I'm about to watch the part of "Out Cold" I haven't seen yet (SCREAM of a movie) and turn in for the night.  Four meetings scheduled for tomorrow.  Gonna need the rest I suspect.   Y'all be good.  Talk atcha at the end of DAY 2.

[av8or1]

DAY 2

I awake about 8:30 am after a hard few hours of sleep.  I think I should get more rest, after all I won't be meeting with Olga (my interpreter) until 12 noon.  I try.  It's not happening.  So I get up and pop in a movie on the laptop.  I set the alarm on the cell phone for 10 and settle into the pleasant splendor that is movie watching.  The alarm clock doesn't go off and the movie ends about 10:40.  Holy false timers Batman!  I need to get in a run before the day's events.  So I call the agency and talk with Yana.  She is well but a little busy.  So I tell her that I am going to run and while out I will bring the UT souveneirs that I got for her over to the office.  She likes the idea.  I do my normal stretching routine, dress for the colder weather (though it's still great weather for this time of year here) and head out, gift bag tucked in behind my left arm like I'm toting the rock like in the NFL for concern of someone making an attempt to steal it.   No, I don't REALLY think that'll happen, but I am always "prepared."  I run and after four days off, I settle in and hit stride about the 1 mile mark.  Mostly though I have to dodge cars and old babushkas, then men are usually too busy and preoccupied to get in my way.  I get the feeling that people are looking at me like "what an odd person to be running like that", but no matter.  I make it to the office and give Yana her gifts.  She seems happy about it and the clothes look like they'll fit, pretty much anyway.  Yana has LONG legs, I mean LONG LONG legs, so dunno.  After meeting a staff member I hadn't yet been introduced to and chatting for a few minutes, I hit the road again.  The walking path is a great place to go for a run, save the one or two streets that intersect it sometimes slowing me down a bit.  I decide to head back in to the apartment because I want to be ready when Olga arrives and it's better to be a bit early than to deal with the stress of being late, at least for my tastes.

Olga arrives and makes us some tea.  Great gal, Olga.  I ask how her finacee Mark (the guy from Canada, though I can't remember now if I mentioned him or not) is doing and she said fine.  Looking at houses.  Me too.  Olga wants to know how the dates went last night so we spend a few minutes talking about that.  "Let's make a game plan for today" I say to her, after which I get a "what's a 'game plan'?" response.  So I go off in the weeds about that with her, but she likes learning American phrases, so it's all good.  We decide to get my visa registered first, then head to the agency.  When I was in the office this morning I offered to bring lunch to all of the girls and they accepted.  So I tell Olga that we've gotta go and get pizzas after the visa thing.  Olga says ok.  We get a taxi and are on our way.  We cross a bridge and I get my first clear (well sorta clear, it's an overcast and foggy day) view of the river Volga.  Beautiful sight that was/is.  Before I know it we arrive and Olga tells the driver to wait for us.  "Hmmmm...." I think, "this doesn't look much like a government building" but I go along with it, Olga knows what's she's doing.  I hope.   So we get inside and wait in the line.  I notice a few people getting keys and a television remote.  What in the heck is that about anyway?  Eh, whatever.  It's our turn and the lady behind the counter takes the passport, completes the registration, I pay the fee (350 rubles) and we're outta there.  While in the taxi Olga explains to me that this is a hotel, the cheapest one in Tver.  To register the visa only requires about 5 rubles and the remainder is to pay for one night in the hotel, which I won't use.  But I have to do this so that the hotel will make the visa registration.  "Oh I see" I tell her, now it makes sense.  Interesting.

So we get to the pizza place and order six pizzas with different toppings, heck why not bring enough for everyone?  We pick up some stuff to drink and arrive back in the office.  More people have arrived now and they're glad to see food arriving.  We munch down and I decide it's a good time to tell Olga about my request to have a different "night" interpreter.  She suggests that she do this "shift" too and I ask if she's sure that she's up for it.  She assures me that she is, so I say "Ok great!  Now let's tell the head cheese about it."  She approves too and it's all set.  Olga will be my interpreter for the remainder of my stay in Tver.  That's better for me anyway, now she can meet all of the women and give me overall feedback as well as know my "story" a lot better.  I would suggest y'all do the same type of thing.  Switching interpreters can get to be a little much, for me anyway.

Now for the good stuff.  I have four meetings scheduled today.  The first, a 31 year old named Anya, shows up and all of decide to just hit a cafe for tea and coffee.  I'm only marginally interested in Anya, though she seems nice enough.  She doesn't seem to be into it either and we spend a somewhat uncomfortable few minutes trying to dredge up conversation and questions.  I ask Olga to end the date as soon as it's reasonable and polite to do so.  I pay and we head back.  I ask Anya if she needs money for taxi but she refuses.  Olga and I head back to the office.  We have a several minutes before the next meeting, so per Marc's suggestion I look through "the books" in the office to see if there is a woman there who is not on the website.  Sure enough I find a few and the office staff tells me that they'll arrange the meetings.  No sooner than she said that the door opened and Oksana enters.  She's a bit older and more what I'm looking for.  We head back to the same cafe because Oksana suggested that we go there without any inquiry from me.  No problem, the tea there is great, so we're good.  Oksana and I have a pretty good conversation but there doesn't seem to be any real chemistry so I repeat my request that Olga end the date early.  She does and Oksana is on her way, after refusing my offer for taxi fare.  2 down, 2 to go.  Back at the office there's some more down time so I check my email and make a post on this board announcing that I had made it to Tver ok, etc.  Olga doesn't know anything about the Internet card thing so I'll have to do some research on my own about that tomorrow.  I'd like to post daily while I am here.  Eh, maybe.  Anyway, while I'm finishing that up Irina arrives and Olga taps me on the shoulder to let me know about it.  I swear she and I are like an old married couple already, with all of these hand signals and non-verbal forms of communication that we've ironed out!  But it's great, I'm liking working with Olga.  I tell her that I want to head to a different cafe so we go the other way down the walking street and end up at a place called "Coffe Town", which is in the same building as Richard's Tver Angels.  Good call on Club 80's in your previous post Richard, I liked that place.  We head in and it's crowded.  Lots of folk wanting to hang out and drink tea/coffee I guess.   But we find a table (we snatched it just as the people were getting up to leave, Olga is skilled at putting her purse down on a chair to stake a claim...)  Irina is quiet and reserved, which in and of itself is ok.  However she just doesn't seem to be into it so I think it best to have a little chat and call it early...again.   Which is what we do, Olga knows the signal for that.  Lol.  We then walk a long way to make sure that Irina has found her "private bus" (one of those little mini-vans that are a part of the mass transit system) and see that she's safely on her way.  I tell her goodbye and thank her for her time.  Fortutiously the pre-arranged meeting location for the last date is a half block away.  I ask Olga if we can go inside to warm up and find a restroom.  "Of course" she says and we head inside a multi-story shopping center, where there are a couple of nice cafes.  We sit, rest and have a non-work related chat about nothing in particular.  All too soon the time comes to go outside and wait on Nataliya, the aforementioned final date.  She arrives and looks quite different from her photos, which were/are admittedly old.  I do a gut check and decide that it's game over right here, right now.  However, it'd be rude not to spend any time with her after her making the effort to show up, DUH, so we duck into one of the cafes for chi.  Funny, it's about the fifth time I've had chi today, but it's SO good here that it doesn't ever seem to get old for me.  Olga scans the menu for me without me even asking (did I say that this full service thing has its perks?) and I decide to try their chicken sandwich.  I try to learn something about Nataliya and her life, but she's evasive with her answers and makes very little eye contact with me, preferring instead to look at anything else and remain in utter silence.  Olga makes a "what's wrong with this girl?" kinda look at me, which I shrug off with a "not a problem" kinda wave of the hand.  I keep trying the entire time with little success.  So I give Olga the now-worn-out signal to cut bait and we head out into the night.  Nataliya also refuses my offer for taxi fare, preferring to take the bus.  So I thank her and she disappears into the pitch-black night.  Everytime one of these women does that I worry about their safety, then I remember that they do it each day, therefore I try not to worry about it so much.  But I still do.  Anyway, Olga and I walk back to the apartment, stopping into a supermarket along the way.  She checks her bag at the front (something I still haven't gotten used to) and we head in.  I offer to get anything she needs but she says she doesn't need anything.  Ok.  I get the bar soap I told you about, some bread and juice.  We see a 1 year old in a buggy and I can't resist going up and speaking some baby-eze with him.  The proud parents and I enjoy a few seconds of mutual inspiration, though we don't speak the same language.  Olga fills them in on the details but we seem to understand each other nonetheless.  This little incident serves to remind me that there simply are some things that transcend all of the cultural, language and background barriers you wanna throw at them.  These things are just to universal in nature.  I personally believe this applies to the natural, instinctive magnetism that can exist between a man and a woman, which is why I don't get so amped up about a language barrier like some do.  That kinda hurdle can be bound without much difficulty if the key pieces to the puzzle are in place, at least IMO.  We get back to the apartment and Olga greets me good night at the outside door.  I insist that she take a taxi home eventhough it's before the scheduled time off of 10 pm.  She accepts and I give her money for the fare.  She then tells me that she hopes I am not upset that I haven't met anyone yet.  It seemed very genuine and sincere on her part, so I intuitively thank her for her comment before I had time to think about what she was referring to, exactly.  But it's obvious what she's talking about, so I explain to her the concept of "simple relations" and all of the if-she-isn't-obviously-into-you-then-she's-not stuff we've hashed over here in previous threads/posts.  She agrees with me and appears to be relieved that I am not worked up over the issue.  I further tell her that it won't be a big deal for me if I go home empty handed, I'll just start all over again and that "it's life, it happens."  But time will tell, it's only the second day and I have four more meetings scheduled for tomorrow, "so let's not throw in the towel just yet" I tell her with the sly delivery of a stand-up comedian.  'Course I then have to explain what that phrase means, but it's all part of the fun.   And with that she's off.

Ok so that's DAY 2.  Wish I had more to report, but all in all it was a good day.  The weather isn't as miserable as I had feared and I am feeling great about what I'm doing.  Keeping my fingers crossed, sleeping alone and catching up on my movie watching seems the right thing to do...for me anyway.  I think tonight will be "Wedding Chasers"...heard it's kinda cheesy, we'll see.  Hope all of y'all are doing well, catch ya tomorrow.

[av8or1]

DAY 3

I awake about 10:30 to what sounds like light rain outside.  It doesn't look too bad so I get dressed up for a run, I stretch out and head downstairs to see how lost I can get.  I unlock the outside door only to discover that it's raining harder than my initial cursory glance indicated.  Not wanting to run the risk of getting a cold, I decide to forego the morning cardio exercise and instead elect to settle for some pushups and situps.  After showering, ironing and then getting a little juice for breakfast Olga shows up.  We have some tea that she makes for us and discuss our "battle plan" for the day.  There will be four meetings for me today, including the first time alone with Yana, the interpreter in the office with whom I have had correspondence.  I decide to tell Olga that I it feels like this trip will end up being an exploratory type of trip as opposed to the meet-your-new-gal-at-the-beginning-then-spend-lots-of-time-with-her kind of trip I was hoping for.  But that happens, so no big deal.  Enjoy.

We launch into the ever-dreary looking but still good-weather-for-Russia type of day.  Olga tells me how lucky I am that the weather is "so warm" at +2 Celsius.  I instinctively laugh at that being from TEXAS.  Our first order of business is to figure out this Internet card thing so we head out to an Internet cafe to see what we can find.  I check email and this board.  ConnerVT has a great suggestion and I show it to Olga.  She doesn't know where the phone company office is located, as ConnerVT has suggested in his post.  I happen to look up and towards the area where the operator of the cafe sits and notice a sign that says (looks like it says anyway) "Internet Card" so we close out and head up to the front to inquire.  Sure enough they sell these cards right there in the Internet cafe that is only around the corner from the LTP office.  So I buy one and learn that it's also good for making phone calls, which I don't really plan to utilize, but hey, cool nonetheless.  'Course, as I will discover later that night, the trouble turns out to be that the phone line in the apartment in which I am staying is REALLY old technology, rotary phone included.  There is no such thing as a phone "jack" in this scenario, the phone cable is hardwired at both the phone and wall outlet ends.  And there's only one line, naturally.  So it's game over.  I decide to throw in the towel and give the card to Olga.  We take lunch to the office staff again, today it's pizza from the fast food chicken place that's just down the walking street from the LTP office.  It wasn't half bad either, at least not as bad as I was expecting.

Ok, so the meetings.  The first woman I spend time with today is Svetlana.  She's potentially a good match for me because she's a bit older and seems to have her head on straight.  Olga asks her what she'd like to do and we leave the office for the now ever-so-familiar nearby cafe.  We sit and have tea and chat.  Svetlana has a university education (two I think, but can't remember now) but like many she doesn't use it.  She is a cashier in a gas station, though they call it "computer operator" which has a completely different meaning in the USA, but whatever.  We seem to be into each other and things are going ok but she has to go.  So we leave and I ask to meet with her again.  She agrees and then she's off.  Olga and I decide to go over to Richard's Tver Angels office so I call him and he's gonna be around so we get into a taxi and make our way over.  We pass Tver State University along the way and Olga talks about her time there.  We head around the backside of the building where the cafe named "Coffee Town" is located, we were here last night with Irina.  Richard is on the third or fourth floor, I don't remember now.  It's a small office but the lady who greets us, Marina is her name I think, is nice and so is her daughter who is working there with them.  Richard and I shake hands and chit chat a bit, talking about the events of my trip thus far.  He seems nice enough to me.  He has a boatload of tattoos which I somehow find surprising but whatever.  He then asks if I had seen the women in his agency, which I knew he would do at some point, just didn't know when he'd broach the subject.  No big whoop, any businessman should eventually do such a thing.  I don't mind giving something a try, so I look at his catalogs with Olga.  Unlike his website, Richard's catalogs are well done, though the self descriptions are quite short.  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  After looking through these catalogs I find two women in whom I have enough interest to meet.  One is Olena a 27 year old doctor who Richard is very quick to strike her praise and the other is Katya, who is younger at 23 but who appeals to me anyway.  One item that Richard makes clear is that the age ranges of the men who his women are interested in meeting is strict, so check to make sure that these women are open to a 39 year old.  We're good to go on both counts.  So I give Richard a quick bio and tell him to get it set up.  I insist on using Olga for the interpreting, eventhough Olena speaks English and his $50 meeting fee includes one free hour of interpreter services.  Richard agrees and we leave, thanking him for his time.

It's good that we got up when we did because it's time to meet date 2 for the day back at the LTP office.  As mentioned in the day 2 report, Richard's building is at the very end (and across a major street) of the walking street in Tver.  Olga says that we have just enough time to walk back to the office.  Since I didn't get my run in today I agree with her idea and we're on our way.  As we proceed I take a few minutes to absorb some of the culture and the rich history that must exist in these buildings.  Olga and I talk about how the walking street came to be and a little about the history of the city.  We arrive at the office and are greeted by Janya.  She is an attractive woman and seems friendly.  However I immediately realize that we're just not into each other, just kind of a 6th sense thing.  She also wants to go to the nearby cafe, which I have now learned through osmosis is located one block down from LTP, on the other side of the bank and across from the shopping center that is caddycorner to the LTP office.  'Developing that internal map thing dontcha know.  The meeting with Janya is good overall, she is funny and somewhat outspoken.  I kinda feel for Olga however, who has told my "story" for what seems like the 50th time now, but upon my inquiry she says it's not a problem for her.  I feel a bit of relief.  After a while Olga makes the "let's end this" signal to which I nod and we leave our now regular meeting spot.  I say goodbye to Janya and thank her for her time.  Olga and I make the 40 second walk back to the agency for date 3, which is with Yana the interpreter.  During this 40 seconds I tell Olga that it's not gonna work out with Yana, I'm just not into her, much to my disappointment.  Olga expresses some concern but understands.  I tell her that I won't need her for this meeting, so she can just hang out and the office and relax if she wants.  She says ok.

We arrive and meet Yana.  I am hungry and tell her that I'd like to go to a restaurant where we can eat instead of this cafe thing where you can't get any real food.  She decides that we can go to Fortune, a restaurant that is literally across the walking street from the office.  Sounds good to me.  I excuse myself and head up to the restroom, which is on the second floor.  Now I discover why there was a thread on some discussion forum about the crappy restroom on the second floor that the clients of LTP would always complain about.  It IS crappy but certainly not the worst I have seen in the FSU.  I return and Yana tells me that she'd like Olga to come with us.  No problem, that's fine by me.  10 seconds later we arrive and long story short version is that Fortune is a more upscale restaurant in Tver, somewhat expensive too, though not unreasonably so.  The food was good and the service is better than you will find elsewhere.  Olga and Yana very much enjoy their meal and we talk about all kinds of stuff, nothing in particular.  Yana knows that it isn't gonna happen between us, though I can't tell if it's a big deal to her or not.  It seems not, but I don't know that for certain.  I have a sneaking suspicion that Olga has come along to support Yana and that maybe Yana is more disappointed than she lets on.  I try to broach the subject gently, wanting to be open and honest with Yana, but it's clear that with Olga present the timing isn't good.  So I decide to abort and save it for later.  Anyway, we finish and then make the 10 second hike back to LTP.  I thank Yana for her time away from the office.  She and Olga thank me for the nice dinner.  No sooner than the words come out of their mouths my final date for the evening arrives.  Her name is Ekaterina and at 30, she's the oldest of the women I'll be meeting through the agency.  I like her age, I would prefer to meet a woman in this basic range, 27 - 34.  After they have their amazingly-quick conversation in Russian, Olga tells me that Ekaterina also wants to go to Old Reliable, to which I kindly respond with a rousing "sure!" while I simultaneously groan internally, trying not to let it show.  At least the black tea is good.  I am starting to feel as though I must look like the Western Playboy of the century to those who staff this little cafe and it makes me a little self conscious.  I find myself questioning whether or not I AM just that, but then I tell myself to shuttup and just enjoy the moment.  Ekaterina speaks some English and tells me that this cafe is her favorite, so after hearing that I just let it be.  We have good conversation over tea and cheesecake, which happens to be top notch at this particular venue.  I recommend it.  Ekaterina is a highly educated woman and has spent time in the USA on some kind of educational exchange program.  She seems keen on the idea of ending up in our country because of the professional opportunities therein.  "Hmmmmm" think I.  That can be a good or a bad thing, dunno.  We'll see.  The date doesn't end up lasting too long though because she's just come from work and is tired.  I'm tired too, so we leave at about 8:30 or so.  I offer her taxi fare (as I do with all of the women I meet, so I won't mention it again in this TR) but she refuses.  We say goodbye and after she's disappeared into the night Olga tells me that she asked to meet with me again.  That was somewhat unexpected, but nice.

Olga walks me back to the apartment, which is customary with this full service deal.  I tell her that there's no need because I've been to the FSU before and know how to get around here.  I also feel comfortable with the way back, so it's not a problem for me.  She insists though, saying that it's better to catch a taxi home from there.  I can't tell if she's making that up or not, but decide to let it slide.  We stop in the 24 hour supermarket on the way back because I need some lotion for my hands.  It's D-R-Y here, at least for me it is.  A fair amount of that is because of the colder weather that I am not accustomed to, but still.  I ask her if she needs anything, but she refuses, as normal.  After leaving I give her taxi fare home and we part ways, my insisting now winning over hers.  "You are boss" she says with her usual sarcastic smile and intonation.  I watch to ensure that she gets into a cab ok then I head home.  I get in, shower and settle in.  The movie for tonight will be "Bewitched", I like a fair amount of Will Farrell's stuff, though not all.  Catch y'all tomorrow.  The first real round of "hunting" is on the agenda and I am admittedly excited, though somewhat apprehensive because I don't want to offend any of the women we might approach, nor Olga either, who has assurred me that it's not a problem for her, eventhough she hasn't done it until now.  Oh dear, what is this gonna be like?

[av8or1]

DAY 4

Ok so day 4 comes and the weather is a little better today.  Not as cold as yesterday and no precip.  I've just been sitting around eating cheesecake and drinking black tea since I arrived and I don't wanna lose the slim appearance that I work so hard to maintain when I am in the states so I get my butt out of bed at 8 and decide to see what kind of damage I can do.  Olga told me the night before that my flat is very close to the Volga river so I decide to head down this morning and check it out.  Sure enough, I'm only one block away (though in the OTHER direction from where I've been going) and now running along the banks of the Volga.  After a mile or so I take in the scenery.  Though it's only about a 1/4 mile visibility and an indefinite vertical ceiling (never saw the sun while I was in Tver) I am taken back by the beauty of this river.  I get down a ways and head across a bridge where I overlook the Volga in admist trying not to run into the locals because I'm not looking straight ahead when I run.  I think "How freakin' cool is this?" and a smile from ear to ear comes across my face.  I stuck out in a big way because all of the locals sport nothing but grimaces...you know us "silly Americans."  So I run down the other side of the river and back across a different bridge.  I then pass up the apartment and decide to hit the walking street again.  I am really enjoying watching all of the local folk go about their daily business in the morning!  I do the walking street and get back to the flat.  I'm feeling "runner's high" and in true Forrest Gump fashion I decide to just keep going (I've done about 3.5 miles so far).  I end up running all the way down the street the flat is on, where four different streets end into one of those circle things where the cars speed around like they're in a derby or something.  Know what I'm talking about?  What a sight that was.  So I pass that and go another couple of miles down past what appears to be the television station.  A couple of old, old men stare at me as I go by.  I wave, they just stare.  I see SO MANY people.  I am reminded about how our lives have some commonality and yet we are so different.  Funny that.  I decide I should head back and get ready for Olga.  On the way I run next to a bulldozer type of vehicle that is driving out on the open street amongst other traffic (something I'd never see here).  I wave at him (some guy in his late 50's) and I guess he's seen one to many American movies because he makes a motion like he wants to race me!  Bwahahahahaha!  So I yell "Oh it's on baby!  Kick it!" and I wave my left hand forward.  He guns the thing, emitting one of the largest plumes of filth I have ever seen arise from a machine and takes off.  He's surprisingly fast and I'm doing about a 7 minute mile just keeping up with him.  I'm well into my 8th mile by now (at least) but not feeling a thing.  We're looking at each other and making friendly taunting jestures but all too soon he has to stop because of traffic.  I look back, wave and head on my way.  Then it hit me just how silly/stupid this was/is, but it was also a lot of fun.  And I'm burning off the cheesecake.  And I've had a great tour of the city in the form of my legs and my respiratory system.  So it's been a good morning.  I get back to the flat and wanna keep on running but the cell phone says it's 9:20, so I gotta get inside and get ready.  Besides, I need to get some laundry done today so I gotta prep all of that too.  I've gone through a fair amount of the dress shirts and slacks that I brought with me and Olga keeps telling me that I should wear "more casual" clothes so I decide to jeans it for the day.

Olga arrives and we immediately leave to take the laundry bag to the office.  I ask Olga if she's hungry and she says yes, indicating that she didn't get to eat yet.  Since she's taken over the reigns and working 10 - 12 hours in a day I tell her that I would like to take her out to breakfast each morning as our beginning to the day.  She agrees and we head out for Russian-style pancakes.  Ok so I gotta say this, "pancakes" in Russia means something totally different than it does here.  That's not a bad thing, but wow.  These things were more like blintzes or something but they tasted pretty good.  I only had one and was glad that I ran my a$$ off this morning.

So today is the first real day of going hunting.  Olga suggests trying the shopping malls to begin with.  I decide that I want to approach the woman myself initially and then have Olga step in to help out.  She agrees.  Nothing really comes of the malls, it's kinda early I guess and they're staffed by either really young girls (18-20) or older babushkas and I'm not into either one.  Not that many shoppers.  So we head out to the walking street and decide to try there.  I see this one woman beside us who looks great to me and we approach her.  She seems perfect, beautiful and nice.  She's warm and receptive to us (as were all of the women who we approached on the street, BTW) so I was pleasantly surprised to not see the fear or awkwardness that some on RWD were expressing about this approach before I left for Tver.  Unfortunately she has a boyfriend so we say goodbye and she's on her way.  Who knows if it's the truth or not, but hey, we tried.  Olga seems kinda excited about this whole hunting thing too, also much to my surprise.  She thinks it's kinda fun to get out of the office and the cafes and do something different.  "Who next?" she says.  "I dunno let's see what kinda trouble we can get into" and we head off back the other way down the walking street.  We greet a couple more women but all have other committments with men.  Hardly surprising in a way, but I start to wonder how much of it is true versus how much is an excuse.  Olga tells me that she thinks that these women wouldn't make such things up, that if they weren't interested, they'd just say that.  Sure enough, I would later find this out to be true.

Ok it's about 1 now and we've been walking a while, with a couple of rest stops.  Olga teases me about wearing her gym shoes tomorrow.  I suggest getting lunch for the office and us too, since we might have done enough physical exercise to burn off the pancakes.  We call the girls and they want chicken from the chicken place today so Olga and I stop off and pick it up.  We arrive back in the office and the girls are glad to see us.  Apparently they're starving.  There's a little corner store that's about 20 feet from the agency so I head over and get some ice cream for the girls too.  They're training a new photographer now, her name is Alla.  Guys, she seems like a keeper to me, though I don't know what her personal status is.  So if you end up going over there, I'd ask about her if I were you.  She's a bit younger though, 20 or 21 I think, too young for my tastes.

We hang out and talk for a while and I tell Olga that we'll just kick it and wait for our 3 o'clock.  She agrees.  3 comes around quicker than expected because I fall asleep on the sofa in the back room.  Olga wakes me up and I tell her to just stand there, blocking others from seeing me in super-groggy state.   Masha has arrived and guess what - she wants to go to Old Reliable too.  Groan.  So we're off.  At least it's close by.  Masha works in an Internet cafe in Tver, though not the one that's around the corner from LTP.  She's a bright and bubbly sort of person and has a pleasant demeanor.  Attractive, but not my type.  The conversation is the standard fare, nothing surprising.  Olga gives me the cutoff signal again, I agree and she exhibits her polished interpreting form, ending the date with grace and excitement, though there really isn't that much to be found.  I thank Masha for meeting me, we part ways and head back to the agency.

It's 4:30 and I have a second date with Svetlana today at 5 pm.  So I get some water and take another look through the catalogs.  I find two or three more women I'm interested in who I somehow missed the day before (or was it the day before that? can't remember now) and Olga transcribes their information and gives it to the staff who begin working on getting everything set up to meet them.  Svetlana arrives and we launch once again into what is now the dark night.  I have told Olga that I don't wanna see Old Reliable again for at least a day.   So we head out to a new cafe that has just opened up.  Ironically it's just across the street from Tver State University's foreign language department.  It's a good place, also with a non-smoking section (the first floor).  Svetlana looks good.  The conversation is good.  But something just isn't adding up.  Dunno what.  The first date was better.  Somehow.  Can't quite figure it out, though I try because she's one of the women I'm interested in the most.  Hmmmmm...before I know it Olga is giving me the now-all-too-familiar signal.  We have a 7 o'clock and gotta boogy.  I don't know what Olga says to these women but whatever it is, it works like a charm because they don't have a problem with ending the date and are smiling when we do.  I decided not to micromanage and just let it be.  It seems to be working, so hey.......

We arrive back at the office and Nadya is waiting on us.  She's an engineer and had cancelled earlier because of problems with her family.  I can tell that there's still something going on in this regard because her body is here but the rest of her is somewhere else.  Needless to say that this date doesn't go anywhere.  I felt sorry for her more than anything else, feeling as though I was impeding her being with her family.  So I find a way during the normal course of the conversation to tell her that if she needs to leave to deal with her family stuff that I will understand.  Almost instantly she accepts and within a few minutes she leaves Olga and I sitting by ourselves in Old Reliable (yep, my request didn't last long!).  It worked out ok because we have a 6:30 with Irina from the previous night anyway.

So we get back at 6:15 or so and like clockwork, Irina is waiting on us.  These Russian women!   Amazing how they will sometimes be so early because they have to plan ahead just to come close to arriving on time!  "No rest for the weary" I joke with myself, while being careful to remember that I am going on a lot of dates with nice, beautiful women so I shouldn't be complaining!

Irina, Olga and I head out to the new cafe because Irina hasn't seen it yet.  She didn't even know about it so of course she wants to check it out.  The first date with Irina was kind of a wash and I hadn't been planning on having a second.  But Olga suggested that I try again with her, so I listened and accepted.  It turns out to be a good thing because Irina seems much more open and receptive to me this time.  Come to find out I am only the second foreigner she's ever seen, the other one being some guy she met through the agency back in August, whom she didn't like (and who I found out later didn't like her either).  So she's a bit shy naturally I think and when you throw in the foreigner thing, well, I guess it's not surprising how the first date went.  I find out that she's interested in a family and feels that it's very important for her to start her own.  She wants to find a good man who she can rely on and she tells me that she hasn't been able to find this with Russian guys.  This is why she came to the agency.  I feel myself kinda drawn into her orb so to speak because I want the same thing and have the same kind of experience with American women.  So all in all, the date goes well.  Unfortunately we have an 8 o'clock and Olga ends things without even so much as a wave of the hand, telling me "we late now" as we exit our newly-found-and-tasty cafe.  I ask Irina to meet with me again tomorrow and she agrees.  I thank her for her time and give her a hug.  It's our first real contact and boy but something seems inline here.  Don't wanna get too excited yet though, so I let it go.

We arrive back to the office at about 8:05 and of course Oliya is waiting on us.  I won't even have time (again) to undo my scarf (which I still suck at using) before we're out the door for the last meeting of the night.  I am about beat after the run, the race, the chase and the pace of today's events.  "One more, you can do this, remember where you are" I tell myself.  Thank the man upstairs, but I am hit with a second wind just as we exit the building and feel the cold air.  Good.  Oliya is a live wire and a half.  Even better.  She talks non-stop and seems interested in our meeting.  Hey great.  I let her do her thing and try to enjoy the moment, eventhough she ALSO wants to spend our time in Old Reliable.  Holy hell, not again.  I need another piece of cheesecake like I need a bullet in the head, but it's SO GOOD here that I pack it in.  DAMN good thing I did the mileage today.  I like Oliya, she's bright, funny and full of energy.  Unfortunately I realize that it would be too much for me in daily life to have such a woman and I find myself thinking about Irina, who although was more open today than our previous meeting, is a much calmer and even keel kinda person.  I immediately cut-off those thoughts because I don't wanna get caught daydreaming on a date with another woman.  It's now 9:30 and I'm starting to fall asleep, despite my best efforts of getting up and walking, splashing my face with enough water to float a battleship and letting Oliya playfully slap my cheek.  Funny what you'll do when you're tired I guess.  Seemed kinda stupid later, but with her energy and sense of humor it seemed funny at the time....Oliya accepts my offer of money for a taxi because it's later and we drop her off.  I do the same for Olga, but then I do that every night for her.  Olga expresses concern that I don't like any of the women I've met and says that she doesn't want me to be upset.  I tell her not to worry, that if I go back empty handed that I'll just start over again.  I assure her that she's doing a great job and that it's not a problem for me.  I then tell her that I kinda like Irina.  She is surprised, thinking that I wasn't into it that much.  But I was/am.  So she feels better.  I tell her that I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  I also tell her that I will leave her now, I'm tired.  We say good night and I make sure she gets into a taxi ok.

I get back to the flat.  I'm a "clean person" so I gotta take my shower.  It's been a long day and I want to experience the relaxing feeling that a hot shower can bring.  Tonight's movie is "Wind Talkers" with Nick Cage.  Pretty good war flick, though different than I expected.  I'm T-I-R-E-D boys.  Gonna turn in.  Catch y'all tomorrow.  Hope everyone is doing well back in the states.  I'm gonna miss the upcoming football games!!

[jb]

Excellent T/R.  It's been a long while since I've seem anything so well written

I think you've captured the essence of the agency experience, newbies looking to follow in your footsteps will now have a much better and clearer picture of what to expect.

[jb]

BTW, I was in your town yesterday on a quickie business trip.  I sometimes forget what a nice town Austin is.

Just curious, what's up with all the bums and "homeless" guys standing on street corners holding up signs saying; "Out of work, need food" etc.,  is there really a lot of unemployment in Austin?

[av8or1]

jb-

Thank you for the kudos.  I can't figure out the street walkers in Austin either, it's not the unemployment factor as far as I can tell.  I think it's more about the fact that there majority of Austinites are pretty well off (generally speaking, there is the other side of that fence present here too) so maybe it's a fertile-hunting-ground kinda thing.  Still, it's irritating.  They don't have that in Corpus?

Jerry

[jb]

They don't have that in Corpus?

Very rarely will you see a panhandler on a corner in Corpus.  I wouldn't be surprised if the City fathers haven't issued instructions to the CCPD to quietly escort these individuals out out of town.  Aside from the refineries and chemical plants along the ship channel, Corpus is primarily a tourist destination, especially in winter, bums on the streets would be bad for business.

Speaking of winter, it must be getting cold up north, on my way back down the I-35 and I-37 corridor every other vehicle I passed was a motor home with an Illinois or Ohio license plate on it.  It is definitely snowbird season again.

[av8or1]

Gang,

I didn't quite finish the day 5 report this morning and I gotta head off to work now.  I'll finish it and post later today.  I'll also try to get in day 6 tonight, we'll see how tired I am.  My body clock is all screwed up...

Best to all,

Jerry

[Bruce]

Jerry, nice start to an excellent trip report which from what you have written is hopefully a promising relationship for you.  It would be interesting to know when and how you met your girlfriend.  At first it sounded like Olga would be it.  Now, it may be Irina or someone you have not yet met.

Comments:  Tver does grow as a city and region for we married to Tver women over time.  Remember, it is relatively close to both Moscow and St. Petersburg if you do want the cultural / big city activities.  It was smart of you to stay in a traditional Russian flat.  Too bad on the hard wire issue.  I assume it was Stalin or Kruschev era.  If it was old and really spacious it probably was Stalin era, but perhaps you know.  You are one committed exerciser to jog all around Tver. 

Some questions:

1.  Did you concentrate on only women without children?  Were you considering women with children also?  Was there enough of a supply of girls you were looking for in LTP which met the criterion you were seeking?  I believe you were only looking for completely single women and it looks like you already met a lot of them, though you were descriminating, which I strongly believe you should be, so right on.

2.  Approximately how many dollars did you spend in Tver?  Did you find prices cheaper over all then your recent Ukraine experiences?

3.  How did your agency experience with LTP compare with other services / agencies you previously used and why were they better or worse?

I look forward to the rest of your report.

[AC125]

Great Trip reporting..... very nicely done you are obviously a well seasoned gentleman, hope you find success and I truly wish you luck and look forward to reading more of your journey.... 

[jinx13]

 Hey Jerry,

 I agree, this a really well done trip report, lot's of good details, but also some humor and personal insights thrown in. When I first saw how long it was, I was thinking, man, I'll never get through this, but like a good book, I can't stop reading, nice job. 

 Some things I could relate to:

 1. Ivory soap, I'm with you on that one.

 2. Living in someone else's house is just weird. When I was in Volzhsky I stayed in what must have been the home of an elderly woman, complete with doilies(sp.?) and a television set from the Stalin era. Not to mention the fridge was full of all her stuff, barely even enough room for a Piva in there.

 3. I also enjoy 'people watching' in the FSU, as you did on your jog. I'm more of a walker than a runner, but I liked to walk all around the city get a view of everyday life there. The main thing I miss about Russia/Ukraine (besides beautiful women everywhere) is the life on the streets. People walking everywhere, not stuck in their cars like us. I know big cities in the U.S. are similar, for example in San Francisco you can see many tourists and business types walking around, but not so much the everyday people, I miss that.

 4. The complete lack of sleep is something I think almost everyone can relate to. The first few days or so you run pretty much on adrenaline. I rememeber being amazed at how well I was still functioning after having no sleep for over 40 hours. I found out that I could have not only a second wind, but a 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. It's too bad you only got to stay a week, I'm sure you were just about feeling 'normal' when you had to get up and leave 

 Can't wait to read the rest of the report, and see who and how you ended up with your current lady. Don't keep us hanging too long.  - Dave




 

[Steve16]

Great trip report Jerry, looking forward to reading the rest!

Steve

[av8or1]

DAY 5

I re-read yesterday's write up tonight and realized that I forgot to mention Anna.  On the way back to the agency from one of the meetings yesterday Olga and I approached her in a grocery store of all places and she agreed to meet with us today.  Chalk one up for the hunting thing, but don't hold your breath either, we'll see what happens.  Also I screwed up the timetable, I musta been really tired when I wrote that, just decrease everything by a half hour in the late afternoon and increase the last two meetings by a half hour then it works out.

Olga and I are gonna meet at 10:30 this morning so I wake up about 8:45 to get the daily run in.  I walk out onto the apartment's balcony for my daily weather check and it feels as cold as hell to my TEXAS body, but then I realize that it really isn't that bad, at least not for Russia.  Now, if you've ever stayed in a flat in the FSU you know the balcony is nothing more than a foot-deep kind of space (seems like it anyway, maybe it's 1.5 feet!) that is open to the elements and as such it's something I still marvel at each time I'm in country.  Amazing what this lady is storing out here in this small, non-conditioned space.  Guess you learn to economize when you grow up in the FSU!  Anyway, I stretch out, warm up and gear up for the daily run.  I haven't mentioned it yet, but I wear two layers of gloves when I am here, though in this weather I probably don't need it.  The first layer is just a thin cotton glove that by itself wouldn't give you much warmth, but inside a thicker skiing type of glove, gives you a noticeable layer of protection.  Well I notice it anyway.  I use this "setup" to my advantage by placing the keys to the flat between the glove layers on one hand and my cell phone between the layers on the other hand.  Now they're not going anywhere and I have got the phone in case I get lost or into trouble.  All pertinent numbers have been stored in the contact list, naturally.  So I'm good to go.  I would recommend doing something to back yourself up if you go out on your own, but you really shouldn't have any problems, I'm just anal.  Ok, so I liked the Volga thing so much yesterday that I decide to do it again.  I make the same rough trek as before, but I decide to run through one of their parks that is along my side of the river first.  As I make my way through the winding walkways in this park, I notice all of the homeless types who somehow make it through the bleak, cold as hell winters in this part of the world.  Then I remember seeing a report one year ago about all of the deaths in Russia because of the cold.  And I think of these people.  Wow.  I pray for them, wanting to do more but realizing that I can't.  I decide not to run through the park again during this trip.  Things perk up as I pass another runner coming in the opposite direction.  He's a local man in his early 50's and I wave and say "Privet."  He responds in like fashion and I want to stop him and talk running for a while but of course can't do that and wouldn't want to interfere with his workout anyway.  So I head on about my business.  I cross the same bridge as yesterday.  Still an amazing sight, I'm taken in completely yet again!  This is an old school truss type of bridge built some 50+ years ago at least.  Or so it seems.  I notice things today that because of the newness escaped me yesterday.  First is the vehicle pollution that makes me cough a bit.  Forget about emissions control in Russia, holy hell.  Next is the fact that in parts of the walkway area on this bridge there are open holes that are presumably for some kind of access to below.  These holes are covered by rectangular pieces of sliding steel that aren't always completely shut.  Point being that you gotta watch your step.  That and the small potholes are a hazard, you could twist an ankle if you're not cognizant of what's below you.  Lastly is that there are fewer people out now, probably because it's later in the morning and people are already at work.  I find myself wanting to stop some of them and get to know them better.  What kind of work they do, where they are going, what is their life like.  Interesting but no, not something I should do.  I get to the other side and run back down the embankment.  Like a snippet from some over-the-top comedy movie, I approach an old babushka who's out walking her dog.  It's a fair sized creature, but nothing huge.  Before I realize what I've done I say "Puppy!  Puppy!" and am greeted with an exuberant, enthusiastic round of I'm-gonna-eat-your-leg-off kind of barking coupled with a dog who begins to pursue me vehemently, dragging his older babushka along for the ride.  I take a third-party point of view laugh at the whole thing, realizing the comedic value of the moment.  That is until I realize that this thing ain't stoppin!  The babushka is screaming something in high tones at the pace of an auctioneer and I can't tell if she's talking to me or the dog.  Hahahaha!  I'm laughing so hard I start to choke.  He gets within a couple of feet however and the severity of the situation causes me to speed up and take evasive action.  I'm doing my best to apologize to the babushka in my broken Russian as I hit the gas and leave 'em in my rear view mirror.  Next thing I know I am at the bridge again and I think to myself about the crap I keep getting into when I go running each morning.  I haven't had excitement like that during my runs in....I dunno probably ever.  Too wild.  It's getting on towards 10 so I head back to the flat.  Don't have time to get in a long run today.  I get back to home base, shower and because the laundry won't be ready until the late afternoon I've gotta jeans it again today.

Olga shows up on time and I get her daily opinion of my attire.  Thumbs up and I know she isn't lying because yesterday she told me not to wear one of the shirts I had set out as a possible.  I ask her if there's a place where we can get a bacon-and-egg kind of breakfast in Tver.  She doesn't really know of anything like that, 'cept this one place called Mon Cafe.  So we try it out.  Interesting place.  Futon complete with coffee table style seating and yes, you eat leaning over the coffee table.  Interesting stuff.  The food is pretty good though and the fried eggs are the first solid things I've eaten since being in Russia.  Gotta confess that I think the food is better in Ukraine, fellas.  No offense to anyone, but I seemed to recall that from my last visit to Russia and now I'm believing it to be true.  'Course I've only had two visits here, so...Anyway we finish up and go to meet Anna, the girl who accepted our meeting proposition during yesterday's hunting effort.  Much to Olga's surprise but little to mine, Anna is a no-show.  I get an SMS saying that she's in the university and can't get away.  Yeah right.  Neither Olga or I believe it and you shouldn't either if it happens to you.  I say again that if a Russian woman is interested in you, she doesn't no-show for a meeting.  Oh well, we tried.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Olga and I head to the shopping mall near the agency to try again.  No result.  It's now 12:30 and I'm hungry.  So I have Olga call the girls and they want a different kind of chicken from the same chicken place, so off we go.  Starting to see a pattern here.  I tell Olga my term for the one cafe "Old Reliable" and she laughs.  She then dubs the new cafe as "Old Faithful" and we both laugh.  Funny.  And sad.  The girls in the office are glad to see us coming, as usual and we all enjoy what is now become our daily office party.  After a while, I decide to head out to the Internet cafe to check email and see what is happening on RWD.  I will be meeting Olena from Richard's agency at 2 in some cafe of her choosing, so I have a little time.

We leave about 1:30 because we need to stop by Richard's office and pay for the meeting.  This is where my problem with his agency lies and why I didn't recommend TverAngels in my intro: before I left he told me that the price for introductions was $50, that is US Dollars and it included one hour of free interpretation, which I waived.  Fine.  Well actually when I arrive Marina the manager of his office charges me 1500 rubles, which is more like $57.  It just stuck in my craw.  It wasn't the money, hell it was only $7, it was the principle of it.  If he had told me 1500 rubles and then STUCK TO IT, that would have been one thing.  Perhaps there was/is a concern over the shrinking value of the US Dollar, dunno, don't care.  To get my vote you must deliver what you promise or else.  In this case it was "or else".  So naturally I start to wonder what else isn't on the up-n-up with this operation.  I step outside, leaving Olga to talk with Marina (I think they know each other) and I call Richard.  I ask him about the price thing and he tells me that it's "about 50 dollars" so I can see where this is going and I say "ok thanks" and hang up.  I'm not happy with this, but decide to put it behind me because I have a meeting set up.  Alright so we go and meet Olena who is 27.  The other woman who I was interested in could not be reached and I don't think I would have met her now anyway.  Olena seems ok and we proceed inside to have - what is for her - lunch.  Olga and I aren't really all that hungry, though I did eat something to be polite.  I'm feeling tired and in a low energy state now but not falling asleep or anything.  I'm just relaxed and talking casually.  After some time passes Olena excuses herself and Olga asks me why I don't like this woman.  I reply that I do and ask why she has posed this question.  "Because you do not entertain her" is the reply.  "Oh boy" think I, Houston we've got a problem on this one.  If there is one thing I've learned on this trip it's that you have to have a strong energy source and be quite visibly interested in these Russian women to the point of being entertaining or else they seem to think that you don't like them.  Hmmmm...so Olena returns and I realize that for whatever reason she's not into me, so it's over.  Then she tells me that TverAngels told her that I am 35 years old when the subject of age comes up in non-romantic-potential conversation a bit later.  That's the second problem I had with this agency.  It was quite clear how old I was and what my background was too.  So how could you screw that one up?  Whatever.  We get a taxi back to the shopping center and I say goodbye to Olena, disappointingly so.  As Olga and I walk back to the office we discuss what has happened and I feel like I have been hit by a Mac truck after that fiasco.  So when we arrive back in the agency I excuse myself and decide to rest on the sofa for a while, trying to absorb everything.  It's getting confusing now, even to someone who's done all of this before.  I mean what the hell just happened anyway?  ElefIaknow.  Oh well, what can you do?  Fall asleep is my answer and boy that wimpy couch in the back room has become a second friend I'll never forget.

I am meeting with Irina for the third time today at 4 pm.  She's now the woman I'm the most interested in, but I am gonna approach things with caution.  Olga and the other girls slip out of the office while I have shuffled off this mortal coil and I am awakened by a different-sounding "Jed-dy" (Russian dialect included).  I wearily open my eyes to see Irina standing in the back room with noone out front.  I am the only one around.  Because I am still groggy I get my heap up off of the sofa with all of the ease and prowess of a baby seal trying to skate in the Escapades.  I explain in what I know is broken Russian that the time difference is catching up with me and that it has nothing to do with her.  She seems to understand, heck she's a geography teacher, so hopefully there's some ounce of sympathy in there somewhere.  I hope.  I give her a friendly hug and we walk into the front office just as the girls return.  I get on my garb and Mama Olga tells me that I can leave my gloves behind because "it no cold" and guess where we're going?  Yup, Irina hasn't been to Old Reliable in a while and wants ... guess what?  The cheesecake.  Someone shoot me now.  Please.  Ohhhh...ummmphhh.  "Sure!!" is the standard response I give, carefully noting that these women haven't been on all of the dates with me, so going to these cafes is fresh for them.  "Think of the others here" I tell myself.  And off we go.

Yuri the waiter is glad to see me coming and wants me to return often, I am told as he seats us in their best table.  Apparently I tip well and he's not used to that.  But he likes it.  Ok with me, I just don't wanna look like an a$$hole bringing all of these different women in here.  Olga tells me not to worry.  They simply don't care.  Ok, I can believe that, no worries.  So we sit and Irina orders the cheesecake.  I decide to pass, I've had enough and then some.  I can't get enough of the black tea when I'm in Russia however, so I order that without hesitation.  Actually Mama Olga (I call her that now because she's always watching what I do and giving me instructions on how to do it) just orders it for me with a nod and a quick glance as she's spouting off stuff to Yuri in Russian so fast that it's impossible for me to keep up with their conversation.  And we're settled in.  I ask Olga how the kids are doing today and how her mother is.  All is fine in her world.  It is upon this further inquiry that I discover that Russian children attend school 6 days per week.  Olga works 6 days per week.  Wow, I didn't know that.  After all these trips, I didn't know that.  I'm wiping the egg off of my face, though they don't seem to notice my embarrasment for not knowing.  After a little more chit chat the conversation turns more serious and we begin talking about our future goals such as marriage and children.  Irina and I have a lot in common, from the number of children we want (>= 3) to how we view our future family relations.  So this is another good sign.  The more we talk the more it seems we agree and I develop a catch phrase of "it's a sign!" that we end up using repeatedly during the conversation.  "Hey this is looking pretty good" I find myself saying to ... myself (some Austin Powers there for ya) and I can tell that Irina is developing a comfort level with me too.  Why?  Because she's actually opened up to me physically now.  I can tell by her posture and the angle with which she sits next to me.  You've probably been there before and seen it, it's subtle but yet obvious.  Just as I am thinking "YES!" Olga gives makes her move and it's time to end things.  Holy Curtains Batman!  I think about cancelling the other meetings but realize that it wouldn't be good form to do that.  These women make considerable effort to meet with you and you should keep your appointments or don't make them at all.  So I decide to keep things as they are.  We walk Irina to the same mass transit station as on the first date.  Unlike that night, she tells Olga and I that we don't have to wait if we don't want to, which impressed me.  I tell her that we'll stay put and make sure she catches her tram first.  Irina smiles at me with one of those inner-heart-felt kinda expressions, so you know it's not a face that's put on top of something else that's down deep.  I get Olga to take a photo.  After a few minutes her tram pulls up and I extend my hand to say good night.  She takes it, pulls me in closer and gives me a kiss on the cheek, which surprises me and yet pleases me so much that I stutter in saying "Spakony Nochi!" so badly that it sounded more like "Sahpunee Nuch" with some pregnant pauses thrown in for good measure.  "Slick talking there Jer-bud" I think, trying to gather myself.  Olga practically ruptures an internal organ laughing at me so hard.  Irina catches on and we all have a good laugh at my expense.  I then manage to get the words out and Irina is off like a flash, those trams don't wait for anyone, lemme tell ya what.

Olga tells me that we're late and that we need to rush back to the office, so we put it in high gear.  I am scheduled to meet Anastasia at 6, it's 5:58 according to my cell.  I don't like being late for these women.  Fortunately Irina's tram stop is just on the other side of the shopping mall from the office, so we should be good.  I can't help but think about what has just happened as we're on our way and Olga notices my quiet nature on the way back.  "You must think other girls now" she says.  She's right.  So I stop thinking about Irina.  We get there right on time and Anastasia is an absolute stunner who has come from Moscow to meet with me.  She tells Olga about a place she wants to go to have dinner.  It's a ways out of the city so Olga tells her that we won't have time to go that far.  Anastasia pushes past both of us and says that if we don't have time to go to this one place then she doesn't have time either.  She slams the door behind her and we all stand around looking at each other in amazement.  Wow.  Good riddance, naturally, but still ... wow.  The girls claim to never have seen anything like that before.  I haven't either.  Wow.  Oh well, what can ya do?  We've got an 8 o'clock so Olga suggests that we go hit the walking street for some more hunting.  SHE is suggesting it?  Holy hell!  Ok, well then let's go.  I'm a little tired but can't pass this up!  It's dark out but we're walking and looking anyway.  I see this one woman who strikes my fancy and I approach her.  I introduce myself and begin talking in Russian.  Olga then comes to my rescue, helping this woman to understand what I am trying to say.  She's interested and offers to give us her phone number.  Cool!  As she's digging through her purse however, I notice a ring on her third finger on her right hand.  Ummmm...that's the marriage finger in the FSU guys!  So I ask Olga about it but she blows it off saying that it's probably just for show.  Ok...hmmmmm.  So she gives us the number and Olga writes it down.  "Ask her if she's married" I say to Olga.  She does.  The girl freely admits that she has a husband!  Oh my God!  I am stunned.  I thank the girl for her time and then grab Olga by the arm and we're outta there.  Olga explains that if a woman isn't happy in her marriage she may meet with another man for coffee and that isn't a big deal in their society.  "WHAT?" says I, "you gotta be kidding me!"  Then I remember that sure enough, I've seen this kinda thing before.  It was at this point that I decided I was done with the hunting thing, for this trip anyway.  In the end I was 1 - 11, counting no-show-Anna and married-girl as a half each.  It's been fun but enough for me now.  We head back to the agency for the 8 o'clock meeting we have scheduled.  We run into Masha, a woman I met, oh yesterday I think it was.  She is going to work and we decide to walk her to where she will catch the mini-bus.  We're chatting and it's kinda dark outside.  I'm caught up in things but not so much so that I don't notice an older looking, shorter guy approaching us in the opposite direction with one arm stuck out like he's gonna stop us and hit us up for something.  I'm out of focus with the women now, radar up and phasers locked in.  Sure enough this guy grabs me by the arm and tries to stop me.  I was in the MA long enough to know that so long as he doesn't have any friends around this should be an easily winnable situation for me if it comes down to it.  So with an instinctive grapple and push I separate us and the girls and I take about three steps away from him.  A quick glance shows no unfriendlies around so this guy's gonna go down if he pushes it (and doesn't have weapon).  He starts talking and we all realize that it's Richard from TverAngels.  Holy Hell!  I was gonna open up the whole can of whoop-a$$ on this guy!  Bwahahaha!  Too funny.  We laugh and Richard seems nice enough, so we talk for a few minutes and he asks how the date with his client went.  "I was interested, she's not, it's life" I tell him and he responds with an understanding nod.  No complaints in that regard from me and I wasn't even gonna go into the money thing, it just isn't worth it.  So after a few minutes we part ways and he heads off to collect his paycheck in the same building where LTP has its office.  Apparently he does some kind of translating work to pay the bills or something, but I don't wanna speak for him, so I will just say "dunno" and let it go.  Richard should definitely announce himself verbally BEFORE he approaches a client from the West in the future, that's all I gotta say!  LOL!  Olga and I drop Masha off at the station for her mini-bus and see that she gets on it ok.  Then we head back for the last meeting of the night.

We arrive at 7:30 and the office staff has called the girl to see if she can meet earlier than 8, based on the previous events with I'm-too-good-Moscow-Chick.  She'll be here at 7:45 they tell me.  Good, a few minutes to rest.  Ha!  As if.  No sooner than I have my scarf off, Marina opens the agency door.  "Cowboy Up!" I tell myself, hope y'all have caught or heard of the series on CMT for the reference.

Marina greets me with a friendly smile and seems glad to be on the date.  It's a refreshing change to the day's events, save the time spent with Irina.  Oooops!  "Stop thinking about Irina!" I emplore myself.  Marina just wants to go walking as it turns out so we do that for a while.  But it's a little cold for that, even at +3 Celsius, so we end up in Old Faithful.  Their cheesecake isn't as good as Old Reliable's so I don't have much trouble passing it up.  Our conversation is good.  Marina has a bod on her too.  "Hmmmmm..." think I, "this could be interesting."  Then she starts telling me about how she doesn't want children.  Oh boy, game over.  How did this date get arranged?  Then from way down in the depths of that sometimes-working thing I call my memory I recall that her profile was blank under the question of "Wants children?" so now I have my answer.  I'd suggest asking why in the future.  I usually do that to save us both time in situations like this, but didn't this time.  For some reason.  Oh well, it's a pleasant enough time in Old Faithful so no big whoop.  It's my turn to give the signal, Olga receives it and ends things with her usual flare.  Marina refuses my taxi fare offer and tells us that she's meeting some friends, so we say good night and she's on her way.

Olga walks me back towards the apartment and we head into a 24 hour supermarket that's on the way home.  I get some lotion for my now noticeably chapped hands and some more juice.  Olga says she doesn't need anything, so...we're done.  We leave the store and I see another oddity of the modern day Russian society.  Anyone else ever notice how the younger crowd will hang around outside a supermarket, drink, smoke, chat each other up and leave bottles and trash everywhere?  Seems like I've seen it wherever I've been over there, but for some reason I don't remember it so much in Azerbaijan.  Hmmmm...anyway.  I give Olga money for the nightly taxi and watch to see that she's in it ok.  Then it's down the street another block, around the corner and through the back alley to home.

I get in, put the juice in the fridge and do my obligitory nightly shower.  I upload my photos to the laptop and clear out the camera.  I'm taking more photos now and it gets old having to remember how many snapshots I've taken with each meeting so that I don't scroll back too far and have a woman see me on a date with a different woman.  Sheesh but I feel like some kind of slick giggalo or something and I don't even know how to spell that word.  Oh well, it's a means to an end.  Keep your eye on the prize, stay focused, right?  Tonight's show is "The Bourne Identity", which I haven't seen yet, though I did see the sequel "Supremacy".  I'm not so tired tonight, dunno why.  I should be.  Ok, catch y'all tomorrow, gonna enjoy the night while looking at photos of Irina.  STOP IT!

[av8or1]

Bruce and others,

Thank you for the comments regarding my TR thus far.  'Just trying to help others out and share the human aspect of my experience in the FSU.  Glad you're enjoying the ride, I know I did!   Wish all of y'all had been along with me...

I'll skip to answering Bruce's questions now...

Some questions:

1.  Did you concentrate on only women without children?  Were you considering women with children also?  Was there enough of a supply of girls you were looking for in LTP which met the criterion you were seeking?  I believe you were only looking for completely single women and it looks like you already met a lot of them, though you were descriminating, which I strongly believe you should be, so right on.

Yeah, only women without children, sorry no disrespect to anyone, anywhere, anytime, but I just want my own family.  Sorry, no offense.  Yes there were a fair number of women in LTP who I was interested in, certainly more than TA or TR and I didn't even wanna touch BH.  Discriminating?  Oh yeah, a bit I guess.  Nothing more than anyone else though.  I know that you're not gonna get everything you want, so hey, as long as they meet the basics for me then I'm open after that.

2.  Approximately how many dollars did you spend in Tver?  Did you find prices cheaper over all then your recent Ukraine experiences?

More than I care to remember, which is only a half joke.  Prices in Russia are comparable to Ukraine in some respects and significantly more expensive in others.  Overall Ukraine is a cheaper place to go, no doubt about it.  This trip was about $3000 I'd say, but that's on the best-case end of things.  I haven't tallied it up yet, but if I spent more like $3500 I wouldn't be surprised.

3.  How did your agency experience with LTP compare with other services / agencies you previously used and why were they better or worse?

LTP's services were on par with Kevin Haynes' KG in Kherson, Ukraine, which is a well-established reputable agency.  Funny how the two best-run agencies I've been involved with are both headed up by guys with dislexia and poor grammar!  Bwahahahaha!   No offense guys, you've both admitted to as much in the past, if you're reading this.  The reasons for this are simple: both places DELIVER WHAT THEY PROMISE WITHOUT CHANGING ANYTHING ON YOU IN MIDSTREAM.  PERIOD.  What separates LTP apart from even KG however is what Marc calls "one of the perks of being a LTP client" who has visited Tver and that is that he doesn't nickle and dime you to death on all of the services he provides.  As an example, when I returned I wanted to get the photos of my girlfriend that he has on file.  I didn't get them before, like I said she was one of the least likely women that I thought I'd hit it off with.  Marc offered them for free, but I insisted and paid him the $15.  There are other examples but this general notion was one of the reasons I jumped ship before heading over to Tver.  Marc might be a little gruff and slow on the intake insofar as the bookworm stuff goes, but he can run the agency pretty well.  Things in the industry as a whole are just too slow for me to call what he does a success but that's not his fault and is a different story.

Best to all,

Jerry

[jb]

Still excellent, although I'm beginning to wonder about who Ms. Right may be.... Is her name Irina?  Or is there a mystery woman yet to be revealed?

Your a hell-of-a-writer, ya know.

[ConnerVT]

Tver Angels have always charged fees set in Rubles, not US Dollars.  Fee on the site hasn't changed, AFAIR.

My guess is miscommunication.  Happens a lot when dealing internationally.

[av8or1]

Tver Angels have always charged fees set in Rubles, not US Dollars.  Fee on the site hasn't changed, AFAIR.

My guess is miscommunication.  Happens a lot when dealing internationally.

ConnerVT you're missing my point perhaps...if I had been told that, it would have been fine.  But I wasn't and that was the problem.  For me anyway.  YMMV.  And there was no miscommunication.  $50 was the price.  Richard was a nice enough guy though, hopefully he'll get these things straightened out and run a tighter ship in the future.

Best to all,

Jerry

[ConnerVT]

ConnerVT you're missing my point perhaps...

I don't wish to derail your TR.  I could of sworn that you went into a mini tirade that someone whom has consistently written here about operating honestly, and whom got beaten down by a number of people when he refused to budge from his position of setting his rates in Rubles, instead of USD or Euro, had intentionally tried to screw you out of $7.

Perhaps you missed my point.  Or, it could just be a misunderstanding...

[av8or1]

I don't wish to derail your TR.  I could of sworn that you went into a mini tirade that someone whom has consistently written here about operating honestly, and whom got beaten down by a number of people when he refused to budge from his position of setting his rates in Rubles, instead of USD or Euro, had intentionally tried to screw you out of $7.

Perhaps you missed my point.  Or, it could just be a misunderstanding...

I dunno, you seem to be defensive about something, but whatever.  It's not about getting screwed over $7.  It's not about anything that happened here over standing firm of setting a price in Rubles.  All that is fine.  It's about telling me individually that the price was/is $50 and then changing it later.  That's what it's about.

But I digress, we've got a good, positive TR going here, so hey I don't wanna derail it either.  All good.

Best to all,

Jerry

[ConnerVT]

Only "defensive" of what's fair and true, that's all.

Seems that you could of addressed the problem with him face to face, on the street when you met, rather than slam the man on a public forum.  That's what I would of done.

[IAmZon]

EXCELLENT TR and very appreciated.