Going to Russia in a few short months

[phantom]

I'll be going to Russia in a few short months, the first leg of my journey starts in Moscow, two days, then off to an apartment in YO, then I'll be traveling to St. Petersburg, for a two night three day stay.  I have a few questions what can people tell me about cell phones and lap tops?  Are they allowed in the country, or do I have to rent a cell phone there and use an internet cafe?  I've seen some apartments that start at 68 and go to $85.00 a night, is this a normal price?  Can you drink the water?    The lady speaks some English and I know a little Russian, but, is it a good idea to bring an electronic translater, or hire one?
I'm making the trip this year, would have last year, but circumstances beyond my control prevented that from happening.

[wxman]

You can either buy your cell phone ahead of time, or buy one there. If you buy a phone here, make sure it is an unlocked GSM phone. You can buy them off the internet from ebay, or from an internet site such as cellular-blowout.com or many others. Google unlocked GSM phones and you will find many sites. Once there, just buy a sim card, pop it in your phone, and follow the instructions that come with the sim card. You will have a russian phone number. Also buy some extra minutes.

[acrzybear]

I flew in to Moscow last September and took  my laptop with me to Tver and St. Petersburg with no problems (also found a "free" wireless internet to use at a local coffee shop).  Just make sure you take a converter for the laptop since they run different currents then we do in the U.S.  Those apartment prices seem to be the norm, but others here would know better then I.

   I took my laptop and downloaded pictures from my camera (take a digital camera-you will take lots of photos)

  And last but not least-enjoy yourself no matter what happens.  Moscow and St. Petersburg are an adventure you will not forget

[Phil dAmore]

Under no circumstances are you to drink the tap water.   Okay.. MAYBE in Moscow... but do you really want to take that chance? 

Apartment prices are variable depending on location, time of the year and how much the owner and/or agent thinks they can get out of you.  Advice:  While in Petersburg look for a place that is close to a Metro station, but NOT on Nevsky Prospect.  You may think you want to be right in the middle of town, trust me when I tell you that you do NOT.  At least not if you are planning on sleeping at some point. 

Some people disagree with me but an e-translator just screams 'tourist' and makes you a target.  IMO much better to get a phrasebook and commit some basic items to memory. Your very best defense against trouble is to be with your lady at all times.  Oh yeah... stay the hell out of Metro Kanal Gribiyedova... it is where you are most likely to have your pocket picked.

Will you be exchanging U.S. currency for rubles?  Make absolutely certain that the bills are perfect in every way.  When I say perfect I mean fresh-from-the-mint perfect!!!!  I cannot overstress this point!!!   Russians are positively paranoid about the quality of bill that they will and will not accept for exchange.  BTW, the dollar has been sliding like a monkey on a banana peel for about the past year w/r/t exchange rates.  The Euro and British pound are much stronger.  Many apartment owners won't even take dollars any longer.

If you get here before July I should still be here... drop me a message as it gets closer to time and maybe we can meet up when you get here.

[Turboguy]

I have to agree with everything Phil said.   I have drank Moscow's water and survived and got sicker than a dog (along with my whole group without even drinking the water in Kiev.  S.P. is definitely a no-no.   Even watch out for ice cubes.

I doubt if you can get an apartment for that price in Moscow or S.P.  Y.O. yes.   I have stayed on Nevsky with a room that fronted the street and sleeping was impossible.   I blamed it on being the peak of the white nights but I am not sure it is ever any different.   It is a beautiful city though.  One of the prettiest in the world.

I have been able to carry on a conversation with a good electronic translater.  I think you might like having it with you.   They do not work miracles though.   GIGO really applies to using one.

[viking]

Hmmm. I drank water in my flat in SPB and never had a problem. Maybe because New York water insulated my immune system.    I know a wonderful women there from whom I rented my flats and I woul be happy to PM you here contact info. She was also able to provide a great driver (who spoke limited english) and registration services. Both flats were right around the corner from Nevesky. Out of the traffic, quiet, but only a 1 minute walk from the action. Right across the street was this great bistro where I had my morning coffee.
 
Phil is spot on about money. When it came time to pay for my flat, I took out several bills in first rate mint condition. One bill had a REALLY small crease about an 1/16 inch from the corner and she asked if I had another one to replace it.

I bought a Nokia GSM unlocked phone from the Nokia store on Nevesky. Both Cryllic and english key pad and added minutes as needed. Took only 5 minutes to do so at the service providers desk in the store. Still have the phone here and us it all the time through ATT. Just changed the sim card.

[Jet]

Just make sure you take a converter for the laptop since they run different currents then we do in the U.S. 

Everything is 220v over there with a 2 round pin plug. Your laptop accepts both US and Russian current. Stop by CompUSA or RadioShack and they offer a "world travel" pack that includes 5 adapters, one of them will work in Europe/Russia. It runs for @ $20-25

[Turboguy]

Or go to WalMart and in their Luggage and Travel section you can get 5 adapters and a 220v to 110 vold converter if you need it for something eles for $ 15.00

[Gator]

Phantom,

Glad to know you are making the trip.

I agree with everything said with some elaboration.

Electronic translator - I used a topend Etacto (?) and it worked faster than a phrase book.  If it comes across as touristy, just turn the keystroke sound off.   You must write short simple sentences, and be careful that your words do not have multiple meanings.  The only detriment, you will not learn as much as using a phrase book.  I would sell it for a good price if interested (it is two years old).

Cell phone - you can buy them cheaply in Moscow in the malls.  RW like to help with such matters. 

Be sure to learn the cyrillic alphabet before you go.  And concentrate  on pronounciation. 

Do not wait until the last moment to apply for your tourist visa.  The price is less if you order ahead, and there is no anxiety.  They usually deliver it just before your departure.  Because the visa is good for 30 days, state that you will depart a week earlier than  your actual plans.

There is now a way to avoid the expensive taxi mafia from the Moscow airport.  A bus every 90 minutes takes you to a new train station which goes into Moscow where you can take the metro to anywhere.  The instructions and times are posted in English on columns near the baggage belts.

You are covering a lot of ground in a short time.  Have good leather shoes suitable for long distance walking.  Pack lightly: one carry-on backpack and one good wheeled suiter. 

[Turboguy]

And keep one change of clothes and essential items in the back pack because somewhere along the line your bags will get lost.  If no one snaps up your translater from here try eBay.   It will sell quickly for top dollar.  Now that I mentioned it I may stick mine on there.   I have a great non electronic translater always by my side.

[phantom]

Gator, I'm definatley interested in that translator, Pm me.  Thanks for telling me about the luggage, as I should be over there for a month, I probably would have taken more than that.  Bottleled water it is, and I'll be getting those special plugs for my lap top.  I'll be taking lots of digital pictures and also going to bring a film camera along.  Got some sketchers, will they be good for all the walking there?  It is a lot of ground to cover, you're right, but this is my first trip there and first real trip in a long time.  I'm excited about it.  Waiting for vacation time.  Waiting for her's also.

I'll let the Rw pick out the phone, and some other things, as we've been corresponding for 10 months and phone calls and video, and she's been waiting patiently. 

The other question that I have, my "persoanl manager" there, said she can have a car pick me up at the airport, with the girl, drop us at the hotel.  We'll be staying in Moscow for 3 days and two nights, then on to y.o by train.  But, she mentioned a service called a fast track, where she has someone meet me at the plane and help me get through customs and inspections, in more than half the time.  Is this a good idea?

From Moscow, we take a train to Y.O, stay for a few days, then off to St. petersburg, then back to Y.O, then of course I'll be posting trip reports and photos.  Then, decide which other ladies to meet after that.  As there are six.  I'll go from there, eliminating soon.

Phil, if all goes well, I should hope to be there before July, and I'll post and we can meet. 

[thompsongunner06]

Bottled water and Vodka!! Get use to no ice,,I never saw it there! I cannot advise on laptop or cell..didn't need one. They have some great soda/juice too. Food was very good in Moscow, the rotisserie chickens from the market were very good. Understand the money exchange so you don't get taken.

[Phil dAmore]

The fast track is basically a VIP type service that will get you through passport control ahead of the proletariat.  The extra fee that you pay for the service will be split between the person who arranged the service, the 'special' customs agent you are taken to, and anyone else in the line that required a payoff. 

Welcome to Russia.  Where everything -and everyone- is for sale, and don't for a minute think otherwise.

You can avoid paying the extra fee by being one of the first off the plane and in line at passport control,  or use the fine Russian art of 'line creeping' which involves totally ignoring anyone else and pushing your way closer to the front of the line.  Have your documents ready, don't smile and don't make chit chat with the customs agents.  They NOT happy to see you because you make work for them.

[jb]

Welcome to Russia. Everything -and everyone- is for sale, and don't for a minute think otherwise.

Words to live by.

[phantom]

I'll use line creeping or wait.  There's a non stop flight out of Tlanta-moscow, the price is $1, 693 is that a bad price, for a round trip?

[Turboguy]

I know airfares have gone up in the past year but I only paid that in the peak season.    Usually in the winter I was going for $ 750 and in the spring $ 900.00-950.00   That is Pittsburgh to Moscow and sometimes was via Atlanta.   What site are you using for your tickets?

[phantom]

I had used the flight page on the dating agency site.  Those prices that you mentioned sounded better.  What's a good look up sight?  I've also tried orbitz, but it was also a little higher then the 900, and the flights had lay overs in london, paris, copenhagen. 

[timothe]

I've had good luck with Austa at www.gotorussia.net   She is a little cheaper than Orbitz and easier to work with if you need to make changes. 

[Turboguy]

One quick option is to use the Airfare section of the shopping mall block on the left side of this page that Dan has set up here.

Otherwise I usually use www.bookingbuddy.com because it lets you enter your trip data one time and check a lot of the major discount airfare sites.   There is no consistency in which site is the cheapest but Kayak which Dan has on his Airfare shopping section is the lowest price more frequently than any others I use.

[Faux Pas]

Kayak has some decent prices. The cheapest most direct for me personally, I found on Vayama.com. They specialize in US based international travel

[phantom]

Thanks for the site links, I'll be using them.  just discussed the meeting with the first lady that I'll be meeting.  She asked me to wait until July, as this will be her vacation time and she'll be able to spend quality time with me.  So, if I decide to go that route, I'll be going in July.  If I go sooner, she wouldn't be able to spend a lot of time with me like she wants, because of work.  Maybe just go for a weekend, before I get a vacation?  Is that relaistic?

[Turboguy]

I have had so many trips to visit one that were a disaster that I would use it as an excuse to visit some other women.   I would suggest making a trip to her city for a long weekend in a few months and go to another city and use an agency to meet a number of women.   Tell her you you are anxious to meet her and will make a short trip and then you will come back in July for a long visit.  There is nothing worse than planning a long trip to visit a lady such as during her vacation and getting there and finding you have no chemistry and are pretty locked into the long term visit.

[Gator]

Phantom,

How sure are you about this first woman?

Are your interested in travel as well as women?

If you are interested in travel, it is very pleasant to spend a week with a RW you like as she guides you around the best places.

If you definitely want to meet other women, I suggest that you go in early May, spend a weekend with this woman plus meet other RW.  IF she is the best, return in July for a trip just with her.

[phantom]

Gator,

One can never be sure of anything, especially women.    I'm interested in travel and in women.  As far as going to Canada, I've never been out of the US.  As far as the woman, she seems to be really interesting and relaistic on many things.  There's three that I would meet and that was the plan.  Some of them, I've pretty much eliminated.  One really beautiful, if I was going on the looks dept.  I'd grab her, but I've eliminated her, she was into goth.  Music, dress.  I'm not into goth.  One, she says she's ready to give me children, she'll never meet anyone as good as me.  When we meet, we'll have dinner, dance, and if we really like each other (She is sure we will) we'd go some where and have a rest.  Let's be realistic here.  She's out. 

So, that brings it down to three, counting the woman I'd mentioned.  Which just generally let's hope for the best in our relations, meet and see how it goes. 

But, I thought about the three day weekend.  Meet her, see how it goes in May, talk with her about it.  Then, if it goes well, spend a lomger time with her in JUly.  If not, meet the other two.  It might not be such a bad idea, to meet all three of them on different weekends.  Then, come vacation time, spend a longer time with them. 

Then, I'd know if I need to make contact with new woman. 

[docetae]

Phantom, I see a very big red sign here. I have never met one woman who asked me to wait to meet her. Most of the time , they want to meet within 3 months max.
This added to the agency managing to get you doing phone call, It's really start to smell professional dating... There is no shortage of good men in russia or ukraine, so I do not see why one woman will wait so long to meet you ...

Take the plane as soon you can and meet her, by experience I can tell you that all mail you have exchanged will be forgotten as soon as you see her and you will start from zero within 15min.  With time, you build a different image of her and this is leading no where except disaster.

I exchanged 4 emails with the woman who is now my girlfriend, a week before meeting her. As strange it can appears, my advise will be to start the process from zero, forget this woman (if she is in a agency, this is easy with the help of one of your friend to validate if she is really interested by you). Publish profile on dating sites, perhaps with help from translator, have your own independent guide and interpreter, select one city and write you will be there in 3 weeks or month max.

Women from FSU are judging men from acts, not by words.

Good luck.

Thanks for the site links, I'll be using them.  just discussed the meeting with the first lady that I'll be meeting.  She asked me to wait until July, as this will be her vacation time and she'll be able to spend quality time with me.  So, if I decide to go that route, I'll be going in July.  If I go sooner, she wouldn't be able to spend a lot of time with me like she wants, because of work.  Maybe just go for a weekend, before I get a vacation?  Is that relaistic?