Moving to Russia - Looking for Feedback

[Phil dAmore]

For the sake of clarity, I would like to state that although my recent posts about life in Russia have taken on a decidedly critical if not totally cynical bend,  I would like to make it understood that the reason the comments have been critical is because most western men who attempt to live here long term fail miserably and I didn't want to create any illusions about what life here can be like.

Why?  Because as chivo stated and I concur: It takes a very special type of person to live here under these conditions.  All of us long-term expats have had, and will continue to have unique experiences.  I would also like to reiterate that to live here successfully requires a person to be able to roll with the punches.  This is NOT the place for those who like things nice, neat, orderly and to a large extent functional.

With no criticism intended toward any would-be expats the sad truth is most people from the west and the U.S. in particular simply have become too accustomed to a certain level of functionality and civility.  Put a little more bluntly, when things get a little hairy over here, the power goes out for a few days, the water gets shut off, the phones quit, or the elevator stops working, a lot of guys are ready to pack a suitcase and head for the airport.  I've seen it happen more than a few times to men who, in any other aspect of life would be considered highly successful.

He hasn't posted lately but I suggest that the OP or anyone considering living here contact RVR.  He lived in Tver for quite a while and has first-hand experience regarding the establishment of a legal business, running that business and dealing with the local government.  He will tell you straight and to the point about what dealing with the local authorities is like.  Tell him Phil sent you.

Despite my critical comments I would also like to add that I would not trade my time in Russia for anything.  These past 6 years have been a generally positive experience and an all-around eye opener .  Living here has enabled me to meet and work with people that I otherwise would have never had the opportunity to.   

Like the song says though: You gotta know when to hold, and know when to fold, know when to walk away and know when to run. For me at least, it's time to step away from the game while I still have some chips left.



 

[krimster]

Good words Phil!

I agree with what you say.  I had some great experiences living in Ukraine that I would never of had in the USA.  My hobbies
in Ukraine focused on my historical obsessions, like metal detecting and "bunker diving".  There ARE positives and negatives.
Like you when I weighed them, I eventually came to the point where it was time to take me and my family out of there.  As an engineer
I liked coping with some of the challenges and designed my own power inverter (gotta be sine-wave folks!) for power interruptions, and made an "unofficial" T-Valve
modification to our gas line that'd let me use bottled gas when needed, and we had our own water storage system as well (all this in an apartment!).
My joke to my wife was it's good that Ukraine doesn't control your air supply as well or everyone would have to walk around with SCUBA!
I think living over there would be much more endurable if I were younger and ESPECIALLY single, oh yeah!

Doing business over there however bares no similarity to doing so in the West and has it's own separate headaches all of which you have to learn
as you go along (mainly learn from your mistakes. fool me once...)

What I find interesting about the people who find it 'acceptable' to live in the FSU is the concept of "controlling your moods" or "being optimistic" however you way you want to word it as a condition for being there.  I COMPLETELY understand what they mean by this, but for me I more believe that if your environment is
producing negative emotions, action (moving) is better solution than 'thought control', but hey that's just me...

[mendeleyev]

Roadwarrior, I'm going to agree with Phil on this one.  And I love Russia.  I spent 3 years posted as a journalist for a large US media company and had the friendly folks at Radio Mayak, Russia's main state owned radio network covering all the FSU, to run interference for me.  Like Phil, the new visa rules are a tough pill to swallow.  After that time in life was over we've continued to travel back and forth as my wife is a successful artist in Moscow and we maintain a home there, actively care for an older widowed MIL, enjoy a family dacha south in Volgograd and our youngest daughter is a first year student at Moscow State Univ.  I have business also in the US but we'd been planning on phasing in more and more of my time in Russia.  But as Phil so correctly stated, foreigners of any kind, especially western, are not wanted.  In response to the visa changes we just purchased a very cheap (but adequate) small apartment in Bulgaria.  We will retire there in the region, if Mr Putin says not in holy mother Russia.

Even the small things can be brutal.  You step out for milk in the morning only to be told that there is a limit today and a special card is needed since only families with small children are getting milk today.  No problem, the market 3 streets down will sell it--at a premium, if I can get the manager off to the side for a moment.  That stamp on a painting being shipped to Germany needs a document filled out in duplicate at the Ministry of Culture office but requires two types of payment stamps issued at government banks which are located on opposite sides of the city.  By the time you get back to Pushkinskaya its' mid-afternoon and the security guard tells you that the line is too full so you'll have to come back tomorrow.  It is government you know, they open at 10am and close at 4pm.  With a 2 hour lunch.

On the way home you remember that the laser printer needs ink so you stop at about 20 stores (spread over 8 metro stops) until the 21st store has the size and colour you need.  Then as you are paying the cashier you notice that the brand in blue letters says HC, not HP, a clear sign that you've just paid for a cheap Russian knockoff....again.  Hope it doesn't leak out on the carpet as quickly as the last one.

Back on the metro and then to the bus.  The cell phone rings and it's the wife asking about that espresso coffee for guests coming over tonight.  Dang, that coffee is 2 bus stops back the other direction.  Stay there and I'll meet you she says, it'll just be 10 minutes. She wanted to get some special chocolate too.  20 minutes later she arrives and we make it to the outdoor row of kiosks just as 3 carloads of police arrive.  Kicking and beating down anything in their way they proceed to beat the crap out of the Georgian merchants operating the kiosks.  There is blood and the unmistakable sound of a broken bone or two.  Finally an old Georgian man, bleeding, stumbles into his kiosk and produces the proper business license necessary to be on this corner.  Oops, they should have asked first, they raided the wrong block.  Oh well, sent a clear message to foreign shopkeepers about the necessity to obey the rules around here.  Thank God it was only the ДПС.  Also glad I'm not a darker skinned neighbor from one of the former Soviet republics.  Had the OMOH come along somebody could have died.  (We witnessed this event in September 2005 and nor was that the first time.)

Arrive home and wife decides we all need showers before company arrives.  Good idea, except there's no hot water.  Wait, it's late September, the hot water is susposed to be out only during the summer for maintenance.  What happened to the stream plant down the street?  Okay, starting with the kids we'll 'wash up' in the sink. 

Am I putting Russia down?  Not in the least.  To borrow a phrase from a book, its just a present reality.  I do love Russia, her people, the language, the customs and culture and so many other things that make Russia....Russia.  But sometimes it's a bear to live here.

[smartcat]

You step out for milk in the morning only to be told that there is a limit today and a special card is needed since only families with small children are getting milk today. 

WHERE it happens?! I have not heard for a such thing to happen for last 15-20 years!

[mendeleyev]

Vladykino area of Moscow, winter 2007 and January 2008.  My cousin Gera and his family had the same problem at the same time period, Taganskaya area.  I found milk one day and took it on a Metro ride to his apartment because he has 2 small children.

[Misha]

Vladykino area of Moscow, winter 2007 and January 2008.  My cousin Gera and his family had the same problem at the same time period, Taganskaya area.  I found milk one day and took it on a Metro ride to his apartment because he has 2 small children.

Interesting. I wonder if there is any link to the voluntary price controls the Russian government introduced last year. It is pretty standard: price controls eventually lead to shortages.

[SANDRO43]

It is pretty standard: price controls eventually lead to shortages.

And a black market .

[krimster]

I did three years in Ukraine and similar experiences.  For me the most negative and "emotionally draining" weren't the chaotic things you described but the quality of my surroundings and the sociopathic behavior of the people.  It makes me chuckle to think that people there called the decayed and garbage strewn neighborhood I lived in "elitny".  In comparison, it would be several steps below the worst public housing project in the US.  I also tired of the behavior of the people there which seemed juvenile, oblivious to even the simplest aspects of courteous behavior.  The whole country is a slum, and the poverty seeped into the people's souls there.  Glad I'm gone!

[chivo]

Vladykino area of Moscow, winter 2007 and January 2008.  My cousin Gera and his family had the same problem at the same time period, Taganskaya area.  I found milk one day and took it on a Metro ride to his apartment because he has 2 small children.

I have never experienced this in my 4 years in Moscow, ever. Matter of fact, I can even get ribeye steaks here (which up to the middle of '06 were impossible to find). I also have plenty of markets to choose from in and around my area. Let me also say that I didn't pay any more than the normal price for milk.

I must be living in another Russia than what I read here. No shortages of food, no blackouts, ec., and you can even buy an inexpensive heater thats simple to install for the 3 weeks they turn off your hot water in the summer.

I will agree that dealing with government agencies in a pain, big pain, but after I did it once I just paid if i needed to deal with them. When in Rome, so to speak. Fortunately i didn't/don't have to deal with them much. Good luck.

chivo




 

[smartcat]

I did three years in Ukraine and similar experiences.  For me the most negative and "emotionally draining" weren't the chaotic things you described but the quality of my surroundings and the sociopathic behavior of the people.  It makes me chuckle to think that people there called the decayed and garbage strewn neighborhood I lived in "elitny".  In comparison, it would be several steps below the worst public housing project in the US.  I also tired of the behavior of the people there which seemed juvenile, oblivious to even the simplest aspects of courteous behavior.  The whole country is a slum, and the poverty seeped into the people's souls there.  Glad I'm gone!

Krimster, for some reason it sounded to me as an idea of half empty glass...
All see what they want to see, do you think so?

[Phil dAmore]

I must be living in another Russia than what I read here. No shortages of food, no blackouts, ec., and you can even buy an inexpensive heater thats simple to install for the 3 weeks they turn off your hot water in the summer.

With all due respect chivo, you aren't living in Russia. Even a native Russian will tell you Moscow isn't Russia.  It's freaking Disneyland.

You have rib-eye steaks?  I have been unable to find a recognizable cut of meat here in Petersburg the entire time I'm living here. They seem to have no problem correctly cutting up a chicken or pig, why can't they properly process beef?

With very limited exceptions I've never experienced any shortages of anything. But I still want to know why they have 60 different kinds of pickles in the store but no pickle relish.  Loads of wonderful breads but where are the hamburger and hot dog buns?  Tons of cabbage but no sauerkraut.

And where the hell is the peanut butter already?

[krimster]

Half empty glass?  There's nothing in this glass, in fact there's not even a glass to put anything in.
Be an apologist for Ukraine if you really feel like it.  You might even fool some people, maybe even yourself, but Ukraine
is a completely decayed (morally, intellectually and Physically) dump for old Soviet failure.  Everyone who goes there
can simply take a deep breath and enjoy the decay that's all around you.  If this is what you like then this will be your
paradise.  If you like progress, openness, intelligence, then go West, otherwise "Welcome to Ukraine"!!!   

[krimster]

When I was in Russia in 1998 during the currency crisis, the cities outside of Moscow had no cash, none.  Goods were battered, a pair of shoes from the local factory were equal to 5 Kg of meat.  None of the stores could even make change.  The further you got from Moscow the worst it became until you were in places where there was really NO MONEY at all, and things were starting to break down.  In order to make a road trip around Lake Baikal, my group had to join an armed truck convoy so we wouldn't be ambushed and killed by the large number of armed gangs who combed the main roads for this purpose.  Good to see things have improved some ... 

[BC]

With all due respect chivo, you aren't living in Russia. Even a native Russian will tell you Moscow isn't Russia.  It's freaking Disneyland.

You have rib-eye steaks?  I have been unable to find a recognizable cut of meat here in Petersburg the entire time I'm living here. They seem to have no problem correctly cutting up a chicken or pig, why can't they properly process beef?

With very limited exceptions I've never experienced any shortages of anything. But I still want to know why they have 60 different kinds of pickles in the store but no pickle relish.  Loads of wonderful breads but where are the hamburger and hot dog buns?  Tons of cabbage but no sauerkraut.

And where the hell is the peanut butter already?

I went to the early morning meat market with my wife.  Plenty of slaughter.. the pigs looked like pigs and the cows looked like cows (what was left of them anyway).  Yes 'hunks' were sold but we ended up with a couple of good ones.  My wife knows how to cut and even our mom/pop butcher here in IT will pull a half a cow out of his fridge and she points to the parts she wants - he compliments her choice.  Most of the cutting and processing is done at home as she is accustomed to.  I can count on my fingers the times we bought packaged meat.. and that was a while ago.

When it comes to 'traditional'.. If you want relish in RU, make it (plenty of recipes around) Sauerkraut? we make it ourselves. 

My biggest surprise was looking at the selection at the local kiosk. On the top shelf a Mountain Dew!... something I had not tasted in years and at that time was not available in EU (still not here).

Dysfunctional?.. yeah.. but I guess living here in southern IT is a bit of a 'primer'.  Potholes abound (just not quite so deep).  I would guess the cops here are a bit friendlier but 'tangents' in one way or another when doing business still within the realm of normal.

From what I experienced (granted brief), on a scale of difficulty between 1 and 10, I would rate RU about a 7 with IT being a 5 and the US maybe a 3.  More difficult - yes.  Unsurmountable - no, but then again I am a minimalist type of person that enjoys the challenge of making the most out of whatever is at hand.

[chivo]

With all due respect chivo, you aren't living in Russia. Even a native Russian will tell you Moscow isn't Russia.  It's freaking Disneyland.

I guess compared to the rest. To tell you the truth Phil, Moscow wasn't my first choice when I decided to move here. Kazan was. I had lived there before and enjoyed it, especially the people.

I realized after visiting a few cities, and living in some others, that Moscow offered me the best chance to live similar to what I was used to in LA. It also didn't take me long to realize that the majority of the money in Russia is here also  .

I'm not a money hungry person per se, but if I was to hang here somewhat comfortably, I would need to make a decent wage. Moscow offers that. Moscow is an expensive city, we all know that, but Muscovites also pay handsomely for any service they deem necessary (you know the "if its cheap, something must be wrong with it" mentality).

Fortunately for now, I can provide one of those services. Moscow nowhere near resembles its '98 version with respect to goods and services, but it still has a way to go for sure.

Not sure how long all of it will last, so I'm just going go with the flow for now. Time will tell. I'll be the first to tell you also, I've been very fortunate.

I read what you wrote upthread and I can certainly understand your feelings (good stuff BTW). I've always said, and I'll always say, if you don't like where you live, get out of dodge and find your place in the sun.

You have rib-eye steaks? 

Imported Angus from Australia, very nice  . Does cost about $15-20's a lb. depending, so me and lady "splurge" 3-5 times a month. You wouldn't believe how happy I was when I found it. I had cut back on red meat since I moved here with fish, turkey, and chicken the main options, mostly because of what you mentioned below.

I have been unable to find a recognizable cut of meat here in Petersburg the entire time I'm living here.

Yes, I know  . I must have wasted $500 on meat (beef) when I first moved here, cooking it every which way, before I realized the meat here is just a wee bit better than a boot.

There's a supermarket chain here "Азбука Вкуса", that offeres things previously hard to find. It's where I get the ribeye (nacho tortilla chips also  ). a little pricey as I mentioned, but...I only buy what I can't find elsewhere cheaper.
http://www.azbukavkusa.ru/ click on продукты (food, groceries) for anyone who wants to check it out.


They seem to have no problem correctly cutting up a chicken or pig, why can't they properly process beef?

Beats me.

With very limited exceptions I've never experienced any shortages of anything. But I still want to know why they have 60 different kinds of pickles in the store but no pickle relish.  Loads of wonderful breads but where are the hamburger and hot dog buns?  Tons of cabbage but no sauerkraut.

It's Russia, ya silly goose 

And where the hell is the peanut butter already?

It's here too, just not quite like what you can get in America. You know you can beat America peanut butter  .

Phil,

Whatever road you go down, good luck to you. Enjoy.

chivo

[MaxxumUSA]

After meeting Chivo in person in Moscow I can tell you from talking to him face to face that he seems very adapted to living there.

I am sure that most men in USA would be extremely happy if they only had a tenth of the beautiful women he has had the fortune of bedding.  And what I know about his income and spending a couple months visiting last year I am sure that six figure income is NOT required to enjoy yourself in Russia, just like it is not in USA.

Like others said - living in FSU is not for everyone but for those that adapt well and live to enjoy life - it could be quite an awesome adventure.  I only wish timing was different and I could have spent a couple years there myself.  I'm a parent so the move would be too difficult for that long.

In any case...  back to Roadwarrior's original question...  one idea might be to live in Samara.  It has about 1.2 million people in the region.  PLENTY of beautiful women there and it's not been "fished" out by any agencies that I know of.

The problem when going to a city off the beaten path is that VERY FEW russians will speak english.  I mean...  VERY FEW!  If not for my wife translating when I visited I would be fairly helpless, even at the larger attractions.

But...  Samara is a beautiful city with a lot to do year round.  It's right on the Volga so you can enjoy water and watersports.  There is a good mix of rich, middle class, and poor people there.  You can find a reasonable priced flat.  My wife paid 10,000 ruble or so for her flat which was not bad and was located near the heart of the city.  UNLIMITED broadband is now available there through the phone company via DSL for 2,000 ruble a month.  It is not as fast as cable but it's not bad for the price.

I know a man - Mikhael -  in Samara that is available to help foreigners with temporary or permanent arrangements.  He speaks english and runs a website www.stayinsamara.com where you can view apartments he has for rent to include rooms in his own home he rents.  He also has profiles of women that he knows in Samara that are interested in meeting a foreigner for marriage who you can meet for FREE.  I have spent some time with Mikhael and he is a very honest and honorable businessman and will take good care of you, as well as arrange translators and take care of your transportation needs.

My advice to any man interested in spending time in Russia would be to let mikhael help them find a nice place in Samara - then spend a few months there.  Moscow is a short 1.5 hour hop and you can go there for a few days for fairly inexpensive.

- Maxxum

[ScottinCrimea]

I was also pretty frustrated with the hacked up pieces of beef they sell in the markets.  Finally I printed out a diagram of western beefs cuts and found a guy who was willing to provide me cuts similar to what was on the diagram.  It wasn't ideal, but close enough.  I also found that nice cuts of angus beef were showing up in the supermarket and on the menus of some restaurants.  Pretty expensive, but nice for a special occasion.  I never found where to buy buns and was thinking of making some deal with the local McDonalds to get some.  I'm not a relish fan, so no big deal, but a friend just made his own.  Western style peanut butter startede showing up on the shelves just before I left.

I have never witnessed any shortage of milk or other basics.  In fact we have the equivalent of a milkman in our neighborhood.  If I miss him, the market is a five minute walk away where I can get milk direct from the source.  Failing that, I can go to any local store and buy it off the shelf.  I can't stand those plastic bags they sell it in, though.

I had trouble finding vanilla to cook with until I figured out that they sell it in powder form.  It was a challenge figuring out how much to use in a recipe, but it works great.

My point is that for someone living in the FSU, you can sit around and gripe about what you can't find there, or you can go out and either find it, find a decent substitute or find someone to make it for you.  Of course some things are irreplaceable, but I'm finding more and more Western products showing up on the shelves.  If there's a market for it, someone will sell it.  Not much different than what I am experiencing now in the US trying to find Russian products to keep my wife happy.

[smartcat]

Half empty glass?  There's nothing in this glass, in fact there's not even a glass to put anything in.
Be an apologist for Ukraine if you really feel like it.  You might even fool some people, maybe even yourself, but Ukraine
is a completely decayed (morally, intellectually and Physically) dump for old Soviet failure.  Everyone who goes there
can simply take a deep breath and enjoy the decay that's all around you.  If this is what you like then this will be your
paradise.  If you like progress, openness, intelligence, then go West, otherwise "Welcome to Ukraine"!!!   

Oh, I appreciate your comment full of "progress, openess and intelligence". Of course I like it. I think it's very educative in general.
I guess that most of Ukrainian women would be the same happy to know the truth about them being part of a  completely decayed (morally, intellectually and Physically) dump.

As far as this opinion is educative to  men potentially going to former Soviet Union, so I guess most of morally decayed socipathic women from Ukraine deserve to know what some of men think about them and their country too...

Anyhow, thanks again.

[krimster]

"I guess that most of Ukrainian women would be the same happy to know the truth about them being part of a  completely decayed (morally, intellectually and Physically) dump."

Actually, a great many of them DO KNOW THIS.  Why else would MILLIONS have fled Ukraine since independence?  What, they're all tired of borscht?
Have you lived in a Western country so that you could compare life there to Ukraine?

Ahhh, but it's Rodina right?  So you need to defend it.  Fine, do you feel better now?  Even the serfs must defend the Czar, how charming it is

[mendeleyev]

chivo, I anwer your post with respect and hope you won't be offended at my reply.  That is not my desire.  I don't blame you for loving Russia.  So do I.  I plan to retire there, that is if foreigners are allowed to continue living there more than 90 days at a stretch.  Nor did I say that there are constant shortages (they just seem to strike when it's the most inconvenient).  And from traveling there during the Soviet period, to living there post Soviet experience, today's Russia of course is much better. 

One example:  Public transportation is excellent in the major cities.  And on time.  And plentiful.  And cheap.  Of course one can travel to mid size cities such as Shakhty, etc, where nothing, including transportation works.  But the outside world really only watches two cities, Leningrad and Moscow, so they get most of the goodies.

Speaking of mass transit, that's a massive accomplishment by the way.  So if they can do that successfully, why are some of the smallest and most simple things made to be so difficult?  Often Eastern thinking is contrarian to Western and there is no will to improve.

In 2003 a crew of workmen arrived to reinforce the pillars on a train bridge that went over a busy intersection in northcentral Moscow.  It was within 3-5 minutes walking distance from my apartment.  As they built new piers in front of the old ones, I noticed that one row of pillars jutted out into the street about 6 inches with the new fabrication.  Surely that is only temporary I thought.  And sure enough they put up night flashers and yellow warning signs during the week of reconstruction. 

When the work was completed, down came the night flashers, down came the yellow warning signs, and the crew packed up and left.  The new piers now extended, unprotected, out into the street.  Over the next few weeks there were constant crashes, especially each night, as cars hit the piers.  Some just nicked them, but others were full on smashed.  One couldn't help but wonder about the stability of the bridge after weeks of banging into the piers.  Eventually complaints must have made their way up the food chain because a new crew appeared, closed down a section of the street, closed the bridge and laboured for almost a month on new piers where the old ones had been.  Once reopened, traffic flowed as normal.  And it was again safe. 

As late as 2004 there were major intersections in Moscow that did not have automated street signals, instead relying on a person sitting in a little glass booth who controlled the lights based on the flow of traffic.  Do you remember those scenes of young traffic officers drawn into conversation by pretty girls while forgetting about changing the signal, seemingly oblvious to horns honking and drivers shouting in desperation?  To Russia's credit most of those are gone the way of automation.

Chivo, I'm with you regarding the idea of a well-placed bribe, my friend.  However when the country thinks that intellectual and creative property (like fine art) is a trust and treasure of the people, then a bribe doesn't get a painting from Moscow to London or New York or Bonn.  For my wife to ship a piece of art to a gallery outside Russia, the painting is documented first with the Ministry of Culture where it is cataloged, photographed, appraised and stamped.  Once this process is complete a series of documents are drawn up, photo copies attached, and exit tax stamps purchased.   

At the airport we need an extra 2-3 hours in advance for special customs screening.  After filling out more forms I must go thru a typical "red line" experience and then someone from the arts and antiquities office is called up.  I wait for that person to arrive and then the inspection is done all over again.  Near the end that official typically places a call to verify the documents presented.  He/she escorts me to an area where the rest of my things can be security checked and then to the counter.  From there I'm on my way to passport control and then to the gate. 

In Los Angeles after a 14 hour non-stop Aeroflot flight from Moscow, the US customs agents usually spend about 30 minutes per 5-6 paintings.  The US customs agent knows which documents I should be carrying, compares the photos on each document to be certain it matches each painting, and then a supervisor checks off on the agents work. 

When the pieces arrive at an art gallery, the gallery (if they have experience in international art) rightly require evidence that the painting left Russia legally and can be displayed/sold legally in the USA.  They have liability issues if the things aren't correct.  And finally, a skilled buyer of international art also demands a copy of all documentation.  Not only does it cover his/her butt for a legal purchase, then insurance, but the documentation adds resale value to a painting.

Starting from the time of export to entry into another country to placement in a gallery to sale, there is no simple bribe to a government hack that can take my wife's work thru such a process.  There are simply too many bases to cover, too many checks and balances.

In writing this I decided to attach a couple of paintings.  I loved my wife back when she was struggling to be noticed and just a "starving artist" and today I enjoy seeing her success.





Hmm, let's turn left here.

[chivo]

Mendeleyev,

I think most would agree that with your writing style, it would be extremely hard to find anything you say offensive.

Matter of fact, their wasn't much in the above post that I would disagree with even if it was written by Krimster  .

I don't think anyone will argue about dealing with government agencies here, any of them. It's a complete joke. I have done my best to avoid them at all cost.

I think your situation with your wife is unique. Most of us will not be in this predicament. It's the nature of the beast for the both of you, and you both surely have my sympathy. Your wife is talented for sure.

I wanted to ask you about the visa situation too. I mean I have never  been asked about my registration while travelling by train through Russia, as long as it was indeed initially registered. I was wondering if, in your case, it had anything to do with the fact that you're a western journalist, and maybe they wanted to keep closer tabs on you. I do know that as the technology improves here, and a national database looms in the not so distance future, this might present itself more here. As of yet, they're still a little behind the times (compared to America for instance) with their bookeeping methods, as I'm sure you know. Anyway just wondering.

Lastly in regards to you, I have read other posts from you on other boards, and just wanted you to know that your opinions are always welcomed.

Dave,

Nice to see you still bopping around on this site. Equally as nice is the fact that you and your lady are off on a romantic trip that I'm sure will last a lifetime (I had no doubt BTW).

Continued success, and if you're ever in these parts again, drop me a line. Thanks for the kinds words as well.

Oh and Dave, I had dinner with a client the other day. This is a man who had travelled extensively throughout Russia, is rich, very intelligent, and was born and raised in Moscow. He happened to mention the city where he thinks the most beautiful women are in Russia...yes, you guessed it - Samara.

good luck, as always.

chivo

[mendeleyev]

Chivo, thanks for the kind words.  Years ago one could only travel in groups of other journalists with "guides" or submit for permission to travel to another city/area and be assigned a guide and or driver.  Usually the driver and guide were one and the same.  Then came the time when it was free to travel but as a 'courtesy' travel plans were filed in advance. 

Today in some ways the regulations are tighter under the current government.  In the Gorby and also Yeltsin years you could get a good hand slapping for reporting something out of line (I was given 48 hours to move after writing stories on a prison and a mental hospital near my original apartment).  It unexpectedly turned out to be a great move into the former Soviet writers quarter near the center with a much nicer apartment, better neighborhood, and the rent was less!  Today for punishment you just get shot by a mugger or accidently pushed in front of a fast moving train.  The current government likes to make examples.  You don't have to murder all the journalists, just a few, and everybody else gets the message.

Now I seldom travel on a journalist visa which has many (but certainly not all) of the advantages of a diplomatic visa.  However traveling on a normal tourist visa gives much more freedom of movement especially since I can have Russian family members along which draws less attention.  Specifically regarding trains I try to observe the 72 hour rule and register as soon as possible upon arrival to a city where we will stay.  It is really important to be as specific as possible on the visa application before travel and the migration card application upon arrival, listing where you plan to travel.  Being caught outside your expected locations could mean a restriction on future travel to Russia.  And as that data base expands, officers will have such information more readily available.

You are spot on regarding a national database. One of the ideas for a data base is to close down all the border exits in a very short amount of time.  I think the data base already exists in or is certainly well beyond the planning stages.  I can remember when western journalists would have exit strategies in case a fast exit was needed.  My network's plan A called for me to first travel south by car to a location south of Moscow, then via train to a spot near Kursk and then enter Ukraine at night by car, by car across Ukraine into Poland and then by train to Prague. The idea was to move fast, vary travel methods and beat the slow response from Moscow.  Mostly those kind of plans don't happen anymore, and if you look at history, most western journalists who got into trouble were arrested anyway by surprise before they realized they were in trouble.  But the exit plan was fun for the imagination if nothing else.  There were two other routes (B & C) if A didn't seem prudent.

The last item I read from the Russian Embassy regarding registration stressed that registration infractions could lead to a 5 year denial on a future visa to Russia.

[AnastassiaAsh]

I am sure that most men in USA would be extremely happy if they only had a tenth of the beautiful women he has had the fortune of bedding. 

yeah, I have already understood that, he is pretty honest about this. But is this the example we should all cherish and follow?  I would just love to really see a picture of Chivo with one or two gorgeous muscovites that he 'bedded'. I would love to read at least one of these incredible and out of this world adventures. 

[msmoby_ru]

I have been to Krasnoyarsk.  Krasair has daily flights from Moscow on a large, modern plane.  The airport outside Krasnoyarsk is very small and out-dated. The baggage claim barn is a real joke!  You have to walk down a ladder from the plane and then walk over to the clain shack.  Taxi fare around the city is usuallly around $5 US.  Typical bus service.  The city is compact, located around a large river.  If you like rock climbing, there are some very interesting formations.  Summer is hot but short.  Winter, of course, very long and sometimes bitter cold.  Early Fall can be nice.  Not many Americans there.  If you want more information, pm me.

Totally agree with the description of the Airport terminal and facilities - as it was just announced KJA has missed out on federal aid to upgrade it.

Re KrasAir ( air union) "modern planes" ... ?! Do you mean their "modern" pre - owned Boeing 767s?   I have taking Many Ru/ UA airlines and the ONLY two times I've been delayed was on ancient  western  built planes   Spent 4 hours circling over KJA wasting fuel on a flt to Moscow - that took off - reached cruising altitude and then turned back!)  I can't recommend Krasnoyarsk until Aeroflot and KrasAir's duopoly ( stranglehold) on air fares is smashed..

I've never met a westerner living there, yet either - not even in the Irish bar - that feels more American or Scottish in feel..  There are, apparently, guys who "appear" from the sticks who work in mining / oil ,etc.

Like most regional centres it has Theatres, Operas, etc,.

Internet connectivity is "expensive" and often "disappears" as thieves steal the network cables...

Climate can range from -40C to +38C .. lots of insects in the summer   Factories still belch out questionable contact from the chimneys and the west buried its unwanted waste nearby.

*I* wouldn't want to live in the city on  a longterm basis - but I guess the company is important !

Outside the city.. stunning beauty.. agree about the climbing - and they have a huge Hydroelectric dam ( 10 Rouble note depicts Krasnoyarsk sights) which means the river downstream doesn't freeze.


Sorry, Darling wife.. nice to visit.. not to stay.

Krasnodar gets too cold in the winter, too ( but only in the minus teens centigrade) - Sochi - nice range of climates and scenery -but property prices SKY high - as the Winter Olympics coming in 2014 .


*I* would only want to live in Russia if I already had a Russian partner and a stable income.

Suffice to say this is my opinion, based on experience, and not meant to offend.

Lastly, there is no reason to go there now, as the best woman is already married