TR to Moscow

[possum]

Sculpto, when you get to Tomsk be sure to check out the Vechny Zov restaurant.. It's by far the best restaurant in the region, and it's the only one where they serve ten different kinds of bread.. I couldn't believe it when I saw it because most restaurants here have 2-3 kinds at best, that's how backward we are..

[GoodOlBoy]

SCULPTO, I totally agree with UTROBINA. Get yourself a BUSINESS VISA. It works like a charm. I live in Florida, but I used a company in your neck of the woods (San Francisco) called TRAVISA. The paperwork is not that difficult. I was in and out of Russia (Omsk) like it was my second home. No troubles. Good for one year, as many times as you want to use it. Just jump on a plane and go, no waiting.

[Sculpto]

I just got off the phone with my girl.    She is out with some friends drinking congac.  

I had planned to send her some stuff, a gift for her Mom and some small gifts for her, but, after a google search and reading the nightmares people have had with FedEx and DHL I got cold feet.  

Does anyone know a totally reliable way to send a care package that will not take forever?

Possum.. I have read a lot about Tomsk on TripAdvisor.  The pectopah you mentioned is highly reviewed on that site.  However, knowing my girl she will not agree to eating out, especially if it is expensive.  Also...

I am guessing that what someone said in an earlier post that you might be from Tomsk sounds more true based on your last post.  Is that the case?  Anyway.. I don't think you should "bust" on your town.  Even if Russia is a really old country, the current way it is organized makes it a very young country.  There is a lot of garbage left over from the USSR that remains to be fixed.  In the rush to be "up to date" I hope great old things are not destroyed in the process.  Urban reneweal in the USA made that mistake in a huge way and a lot of great historical buildings were destroyed to make way for modern glass towers that have no feeling, no character.  I fear for Russia that as things get better economically there will be a desire to remove the past and end up turning a beautiful country with a unique culture and history into a generic copy of everything else.  So, I suggest taking a new look at those old and broken wooden houses because in them I believe you can find the heart and soul of Russia.    Even it has to poop in an outhouse.  LOL

I like things backwards when I go to visit a new place.  I don't need 10 kinds of bread.. I can't eat that much.    I don't need a pizza when I am in Tomsk.. I want a really good blini, like my Mom makes, to make up for the rather terrible blini I tasted in Moscow.  

Mostly I just want to be with my girl and her family and confirm that I am making a good decision with the right lady.

[possum]

Possum.. I have read a lot about Tomsk on TripAdvisor.  The pectopah you mentioned is highly reviewed on that site.  However, knowing my girl she will not agree to eating out, especially if it is expensive.  Also...

I am guessing that what someone said in an earlier post that you might be from Tomsk sounds more true based on your last post.  Is that the case?

Yes, it is..

 

Anyway.. I don't think you should "bust" on your town.  Even if Russia is a really old country, the current way it is organized makes it a very young country.  There is a lot of garbage left over from the USSR that remains to be fixed.  In the rush to be "up to date" I hope great old things are not destroyed in the process.  Urban reneweal in the USA made that mistake in a huge way and a lot of great historical buildings were destroyed to make way for modern glass towers that have no feeling, no character.  I fear for Russia that as things get better economically there will be a desire to remove the past and end up turning a beautiful country with a unique culture and history into a generic copy of everything else.  So, I suggest taking a new look at those old and broken wooden houses because in them I believe you can find the heart and soul of Russia.    Even it has to poop in an outhouse.  LOL

The problem with the ol' wooden houses is that they were never any good to begin with.. They weren't any good when they were first built and they sure as heck aren't any good now.. Sure, some of them look like something out of a different century architecture wise but that's because they were built over a century ago.. and the truth is, even back then they were considered low cost housing.. The only houses from that era that were any kind of place to live are the brick houses in the city center..

As far as old architecture being replaced with new construction, that's already happening all over the country, and it is sad that the very old pre-revolutionary buildings are the first to go instead of the not-so-old bunker style houses that were built during the Soviet era.. I'd really like to see them disappear.. it don't matter what they replace them with, as long as they tear them down..

I don't need a pizza when I am in Tomsk.. I want a really good blini, like my Mom makes, to make up for the rather terrible blini I tasted in Moscow. 

If I were you I'd avoid Russian pizza like the plague!. God only knows what they put on there that makes it taste so awful..

[Misha]

The problem with the ol' wooden houses is that they were never any good to begin with.. They weren't any good when they were first built and they sure as heck aren't any good now..

They are also that much more likely to go up in flames. There are many wooden houses that have burned down in my wife's city. The concrete building have their disadvantages, but they are not likely to burn down to the ground.

[Sculpto]

San Francisco is a city of wood houses.  Some of them are mansions and some of them are little more than shacks.  But this is exactly what makes our city unique and different than any other place in this country.  It sounds to me that these wooden houses in Tomsk are the same.  I understand many of them do not have inside plumbing and some of them might be cold in the winter.  Yet, they are a truly unique part of Tomsk history and could easily be made warm and modern simply by getting some good carpenters and contractors involved.

[possum]

They are also that much more likely to go up in flames. There are many wooden houses that have burned down in my wife's city. The concrete building have their disadvantages, but they are not likely to burn down to the ground.

It's no secret that contractors sometimes hire people to set fire to those homes in order to make way for new construction..

[Sculpto]

Wood is a much better insulator than concrete.  Wood is a renewable resource.  Siberia is full of high quality wood.  Concrete is highly destructive to the environment where the raw matierials are mined and the process of making concrete also pollutes a lot.  Sure, there is a greater fire risk in an un-firetreated house, but, with the proper materials a wood house can be made to be just as safe as a concrete house in terms of fire risk.  And then there is artistry.. concrete does not lend itself to any sort of creativity where wood opens up all kinds of posibilities.  I don't know.. seems to me the wood houses of Tomsk are a treasure worth preserving.  If the government of that city is smart they would probably be seeking UNESCO World Heritage status which would bring a lot of positive and sustainable development.  Given the problems with drug resistent tuberculosis and cancer that are endemic to the city it would seem logical that wise people would do everything possible to promote the positive aspects to try and help the place come out of the post soviet dark ages.

[Sculpto]

It's no secret that contractors sometimes hire people to set fire to those homes in order to make way for new construction..

That is very sad.  Greed makes people do really stupid things.

[Misha]

San Francisco is a city of wood houses.  Some of them are mansions and some of them are little more than shacks.  But this is exactly what makes our city unique and different than any other place in this country.  It sounds to me that these wooden houses in Tomsk are the same.  I understand many of them do not have inside plumbing and some of them might be cold in the winter.  Yet, they are a truly unique part of Tomsk history and could easily be made warm and modern simply by getting some good carpenters and contractors involved.

The problem is that very often wooden houses are actually made up of several family dwellings. You can spend a lot of money renovating what belongs to you, but what will you do if the neighboring drunk dedushka sets fire to his household and burns the who building down? Unless you own the entire building, it would not be a sound investment in most cases to completely renovate one section of a wooden building.

[Misha]

It's no secret that contractors sometimes hire people to set fire to those homes in order to make way for new construction..

It is also not a secret that you will have many, many more people "registered" as living in some wooden buildings in the hopes that they will be given an apartment in a decent building should someone decide to tear down their wooden building and put up a new building. I guess many contractors decide to take some less than ethical shortcuts to work around this 

[possum]

It is also not a secret that you will have many, many more people "registered" as living in some wooden buildings in the hopes that they will be given an apartment in a decent building should someone decide to tear down their wooden building and put up a new building. I guess many contractors decide to take some less than ethical shortcuts to work around this 

Many contractors can't AFFORD to buy new apartments for those people, so they let the local government take care of them instead..

[Sculpto]

From what I understand most of these houses when originally built were intended as single faily dwellings and were only made into multi family dwellings during the soviet period.  A sound plan for renovation of the city would take this into consideration.  I understand there are several thousand of these kinds of homes in several different neighborhoods.  To get it done would be a complex project, but, seems like it would be worth doing.  I have spent a lot of time in Antigua Guatemala and they faced many of the same problems, though on not as big a scale, before the city was added as a world heritage site.  However, earning that designation has insured the residents of a much higher standard of living than was possible before.  Tomsk might be too far from the rest of the world to ever experience a high level of tourism beyond students and men... Barnaul is a much better place to get to Altai and Baikal is too far from Tomsk.. nevertheless.. cool architecture is a precious part of history and should not be trashed simply because it is inconvenient or expensive to fix.

[SANDRO43]

Wood is a much better insulator than concrete.

Not only that, depending on local conditions. I remember from my amateur archeological days (www.floriani.it/archeo-eng.htm) that in a conference on Pompeii they related how structural concrete reinforcements inserted since the 1930s has progressively crumbled, while some original wooden beams, 2,000-years old, were still in place and showing little sign of deterioration .

[Sculpto]

Wood is an incredibly resilient material when properly used.  Some kinds of wood are even naturally fire resistent, though, none of them grow in Siberia.  But, what is most interesting about Tomsk wood houses is not that they are made from wood but the incredible variety of artistic expression that went into their creation.  Given that I am an expert (oh god here he goes) in wood and its uses having spent the better part of my adult life working with wood in one way or another I have nothing but the greatest respect for the carpenters and ebenists of history who managed to create enduring works of fine craft in almost every culture.  Wood is central to civilization and access to plentiful supplies of wood can often be correlated to the advancement of cultures.  Wood is so basic to our lives that most of us take it completely for granted.  But, look around you for one minute and notice all the things that are made from wood.  If you take notice you will be suprised.

In the Mayan areas of Central America, my other area of expertise, (oh god not again) there are examples of wood that as Sandro indicated have endured when stone and plaster failed.  At the most famous of all Mayan sites, Tikal, deep in the lowland jungle of Guatemala and also famous as the base of the Jedi rebels in the first Star Wars movie, each of the temple enclosures atop the tallest pyramids is supported by massive carved wooden lintels.  Not quite as old as Pompeii, coming in at 13-1400 years old, but, enduring a much harsher climate.  The details of the carvings remain intact after all these centuries.

There was an interesting report on the local NPR station last Friday on "Science Friday".  Someone from NASA has calculated an approximately accurate count of all the trees on earth.  It seems for every living human there are currently 61 trees.  On the surface it seems a lot, especially considering that trees are a renewable resource, however, the simple fact is all of us will consume more than our share in our lifetimes.  The proof is simple.. the worlds forests are in fact disappearing. 

And now to bring this topic back to relevance... in my research about Tomsk, since I am looking for some kind of small business enterprise I might be able to get involved in to help fund return trips for my girl, I invested some time reading the official Tomsk website that Olga posted the other day.  I had read the site before, many months ago, but, re-read it the other night.  It seems there is in fact investment loan money available to develop the wood finished products industry in Tomsk.  According to my research there already exists a viable furniture making industry, though it is probably out-dated in its processes and styles.  Of course given the far off location of Tomsk export is probably not viable, at least not on a small scale.  I have in the past discussed business opportunities in Tomsk with my lady and she has indicated it is very difficult to penetrate because the so called "Mafia" controls everything.. down to the corner cafe.  I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on the subject of establishing any type of small enterprise in Russia in general or perhaps Possum can give us some insight into the business climate in Tomsk?

[OlgaH]

The problem with the ol' wooden houses is that they were never any good to begin with.. They weren't any good when they were first built and they sure as heck aren't any good now.. Sure, some of them look like something out of a different century architecture wise but that's because they were built over a century ago.. and the truth is, even back then they were considered low cost housing.. The only houses from that era that were any kind of place to live are the brick houses in the city center..

possum, I think you should know about history of Tomsk, a city where you live, a little bit more 

http://www.muar.ru/exibitions/2004/exibit210904.htm

Tomsk was founded in 1604. In 1810 there were only 5 brick houses in Tomsk. Till 1917 the houses in Tomsk were built generally of wood  and btw many of that wooden houses (especially houses of two or three storeys) were built by merchants who lived there with their families   
In 1990 Tomsk was given status of historical city.

[possum]

possum, I think you should know about history of Tomsk, a city where you live, a little bit more 

http://www.muar.ru/exibitions/2004/exibit210904.htm

Tomsk was founded in 1604. In 1810 there were only 5 brick houses in Tomsk. Till 1917 the houses in Tomsk were built generally of wood  and btw many of that wooden houses (especially houses of two or three storeys) were built by merchants who lived there with their families   
In 1990 Tomsk was given status of historical city.

That all may be true, but you have to understand that not all merchants were insanely rich.. some of them were only a step above peasants on the socio-economic ladder of that time.. In fact, very few of them could afford to live in brick houses that were considered 'mansions' back then..

[possum]

I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on the subject of establishing any type of small enterprise in Russia in general or perhaps Possum can give us some insight into the business climate in Tomsk?

The business climate in Tomsk is very favorable, particularly if you're related to one of the following people: the Governor, the Oblast Duma Chairman, the Mayor or anyone who knows them personally.. If you aren't, then you better get your wallet ready because they're all going to want a piece of the action..

[Sculpto]

The business climate in Tomsk is very favorable, particularly if you're related to one of the following people: the Governor, the Oblast Duma Chairman, the Mayor or anyone who knows them personally.. If you aren't, then you better get your wallet ready because they're all going to want a piece of the action..

That is exactly what my girl says.  It is a pity things are like that.  the end result is less prosperity for everyone.  I experienced the same thing when I lived in Mexico from 1987-1990, though to a somewhat lesser degree.  After I had been living there about 6 months I was assigned a "spy" by the local governor.  The "spy" was a guy my age who pretended to have met me at a festival and showed some interest in my art.  It didn't take long for me to figure out he was actually a "spy".  Once I realized this I set about in a process to corrupt him.  I got him smoking ganja, influenced him to quit his job as the tax collector in the daily food market for which he was very hated and take up a career as a woodworker which he loved, persuaded him to drop his fiance of an arranged and loveless political marriage between his family and the governors family and to get engaged to the indigenous girl he was in love with and other sorts of devious and subversive things.  To this day he is still married to his jolly "indita", making furniture and other wood products and even though estranged from his powerful father he is a happy guy.  Mexico however has in general matured in its business climate.  NAFTA and political change brought a lot of new ideas to that country and it is now much easier to start a small business there without every official creating roadblocks until their palms are greased, although, the current war on drugs appears set to wipe out all that progress through repression by the government and the corrupting force of the blackmarket economy.  Hoepfully Russia can experience the same intellectual/commercial growth without the pitfalls which would make life better for everyone.

[OlgaH]

That all may be true, but you have to understand that not all merchants were insanely rich.. some of them were only a step above peasants on the socio-economic ladder of that time.. In fact, very few of them could afford to live in brick houses that were considered 'mansions' back then..

For example a merchant Gromov and son of merchant Shishkov could easily afford brick houses but they preferred to live in wooden houses   

I guess I understand why you got bored at a local tech university and quit in the second semester  BTW what a tech university do you mean? 

If you are not getting bored with the history you can start with the Museum of Wooden Architecture in Tomsk, you will know many interesting facts about history of Tomsk and about historical monuments of Wooden Architecture in your city     

[possum]

For example a merchant Gromov and son of merchant Shishkov could easily afford brick houses but they preferred to live in wooden houses   

That may be true, but had they known what was coming, i.e. 70 years of communism followed by 15 years of incompetence under an oligarchy, I'm sure they would have gone for sturdier more durable construction..

I guess I understand why you got bored at a local tech university and quit in the second semester  BTW what a tech university do you mean? 

That would be STI, not sure what they call themselves these days.. biggest bunch of incompetents I've encountered in my life.. They keep renaming the place for some reason as if that's gonna improve their status somehow.. I spit on their diploma..

If you are not getting bored with the history you can start with the Museum of Wooden Architecture in Tomsk, you will know many interesting facts about history of Tomsk and about historical monuments of Wooden Architecture in your city     

I looked it up, and it's too far away from where I live.. I'd have to take two buses to get there..

[Sculpto]

Olga, I think he is unwilling.. Possum, are you one of the environmental anarchist activists in Tomsk? 

[Sculpto]

http://sfopera.com/o/268.asp

[possum]

Olga, I think he is unwilling.. Possum, are you one of the environmental anarchist activists in Tomsk? 

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that organization..

[Sculpto]

http://www.forest.ru/eng/problems/control/publication47.html

http://www.taigarescue.org/en//index.php?sub=2&cat=63

http://www.pacificenvironment.org/article.php?id=204  (this one is a little old)

and the best of all..

http://tesi.seu.ru/index.php

you better not be a spy Possum..