Way to Russia Community and Forum

Celtibero · Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2005 11:37 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the link. The train looks like a good idea if I have enough time. "Pressed for time" means that the longest I can be away from work at any given time is three weeks and, ideally, three weeks is the time I´d like to take to see Russia. However, this may not be possible and I would then have to make do with just a week....

I do not like to rush through places but walk around, discover a city away from the usual tourist areas etc.., which means that if my visit was limited to a week only then i would stick to just one city - either Moscow OR St Pters. Have you been to both?

CHeburashka · Talk Show Host Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 218

Neither of them. Russia measures about 17 million sq. kilometres, so why should we all end up in the same 2 places?
If you want to go sightseeing, I think most people would prefer St. Petersburg. But if you prefer less obvious places, living areas etc, I would have no clue which city would be best. If you really will have only a week, you may want to consider flying directly?

5_Zvehzda · Just Starting Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 1

I-amp-9829-Russia · Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 4:17 am Post subject:

I know that you are sort of finished talking about this, but what if a person may have darker skin, but they are of European descent? Would they be a target?

manxi · Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 7:47 pm Post subject:

It's the thought of being attacked as a foreigner or as a woman that puts me off visiting Russia too. It's difficult to know what to make of all the conflicting comments. I suppose the best bet would be not to travel alone.

Maybe though it's the thought of tackling salespeople and avoiding babushkas that troubles me more...

mediashark · Moderator Joined: 04 Nov 2004 Posts: 1599

Well if you're a dark-skinned european, you may be mistaken for someone from the Caucus, maybe, not exactly the favourite team in town... but hey, there're so many Caucasians in Russia anyway....

As a woman, you're more likely to get advances from cab drivers and other men loitering around at night, but you ignore them, keep walking and you'll be fine.

It is mostly at night funny people come out, so if you're just a 'normal tourist' you should be fine. If you're going to enjoy the nightlife, go with Russian friends.

Salespeople and babushkas are the most dangerous species in Russia. Beware!

I-amp-9829-Russia · Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:03 pm Post subject:

Thanks for replying. I shall now worry about the babushkas! Smile

Rick · Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:08 am Post subject:

Oh, you don't know what you're saying. Those grannies can be pretty tough. Better watch them carefully Wink

I-amp-9829-Russia · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:20 pm Post subject:

I am beginning to get an idea of how tough they are. Very Happy

mister_wizzz · VIP Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 582

I-amp-9829-Russia · Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 10:54 pm Post subject:

corwin · Just Starting Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 2

i am from Atlanta GA. i plan to visit Russia next year. i am also in the USAF, i have the short hair cut from the military. Will that make me a target? should i take/show my USAF id? Bush has made us military people look like war mongers, when we are really quite nice Very Happy

Would it help/hurt to take/show/use my military id? if you want to email me directly with the answer my email is corwin60@yahoo.com

MrSpice · Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431

corwin: You will be fine, that's for sure. There are quite a few people in Russia with the same kind of haircut. I don't think you want to go around advertising that you server in the US air force. If you do, most young people that see you on the street will probably think that you're very cool. But there may be someone (1 out of a thousand) that won't like that. Yet, I cannot imagine that you will be a target either way. No one is going to approach you and bug you about the fact that you serve in the air force. Moscow, especially, is a huge city, has many tourists and people from all over the world. If you have a passport with you with the visa and all your documents are in order, you should be fine. Large cities, especially centers of them, and especially during the day are very safe. Just don't walk around in Detroit or Houston at night - those cities are really dangerous

snoof777 · Frequent Guest Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 58

because then you will look more russian. when i came here, i had long hair ( to my shoulders ) and after awhile i cut it off, now i wear it short, just like 80% of the rest of the russians. specially if you are over 20 and are a business man.

init6 · Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:48 pm Post subject:

Since Snoof dragged up a month-old thread I'll chime in a bit here, too. If you watch yourself, you should be OK. I've lived in Moscow for almost four months and I've never even come close to having a serious issue. On the other hand, a lot of people think I look Russian (it's not always Russians who say this, but I digress). As I've said before, if you don't wander around looking like a tourist (at night), you should be OK. Look like you know where you're going, even if you don't.

One negative aside here - I live in an obshchezhitye (students' dormitory) right next to Metro Shabolovskaya and one of my friends saw a Chinese student being held at knifepoint not 10 steps from our door while a second Russian dug through his bag looking for valuables. The doorway of our dorm is badly lit and there are plenty of "nooks" where youths like to congregate and drink beer. Despite sometimes being uneasy about this they've hardly ever given me a second glance (I've mastered my 'Don't F*ck With Me' scowl, as well Laughing

).

Vic has been outside this dorm with me, and on that occasion we were the shady-looking youths drinking beer outside. But it's a fact: a resident there was robbed at knifepoint. But look at NYC, Berlin, any major city. It happens.

I'm of the opinion that Western press occasionally overblows reports of anti-foreign violence but it IS a problem. Recent deaths in Petersburg and Voronezh prove this but, once again, if you watch yourself, steer clear of trouble areas and travel with friends you should be OK. After all, thousands of African students matriculate at Russian universities successfully, but we just don't hear about that on the news.

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If you have a question or want to help someone, please, go to Way to Russia Forum on our Facebook page. We also invite you to join our Facebook community, where you can meet other travelers and read interesting news on topics ranging from visa regulations to culture and music.

We are currently moving the old forum to Facebook, so what you see below functions as an archive. If you have a question, please, post it on Way to Russia Facebook Discussions Page

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If you have a question or want to help someone, please, go to
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We also invite you to join our Facebook community, where you can meet other travelers and read interesting news on topics ranging from visa regulations to culture and music.

We are currently moving the old forum to Facebook, so what you see below functions as an archive.

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