Russia – my first time ever!

Woo hoo! I’m going to Moscow on 07-SEP and I’m excited & nervous at the same time. I have read quite a bit about Moscow and St. Petersburg on travel forums – overall I find the people friendly and some have even offered to help me while I’m there. Recent war with Georgia and language problem still makes me nervous. Vladimir, Elena, Viktor, Margarita – they are all close friends & colleagues of mine from Russia. The last week I’ve been partying big time with them and this is what I found:

1. The people in Moscow complain about St. Petersburg and vice versa. Vlad is from Moscow and Margarita is from St. Petersburg and you should see them talk :)
2. Vlad & Elena asked me not to travel long on the Trans-Siberian; Moscow to Vladivostok takes a week and it is not very safe. But I still want to explore a little bit of it.
3. Viktor advised me not to go clubbing alone in Moscow – which I will not. I would be with my friends and other people from training.
4. Tim & Veronika, friends from Hospitality Club advised me to bring jacket, swim suit and umbrella to Russia – I hope the weather is not too cruel in September; but hey, it can’t be worse than Britain hehe!

I’ll have to wait until I reach Russia to really comment on those. But I’m doing my own homework as well – I just received my Amazon order of books on Russia [look at the picture above]. I’m excited and reading all of them here and there.

I’m flying Swiss Air and reach Moscow on Sunday afternoon – I would stay at the Holiday Inn Suschevsky until the 13-SEP where I’ll take a training to be a good manager (LOL) and then my plans are really open. I intend to take a train to St. Petersburg on the 15-SEP and spend a week there and then visit some villages on the Trans Siberian later on before flying back to London.

Visa Tip: For those who want to travel in Russia and needs a visa; please keep in mind that you have to apply at least a month before you intend to travel. The procedure is different and complicated – but simple if you apply on time. You have to apply for a business or tourist visa in Moscow and after processing your application you will receive a Letter of Invitation (LOI) by DHL – this takes 20 working days. Then you take this original LOI and file another application at the Russian embassy in your resident country along with your photo, resident card, insurance policy and a cover letter from the employer – the visa is issued normally on the same day that you apply.

This would be the first of many posts to come on Russia and my experiences there – watch out for this space and wish me good luck in my travels there.