In exactly one week

[Archetype]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

[SF-Dano]

I have relatives that have spent some time in Russia. I think you will find the average folk to be great hosts and friendly. Do you drink vodka? If you do, you are in.

[Rick]

Pack warm. It gets all kindsa cold there.

[Rick]

Oh, and if you're worried about air sickness while flying, don't try to fit it all in the barf bag, because it probably won't. Head to the head.

[portland]

Wave to Sarah Palin....She can see you from her porch!

[Gideon]

Wave to Sarah Palin....She can see you from her porch!

I didn't realize Palin was a Loon!



(Just kidding, Porty!)

[Archetype]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

WTF are you going to do in Russia for 4 months, scout out Russian brides?

As for the flying part, two words...liquor, xanax. When you wake up you'll be there. Just don't pee on people on the plane, they have bathrooms.

15 credit intensive Russian language program. I love the idea of waking up and being there

[portland]

Wave to Sarah Palin....She can see you from her porch!

I didn't realize Palin was a Loon!



(Just kidding, Porty!)

Giddy it's not ALL about the LOONS....

[S2M]

Grab me a couple of those Russian Wives catalogues.....

[conversationpc]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Hopefully, you're not that tall. I'm 6'3" and was fairly miserable for the long 8 & 1/2 hour flight from Detroit to Amsterdam and then even more cramped from there to Helsinki.

[Babyblue]

Wave to Sarah Palin....She can see you from her porch!

That was a good one

[AR]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

When it takes too long for a stewardess to bring you a drink, joke about how you'd like to "blow this plane up if I don't get some service now!"

People usually laugh knowingly and it keeps the hired help on their toes. Great way to meet people. Works every time.

[Rick]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

When it takes too long for a stewardess to bring you drink, joke about how you'd like to "blow this plane up if I don't get some service now!"

People usually laugh knowingly and it keeps the hired help on their toes. Great way to meet people. Works every time.

And you'll get all the free corn holes you can stand.

[Andrew]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Hopefully, you're not that tall. I'm 6'3" and was fairly miserable for the long 8 & 1/2 hour flight from Detroit to Amsterdam and then even more cramped from there to Helsinki.

Pussies. All of you.

Fly Hobart to London (25+ hrs flying) or Hobart to NYC (18hrs) and then let's hear ya!

[conversationpc]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Hopefully, you're not that tall. I'm 6'3" and was fairly miserable for the long 8 & 1/2 hour flight from Detroit to Amsterdam and then even more cramped from there to Helsinki.

Pussies. All of you.

Fly Hobart to London (25+ hrs flying) or Hobart to NYC (18hrs) and then let's hear ya!

Hey, as long as I would have sufficient leg room, I'd be up for it.

[steveo777]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Protect your finances with your life. There are lots of beautiful Russian women and they are very crafty. BEWARE!

[Rip Rokken]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Visit Tula and Izhevsk, and bring me a souvenir!

[Rick]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Protect your finances with your life. There are lots of beautiful Russian women and they are very crafty. BEWARE!

A guy from work wound up bringing a Russian woman he met through some website over here. He said she sat around and didn't do shit, then all of a sudden there's a kid he knew nothing about and then her mother came. He said he sent them all back. And you're right, it all cost him a small fortune.

[RedWingFan]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

Yeah, Stay away from the bears!!!

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/265 ... girl-told-

Wednesday August 17,2011
By Will Stewart in Moscow


A DISTRAUGHT mother listened on a mobile phone as her teenage daughter was eaten alive by a brown bear and its three cubs.

Olga Moskalyova, 19, gave an horrific hour-long running commentary on her own death in three separate calls as the wild animals killed her.

She screamed: “Mum, the bear is eating me! Mum, it’s such agony. Mum, help!’”

Her mother Tatiana said that at first thought she was joking. “But then I heard the real horror and pain in Olga’s voice, and the sounds of a bear growling and chewing.”

She added: “I could have died then and there from shock.”

Unknown to Tatiana, the bear had already killed her husband Igor Tsyganenkov – Olga’s stepfather – by overpowering him, breaking his neck and smashing his skull. Olga, a trainee psychologist, saw the ­attack on her stepfather in tall grass and reeds by a river in Russia and fled for 70 yards before the mother bear grabbed her leg.

As the creature toyed with her, she managed to call Tatiana several times during the prolonged attack. Tatiana rang her husband – not knowing he was ­already dead – but got no answer.

She alerted the police and relatives in the village of Termalniy, near Petropavlovsk Kamchatskiy, in the extreme east of Siberia.

She begged them to rush to the river where the pair had gone to retrieve a fishing rod that Igor had left.

In a second call, a weak Olga gasped: “Mum, the bears are back. She came back and brought her three babies. They’re... eating me”.

Finally, in her last call – almost an hour after the first – Olga sensed she was on the verge of death.

With the bears having apparently left her to die, she said: “Mum, it’s not hurting anymore. I don’t feel the pain. Forgive me for everything, I love you so much.”


The call cut off and that was the last Tatiana heard from her ­daughter. Half an hour later, Igor’s brother Andrei arrived with police to find the mother bear still devouring his body. Badly mauled Olga was also dead.

Six hunters were sent in by the emergency services to kill the mother bear and her three cubs.

The double killing is the latest in a spate of bear attacks across ­Russia, as the hungry animals seek food in areas where people have ­encroached and settled on their former habitat.

A weeping Tatiana said that Olga had everything to look forward to, and was happy with her life and boyfriend Stepan.

“My daughter was such fun. She was so cheerful, friendly, and warm,” said Tatiana.

“She had graduated from music school, and just days before the bear attack she got her driving ­licence.”

Her husband and daughter are due to be buried today.

[Rip Rokken]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Protect your finances with your life. There are lots of beautiful Russian women and they are very crafty. BEWARE!

A guy from work wound up bringing a Russian woman he met through some website over here. He said she sat around and didn't do shit, then all of a sudden there's a kid he knew nothing about and then her mother came. He said he sent them all back. And you're right, it all cost him a small fortune.

Was she hot, and did he marry her? More details, please...

[Arianddu]

For the flight:
-wear (non-stinky) shoes you can slip on and off, and warm socks - being able to stretch and move your feet and freely wiggle your toes makes a surprising difference.
- take some chewing gum to help your ears pop taking off and landing. As a rought rule, swallow going up and yawn going down. If you've got stuffy sinuses and your ears hurt as you decend, hold your nose, shut your mouth and blow until you feel your ears pop. Ear ache in a foreign country is miserable.
- check the customs rules of what you can and can't bring in, and what you need to pay import tax on, before you go. It can be surprising what some customs official decides is not allowed through, especially in countries where bribery is not uncommon; knowledge of the actual laws helps.

for Russia itself, I asked a few friends who have lived there (mostly as embassy staff, but a few for business):
- the big one; anyone driving a flashy American car is Russian Mafia, and they don't give a damn who they take out, even foreigners. Just don't screw with them, and if you're driving for fuck's sake, don't run into them.
- Russians are friendly and like to laugh, but they also have a melancholic streak a mile wide. Nearly all of the people I talked to said Russians are happiest when they have something to be miserable about.
- watch out for some of the food; Russians will serve a dish that is basically pickled pig fat that looks a lot like white cheese. Great stuff for getting you through a freezing Moscovy winter, but not so great when you aren't expecting it.
- Russia may have thrown off Communism and is embracing capitalism, but some aspects of capitalist culture are still very foreign to them. Get used to men who literally have never heard of deodorant.
- the cold can kill you: if you aren't dressed for the weather, expect to get chased by little old ladies yelling at you to put on your hat/gloves/scarf/second coat/warmer boots/etc. Pay attention - they know what they're talking about.
- nearly ALL young Russian Women are beautiful, and sexy with it. However, before you fall head over heels for one, take a look at her mother; yes, your gorgeous slavic sex goddess will turn into the same grumpy, wrinkled babushka who looks like she had a badly done sex change that her mother is.

[No Surprize]

Ok, my sister works for the U.S. government as a Linguists. While she isn't in Russia now, she was there from 1996 to 2000. So, I went in 1999 to slay as many russian women as possible and of course to visit (briefly) my wonderful and beautiful sister. Arianddu is right. They are fine. And back then, I was amazed that all of them basically dressed liked hookers, but from what I found out is that they think it's fashionable. And yes, they can drink the Vodka. It's served morning, noon, evening, and everywhere in between, shot after shot till the bottle is empty. I was there inOctober of that year for 3 weeks, even then it was colder than a penguins ass sliding on ice. Bitter cold, now I know the reason Vodka was made. Russia was amazing though. The people, the architecture, even most of the food was good, if not eye opening. I went to McDonald's quite a bit though. During my last week there went down to Kiev, the Ukraine capital. This is where it got interesting and I wasn't prepared for an of the shit ahead of me. Now, Kiev was nice but once you get outside of Kiev into the country, it just that, country for miles and miles. And this wasn't to long after the Ukraine separated from the mothership so things weren't all peach's and cream between to 2. Everywhere you went you seen people and not just soldiers with machine guns or any weapon of choice. Plus, the place's you had to stay away from Kiev at that time were few & far between and didn't have the best resource's. From that I mean at night after 8 pm you didn't have any electricity in the countryside which sucked big time and no hot water. Anyhow I couldn't wait to get back to the mothership just to take a hot shower before I went to bed. It was really an experience of a lifetime and I'm sure Archetype you'll feel the same afterwards. And as far as the Russian Mafia, I think I may have seen a few. They are there mostly in the popular nightclubs making sure their women are working if you know what I mean!

[Michigan Girl]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

When it takes too long for a stewardess to bring you a drink, joke about how you'd like to "blow this plane up if I don't get some service now!"

People usually laugh knowingly and it keeps the hired help on their toes. Great way to meet people. Works every time.

I'm crying ...

[ebake02]

Maybe you'll hook up with the hot Russian spy while your over there.

[SF-Dano]

Maybe you'll hook up with the hot Russian spy while your over there.

Yeah, this thread is reminding me of the movie Gotcha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm9oMGJDY-8

And an earlier version of Never Too Late ( by Giuffria)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_vTJves83E

[Rick]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Protect your finances with your life. There are lots of beautiful Russian women and they are very crafty. BEWARE!

A guy from work wound up bringing a Russian woman he met through some website over here. He said she sat around and didn't do shit, then all of a sudden there's a kid he knew nothing about and then her mother came. He said he sent them all back. And you're right, it all cost him a small fortune.

Was she hot, and did he marry her? More details, please...

I never saw a picture of her or met her. He had intentions of marrying her, but he said she never turned a tap at his house from the day she got there. He became frustrated pretty much immediately.

[Babyblue]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Protect your finances with your life. There are lots of beautiful Russian women and they are very crafty. BEWARE!

A guy from work wound up bringing a Russian woman he met through some website over here. He said she sat around and didn't do shit, then all of a sudden there's a kid he knew nothing about and then her mother came. He said he sent them all back. And you're right, it all cost him a small fortune.

Was she hot, and did he marry her? More details, please...

I never saw a picture of her or met her. He had intentions of marrying her, but he said she never turned a tap at his house from the day she got there. He became frustrated pretty much immediately.

He should find someone here & not over there.

[Archetype]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Visit Tula and Izhevsk, and bring me a souvenir!

I didn't forget

Thanks for the advice everyone....six days til departure!

[Behshad]

I leave for Russia for basically the rest of the year. Such a weird feeling. Any last minute advice you more experienced travelers might have for me?

I've never even flown before.

Hopefully, you're not that tall. I'm 6'3" and was fairly miserable for the long 8 & 1/2 hour flight from Detroit to Amsterdam and then even more cramped from there to Helsinki.

My one Trans-Atlantic flight to London we got to fly First/Business Class both over and back non-stop. That was cool. My Daughter and Wife are both friends with Delta and US Air employees and we used Delta Buddie Passes. It was standby flying, but if there's a seat you get it and if it happens to be up front even better. We lucked out both trips. On the way home the lady from Delta approched me at check-in, a real PROPER LADY, she said "Excuse me Mr. Fact Finder but we have a small problem", I'm thinking oh shit I'm the one who doesn't get to fly, so I say yes, what's the problem and she says, in the PROPER BRITISH WAY, "Unfortunately Sir we are short one meal on the plane for 1st Class, would you mind flying but eating what they serve in the back of the plane?" I'm like FUCK YES JUST GET ME HOME ELATED and she's all worried I don't want to fly free 1st Class because I "Can't get Proper Service".

Upon boarding they come around and take your order for lunch which was prime roast beef/Shrimp plate with cheese and bread plate with real China and silverware, Champagne, OJ, Some young 18ish pimply faced chick in front of me tells the attendant "Ohhh I don't eat meat, can you get me a cheese pizza and the attendant looks right at me and says, Beef or Shrimp Sir!

BEEF MF'er!

[Behshad]

What, you don't fly under your screen name?

Good point ,