• San Francisco
• Monterey, CA
• San Luis Obispo
• New York City
• Washington D.C.
• Houston (3 times)
• Austin
• Galveston
• Palm Springs
• Lake Tahoe
• Yosemite National Park
• Mammoth Lakes, CA
• San Diego
• Malibu
• Moscow, Russia (one month)

I’ve been outside of LA more than 14 weeks this year! Insane.

I’ve now spent nearly 50 days living in Moscow in the last calendar year. Having spent so much time there, and seeing how much information I’ve come across in research that either didn’t help me, was inaccurate, or just plain didn’t exist, I present to you my top 7 thoughts about traveling to Moscow, Russia. Some of these topics could easy become their own post (such as food!).

1. Learn Russian (even just basics) or know a Russian. If you taking a vacation/holiday to Moscow, you’ll most likely be just fine getting by with little to no Russian. But the more you learn, the better off you will be unless you spend time with a friendly Russian (of which there are many!). The best experiences are always had with natives who know their way around, can save you from getting ripped off (see #2), and with those who can help you make the best of your stay. Don’t be afraid to speak English if you’re not sure what to say, but speak more slowly and enunciate your words.
2. Bring too many crisp, new currency bills. Although you shouldn’t have any problems exchanging your money, go to your bank and ask for new, crisp bills. I was denied twice to exchange my bills because of either a tear or heavy crease in my bill. That said, and especially for United States citizens, bring too much money with you. Credit cards get you everywhere in the USA, but it’s not as common in Russia. If you run out of bills, you should be fine since there are banks and ATMs (cashpoint, hole-in-the-wall, cashline, banklink) and you can get money out of your account. However, you will lose a lot more money from ATM fees and currency conversion fees. This brings us back to tip #1. Moscow is ripe with places to convert your currency to rubles. However, while many of these places post a certain ruble amount for conversion, there might be a hidden transaction fee (around 3%) for exchanges under $1,000. Make sure you ask before you exchange if this concerns you or you’ll lose an additional 3% on top of the exchange rate. I’d also advise to skip on those traveler’s checks. They will be more of a pain to convert than safe.
3. Don’t drive on Moscow roads. If you can help it avoid the roads! There are hundreds of thousands of people driving to and from Moscow every weekday (and increasingly on a weekends and even at night). The worst part is that not all Russians driving on the roads actually passed a driver’s test. There’s talk that some people will just buy their license without even taking the driver’s test and/or without any practice. Think about driving on a road where a percentage of people have poor or no experience taking a driving test, don’t really know the rules all that well, and with recurring weather problems (slick, wet, frozen roads) more than half the year. It quickly and easily becomes a driver’s hell, where traffic wait times can be up to 6 hours (we spent 2+ hours driving maybe 9km/6mi). And I thought traffic in LA was bad!
4. There’s no peanut butter in Moscow. Although there technically might be somewhere, it’s a very uncommon food. We Americans enjoy our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but this food item is relatively unknown to Russians. That seems so weird to me. Other food differences: Milk starts at 1.5% (you can sometimes find non-fat but not often), fruits and vegetables are much more seasonal, blins are more popular than hamburgers, caviar is not just a delicacy, fried bread with meats, potatoes or fruits inside is very common, vodka is generally cheaper to purchase than anywhere else. Don’t be afraid to try something you haven’t before, there are some really good Russian dishes!
5. Going out to eat isn’t cheap. Drinking tap water almost anywhere is not recommended or allowed. Although there are places that might serve filtered tap water, you are almost 100% guaranteed to pay for your drinks, even water. If you need to save money, your best bet is to drink soft drinks (soda, pop, coke, or carbonated beverage with sugar). Expect to receive a small glass full, about .2 liters, for about 60-75 rubles. Oh, and no free refills unless you go to IKEA (and this is one of the only places I saw with free refills, cheap hot dogs and soft serve ice cream). Most restaurants at where we dined usually charged between 300-500 rubles per main dish. Soups were on average 150-200 rubles. One of the biggest differences, however, was portion size. I grew in Texas where portion sizes at restaurants are pretty big. Even in California you can get a lot of food for relatively decent amount of money. Not at the restaurants I visited in Russia!
6. White shoes will get dirty. If you’re there during the summer, you might be fine since it’s a lot more sunny in July, August and September. In the winter, however, I’d recommend leaving the white shoes at home or expect to come back somewhat dirty. Which, If you are about to enter someone’s residence, it is custom to take your shoes off and/or change into slippers.The subway (tube, metro, underground, rapid transit) is very packed with people most of the time its running. If you take a look down at people’s shoes, you’ll see a majority of black and other dark colors. With all these people walking everywhere, your shoes are likely to be stepped on or come into contact with dirty walls. Go to a shoe store and take a look at what is being sold. It’s mostly leather or shiny black shoes that can be cleaned easily. These people are used to it!
7. Blin is the new Big Macs. Although McDonalds is becoming more popular Since the introduction of McDonalds in 1990 it has become overwhelming popular amongst Russians and foreigners. In fact, while in America it’s mostly taken for granted and very often run down, you’d be hard pressed to see a McDonalds in Moscow that isn’t heavily packed during the day. Despite its immense popularity by all social classes, the standard fast food is the blin (blintz, crepe, pancake, bliny). These are thin pancakes that are stuffed with different foods like butter, jelly and fruit, beef, chicken, potatoes, mushrooms, cabbage, or sour creams. They are very quick to make and easiest to find compared to hamburgers or fried chicken. If you embrace the bliny, you’re gonna be just fine. Otherwise, you’ll have to settle for a good ‘ole American fast food meal at McDonalds. Oh, and the Big Mac tasted like a Big Mac in the states: No difference in my opinion.

Here’s a an extensive resource filled with many more suggestions. Some of these suggestions are a little extreme or written as though the author is writing out of paranoia, at least according to my own experience. But, taken with a grain of salt, many of these are good suggestions. http://www.rach-c.org/pages/dos_donts.htm

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

My first view of Moscow was late at night; approximately 12:30am is when we left. Over 24 hours into my visit to Russia, I had some jet lag to fight. This was a partial reason for my delayed entrance to Moscow’s City Centre.

As with any big city, and even at one in the morning, we waited through about 15 minutes of traffic just a couple of miles down the main freeway. (Do Muscovites call those major road freeways?) Luckily, we were mostly on our way after the unexpected and annoying delay.

Before I knew it, several minutes later, we had reached the center. Driving the different streets of the center of Moscow, I saw aspects of the big tourist spots: the Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and various other places.

My first impression was noticing how similar this was to most other major cities to where I’ve been: traffic, companies everywhere, pubs/bars, crazy drivers, flashy signs and billboards. It was also noticing the differences: position of stop lights, how many crazy drivers there are, uniqueness of buildings, banner advertisements hanging in the middle of the streets. Moscow was so similar yet so different.

My first real taste of Moscow was a ride down the beautiful subway system. Moscow arguably has the most beautiful subway in the world. Many of the stops have beautiful architecture with a lot of attention to detail. It was as though most inner city stops were planned to be lavish. As you travel outward, at least to the north on our line, the stops lose their appeal.

With a quick stop to exchange my money, we were on our way to eat. My first meal out to eat in Moscow? Underground mall fast food! Under the Kremlin area is a huge mall. Once you depart the subway looking area and enter the mall area, it’s very similar to any other mall you’ve ever been to. There are several levels of shops to peruse or at which to window shop. It was so unusual but quite fascinating.

The Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral and the rest of central Moscow was my tourist climax. It’s where all people must go, it’s where most tourists take photos and it’s the very well kept up. Being that it was the holiday season, lights were on many buildings and an ice skating rink was setup by the GUM (mall). There I was, standing in front of St. Basil, the icon of what Russia was to me.

In general, central Moscow reminds me of most larger metropolitans like New York City, Boston, or Washington D.C. Some would find it a little dirty, most would pay more attention to the uniqueness of its architecture and layout. For instance, sometimes you can’t cross the road. You literally have to take a tunnel to get to the other side. It’s these differences which kept me wondering what I was going to see next.

Palace Square in St. Petersburg, Russia

This was another trip of firsts: first 13 hour flight, first time being anywhere near the North Pole, first time to spend the majority of all 13 hours in darkness, first time to be around plane full of Russian speaking natives and visitors, and my first time to visit the largest country in the world. Russia.

I knew my nerves would eventually get to me. In the air thousands of miles above Canada, Greenland and Scandinavia, it never hit me. In fact, just an hour or less before we landed, I looked out the window. It was drawing towards evening local Moscow time.

I looked towards the ground and quickly glanced at the sky. It’s the moon. I also saw two other bright dots: Jupiter and Venus. I had forgotten this event was happening until that moment.

Before I knew it, it was time to land. 13 hours is much too long to stay seated in such a confined space, but I survived. Then came the rush.

We landed pretty quickly. My anxiety was very low; I was distracted by trying to gather all my stuff and pack up. It didn’t occur to me where I was.
Not yet.

All packed and following the crowd. We weren’t at a gate and we walked down the portable stairs to a bus. Five minutes later, we arrived at the next destination: customs.

As I walked off the bus and and looked around, frost in my breath and intrigue in my eyes, it finally hit me.

This is Russia.
I’m here.
Thousands of miles away from everyone and everything comfortable to me.
Except one new person.

We walked up to the customs stations, waiting for our turns to be inspected. Not knowing where everything was, what to expect, I wondered if the other side of these booths was my friend. I searched but saw no one. Nope, just baggage. One more wait, and one more path until I met her. Tanya.

With two bags on my shoulders and a suitcase handle in my hand, I quickly greeted her, nervous and anxious. Here is my accommodation, my lifeline, and my only personal contact for the next 11 nights. The greeting was initially awkward and a little weird. I was really nervous but trying to act as smooth as I can.

My first car ride into Russia was mentally blurry, with so many new sites, foreign characters and letters and a curiosity about what’s to come. With lots of silence, quiet awe and wonder, I looked around, made awkward small talk and generally took in what I could see.

So began my first night in Moscow, my first night in Russia, and the first night in a completely new, foreign and intriguing place.

Before I left, I tried to do a lot of research and find answers to questions I had about Russia. Specifically, I needed to make sure I felt safe and informed about what to do and where to go. I searched Google for travel tips and advice. This was, in fact, a country of which I had very little knowledge except for the tidbits I learned in school. The assumptions I made, the ideas I formed, they were not very accurate. Let’s go over some stupid misconceptions.

• Russia is not a 3rd world country – I remember hearing about Soviet Russia and how people had to stand in line just for bread. I remember feeling uneasy about living in a country where you didn’t have the freedoms we have in the states. Guess what? This is ridiculous. Communism is not Russia. In fact, I felt as safe and free as I do anywhere in the states. There was almost nothing unusual about walking around the big cities, even looking like a tourist. This rumor should die.
• Do NOT bring old, dirty US bills – I’m not sure if this is accurate or not. As long as your bills are in decent condition, not torn up or anything, I have little doubt you’ll be able to exchange your money for rubles.
• The common hat is Ushanka – I think many, if not most, people associate Russians with this common ear flap hat. Although, yes, I did see this hat on people, it’s very frequently tourists who are stupid enough to constantly wear these hats! Younger Russian natives commonly have progressed into the 21st century in terms of style. If you wanna stand out and look silly, go for a Ushanka!
• It is common for corrupt police to make you bribe them – Sure, in the wrong areas at the wrong time, this might be common. In fact, I’m sure this has happened to plenty of people who visit Russia. However, this should not be a concern if you have done everything properly. I walked by loads of police and not once was I bothered. If this happens and you have a translator who knows his or her stuff, you’ll be fine. Otherwise, pay the bribe and be on your way.
• Russia has a large problem of “Gypsy children” to rob you – Once again, another scare tactic. Sure, this exists and I’m sure it’s not uncommon in some areas. If you stay in the right areas at the right times (even late at night you should be fine), you most likely won’t have to worry about it. I don’t remember once seeing an orphaned child anywhere.
• English speaking Russians is uncommon – Russian children are required to learn English. Most younger Russians in their 30s or younger know some English. Many twenty somethings know English decently. Don’t let the fact that Russians don’t speak a lot of English intimidate you. Going to most restaurants, you’ll find servers often know the English translations of the dish you want. Some menus also come with English translations. Although most signs and Metro stations are completely in Russian, use your digital camera to help you remember!
• Aeroflot is not fit to transport cattle – For many years, Aeroflot had and still has a negative stigma. If you search the internet for Aeroflot, you’ll probably come across many posts about how bad the service and flight is. My experience with the round trip 26 hour flight was actually pretty standard. Aeroflot has a decent fleet of recent and older planes. I heard they shall be upgrading a few in the next year, but I wasn’t completely unimpressed with the planes upon which I flew. The food was decent too: beef, chicken and fish (although, I was told to avoid the fish so I didn’t try it). Comparing this to my flight on Delta to Germany, I found very little differences in comfort or service (both planes are part of Sky Team anyway). I wouldn’t hesitate to use this airline again if I found another decent rate. (oh, and all flight attendants know English so no worries there).
• Russian brides – Yup, they still exist in today’s world. People still pay good money to ship Russian girls to be their mates. But to think that going over to Russia means you’re going to get a Russian bride is a inaccurate stereotype. Not all Russian women are trying to escape Russia and seek a better life elsewhere. In fact, if you go to any pub, bar or club in a big city, you’ll almost always find a lot of semi- to decently educated Russian girls who are proud of their country. This misconception is probably the most annoying one, although I received plenty of comments before I left!

Russia is still catching up in many ways, but is just as modern in so many other ways. My conceptions about Russia being unsafe, being stuck in another decade, still poor or financially stricken, were not right. I’m glad I had the opportunity to discover that the world isn’t as bad off as we sometimes wanna believe.

I’m exhausted.

I will finally update my blog very soon with photos and blog posts about my trip and my impressions. Russia is not at all what the Internet wants you to believe, the language is beautiful and very difficult to learn, and I didn’t see nearly as much as I wanted to.

Another trip back? Maybe…

The next time I’ll touch the ground, I’ll be thousands of miles away from home.  I hope I have everything I need because there’s no turning back.

Will someone hold my hand, please?

My russian disenchantment by nicointhebus

In just thirty days, I will be touching down on international soil for the first time since my trip to Germany. My thirst for traveling has finally caught up for me and I need to quench it with a last spontaneous trip to see a land of which I know so little.

It hit me mid last year that I really wanted to get out of the country for a while to see something new. Germany was quite an eye opener, and my appetite was whet for more. My urge to travel abroad has only grown in the last year, but knowing I didn’t have the funds to make it happen was my main crutch.

Over a month ago, knowing I had a lot of friends all over the place, I began looking around, pricing plane tickets to several different locations such as Germany, Italy, UK, South America, and Russia. With the US economy in such disarray, and with regulated airline companies fighting to survive, I expected very little.

Then, on a random weekday in September, I saw it. My golden ticket.

Conferring with my Russian friend, I asked whether I could crash for a couple of weeks while touring around. With the green light lit, I quickly snatched my place on the notorious airline Aeroflot and booked a two week ticket to Moscow.

Upon booking my plane ticket, I had absolutely no idea that I was required to get a tourist Visa in order to visit. On top of that, it costs exactly $131 to purchase this Visa just to visit! To turn the tables, Russians require an American Visa which costs them a pretty ruble.

As you read this, I am still waiting from the Russian Consulate in San Francisco to mail me my Visa. With travel abroad and especially to Russia from the US being limited, I expect to receive my Visa within the next two weeks.

So, in one month, I will be wandering the streets of Moscow. I will be riding the train to St. Petersburg. I will be trekking the neighborhoods of Veliky Novgorod, and learning about our misunderstood Russian neighbors. St. Petersburg especially excites me because of the rich musical history. My trip to Novgorod is a devious attempt to see where my favorite Russian Composer Rachmaninoff was born and about his childhood.

The next month will be one of my busiest this year. I shall be researching Russian history, consuming all the trivial and nontrivial facts I never knew, working, and preparing for what shall be another life changing trip across the ocean.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight.

I am at peace.

Come on, body, heal yourself!