A Trip To Russia: Introductory Post

Russia has always been a land of intrigue to me. Even though I'm constantly updated through the media there are still lingering questions about this country, its people and its culture. It has long been my desire to see how the Russians live especially after the nation reinvented itself and became liberated from so many years of communist rule.

When a few friends suggested a trip to Russia which is also the largest country in the world in terms of land area, I simply jumped at it. 

Much as I would prefer to plan my own itinerary, I realized Russia is not a place I can easily travel on my own. I became a total illiterate the moment I landed in Moscow. The Russian uses Cyrillic alphabets with a total of 33 letters and many words are hard to make out or even to read. For instance, "Russia" in the Russian language is Россия  "Moscow" is Москва and "love" is люблю. Finding a person who speaks and understand English on the street is like finding water in the desert. Language is a serious problem but more so, the people's attitude and demeanour. Russians are generally icy cold, unfriendly and unhelpful. A smile for a smile is a phrase gone wrong in Russia as many believe they are not obligated to cheer you up by returning your smile. This is not mere hearsay but a fact which is confirmed by our Russian tour guide. 

Since we decided to join a fully guided tour I became a blind bat that obediently followed the planned schedule. I like the convenience and the sense of security that comes with such tours but it did curb my spirit which has always loved to explore at my own pace. 

I won't be able to give much travelling tips and guide in my Russian trip write-up. Instead I would be posting photo reviews of interesting places I visited and interesting things I see and experienced. There will be lots of visuals with description and very little text so it's good for those who are lazy to read.

Russian souvenirs and dolls have somehow captivated me and I'll do a special post on this later on.

Russia is modern and ancient at the same time.

It was already autumn but we still saw flowers everywhere!

Do follow my postings to see and know more!

Useful Info:
1.  Malaysians travelling to Russia will need to apply for a visa.  To know more click:  Embassy Of The Russian Federation In Malaysia.
 
2.   Currency To Bring is USD or Euro. As far I as know no money changer in Malaysia deals with the Russian Ruble(₽).  I tried getting the ₽ from a dozen money changer at Bukit Bintang and KL Central without success.

3. Never change money at Russian airports. You will be totally ripped off.

4. Many shops accept USD and Euro but the change after purchase will be returned in
₽.

5. At the end of your trip do finish using all your ₽ or change them back to USD or Euro before flying home or else you'll end up with mere "papers" unless you visit Russia again or countries that accept the Ruble.


Click To See Other Related Posts:
1. A Trip To Russia - Introductory Post
2. Russia: A Day Out At Sergiyev Posad
3. My Russian Dining Experience
4. Russian Souvenirs

MOSCOW
5.  Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour
6. Moscow Hard Rock Cafe And Old Arbat Street
7. Russia: Moscow Metro
8.  Moscow Kremlin
9. Sparrow Hill And Victory Park
10. Museum Of Cosmonautics And Ostankino Tower
11. Red Square (Krasnaya Ploshchard)
12. Saint Basil's Cathedral
13. GUM Department Store
14. Milan Hotel Review
15. What I Like About Moscow

ST PETERSBURG
16. From Moscow To St Petersburg On Sapsan High Speed Train
17. Winter Palace/ State Hermitage Museum
18. St Isaac's Cathedral And Some Nearby Attractions
19. Seeing St Petersburg From Its Rivers
20. St Petersburg Most Gorgeous Building
21.St Petersburg's Peter And Paul Fortress
22.A Traditional Village , A Modern City
23. A Visit To 2 Summer Palaces

24. Smolninskaya Hotel