Russia. (buying, restaurant, prices)

[datacheka]

I'm from Russia. I'd like to have some friends I can correspond with. If you've got any questions about my country I'll ask with pleasure. Let's consort.

[MoxD]

hey, are you from Moscow?

[ducksburg]

Does Russia accept immigrants?

[recycled]

About 20 years ago, I worked on a 6 month telecommunications contract engineering job in western Siberia for an oil exploration company. It was around the Priobskoye oil fields near the city of Neftyagansk. Nearest big city was Novosibirsk. This was back in the "USSR" days. Spending the winter there was quite an experience. It was one of the greatest adventures of my life.
Russia is such a vast place, and outside of the large urban areas the countryside is a different world. It's a topic by itself, but since so few people from the US have ever visited Russia it's still a place that is not very well understood here.

[Crew Chief]

Wife and I took a group tour to St. Petersburg in February, 2000. It was awesome! We enjoyed the palaces and Hermitage Museum. (if you thought U.S. politicians could spend taxpayer money, wait 'til you see what the Czars spent! ) Although the tour group was a German-language group, our wonderful tour guide also filled in the gaps (along with my wife) in my VERY limited German. Despite going in February, we had a wonderful time and believe that avoiding the crowds of Summer was worth it. Despite snow already on the ground and temeratures in the teens and twenties, it wasn't that bad. We didn't see snowfall the whole two weeks we were there.

I guess the thing that most impressed us that there were really two Russias; the old "Soviet era" and the new "Capitalist Russia" We saw Russians driving their new BMWs and buying the latest consumer goods. We also saw the older generation that has been left behind in the suddenly-changed rules. We dealt with older store clerks that resented the new Russia (One department store still had the clerk that wrote out a ticket for your purchase which you took to a cashier and paid. Then you brought the paid receipt back to the first clerk to get your merchandise.) Prices in St. Petersburg are two-tiered; one for tourists (comparable to what we might pay for restaurant meals and museum entrance fees in the West) and resident prices. (Which really does make sense, otherwise many Russians would never get to see the treasures previous generations acquired).

I'll have to say the food was AWESOME...we never had a bad meal! Restaurant prices, even at "tourist" rates, were still much cheaper than Western Europe. And we had linens and fine china every where we dined. Out on our own one evening, we sampled a fast food place that specialized in "plinis" (pronounced "pleanies") We had one of the crepe-like pastries each filled with ham and cheese and one filled with strawberries for dessert. The tab was $1.20 for all that!

We'd recommend St. Petersburg to anyone. (Regret not getting to Moscow but Aeroflot was the only way to get from St. Petersburg to Moscow on this trip and we just didn't have the courage...)

[artwor]

hey, im from Russia too, near Moscow. Who wants to ask or something else - my ICQ 196-720-129

[snitins]

Hi, I would like to know more about Russia. How is the economy, weather, people, nightlife, language, major jobs etc.

[artwor]

MSN - artwor22@rambler.ru
icq - 196-720-129

i`ll tell

[datacheka]

Hi everyone!
to MoxD: No, i'm not from Moscow, i'm from Ul'yanovsk - Lenin's motherland (by the way i'm not a communist ).
to ducksburg: i'm afraid, but i don't know anything about immigrants. Maybe if there are a real reasons, our government will consider this question.
to snitins: the economy depends on region of the country. If you want i'll tell you about some prices of goods wich you are interested in. Recycled's mentioned our country is such a vast place so the weather really depends on region: Siberia or Western part of the country, or Sochi where grow palms...
Sorry, i have to go... see you later

[ducksburg]

is divorce rate high there?