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I'm in Kazan right now. I was just in Nizhniy Novgorod, Vladimir, Yaroslavl, and St. Petersburg.
There are really no foreign tourists in Russia right now for some reason. It's as cheap as it's ever been, and it's way interesting. Admittedly, the infrastructure for tourism the way France or Spain gets it will not be here for a loooooooooooooooooooooong time to come. I'm impressed that so far in 2.5 weeks, I'm pretty close to totally knowing the Cyrillic alphabet. That does wonders for a traveller here.
I'm flying over to Tyumen in two days and immediately getting on the Trans-Siberian and heading all the way to Krasnoyarsk over 2000km away. I'm both excited and furious that I'll be missing out on Irkutsk and Baikal though. I just don't have the time to squeeze it in to my week in Siberia. The visa is almost expired. Rats.
I'm in Kazan right now. I was just in Nizhniy Novgorod, Vladimir, Yaroslavl, and St. Petersburg.
Oh, you've made it there after all? Congrats, come back in one piece)))
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There are really no foreign tourists in Russia right now for some reason. It's as cheap as it's ever been, and it's way interesting. Admittedly, the infrastructure for tourism the way France or Spain gets it will not be here for a loooooooooooooooooooooong time to come.
I don't think it ever will. "Hospitality sector" is not Russian "forte" - let's put it this way.
Russians can be very hospitable in nature, but as soon as you'll tell them that it's their JOB to be hospitable and they are going to be paid for it, they seem to turn into the worst kind of enemy overnight))) And that transcends to the whole tourist industry - Russians don't like to be bothered with such things. Probably deep down they think the less people come, the less they know about the country, so the less chance for the next invasion)))
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I'm impressed that so far in 2.5 weeks, I'm pretty close to totally knowing the Cyrillic alphabet. That does wonders for a traveller here.
Cyrillic ( well at least Russian) alphabet is pretty straightforward - you can learn to read in no time. It's the grammar ( and hence conversational language) that are difficult. And that's what I was saying to Pigeonhole - it would be hard to get by without the knowledge of it, if you want to explore places on your own. It's one thing to sit in the train, and it's another thing to get off in unfamiliar town and start looking for decent eatery place.
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I'm flying over to Tyumen in two days and immediately getting on the Trans-Siberian and heading all the way to Krasnoyarsk over 2000km away. I'm both excited and furious that I'll be missing out on Irkutsk and Baikal though. I just don't have the time to squeeze it in to my week in Siberia. The visa is almost expired. Rats.
So you decided on Krasnoyarsk after all?
Yes, I feel for you - missing Baikal and surroundings during the trip is a loss. Can't you extend visa in some big Siberian city - I don't know which one that would be closest to you under the circumstances.
Erasure, I actually cancelled my Krasnoyarsk tickets and replaced them with some in and out of Irkutsk. So... I found a way to see Baikal. Albeit in 2.5 days. It was just bothering me too much so I shuffled some stuff around, sacrificed my budget some more, and made it work. I doubt I'll be back to Russia anytime soon once the ruble rebounds, so I feel better about this now.
But concerning the script, I think you need to learn it to get around. There's just no way you'll ever be able to navigate around a city here if you can't cross reference the actual street names and landmarks with Latin alphabet maps. I would never even attempt to learn the language though. I know words that are helpful, but the grammar seems complicated and I'm only here for one month. I like the challenge of the situation though, and it's workable as long as you at least familiarize yourself with the alphabet.
And as for hospitality, I've Couchsurfed a bit and people seem much more helpful than the stereotypes would have convinced one to believe. I think it's the absence of any knowledge of English or other foreign languages that makes them seem apprehensive. They leave me their apartment keys and stuff. If they can speak your language (or if you can speak theirs, I'm sure) they like to talk to you lots. They they won't let you help them while they cook a meal for you either. Also, I really like the food. Russia is actually pretty awesome. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's been interesting in a bunch of different ways.
Also, what does the ))) mean??? I've noticed a lot of Russians use it at the ends of sentences when they instant message me.
Erasure, I actually cancelled my Krasnoyarsk tickets and replaced them with some in and out of Irkutsk. So... I found a way to see Baikal. Albeit in 2.5 days. It was just bothering me too much so I shuffled some stuff around, sacrificed my budget some more, and made it work. I doubt I'll be back to Russia anytime soon once the ruble rebounds, so I feel better about this now.
It was a wise decision I think. But you already know that. It's quite comparable with Pacific Northwest, just with more Northern feel to it. Siberia overall is quite remarkable when it comes to space and nature.
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But concerning the script, I think you need to learn it to get around. There's just no way you'll ever be able to navigate around a city here if you can't cross reference the actual street names and landmarks with Latin alphabet maps. I would never even attempt to learn the language though. I know words that are helpful, but the grammar seems complicated and I'm only here for one month. I like the challenge of the situation though, and it's workable as long as you at least familiarize yourself with the alphabet.
As long as it works for you.
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And as for hospitality, I've Couchsurfed a bit and people seem much more helpful than the stereotypes would have convinced one to believe.
I was talking about the *hospitality* as in the "industry"))) Your experience might differ a great deal, when you deal with Russians in their homes vs in their workplace.
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I think it's the absence of any knowledge of English or other foreign languages that makes them seem apprehensive. They leave me their apartment keys and stuff. If they can speak your language (or if you can speak theirs, I'm sure) they like to talk to you lots.
It's true, Russians are "cut off" from the Western world by their language, which is of different group. Otherwise when in their homes, they'd talk you to death, since Russian kitchens are the ultimate place for discussing the world destiny and school grades alike.))))
P.S. Yes it IS my language Jesse
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They they won't let you help them while they cook a meal for you either.
They take pleasure in treating guests they like. It's part of Russian hospitality.
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Also, I really like the food.
If you are a "meat and potatoes" kind of person you'll like it.
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Russia is actually pretty awesome. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's been interesting in a bunch of different ways.
I am glad to hear that your trip is working out so far. Russia is a very interesting and controversial place, so it can turn to you by its sunny or dark side.
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Also, what does the ))) mean??? I've noticed a lot of Russians use it at the ends of sentences when they instant message me.
I didn't even know it myself ( until Maxim explained it here,) but I sure used it a lot anyways, because it feels right plus I borrowed quite a few emoticons here from Russian sites)))
I liked Kazan very much (been there 2014), seems to be a very rich city for Russian standards. People were nice and streets looked good in the city center, especially the Kreml of course. I was surprised they have a brand new Metro line and a Aeroexpress train to the (very modern) airport. I do not need much tourist infrastructure, so I think it is a nice city to visit. Was very muddy in late March though, due to all the snow melting away and turning into brown and grey mud. I am especially into old Russian airplanes, so I have been to quite interesting places.
It was a wise decision I think. But you already know that. It's quite comparable with Pacific Northwest, just with more Northern feel to it. Siberia overall is quite remarkable when it comes to space and nature.
Yep. I'm just about to start the longggggg train ride (52 hours) tonight. It sounds terrible on paper, but I've found the overnight trains here to be my zen place so far. Very clean and orderly, and the beds are very comfortable. Even on my platzcart budget.
Actually I'm in Siberia right now in the far West. In Tyumen. It's 4PM and my train doesn't leave until 10:16......Moscow time. The first person I had to speak to here spoke English. I thought that was funny - here I am in Siberia, but yesterday in *very relatively* touristy Kazan, I was passing a translator app back and forth with a Russian hostel mate.
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Originally Posted by Douglas Dakota
I liked Kazan very much (been there 2014), seems to be a very rich city for Russian standards. People were nice and streets looked good in the city center, especially the Kreml of course. I was surprised they have a brand new Metro line and a Aeroexpress train to the (very modern) airport. I do not need much tourist infrastructure, so I think it is a nice city to visit. Was very muddy in late March though, due to all the snow melting away and turning into brown and grey mud. I am especially into old Russian airplanes, so I have been to quite interesting places.
Yes, I agree. It's cleaner than say, Nizhniy Novgorod, which is relatively nearby and a similarly-sized city. I liked the vibe of Kazan very much. I actually just left, and stayed longer than I would have ever bargained for at 5 days. It's easy to get caught up in it's little vortex, I think.
And as for hospitality, I've Couchsurfed a bit and people seem much more helpful than the stereotypes would have convinced one to believe.I think it's the absence of any knowledge of English or other foreign languages that makes them seem apprehensive. They leave me their apartment keys and stuff. If they can speak your language (or if you can speak theirs, I'm sure) they like to talk to you lots. They they won't let you help them while they cook a meal for you either. Also, I really like the food. Russia is actually pretty awesome. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's been interesting in a bunch of different ways.
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I keep posting stuff like this here but some people don't believe me. Also, learning Russian is a formidable task for some people, so I guess for them, my comments are pointless. But I've arranged for friends to go over there, and set them up with friends to stay with and projects to do, and they pick up Russian pretty quickly. It's pretty impressive. Other people I supply with the alphabet and some key words in Cyrillic (like "restaurant", so they'll know where to get food), and they all say those vocabulary lists were extremely helpful.
I'm glad you got to Baikal. Good decision. Key word above: "seem". They're friendlier and more hospitable than they seem.
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And that transcends to the whole tourist industry - Russians don't like to be bothered with such things. Probably deep down they think the less people come, the less they know about the country, so the less chance for the next invasion))) 
