2 weeks in St Petersburg

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Hello, After reading the travel blogs of Russia, I am beginning to get the idea that half the travelers going there are stupid. Then I remembered my younger travels accross Africa with a drug dealer in 1984, so I cannot say anything. Russia is a different place and you have to do a good deal of research before you go. You do not arrive at 1 am on a train for example. This is just crazy. You arrive in France and a western country at that time but not eastern Europe or third world. Find yourself a contact there first to meet you. This is easy on the internet as there are many sites that will give you a contact. Notthe week before you arrive but months before. You have to build a relationship with them and gain their trust. Russian people do not trust you till you have been introduced by a freind. After all they have had Stalin and then the KGB for 50 years.

I read lots of stoies of what happened to people in travel blogs but I do not read, advice on how not to make mistakes. So here are some things that I descovered. You can descover the Hermitage and Peter the Great fort by yourself. I will cover some ordinary things. These are things you will never think of as they are not lodgical to westerners. For example in St Petersburg, you can buy a permit to drive on the wrong side of the road. Sounds insane but it is true. It is a way of beating the peak hour traffic and it actually works.

You must register within 36 hours of arrival in a hotel in Russia. The hotel will stamp your paper that you get upon arrival from immigration. DO NOT LOOSE IT. After that you can stay where you want. Pay a bribe to the manager of a cheap hotel and he will stamp it for you. Ok you are there. Getting around on the metro is the best way but it is initally very confusing. Different language and different alphabet. So study the map but also study the change platforms even more. The track is not like is western countries as in London "Green line" where the route has a colour nor Paris where it is named after the last stationon the line. St Petersburg has 4 lines but one line will meet another line at a popular station. This can be very confusing particularly at "Technical Institute" Get a metrolcard and you will need a local to do this for you as the station staff do not speak english. The last train leave at 11.45 pmsodo not miss it. You can walk around safe as houses if you are white. Sorry but I am not being politically correct here. Asian woman so so at night. Arab or black best not to catch the train at night. Sorry but I have found this is the best way. Very rare to see asian, black or middle eastern people outside the tourist sites. Metro fares are 15 rubles a trip no matter the distance.

Also get a local sim card and take a digital phone as they work there. Then you can just ring your local contact if you have trouble. They will speak Russian and sort it out for you.

Get them to also buy postage stamps as well as willnotbe able to buy them at a post office. To start with you will not even know what a post office looks like and all the tellers are behind bullet proof glass anyway.

Wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking much more than usual. Black leather is good as no one looks at each othr on the train. They look down and your shoes are what they will see first. You do not want to wear a sign saying "Dumb tourist" Forget the Nike joggers.

If you are carrying a camera outside the tourist sites, do not flash it around. Under your jacket is good. A Russian get paid about $200 US a month so just think about trying to live on that amount of money.

To read a english paper (not available in news stands)go to the Grand Hotel Europe and have a coffee in the cafe there. The paper (St Petersburg Times) is free. Remember the mafia also have coffee there so look for an unusually large number of bodyguards hanging around first. You can pick they by the black 500sl Merc's and the submachine guns under their suits.

You can hire a local English speaking guide. At the Hermitage this is a good idea. The will set you back $50 for a hour but you will learn far more from them. After the hour is up you can them go back around again an spend some time. If you go at peak holiday time it is just like "White House tour" if you have ever done one of them. A line of one behind the other walking slowly, not stopping. Doesn't sound fun because it is not. The Hermitage will take 3 days to see. Max about 4 hours per day. Otherwise you will get brain overload.

There are some things not in the travel brouchers. Near the Peter the Great fort, is the HQ for Lenin beforethe revolution. You can be in the same room he used to plan the Russian Revolution. That is a buzz.

Try not to stay in a tourist hotel but with a private family. It is much cheaper and you see more. I stayed in Atova, which is where the German made it to in 1941. 5 train stops from the city and then 2 kilometer walk. Youan shop with the locals and see the real Russian people. Good luck with your trip. You will love it, but the first couple of days will be very very hard. They are an amazing people and they love their country but we all do.

Learn some Russian. The best program is "Lets Talk" they are on CD ROM and will take a good 2 months toget the basics. Russians are not customer service friendly people but once you are introduced by another Russian they are the most friendly people in the world. If you are invited for dinner, ensure you take a gift, flowers for the host and a drink for her husband. After all your are rich compared to them. Take your shoes off as soon as you enter another person home. The love good Finland Vodka.

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