Hi. I'm travelling through the Baltics, St.P, Moscow, Beijing and back. Setting out 1 June, for 3 months and would like to connect with people who have already been out there. Using the Fiance site seems like a good way to meet women and, who knows, might lead to something permanent.
I'm looking at ways of keeping costs down and thinking of spending 2 weeks in each of the Baltic capitals and St.P and 1 week in Moscow.
Could use some advice. For instance.
How to get reasonable and cheap accommodation in these places. i.e. How much to rent a small apartment for two weeks? How do I go about finding one?
If I want to stay flexible as far as when I travel to and from a capital, will that cause me a problem with visas?
Is getting around easy or do I need to rent a car?
Is travel alone safe? I have heard that on the Trans-Siberian railway, police collaborate with thieves to fleece tourists. Anyone heard of this?
I'm 47. If I reach a capital and want to find attractive women, what is the best way to do it? Go to an agency? Walk into the nearest bar/disco? Advertise in advance in a local newspaper?
ummm shame Tim aint here 2 put his say in here. I think you need 2 have a long read through these threds.. all the answers our posted already
basicly all your concerns are waranted...good luck.
Southern is right. Check the other threads. Its all there. I'm doing a three month trip myself starting in June and I've been doing my homework on it for a month now. Here are a few quick answers for you though.
Dont rent a car! No need! Taxis are cheap and safe.
Do hit the local agencies in each city. You can set up a date for a small fee of $15 to $20 each.
Do hit the disco/Bar but bring an interpreter with you. Chances are you will need them.
Moscow will be the most expensive of all your stops. They think they are in the level of New York, Paris, London, and its not even close! Everything is overpriced and the service still sucks! The girls are already spoiled and polluted by our western ways. You will get the bad attitudes just like at home. I would skip Moscow if I was you.
If I were you I would not look for a soul mate at a disco/bar. Most of the girls go there just to have fun, to dance, to relax and maybe to find someone, a “sponsor”, for one evening/night so that he will cover their expenses. I assure you that a worthy, decent woman will never look for a life time partner in a bar, it is the last place to go. Do you know why? In Russia men go to clubs, bars and discos on the same purposes given above – to drink, to have fun, to “hook” someone for one night – they don’t think about long term relationship at all.
One of the best ways is to go to a local agency, choose several ladies and ask to organize dates with them. At least you may be sure that they are family oriented. However, to my mind it is better to visit so called Socials which are provided by many dating agencies during summer time. I can understand that it is not cheap, but on the other hand you will be able to meet, get asquinted to more than 200 ladies per night. And comparing to an agency’s fee ($20 per each date) I think it would be very profitable.
"Ok. Moscow is skipped for dating! Does the same apply to St.Petersburg too?"
I just want to add that some agencies provide with the opportunity to go on socials to so called second (small) cities, which are only 2-3 hours from main cities (Moscow, St. Pete) where the ladies are not spoiled as they live a simple, almost rural life. I would advise you go there as there you can find real pearls. Think about it.
As for the local agencies: in Moscow I can recommend you vestafortune.ru and in St. Pete crossroad.ru and destiny.spb.ru
I was contemplating a trip to Russia for say two weeks. What would the veterans recommend as a good budget for that time? Talking US dollars here, i hear that is the accepted currency?
Note: I didnt want to feel restricted in what i could do, but didnt want to live like a king either on the other end of the spectrum. Just have a nice time with my friend.
Aussie check out my thread "26 days in the Ukraine"
Ultra I do agree with the local agency advice but do not agree with the "dont date a girl from the disco" advice. I think you are thinking with our western mentality. It doesn't apply in the FSU in my opinion unless your in Moscow, Kiev, and St. Petersburg where our western ways and attitude have sprouted and grown wild. In the smaller cities the disco is the only thing these poor girls have to do. Think about it...... they don't go away for the weekend to New York or Chicago. They don't go to Florida to hit the beach. They don't have the Ceder Points or Disneyland to go to. They dont have a car to go curising in. They don't have a swimming pool to invite friends to enjoy with them. They dont have a computer at home to surf the internet. The dont have a home theater system to watch a good movie with.
I have met many beautiful and very sweet wonderful girls in the disco's. For my own reasons I declined to pursue further relations with them but it was not because I met them at a disco. I do agree with you about the Ukrainian or Russian men at the discos. They are sharks looking to take a bite out of any girl they can get their hands on. Yes, some girls will let them have a bite but most are just as good as any agency girl.
OK, I had a flick back to find your thread and picked up a few nuggets while i was there Thanks. Im not sure that i wanna meet a stack of women though. Call me an old fashioned romantic- but i only want to meet my girl and her family (REALLY must work on my russian though). Dont wanna be cut our time short, but if we dont click i wouldnt want to be a burden.
Also wanna do a few tourist things like see the red square and the winter palace. Any other recommendations? About $4500 you say for a month? Slightly more than i expected.
I am afraid there is a little misunderstanding here. I did mean the dating at discos in big cities like Moscow and St.Pete as QuietCharm is going to visit these cities. So I have nothing against dating at discos in smaller cities and towns. I agree that disco/club is almost the only place to go and to get acquainted with someone, to find new friends…And to my mind the ladies are more sincere, more natural and frank in small towns as they have not been westernized yet…
As for Moscow except the Red Square it is worth while visiting the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, State Tretyakov Gallery (if you are interested in art), The Bolshoi Theatre (the second largest of Europe). Take a stroll along 2 main avenues - Tverskaya Street (it is lined with palaces and mansions, major hotels, shops, offices and theatres) and Arbat street (it is a pedestrian street where there are a lot of cozy cafes, restaurants, curiosity shops etc. ). If you take a walk in the evening you will come across some entertainment activities: music band, stand-up comedian, street portraitists etc. The most popular shopping malls of Moscow are the Shopping Center “Okhotny Ryad” and TSUM are situated next to the Red Square. As for night life - «Metelitsa» Entertainment center (on Noviy Arbat str.), The Hungry Duck, Vermel – actually the list is very long.
I think its a kind of myth that the ladies are more sincere, more natural and frank in small towns. I agree that ladies from those places are not spoiled with expensive restaurants, malls and nightclubs. They have lower standards of life and whats normal for a girl from a big city will be a kind of luxury for a provincial girls...but its just all about material things, I think it has nothing to do with personal qualities as sincerety and frankness. And one can find gold diggers in small towns as well( here they are even more determined-they want better life,better life standards- the life thay see on TV and in magazines, the life they dont see around).They dont have much but who said they dont want to have all those things?
As for "have not been westernized yet"...in general all life in Russia and former CIS tends to be westernized( of course there is stil a big difference between american and russian women if we talk about their expectations and standards).
Right again OLga. I don't think it's fair to catagorize women at all e.g. "women from the city", "women from the small town" and so on. Everyone has their own way of thinking! And don't think that a 45yr. woman is necessarily more clever than a 25 yr. I know alot of mentally challenged women my age (45). As I'm sure women know men the same way. Take me for an example :p) One more thing, there are alot of great and beautiful women from the U.S. and U.K. Just not enough of them. The one's I know have been grabbed up by the smart men. The biggest difference I'll have to admit to is that I'd have to search for days on end to find a woman that is 5'6" and only weighs 110lbs around here. Fastfood has did us in!
I honestly appreciate you letting us 'pick your brain' to help us learn more about FSU women.
However, this time I disagree with you and ID on the small town vs. big city ways of thinking.
Small town, provincial ways of life worldwide are simpler, less materialistic, less competitive and less stressful than the fast paced, competitive, fashionable big cities...regardless of what can be seen on TV or movies.
I think that small town, provincial life everywhere, not just FSU, is more family oriented, because the individual depends more on the family network for support.
Therefore appreciation for traditional family values is stronger, accepted and practiced more willingly.
There is, in my not so humble opinion, a huge difference between a big city or western woman who takes material things 'for granted' and a provincial woman who wishes to achieve a better standard of living but is also willing to maintain the family values and network she has grown up with.