Ok I've seen the creeping westernization of the city women in Ukraine and a decrease of honest relationship opportunities I have spoken with a French psychologist living in St Pete and he reports the same about there and Moscow. I was just wondering if that could be eliminated by going to the more out of the way countries like Belarus, or one of the other countries that are still harder to spell. A visa is required which eliminates probably 80% of the 5% of men that ever actually fly over to meet these women. Has anyone been to Minsk? Gomel? I'd love to get your impressions.
Ivor, or should I say Mr. Hermaphrodite, I'm returning to Ukraine next month. Unlike you I don't marry any woman that will have me. See I understand how hard it is for you to find a she- male. You gotta take what you can find. I have just over 20 women set up to date/ meet next month in the 2weeks I will be there and several more in other surrounding cities if I bother to get on a train. I have just seen so many lively women from Belarus, and unlike you again t thought and realized anywhere you need a visa eliminates still a larger % of tourists. So logically Belarus would stand a chance to be a good place to look for a woman. Unfortunately it appears that is not the case. I don't think I'm up for russia as the extreme amount of BS required with registration each night and knowing exactly when and where I will be going.
Giss,, I think what is happening in the FSU, is what happened here in the 1930’s & 40’s! Too many of the men were in WW-II and women moved into the work force. They discovered that there is more to life than just raising babies and cleaning house! In a way, they de-valued their own role in life, and looked down on other women who stayed home and took care of their family!
In the case of the FSU women,,, it’s the computer age that has shown them, that there is more to life than their own drunken abusive men, and an easy way to make money!! I really think the computer age has ruined foreign dating! Before the computer and the cell phone, how were they able to communicate outside their own hometown??? Today,,, 1km away,, or 10,000km,,, no difference!
I think a lot of men were looking towards small cities or obscure countries to find more practical women, only to be disappointed! To me,,, if they have an agency,,,, or internet and a computer,,,, it is already spoilt!!
Danni is right about staying away from Moscow and St. Pete,,, but he’s way off about Yoshkar-Ola,,, which I think he misspelled! That is their scam central!!
I have also been to Tver’ , Russia, they consider it a small city,,, all scams!!!!!
As for the BS of going to Russia, that’s part of what keeps me from going back.
You need a date on your visa for when you will arrive and depart, and you need to know the dates on your visa to buy plane tickets!! You need to commit to one set of dates, and hope everything works out. I let a travel agency handle my visa and plane tickets for my 2009 trip! It was for the 2nd and 3rd week in January! I asked them if the Russian holidays might create a problem for me?? They said; No!! The airport and customs don’t close for the holidays!!! That’s true,,, but the Russian embassy,,, or who ever handles the visas closes!! I had to delay my trip!!
As for registration,,,,, you need to be invited by a hotel or tourist company to get your visa. And when you travel from city to city, you just hand the hotel staff your visa, and they take care of the registration.
good luck on your trip 2 ukraine next month giss & if the city woman are not up 2 your high standards anymore then get yourself on that train 2 the real honest woman here in western ukraine countryside
scammers what scammers? this is just another buisness like any other. if inept western guys think there $$$ is just for them while demanding a ukrainian/russian wife on the cheap then these pratts need go take a hike
yes that nutter ivor/martin (mr hermaphrodite) needs 2 be put out 2 grass (mental hospital) as quick as possible
Giss, you've obviously never looked very hard at what's involved in travelling to Russia. You're right about the need for a visa eliminating most of the competition, so why don't you try?
Nobody needs to know exactly when and where you will be going - the Foreign Ministry is quite happy with an itinerary on your application that shows the cities you intend to visit (and won't care if you don't!). When you do arrive, any hotel where you stay will register the visa for you. It might involve more work if you stay in an apartment, but the manager should arrange registration - it's his neck on the block if you are found to be unregistered (again, nobody will give a damn, except possibly the immigration officer as you leave the country).
Also, you're going to date 20 women in two weeks? Good luck!
giss, russia is not as bad as you may think. you can go there and register at a local post office. after that no-one actually cares. as long as you don't go on some excellent adventure you'll be fine in russia. it floors me that so many refuse to visit russia and take the easy way out by going to scammer nation. not that there are not fraudulent people everywhere, but so many are truly limiting themselves. if it was easy it wouldn't be worth it.
@lonely: "Yoshkar-Ola, which I think he misspelled!"
Strange as it may seem (danny is famous for his original spelling), his is the standard way that town's name is written in the latin alphabet.
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@giss: Russia is not so visitor friendly. However, if you use a good visa company (very important!), it isn't so bad. They can take care of the invitation for you, and won't make stupid mistakes concerning holidays (the US firm I use is VERY precise, and always gets my passport back to me on or before the promised date). It isn't necessary to register at all unless you stay more than 8 days, and even though you're supposed to register when changing cities, many experienced Russia hands only register at their first city and leave it at that.
The total expenses for invitation/visa/registration should not exceed about $250.
When applying for a tourist visa, always give an exit date 30 days after the entry date (it doesn't matter when you actually enter or exit, as long as they fall inside this range of dates). This gives you a 30-day "window" to work with, when making your travel arrangements. Only, BE VERY SURE TO LEAVE BY THE EXIT DATE. Also, try to list all the cities you will visit, but it is no problem if you go to a city not on the list.
Thanks everyone. I have not looked into travel to Russia. I just read some of the official requirements and decided it was not worth the hassle. The only parts of Ukraine I have found scammers is Kiev and Kharkov. I had a wonderful time in Poltava and Sumy. As for dating 20 women in two weeks it is not a problem. I can date 4 or 5 in a day spending 2 or 3 hours each. At that pace I can eliminate 16 of them in the first 4 or 5 days. At that point I can slow down to just one or two per day. Kind of run it like the sweet 16 tournament for college B ball. Once I'm down to 1 my work there is done next time I meet her it will be in the Dominican Republic. No need for Ukrainians to get a visa to go there. Spend a week or so in a different island for the winter months each so often, then in the spring return to Ukraine trips to see her. If the whole thing is a bust I'll just go skiing in Bukovel come February. How is the man to woman ratio in Bukovel during ski season? It seems like another opportunity to meet a sweetheart that likes to get physical (no, skiing). If I'm still not finding her maybe I will give Russia a chance. Thanks again
to those who complain about having to visit russia on expected days.?????? if you want to go to disney world do you think you can just pick up and go with the expectation of getting the accommodations you want? have you tried booking a trip to yellowstone national park???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! people book THAT trip a year in advance with EXACT days of visit. why must you complain about the hardships of traveling to russia or other visa required countries? put it into perspective. if you have a time share do you just decide to go a week before departure? I think not.
I guess all I really have to say about those who complain about visa requirements and having to bookend your travel dates is --- whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
it seems to me that it is just another excuse for some to complain. and why complain? you are supposedly on a journey to meet someone to spend your life with. if you are here then you should realize that it is a work in progress. if you complain about the difficulties of achieving a satisfying end then you are nothing but a whiner/loser who has no business seeking one of these ladies in the first place.
a russian visa is easy and travel is just as easy - unless you are stuck in moscow in two feet of snow at the airport for 8 hours :)
grow up already!!!!
it is interesting how many posts show up between when I posted and they appear.
Ralph????? You are turning into a fruitcake like danni!!!! Just who do you think you are???
I'll go,,, or not go,,, to, or from,, any damn place I want!! For any reason I want, or don't want to!!
I said; the visa "BS" was "part" of the reason!! I have been there before you know??? My wife came from Kirovo Chepesk,, near Kirov!
I don't like Russia,,, it's that simple!! It's easy to see, that everyone hates us there,,, so why go through all the extra effort?? It's not worth it!!
The people in the Ukraine are much friendlier,,, although it's for the wrong reason,,,,, they just want our money!!
I like how you call people who don't agree with you a; "whiner/loser"!! Real nice!!
You went over once and found someone,,, good for you danni,,,, ah,, I meant Ralph!!
You do know that was a fluke,,,, don't you???? You are no prize!! You might be nice,, in person,,, who knows?? I wonder what the average is, on how many trips men make?? I'm quite sure, it isn't "1"!!!
Your posts aren't showing up on a timely basis?? It's not like you haven't chapped your lips on Olga's butt!! Perhaps you need to reach forward a little further???
lonelydude - it was a generalization. not meant to imply any one individual. I know you have paid your dues. sure it is a gamble anywhere. dude! I still want to go wall-eye fishing in the north. whether or not you think I am targeting anyone is beyond the fact that I am just making an observation about the general thinking (my perception) that people avoid russia for a reason that should not matter to those who are serious.
my opinion of danny should not (and does not) matter. my only opinion of danny is that he has an axe to grind. other than that he is just some other schmoe looking for a lady. whether or not he engages in nonsensical arguments that bait you into his world is not my interest. hell, I would love to go diving for lobsters someday. sounds pretty cool. whether or not this man is a scoundrel I have no idea. so to answer your question, I am not taking sides. I am only offering up to someone who may be new to this that just because russia is a little more difficult to travel to, it is in no way out of reach.
plain and simple.
why does nobody give durak crap because he travels extensively to russia?
Russia likes you? Everyone from Russia I have talked to likes me too. It's the freaking CIA. I'd your intel wasnt based on Pravda news releases they wouldn like you either.
"i have decided and made a desicion .....i cant spell i dont want to start spelling i will abuse the people i hate in this thread only and if you are decent enough people you can think about others and abuse me back in this thread .. so if i post on another thread and you decide you want to abuse me then come to this tread i will read your abuse and return my coment . im not leaving this forum you can try all you like it wont work! "
He's showing the whole world, that he is a bigger moron than we had all thought!!!
me can speel em gurd. I'm smarttterest, u dum u awl dum, dumerest!I am danny dum dum,,, the gr8est dum dum! me smart! I can right gurd to. I have many names, but no brains.
i have traveled on both visas to russia, business and tourist visas.
the business visa was not a friendly visa at all, no hotel would stamp or register them.
traveling from city to city is a bit of a pain for people kept saying to me, the people who sponsored you need to register you, "whats your business here"
people were just not willing to register such visa's, the worry on that is if caught unregistered it may compromise future visits.
the tourist visa is completely different, any hotel will register you for nothing if you are staying with them, if not staying at hotel they will make you endure a small cost for registering.
i have also registered at a police station with tourist visa for no cost other then some bitchy women in uniform barking at me.
after many phone calls by a friend i managed to register the business visa at a cost of $100.
i felt i was lucky to get this done, which i did only once for the 3 months there.
it seems the problem was the visa was based around a company in moscow and thats where i was suppose to be, not so many 1000 miles away, how confusing when they say you can travel?..
i would never recommend business visa's, be sure if you do travel on one, the company will help with the different destinations where you may be staying.
i was assured it was fine but once there they didnt want to know.
i cannot remember what i was "registered business reason on the visa" something really stupid they had come up with,, i had to play along with this when registering, what a circus.
it was only from the persistence of my friend that got it registered, i had long before given up, she didnt want me picked up unregistered at all.
absolutely no dramas with the tourist visa other then the small time you are able to stay in the country.
In the Big Cities (Moscow & St. Pete) registering business visas is no problem, costs $30 to $50 at travel agencies. I don't know what the drill is, in a small town.
Some frequent Russia travelers think that it's enough to register in your first city, and not worry about onward destinations. At least, the system would show (if anyone bothered to check) that you did register.
To the best of my knowledge, a check of your registration status is quite unlikely if you (A) look Northern European, and (B) stay away from the south (Caucasus region). But of course, it's always a possibility.
As a visitor, if you simply say "I arrived in this city X days ago," where X is less than nine, that means that you aren't required to be registered there. An official who wanted to officially penalize you (as opposed to shaking you down for some rubles) would have to get into the details of your travel itinerary.
If you are making a long visit, I suppose it's prudent to register. But I don't think that the company that made the business invitation has to register you ... registration connects a person to a place of residing, period. Whether you are staying in a hotel, private residence, rental apartment, etc., my understanding is that you can be registered like anybody else.
thanks for info Durak, interesting,, it still stumps me today.
i dont think i would use it again without really checking things over.
i should have registered as soon as i hit moscow but thought "what ever" i have 4 or 7 days.
actually alarm bells rang at the first hotel in moscow i stayed in (biggest hotel i have ever stayed in) they said no we cannot register you flat, seeing it was a business visa.
i registered in a 3.5 million populated city (Belgorod) finally.
to be honest durak everyone looked at it with curiosity (like they had never seen one before)
when i finally got it reg it really felt like my first bribe..
the girl i was with seriously fort for it.
the only time i ever got checked was on the train from moscow in the first few days, bit of a drama because my entry card was miss-dated, due to delayed flights before getting into russian meaning i arrived a day later then i was suppose to.
i accidentally dated card for the actual day i was suppose to arrive.
anyhow the passport control missed the mistake, her stamp was dated one day later.
policemen in train didnt and the person who registered me didnt.
that was all ok once explained i'm i little durak but i could have beaten my head on the wall for that one, in the end i changed the date number just encase i got a crap policemen.
i'm sure that wasnt a factor in registration probs i had.
on the phone no one wanted a bar of it to start with.
i went into ukraine and back to russia on that visa, again they looked at me with curiosity and i wondered what dramas they would pull, as in how much.
i knew these guys pulled money from people (i had a friend on that train line who held it for them, but not that day)
after much discussion between many they stamped it and kharkov here i come for a few days.
coming back through again was no fuss.
but that business visa certainly was a pain to travel with.