Horror stories??

I reckon Russia is safer than the UK.

Been travelling in Russia for 20 years. NEVER had anything stolen. A mate travelled here last year and left his bike in the street in central Moscow without a security chain or disc lock or anything, for 3 days and 3 nights and it wasnt even touched.

You couldnt do that in London, let alone any other city in the UK.

Use basic common sense, take basic precautions, DONT treat locals as if they are to be feared or you are superior to them. I come back to Russia every summer to travel. Find it a fantastically welcoming and friendly place.

Like the UK, the bigger the city, the less people are interested in you as they have their own busy lives. The smaller the towns you travel through the more interesting you are to them, and the hospitality rapidly becomes warmer than ANYTHING you will experience int he west.

I recommend you stray from main roads, as they (the main roads) are the most boring, least friendly, least interesting (most generic) parts of the country. Again, think of the UK ... you cant drive up the M1-M6 and say you have seen England ... its the small towns and villages that are the REAL England. Russia is no different.

Its a big country and there are a MILLION different routes you can take to cross it. Dont confine yourself to thinking there is just one. If you do, then you are automatically locking yourself onto the most boring route across the country. If you do see only one route across the country, you run the risk that your potential journey of adventure and a discovery of another country and culture becomes nothing more than a Russian highway endurance test. I cannot stress that enough.

Russians themselves will fill you with horror stories - that the people in the next town, next province, next country etc are all bandits. Ignore them.

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Cysne, I'd happily try and balance my emotions with you. I'll be there in 10 days and am too excited. A bit of hesitation might relax me a bit.


It's a fact of travelling in some regions or just dealing with people. Groups of people are always warning you of the other groups who are warning you of the first group. It's always funny to learn of all the apparent bullets you dodged while too busy being treated like an old friend to notice.

It's great to get the reassurance from the folks that have preceeded you. I too will be following in your footsteps next year. But you have to accept problems do arise and it's all part of the adventure. If things ran absolutely smoothly then you can't bore people with jaw dropping adventures on your return. Good luck on your travels everyone.

Hello

Met a Russian biker from Sachalin on his way to Moskow, communikation was difficult but he told me not to stop between Khabarovsk and Chita, 2 Bikers were killed in this part of the country.
Wanted to ask him if I could stop for gas,but there was the language barrier.
:confused1:
How do you do that?
Do I show fear of locals by not camping along the main road or taking my helmet and tankbag with valuables into the shop instead of leaving it on the bike; Do I show superior by beeing surpriced when they expect me to shit in the wooden sheed in the field with no running water in the motel but still asking 700 rubel for a bed, or could the mechanik in Kabarovsk read my mind,although I was still smiling, when he destoyed a brand new heavyduty tube when he replaced my tires, or when he wanted to clench the 120 chain before the wheel was mounted,not even bothering that original is 110, then on my insisting getting angry then measureing on the bike on the central stand with the swingarm relaxt, finally the chain was thight as hell and he didn't understand what was wrong.
Maybe I should have been more pleased when he showed pictures of him and his buddies in "Wehrmachts Uniform mit Hackenkreuz"
I just told him I'm Swiss not German,have nothing in common with that.
Well, then I am guilty.

I wouldn't say Russia is as bad as the Russians itself claim it to be, but that sounds to me a bit to optimistic.
It's a big country with good and bad people.

I came to Russia with the same open mind as I did in every other country in the last 2 years of this trip,
but they are just trying so hard to give me a bad impression of Russia

So is it just me?
What do I do wrong

sushi

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I cant answer that without meeting you or travelling with you.

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"Your Welcome" in response to "Thank You" is not universal - even in English speaking countries - for example Australians will say "No Worries" if they say anything at all.

Just relax and accept the country for what it is - I would suggest complaining about the plumbing of $20 hotel is part of the issue.

As Walter said to me once - it is probably the only place in the world you can knock on someones door at 9pm, not speak the language and get help.

When our bike broke down - we got all the help in the world to rescue the bike and get to accommodation. When we arrived at 1 in the morning there was food and hot tea. After that amongst the best two weeks I have ever had in my life and friends that I will have life.

Hello
Yeah, every IGA has this "special" person who will never see its picture on the wall of the employees of the month.
But you're wright, now I've stoped using any form of communication, as the locals do and it works,feels like I'm in the movie "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm_Bodies_(film)".
I felt so sorry for the woman I forced to smile and say bashalsta, must have been a horrible experience for them. Will never do it again.
But the fact that so far in every third place they tried to cheat by raising the price for a bed once I've seen and liked it, still bothers me.
The hospitality sounds great unless you don't want it,for whatever reason.
Yesterday I almost had a fight with a guy who pulled constantly on my jacket while I tried to explain him that I'm not interested in coming to his party nor his sauna.
Well just 4000km of this shithole till the border of the EU.
sushi

__________________
My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

Whew, it probably was a horrible experience for her to be forced to repeat your jibberish. I guess you realize that "bashalsta" doesn't mean anything in Russian? I think you're doing it wrong.

OK, although this has never happened to me--ever--in my many hotel stays in Russia. I think you're doing it wrong, maybe next time bring a tent?

Nice one. Again, I think you're doing it wrong.

Feel free to dip down into Central Asia so that you can escape Russia, they won't miss you. It's a big world, I guess all of us are lucky you can go to other places and don't have to come back here ever.

hmm I think for 100% certainty it was meant Пожалуйста ("pa-zhal-sta") - Please and You're Welcome (for anyone now knowing language) and i am certain most of russian speakers also understands it even you say
ba-shals-ta

Raising hotel price as hotel administration realises person asking room is not russian and actually is tourist is not really unheard case. That is fact/common practice coming as long time from Soviet Union times and was even teached us during russian language education at school end of 80's and 90's. So i think this is something very possible to happen even modern times sometimes.

But i agree. Russia is vast country full of different people. I think someone mentioned, which was excellently said (i think it was probably Colebach) that if you stay on main roads you have to remember that people come there to earn money on roadside. You meet totally different kind of hospitality and people if you venture to smaller roads and villages.

I have had lot of good experiences in Russia. Perhaps it helps i speak some of language so it helps communicate with people or that finnish people generally are well liked in Russia. Now I have done pretty much all my motorcycle travels from year 2010 there, now 5 or 6 shorter and longer trips and i have never felt bad about it.

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Sure it's possible, but I've never encountered it. What I encounter in many hotels, however, is that there are different "classes" of room, with varying prices. When you pull up you're quoted the price for the cheapest class of room, and when it turns out that that room is not so nice and you want another, nicer, one, the price goes up. I don't see what's wrong with that.

So you complain about the lack of hospitality until you are offered it and then you don't want it.

You really are doing it wrong. And to knock back the Banya cleanest I have ever felt.

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Hello
Please forgive me. It's all my fault.
I tried to behave in russia like I did in every country in the last two years.
I'm sorry if I can't wright correct russian in latin letters.
I'm sorry that I wright here experiences that are different from ALL others.
Russia is the greatest place on earth and if they don't smile it's clearly my problem.
Nobody tried to cheat,they just have a way of negotiating that I don't understand,clearly my fault.
The fact that I expected a mechanic to repair thing like everywhere else in the world is again my mistake.
Expecting running water for 700 rubel in a motel is also, once again, me, how could I dare.
When you stop for 5 minutes,suited up in the rain gear and still 200km to go that day, then a Russian man,a complete stranger, aproaches you and invites you,it's very impolite to not change your plans and drop everything instantly, to spend hours of great Russian hospitality with him.
If you try to politely say no thanks,he has the right to pull you inside and get mad, because I came to Russia just to visit him therefore it's ALL AGAIN my mistake.
I'm sorry for not falling in love with Russia like everybody is supposed to do and does.
I'm very sorry if someone in Russia is offended by the fact that I don't love Russia and dared to say so.
The thred starter asked about opinions about Russia and I thought I was allowed to do so, my mistake.
I never said all the horror stories are true, don't go.
All I posted were MY experiences in so far 3 weeks of Russia.
So, please accept my apology for saying out loud what I feel, I will not do it again.
Russia is great and one MUST love it here,it's the law.
sushi

__________________
My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

Despite thinkinig you are doing Russia wrong that is funny.


Anyway back on topic (sort of).

I went to a Russian Resturant yesterday the people who ran it were from Belarus and their daughter inlaw from Vladisvostok all recent immigrants to the US. Naturally got talking to them about Russia. The daughter inlaw asked if I had in trouble in Siberia (because it is dangerous) the son wanted to know how mnay problem I had with the police (none in Russia).

My point when you are in Russia treat the danger messages appropriately with the amount of experience the person has with the area.