Dmitrij

Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?

Dmitrij

Mark Hewitt

"Dmitrij" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?

What is there to see which you can't see elsewhere?

Paul O

Maybe because of the endless bureaucratic hassles which still haunt Eastern
European tourists all too often!!


"Dmitrij" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?
    > Dmitrij

Tile

agree. starting from Visa procedures and all documents to show..
( the us are almost the same. they want to interview people after paying 100
dollars.. if you do not get a visa you lose yr 100 dollars... )
"Paul O" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]...
    > Maybe because of the endless bureaucratic hassles which still haunt
Eastern
    > European tourists all too often!!
    > "Dmitrij" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?
    > >
    > > Dmitrij

Thomas Peel

Dmitrij schrieb:
    >
    > Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?
    >
    > Dmitrij

Well, I have been to Perm and it is not a trip I would care to repeat.
The flight in the derelict Tu134 from Moscow was the only time in my
many years flying experience that I have had serious doubts about
getting out of the plane alive.
The only hotel in town was a cockroach-ridden rathole.
The only bar in town was a mafia den. We had the pleasure of watching
while the pretty young hooker who failed to pick up a trick was dragged
across the floor by her hair and kicked in the stomach for punishment.

Oh, and we also learnt about how many of the rivers and lakes are
hopelessly polluted with atomic waste.

Any more questions?

T.

?Ystein

[email protected] (Dmitrij) wrote in message news:<[email protected] om>...
    > Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?

i think one reason is the language barrier. I have the impression that
it is difficult to travel in that area if you don't speak Russian. I
am working on that problem though - do you have some advice on what to
see in the Ural area?

best regards,

Jan

David Johnstone

Some do. I for example visited Ekaterinburg and Artyomovsky
in March. It was one of the most enjoyable, fascinating, exciting,
different and fun holidays I ever had, and I will certainly be back
in Russia sometime soon.
But it was also one of the most challengeing and difficult as far
as the organisation goes. The language barrier is a real problem
if you don't speak Russian. It is difficult to get specific information
about accommodation and transport. Obtaining a visa and registering
with the authorities is also an extra expense and hassle. Also Russia
is simply not "marketed" abroad as a tourist destination (with the
exception of Moscow and St. Petersburg), so that the idea of a holiday
in the Ural region would only occur to a very small number of people
in the first place.
David


"Dmitrij" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?
    > Dmitrij

Laurent

[email protected] (Dmitrij) wrote in message news:<[email protected] om>...
    > Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?
    >
    > Dmitrij

Probably because of some of the following reasons

- Bad infrastructure (airports, hotels, roads, tourism agencies,
western airlines travelling there...)
- Not enough knowledge of local attractions. You have to promote it
heavily in western press (and it costs €€€), compete with other
tourist spots, as well as inviting journalists for a free week
- Bad knowledge of english or of any foreign language

Miguel Cruz

Dmitrij <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?

The visa situation is a huge obstacle right out of the gate. Many people
would just say "forget it, I'll go somewhere else where I can have an
equivalent experience."

While I've never been to Russia personally (only as close as the Baltics),
my sense, formed from dealing with Russians in the Baltics and from hearing
many, many stories from travelers I know to ordinarily be of good cheer and
sunny disposition, is that people are horribly mean, the food is awful, and
accomodations/meals of any reasonable standard are very expensive. This is
not an appealing reputation. The mean-people issue may not be such a problem
in central Russia but in the western cities it seems to discourage a lot of
repeat visitors.

miguel
--
See the world from your web browser: http://travel.u.nu/

David Johnstone

"Miguel Cruz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Dmitrij <[email protected]> wrote:
    > > Why don't people travel at the Ural region (central part of Russia)?
    > The visa situation is a huge obstacle right out of the gate. Many people
    > would just say "forget it, I'll go somewhere else where I can have an
    > equivalent experience."
    > While I've never been to Russia personally (only as close as the Baltics),
    > my sense, formed from dealing with Russians in the Baltics and from
hearing
    > many, many stories from travelers I know to ordinarily be of good cheer
and
    > sunny disposition, is that people are horribly mean, the food is awful,
and
    > accomodations/meals of any reasonable standard are very expensive. This is
    > not an appealing reputation. The mean-people issue may not be such a
problem
    > in central Russia but in the western cities it seems to discourage a lot
of
    > repeat visitors.

I have to say that not all of that accords with my experience. I had limited
contact with local people, but those I did meet were very friendly and
hospitable, and also extremely curious to meet a foreigner. I travelled some
of the time with a dutch aid worker who spoke russian and had lived there
over a year, and that was more or less her experience too. Several times
people were astounded and amused that I had come there for a holiday.
The more so in smaller towns of course. Possibly Moscow is different -
generally that is true of big cities in all countries.
Some things are very cheap. The 30km/1 hour bus trip to the airport cost
the equivalent of about 0,15 Euros (15 c). Inland train travel and flights
are
very cheap by western standards. Trains no longer have the dual-price system
for foreigners, though some airlines do, and some museums, but even so
it is cheap.
There are some western style fast food establishments (in Ekaterinburg)
which cost maybe half as much as in German cities. Then there are simple
Russian canteen type places where you can get a simple hot meal of something
like pelmini for maybe 20 or 30 Roubles, sometimes even less in small towns.
I am sure Moscow is in a different league pricewise.
The markets and kiosks which the Russians so love have everything
imaginable,
often at good prices, but obviously of varying quality. But you can get
bargains
there, clothing, art, electronic goods.
Hotels are a problem. They tend to be either new and outageously overpriced
5 star palaces, or really ramshackle older style establishments. There is
nothing
much inbetween and if you go for the latter, well you can't be too fussy!
The visa thing is a pain, no question. I almost cancelled my trip for that
reason.
But I'm glad I didn't.
David

Karen Selwyn

David Johnstone wrote:
>>
    >>The visa situation is a huge obstacle right out of the gate. Many people
    >>would just say "forget it, I'll go somewhere else where I can

    > The visa thing is a pain, no question. I almost cancelled my trip for that
    > reason.

I haven't been reading this thread since the beginning, but this is the
second message that mentions the obstacles of obtaining a visa. Can you
provide any specific information about the difficulties or strategies
for minimizing those difficulties?

I ask because my husband and I will be going to Russia this summer. The
tour operator uses a visa service. This is the same procedure they used
when we traveled with them to China. However, as residents of the DC
metropolitan area there was no way I was going to pay an outrageous visa
service fee for something I could do myself with little effort. And
that's the way it turned out when I obtained our visas to China.
However, if the process is markedly more difficult getting visas to
Russia, I might consider letting someone else do the heavy lifting.

Thanks!

Karen Selwyn

Jesper Lauridsen

On Mon, 01 Dec 2003 17:54:14 +0100, Thomas Peel <[email protected]> wrote:

    >The only bar in town was a mafia den. We had the pleasure of watching
    >while the pretty young hooker who failed to pick up a trick was dragged
    >across the floor by her hair and kicked in the stomach for punishment.

A true gentleman would have saved her by giving her some business,

    >Oh, and we also learnt about how many of the rivers and lakes are
    >hopelessly polluted with atomic waste.

I doubt that it was _atomic_ waste.

Charles Hawtrey

[email protected] (Miguel Cruz) staggered to the nearest keyboard and
wrote:

    >While I've never been to Russia personally (only as close as the Baltics),
    >my sense, formed from dealing with Russians in the Baltics and from hearing
    >many, many stories from travelers I know to ordinarily be of good cheer and
    >sunny disposition, is that people are horribly mean, the food is awful, and
    >accomodations/meals of any reasonable standard are very expensive.

So you mean it's like New York City?


(grin, duck and run)



--
hambu n hambu hodo

Gregory Morrow

Miguel Cruz wrote:

    > While I've never been to Russia personally (only as close as the Baltics),
    > my sense, formed from dealing with Russians in the Baltics and from
hearing
    > many, many stories from travelers I know to ordinarily be of good cheer
and
    > sunny disposition, is that people are horribly mean, the food is awful,
and
    > accomodations/meals of any reasonable standard are very expensive. This is
    > not an appealing reputation. The mean-people issue may not be such a
problem
    > in central Russia but in the western cities it seems to discourage a lot
of
    > repeat visitors.


I've never been to Russia either, but from knowing Russians I've met here in
the States, going to Russia surely would be an unpleasant experience. The
Russians I've met here (of any age) in Chicago and elsewhere have almost
always been rude, suspicious, and lacking in *any* manners ("ne kulturny",
in the Russian parlance). They are either deeply depressed or giddy with
loud excitement (e.g. that is when they drink - and Russians drink to a
falling - down state. Try going to a Russian resto or nightclub and see
what I mean). Basically, they are a bunch of manic - depressives with a
strong criminal bent. Not people I want to spend any time around, for the
most part. I know enough crazy people as it is.

There are some Russian businesses here in Chicago and visiting them is like
a trip to the bad old Brezhnev days c. 1969 - the women have that nasty red
henna - tinted hair and Soviet platform shoes, and the men have stubs of
cheap papirosi cigs in their mouths. And they all SCOWL. There are even
all kinds of Russian mafiya types skulking around the local Aeroflot
office...going in and trying to pick up a timetable is almost like a trip
back to Al Capone HQ c. 1926....

And yeah, as far as visiting the place goes, there is the red tape, rude
service, sky - high prices for anything halfway decent, and a general lack
of visitor - friendly services and amenities. There are *tons* of better
places to go.

--
Best
Greg

?Ystein

"David Johnstone" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
    > Some do. I for example visited Ekaterinburg and Artyomovsky
    > in March. It was one of the most enjoyable, fascinating, exciting,
    > different and fun holidays I ever had, and I will certainly be back
    > in Russia sometime soon.
    > But it was also one of the most challengeing and difficult as far
    > as the organisation goes. The language barrier is a real problem
    > if you don't speak Russian.

And a great opportunity to learn something new. I have bought the
books for the course in "Russian as a second foreign language" for the
Norwegian High school and have great fun!

    > It is difficult to get specific information
    > about accommodation and transport. Obtaining a visa and registering
    > with the authorities is also an extra expense and hassle.

True, but in my experience the locals are also more glad to help than
what I am used to in Norway. "Private initiative" when it comes to
offer help with Visa registration, private accomondation, or helping
finding accomondation for a fair price could also be an option.

    > Also Russia
    > is simply not "marketed" abroad as a tourist destination (with the
    > exception of Moscow and St. Petersburg), so that the idea of a holiday
    > in the Ural region would only occur to a very small number of people
    > in the first place.

Of course, but that is probably the whole (or some of) the idea if you
choose such an destiantion.

Best regards,

Jan