HasnaN1977\" post_id=\"1992424\" time=\"1598255607\" user_id=\"182973:

hanhui\" post_id=\"1991694\" time=\"1597735648\" user_id=\"47197:

Out of passion , my boy is learning Russian & Spanish language on his own:) He bought a Russian-English dictionary via Amazon and has also signed up for online tutorial to learn the Russian language, so far so good..

Hi hanhui glad to know your son is learning on his own, mind if you can share which specific Russian-English dictionary did he purchased? TIA

adamjoseph\" post_id=\"1990376\" time=\"1597153698\" user_id=\"187732:

Hi, I'm looking for healthy conversation.
Recommend good places in Russia.

jetsetter:

I also had to get an \"invite letter\" from my then professor. We stayed with a Russian family in their Stalinist era apartment. :

jetsetter:

And yes, yours truly bought a bottle of Russian vodka too! :rotflmao: :evil:

Jennifer:

floppy:

Sorry to be saying the obvious (and for being anal :rotflmao: ), but Russia is a huge country (i.e.the largest country in the world at 1/8 of the world's total land mass). It would be more prudent to be stating the places/cities that you want to visit within Russia.

My assumption would be that, by Russia, you are only referring to Moscow/St. Petersburg. In that case, as jetsetter and hquek have pointed out, you can go free and easy/DIY. However, if your Russia includes the other parts of the country like Yekaterinburg, Volgograd or Vladivostok, you are better off on a group/package tour.

:rotflmao:

I hv no idea where exactly elder boy wants to visit. So post first to get some advices.

I checked the tour companies slmkhoo suggested this morning. Most days are on our own to explore. Not sure whether hubby and elder boy like this way.

floppy:

Otherwise, he could end up banish in Siberia :evil:

Jennifer:

:rotflmao:

I hv no idea where exactly elder boy wants to visit. So post first to get some advices.

floppy:

Jennifer:

Is it advisable to :


1. Go on free n easy

2. Join Sg travel agency

3. Join local land tours

Traveling in late Nov, 2A2C, children ages 18 n 14.

Sorry to be saying the obvious (and for being anal :rotflmao: ), but Russia is a huge country (i.e.the largest country in the world at 1/8 of the world's total land mass). It would be more prudent to be stating the places/cities that you want to visit within Russia.

My assumption would be that, by Russia, you are only referring to Moscow/St. Petersburg. In that case, as jetsetter and hquek have pointed out, you can go free and easy/DIY. However, if your Russia includes the other parts of the country like Yekaterinburg, Volgograd or Vladivostok, you are better off on a group/package tour.

Jennifer:

Is it advisable to :


1. Go on free n easy

2. Join Sg travel agency

3. Join local land tours

Traveling in late Nov, 2A2C, children ages 18 n 14.

slmkhoo:

Jennifer:

both hubby n elder boy told me to find a tour agency, save the prob of self-commuting, getting lost & wasting time.


my concern with Sg tour packages is mostly end up touch & go which I do not like.

Would local land tours be more engaging?

I haven't been to Russia, but in general, I feel that tours are better than free and easy when time is tight and there is a language issue. But there are different types of tours - I tend to avoid Sg ones as we prefer to spend time on history, culture and scenery rather than shopping, taking photos of sights and eating Chinese food (this is probably an over-generalisation, but that's my experience of Sg tours so far - 30 mins in a museum and 2 hrs in a shopping mall!). Local land tours can be a bit risky as you don't know the quality and the guide's standard of English. For somewhere like Russia, I would probably go with one of the British tour companies like Trafalgar, Insight or Globus as you will be assured of a certain standard. They may allow you to join in Russia so you don't need to fly to the UK first. They will also use local (Russian) guides but should have vetted them to make sure they meet an acceptable standard.

Jennifer:

both hubby n elder boy told me to find a tour agency, save the prob of self-commuting, getting lost & wasting time.


my concern with Sg tour packages is mostly end up touch & go which I do not like.

Would local land tours be more engaging?

jetsetter:

I went F&E, but I had a travel companion who could speak some halting Russian.


If you guys love adventure, you can consider F&E then get a Moscow City Pass or St Petersburg City Pass which includes hop on & off open top bus tours and admission tickets to top attractions. Getting to your hotel from the airport via their express train should not be a problem.

I recall the most challenging part of F&E was getting around the city via its Metro. I believe the signages are still displayed in Russian today. I had to copy the Russian name onto a piece of paper as I didn't have a smart phone then and was very focused on counting the stops thru'out the journey so as not to miss my station! Russian trains were VERY crowded at peak time. They didn't queue, they didn't say excuse me. They pushed.
http://i57.tinypic.com/5dmnup.jpg\">
These days, you can download the bilingual metro map app onto your smart phones. Download the Russian Alphabet table too.

There should be metered taxis today (but do google for a reputable taxi coy), though I read somewhere that \"gypsy cabs\" are still available. I took mainly gypsy cabs which were really private sedans driven by Russian residents who would pull over once I flagged at them by the roadside. Need to \"chicken-duck talk\" to negotiate for a good fare before boarding. Some websites say this kind of illegal service still exists today!

Joining a SG agency tour is very convenient, but you won't get to explore Russia on foot and discover nice cafes and restaurants that locals visit, nor watch the famous ballet performance you'd always wanted to But you save a lot of time commuting from attraction to attraction la...Moscow and St Petersburg boulevards and parade squares are neither short nor small. There's a lot of walking to be expected. Late Nov marks the onset of winter (around zero degree?), so you must wear good boots with thick soles, if you need to walk a lot in the open to find your museum. I had a great slip in St Petersburg, but luckily I had young bones then!

Safety - Yes, there will be pickpockets, just like in other major cities. I was robbed at one station. I'm not sure if there're still shootings in the city. My gf went one year after I did and witnessed a man shot dead at point blank outside McDs @ Moscow! Chechnyan and Ukrainian separatists and mafia still quite active...