OT: Back From Russia

[Guest guest]

Howdy Niki,

 

> Great post, Butch!

 

Thank you mucho .. and I thank you for the assistance you provided in

lining up transportation for us when we came in through Moscow. The

driver you hooked us up with was a nice feller for sure and you help

is appreciated. I wanted to write you on this but I have lost all

addresses along with everything else when the big crash went down ..

but now I have yours again.

 

Coming into Russia via Moscow is rather difficult if one is going to

transfer to any place other than St. Petersburg since there is a need

to use land transport between one airport and another .. a couple of

hours or more if depending on the traffic .. and Niki arranged for us

the services of a reliable driver to make that trip. :-)

 

Niki .. when I came out and returned and came out again .. I found

that the easiest way out for me was thru Ekaterinaburg .. direct to

Istanbul. But folks traveling from the USA won't have that option.

 

> As a born Russian living part-time in Russia and part-time in the US

I happen to disagree with a lot of what you had to say.

 

Never doubted that you wouldn't. ;-) I usually disagree with half of

what folks write about Turkey.

 

 

> I do however deeply admire your ability to observe, to ask

questions, to look for answers and to report your findings in a very

clear and non-judgmental way.

 

Thanks much .. actually, the majority of the opinions I formed were

based in part on the replies to questions I asked of Russian folks I

met. Others were based on noting the differences in things since my

last trip to Russia in the mid-90s.

 

> Most of my disagreements are due to the fact that I live in Moscow,

and life and the perception of the Russian politics and economics are

very, very different here from the rest of the country.

 

No question about that .. and as I said, I breezed through Moscow.

Trying to compare Moscow to the rest of Russia (except maybe St. Pete)

is not possible .. Moscow is the New York City of Russia. The place I

spent most of my time (Magnitogorsk) is the Pittsburg of Russia. ;-)

 

One can purchase an apartment in Chelyabinsk or Magnitogorsk for maybe

20 K .. the same apartment in Moscow will be 75-80 K .. and the

salaries of folks in Moscow will necessarily be much higher than the

same line of work in most other Russian cities.

 

> I would be happy to comment on the post but I since I don't think it

would have anything to do with AT I don't want to clutter the list.

 

I would find it interesting for sure .. and maybe others would too.

It will certainly not become a peeing contest because I doubt there is

anyone on the list who knows more about living in Russia than you do

... or more about living in Turkey than I do.

 

> Those who might per chance be interested may freely contact me

off-list to discuss. Or I can reply on the list, if that is what the

majority wants.

 

Either way .. if you put OT in the subject line those who might not

want to read it can zap it. ;-)

 

> Butch, the pickled mushrooms you mentioned - although I won't

promise you the ones that come from the Urals, I am a dedicated

mushroom hunter both in Russia and in the US and I promise to send a

jar of my special home-made pickled mushroms when both you and I are

safely moved back to the US.

 

Sounds finer'n frog hair split three ways and appreciated it would be

fer'shur. :-P

 

Again .. I thank you for the assistance .. getting reliable and

reasonably priced ground transport in Moscow can be a real Bear for

folks who don't know their way around the city .. like some of the

trips one can take across town in New York City .. or Istanbul. ;-)

 

> Cheers,

> Nika from Moscow

> (Soon to be from Akron, OH)

 

Might be you'll like Moscow better. ;-) I am pretty sure I will not

find a city in the USA that I will be as happy in as I am here in

Ankara .. but I must return to the USA .. for Alexander's benefit.

 

Y'all have a good one .. and keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch http://www.AV-AT.com