Thread: Travel Blog; CIS/ex-USSR countries (i.e. Russian speaking)

Originally Posted by fortheether

Basil - don't be harsh on yourself - your English is very good.

Hey Scott, thanks for the compliment but I've realized that my English is crap a couple of weeks ago. I've encountered a road accident with a Finnish truck-driver who couldn't say a word in Russian but spoke a decent English. I've communicated with him about three or four hours while we were waiting the road police, then filling papers and such stuff. Although his English wasn't perfect, my talking skills appeared to be a million times worst. I must confess: it was an awful feel, man. .

З.Ы. Hanna, I hope you'll exсuse me for this little off-topic in your fascinating blog.

No problem! How kind of you to help the lorry driver!

Actually I'd be very surprised if you English was not a lot better than that of a Finnish lorry driver.
I usually speak Swedish when I go there, but sometimes people prefer to speak in English instead. Then it turns out their English is terrible. Finnish is really different from English and it's hard for them to learn it well. I think it might even be harder than for Russians.

You don't make a lot of mistakes when you write. I know native English speakers whose grammar is a lot worse (seriously!)
The problems that you have when you are speaking are just because you don't get a lot of opportunity and practice.
If you spent a month in an English speaking country that problem would be gone, I am almost sure.

The status of my trip is that I am now nervous about registering (for foreigners) in Belarus. The bureacracy around registration is enormous.

And what's more, the rules are not communicated to the tourists (for example, they could give an information sheet about the rules to people who enter the country). One has to find out oneself, by searching the internet and asking people.

Apparently I might have missed a few days, and also it might not be possible to register the type of visa that I have, at a private flat. I got a business visa because it offered the most flexibility on timing etc.

I will speak with the agent for the flat letting company, hopefully he can help, it's his job, I think.
But there is never going to be any serious tourism from Western Europe with this amount of bureacracy... People just don't want to deal with such things on their holiday... And it's not nice to be feeling like a criminal when you are in fact a tourist with nothing but good and honest intentions. It's strange really: The country says it wants tourism... but then when tourists arrive and want to do normal things that tourists do, then they have problems like this.

I again ate something with milk in it by mistake, so I am feeling rather bad.

Yesterday evening I met up with a guy who is a sort of a guide, pending qualification. He spoke very good English, although in a very "stiff" and formal way. We went for a long walk on town, he showed me the sights and gave some advice about the visa issues. Minsk is very beautifully lit in the evening, and the architecture is very impressive. It's called Stalinist neo-classical.

The guy I met was very anti-government; he doesn't like the government at all; thinks they are guilty of serious economic mismanagement, and possibly even staging the recent explosion in the metro. He also thinks that the current president will be in the job until he dies because it is impossible for him to lose an election - it's rigged, he says. I don't know what to believe, but there is definitely more than what meets the eye, with Belarussian politics. Apparently the economical approach is called "market socialism".... Is that a contradiction of terms, or not...? Not sure! Also there is clearly a small group who has a fair bit of money to spend. The shopping here is not worse than Ukraine or Romania - there is a really impressive 3-story shopping mall under the Lenin Place, for example.
At the same time, the whole town is full of Soviet/communist monuments and lots of reminders of those days in peoples daily lives.

I think it might even be harder than for Russians.

It is certainly harder because Finnish is not an Indo-European language.

But there is never going to be any serious tourism from Western Europe with this amount of bureacracy...

Without bureacracy it will be the same. Why aren't many western tourists in Ukraine? If the UK, for example, gave visas in a normal way...

I don't know what to believe, but there is definitely more than what meets the eye, with Belarussian politics.

Understanding Belorussian politics is not difficult. Elections change nothing in any country, democracy does not exist. Lukashenko did his best, but his time seems to come to the end.

ILLEGAL AND SICK IN MINSK.....

Marcus you are right in both of your comments... I didn't think of that.
I am sick!! for the second day in a row. It's some kind of sinus infection and I have a fever, not sure how high.

I just called Yuri, the agent for the flat, regarding my registration.
Registrations are much more serious in Belarus than in Russia.

Yuri has the most sinister Russian accent I have ever heard when he speaks English! Thanks to Hollywood films etc... there is a certain stereotype as you might know. With his dark voice and strong accent Yuri sounds like a really dangerous mafia person, or some old-time KGB agent from a film. He doesn't bother with using "the" or "a" at all when he speaks. It's clear what he means, but it makes the speech sound very abrupt. And he doesn't like to speak to his customers unfortunately. He simply promised to help me tomorrow and hung up.

He needs to help me though - because the situation with the registration is already problematic. He says he can fix it..... and I hope he is right. But whatever he does, it's going to be something outside of the law.

According to what the female officer at the immigration office said, there is a big problem, because you can not stay in a private flat if you have a business visa, and my visa is for business in Vitebsk, not Minsk. The person who sold the invitation said that it didn't matter at all.

It's very infuriating that all these regulations exist, but they are not documented clearly anywhere, and the tourist is not informed what they are. I had to search on the internet etc. That's how I got in touch with the guy who is a guide.

It's a terrible shame to be sick while on holiday, but today I will study some Russian to see if I can improve just a tiny bit.

I have read all the tourist material that I took from the Minsk tourist agency.
The things that interest me the most are the historical sights they mention, a few new eco-parks and maybe visiting a sanatorium. If anyone has been to a sanatorium, please tell me what it is like?

I think I got sick because I kept accidentally eating milk which clogs up my sinuses. Then I was smoking a bit, which I normally never do, but I got nervous about problem with the credit card and the registration. You must all think I am a real idiot to mess up for myself!

Hopefully I will be fully recovered tomorrow, and Yuri can "fix" the registration as he says he can.

And I can do some real sightseeing and planning. Also maybe apply for a Russia visa.
I have a crazy idea of going back to Sweden the "Northern" route. I.e. travel through Karelia and up to Murmansk, then there are buses from there into Finland and Sweden. We'll see though.. I haven't even got a visa to Russia yet.

Hanna... thanks again for doing this blog!

It's 2:30 in the morning for me and I'm on my 3rd day of a migraine and can't sleep because of it so I figured I would get up and read your blog!

Here I am reading all about your travels and learning about your problems with the credit cards (you poor thing), water going out (at least it's not like El Salvador where you have to wait for it to rain to get water and then boil it to be hot!) and now you aren't feeling well and you smoke! Never would have guessed straight lace Hanna for a closet smoker... next thing you know you are going to tell us you've had a few good stiff drinks to take the edge off OR would it be to taste the local flavor and be able to tell us all about it, sort of in the line of duty??

Now about your landlord Yuri, just make certain... from now on, when you go to eat out, you want to sit in the back of the restaurant, facing the entrance, with your back to an exit.

Hanna, I really don't think that police can stop you at the street and ask for your documentation until you are walking drunk to red houses with a half empty bottle of vodka in your hand, singing german marches. So my opinion - you can relax about registration I always do so when I'm in Moscow for example). But if even so that would happen to you, immediately call me (375)-44-7780045 I'll contact some people who could solve the problem. Otherwise the fine is not very harmful at all, I suppose. Your idea to go thru Karelia is very cool, you should visit Vyborg, to the north from Sankt-Petersburg, this is the town with a long history and there are many sights to see. I wish you to recover as soon as possible.Today I'm under impression from yesterday's folk music festival "Dudarski Fest" Its called by the name of the medieval belarusian kind of bagpipe - "duda" it was a very funny and enjoyable event it's pity that you missed it. I advice you to visit a concert of the headliners "Stary Olsa" they are well known in the folk music field in Belarus and abroad. It would be soon in the one of the most famous historical towns of Belarus - Nesvizh. Nesvizh has distinctive architecture, and you'll find out many interesting facts about history of Belarus there, the site of Stary Olsa is here http://staryolsa.com/ the concert will be 18.05.2011 at the Nesvizh townhall.

Originally Posted by WhiteKnight

Hanna, I really don't think that the police can stop you at on the street and ask for your documentation until you are walking drunk to red houses (we would say "walking drunk in the red light district") with a half empty bottle of vodka in your hand and singing German marches. So my opinion - you can relax about registration - I always do so when I'm in Moscow for example). But if even so even if that would happen to you, immediately call me (375)-44-7780045 and I'll contact some people who can could solve the problem. Otherwise the fine is not very harmful at all, I suppose.

Awww... you really are a White Knight!

Yeah, thank you both for the encouragement!

Whiteknight I was meaning to call you anyway, but all these problems came in between. Thanks for the super kind offer!
I'm just worried they'll give me grief on the border.... Apparently people who overstay their visas, for example, are not allowed to leave the country until they have obtained an extension. Can take weeks. Now I am not overstaying... but I have the wrong type of visa, and haven't registered it correctly.
There is no border check between Russia and Belarus though. And at the Russian/Finnish border I am practically home.

Thanks for your encouragement too Rockzmom! I bet that trip to El Salvador is a really interesting story!
What's keeping you from sleeping - are you sick too?

Originally Posted by rockzmom

Awww... you really are a White Knight!

)) thank you very much either for corrections and for compliment

Originally Posted by Hanna

Yeah, thank you both for the encouragement!

Whiteknight I was meaning to call you anyway, but all these problems came in between. Thanks for the super kind offer!
I'm just worried they'll give me grief on the border....

It seems to me that you've mixed up with the violations. As I know the registration is the case concerning just a city, and this is the affair of the city police only. On the border no one interested what city did you spend your time in and if you were registered in it, and they can not prove that you lived in Minsk for example, for more than 3 days (everyone can stay for 3 days by law) without registration. You could move from one town to another, day by day. And no one could say that you didn't

Yes... that makes a lot of sense! Hope you are right because Yuri has not called yet.

On the Lonely planet travel forum there is a British guy who lives in Lithuania, who says that he regularly goes to sanatoriums in Belarus.
He says he never bothered to register and nothing ever happened. I expect he must have stayed at the sanatorium for at least a week or so.
I am not sure where he crossed the border but I guess a land border. Good to hear they have better things to do than give tourists a hard time.

Oh my goodness I was soo unwell yesterday! Sinus infection, fever and stomach bug at the same time.
I just stayed in bed feeling truly awful. I can't imagine why I got a stomach bug; everything is very hygienic in Belarus, the water is ok to drink and I haven't eaten any of the things that traditionally trigger it. I am still rather weak and can't eat anything. But I am on the recovery, I think.

Originally Posted by Hanna

I am not sure where he crossed the border but I guess a land border.

You can be sure because Belarus has no marine borders (you've probably noted that unfortunately it has no sea and I'm personally very sad about it ) And I think that nobody could decided to go to Lithuania by plane. Minsk is very close (170 km) from Vilnius it's about three hours by a bus or an hour and a half by a car. And in Belarus there aren't any low-cost air operators as in EU and no direct lines to Lithuanian cities.

Originally Posted by Hanna

Oh my goodness I was soo unwell yesterday! Sinus infection, fever and stomach bug at the same time.
I just stayed in bed feeling truly awful. I can't imagine why I got a stomach bug; everything is very hygienic in Belarus, the water is ok to drink and I haven't eaten any of the things that traditionally trigger it. I am still rather weak and can't eat anything. But I am on the recovery, I think.

Ничего себе... Поправляйся, Hanna!

Hanna...

1st, so sorry that you are unwell. I do know how that feels to be unwell in a strange land and it is NOT a nice thing so I do send you much warm hugs and thoughts of a speedy recovery.

2nd, I need you to educate me. You have twice now mentioned "sanatorium" and I thought I understood the meaning of this word but was not certain so I looked it up and the term I understood it to mean was the definition I also found. So, I am confused as maybe you mean a Health Resort or Spa?

A sanatorium (also spelled sanitorium and sanitarium) is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis (TB) before antibiotics. A distinction is sometimes made between "sanitarium" (a kind of health resort, as in the Battle Creek Sanitarium) and "sanatorium" (a hospital).

If not and you do want to visit the medical facilities, if you don't mind sharing.... please explain your interest in them as there was one near where I grew up.

Thanks for the well wishes. I was able to eat some crackers so I am definitely getting better. Yuri has not called though.

Sanatoriums are something that the whole CIS area is famous for - it's a kind of a spa but not super-luxurious, just basic, for regular people.
I think they are usually located at very nice places, by a pretty lake, or a hot spa or by the sea. I think whole families go there together, or individuals alone to get treatment for illnesses.

I don't know too much about it, but because I know it's a traditional thing of this area, it interests me.
They mention in the Belarus tourism brochures that there are a large number of them in Belarus, and most have been recently renovated. The pictures look very nice.

In a Western European context this word usually refers to old hospitals for people who had TB. But most people are probably also aware that it means spa, for Russian speakers.

Originally Posted by Hanna

Rockzmom - Move to Kiev! Extremely cool city for lots of different reasons. Fantastic buildings, nice parks - quality shopping, cheap shopping, good food, seems completely safe - and a ride on the metro is 10 cent USD. People are mostly friendly and cool...

No just kidding, but what is going on with your internet connection? Have you only got dial-up, not broadband? If that's supposed to be broadband, then you are being ripped off! There are quite a lot of things you can't do online, with such bad speeds.

Now we know this forum is being watched

A couple of days ago some Verizon folks were canvasing the neighborhood and offered me a better plan for Internet, Cable and telephone. So I am now paying less per month than I did before and check out my new speed test...




Still not as fast as you Basil... but at least I'm not in the stone age any longer! The only downside, I have to figure out how to use the new digital phone service and learn all the cable channel numbers as they are all different... grrrr.

Originally Posted by Hanna

In a Western European context this word usually refers to old hospitals for people who had TB. But most people are probably also aware that it means spa, for Russian speakers.

Thanks for the explanation. I had not heard it used as such before.

Blimey Rockzmom! With a speed like this, you should get yourself a very large hard drive and start downloading films and software!!
Now, the sky is the limit! You can watch any film you ever wanted to see, within 10 minutes, for free.
But there is a tiny risk for people in the US, might end up like poor Jammie Thomas. Capitol v. Thomas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I was ill for one more day, but now I am almost certain I am better.
Can't wait to get out of this flat... I think I understand now what's meant by "travellers stomach".
And it's ironic that I should have so many troubles in the country that I was convinced was the safest!
Whereas in Ukraine which I thought was risky, I had no problems at all.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

Now we know this forum is being watched

A couple of days ago some Verizon folks were canvasing the neighborhood and offered me a better plan for Internet, Cable and telephone. So I am now paying less per month than I did before and check out my new speed test...

It might be speedtest that is leaking (for a fee) to verizon. Much more direct route than searching MR.

One extremely good thing came out of my long-running stomach problem! I easily lost over 3 kilo, maybe 4 (half a stone)! Since losing a bit of weight is one of my many objectives for this trip, I will NOT not consider the stomach upset a set-back on the trip. I'll be doubly hygienic from now on, so - lesson learnt! I am 178 (5'10)cm and I want to weigh under 65 kilo. "All things work together for good" hehe.... I have been so miserable with my work and stress while living in London recently that I let myself go a bit. But that's all in the past now.

Furthermore, my bank has managed to make a replacement Visa card and send it to the Swedish embassy in Minsk. (It has yet to arrive there though...) ) Gosh, it took me a long time to convince them to do that. I spent 2-3 hours on the phone with them. I certainly hope they sent it by courier and not in the mail. The other card should have been sent out by courier too. Hopefully one of them will reach me at least.

MINSK PICTURES COMING SOON!