My 1st trip to Russia
KL- Tashkent - Moscow
Thursday - 10/03/05
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12.30 am - Departure by Uzbekistan airways to Tashkent
5.00 am ( 8.00 am Malaysian Time ) - Reach Tashkent airport- met 1 family from Malaysia...he's relatives is Kazakhstan ambassador..have a breakfast with them in cafe at the airport
8.30 am ( 11.30 am Malaysian Time ) - Departure to Moscow - customs ask about the camera cause I bring 2 cameras..one is view cam and another is normal camera
flight berlepas...seat with 1 person from kyrgistan...we talk and talk
10.30 am (12.30 am Uzbek Time / 4.30 pm Malaysian Time ) - Reach Moscow Domodedevo international airport..is like a dreams although I never dreams to go to Russia alone..is like a miracle come to this magnificent country
after customs declaration met Oleg who waits outside ( the customs are very friendly and helpful )
and he said..." here u are, in Russia "
weather is snow shower ( Its my 1st time snow experience )
take a bus to subway..around 15 minutes...see the veiw..all white ..forest
take a subway to Balaklaskaya ( 30 minutes journey ) ...many people ..so many
after reach Oleh house ( homestay ) ..take a shower...what a releif cause 18 hours without shower..
SMS to Anatloy, Andrey , Vitaly..they feel terkejut cause finnaly i'm in Russia
12.30 am - buy Russian sim card in shops nearby..300 Ruble ( 10 USD ) - change money from USD to Ruble
take a subway and take a tram after that
we went to Malaysian Embassy to register my trip...and get some info about Russia from them..
we went to Soyuz hotel nearby..take a photo cause is like in the forest...quite far but I like walking.
18.00 pm - take subway and hanging around in Moscow...just atke a photo..theres a Moscow University builiding ( The Tallest building in Moscow at that time )
19.30 pm- went to Mcdonalds for a dinner ( 1st Mcdonalds outlet in Moscow ) ..so many customers..
21.00 pm - went home by subway...met Oleg wife .she's not understand english so Oleg transalte what she says..but she's happy to met a guest from Malaysia
eat caviar with bread..nice
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Friday - 11/03/05
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9.00 am - wake up- talk with Oleg family including his son...take a breakfast..a bread and soup..
10.00 am - take a walk to subway to Central Moscow ( 45 minutes journey )
11.00 am - Reach Central Moscow- went to shopping complex nearby
12.30 am - Lunch - eat burger and fried chicken ...
met a 3 indonesian students ..we talk and talk..they terkejut as i'm alone ...
seee the beautiful and historic Red Square and the heritage museum...entrance fee is around 200 Ruble...but beautiful...i learn history of old Russian civilization
bought a stamps for souviners
went to internet cafe nearby- chat with Alena ..ask where we could met..she said wait..she'll call Oleg
take a photo in Red Square ( Lenin Mauselom, St Basil Cathedral )
19.00 pm - take a subway to home
after dinner in Oleg house..sleep...zzzzz
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Saturday - 12/03/05
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9.00 am - wake up- take breakfast and watch cartoon ( TV )
10.00 am - walk to the subway the central, call Alena..she said not now maybe later...cause there's a repair workers in her house..repairing the piping..
12.00 am- went again to Red Square - take a light lunch...just a hotdog and coke
Met Alena ( I know her in ICQ chat ) ..went to see the historical building and cathedral
take a photo together with Alena
after Alena went home cause her friends call...we went to the Arbat Street ..buy some souviners, T - Shirt ( The design is attractive )
18.00 pm- went home by subway...during walking i feel my leg crammed - maybe cause not use in winter..take a rest around 5 minutes before start walking again.
19.00 pm - Reach home..dinner and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Moscow - St Petersburg
Sunday - 13/03/05
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9.00 am - wake up..breakfast
went to Coins, Banknotes collector gathering ( something like Amcorp Mall here )
bought some old Russian banknotes, bond including 19th century banknotes
many collector gathered here every sunday ( also like in Amcorp Mall )
I think I'm the only asian people here...
went to money changer..buy a train ticket to St petersburg at train station..
12.00 am - went home...have a light lunch..
take a nap and packing..just take 1 beg for the trip..
others leave in Oleg House
14.00 pm - went to Subway to Train Station...
16.00 pm - take a train to St Petersburg.i'm sitting with 1 girl..she's not understand english so ok..
21.30 pm - Reach St Petersburg ( 2nd largest Russian city and once is a capital of Russian Empire )
the weather is quite cold...i think more colder than Moscow
met Anatoly and Andrey Novogebersky...greet them
Anatoly brings to the car and after put the luggage and went to Anatoly house in Leningrad Prospect ( 30-40 minutes drive from the train station )
Anatoly call Oleg said I'm selamat sampai
Reach Anatoly house..take a shower and put the luggage in the room
sembang2 with Anatoly...he said Oleg inform him everything about what I eat ( Rice ) and etc
watch TV and sleep...there's a persian cat in the room..he's like a king...so nice
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Monday - 14/03/05
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9.00 am - Wake Up- surf Internet in Anatoly house... watch TV and take a breakfast
after shower went to ST Petersburg Central...went to Anatoly summer house ( Work in progress ) ...is nice ...
went to Train Station to bough a ticket to Ekaterinburg ( Sverdslork )
take a walk in the city..reach Mosque..the design is nice
cannot entering inside cause is not a prayer time yet..so just take a photo nearby
went to museum nearby ...buy a medal, old coins,
Anatoly said he's not a tourist guide..so if want to know some places or anything just inform him
12.30 am - Lunch at Pizza hut..the dishes is similliar like in Malaysian...Anatoly belanja..
we went to St Peters Gate..inside the cathedral theres a Peter the Great and Ekaterina the Great Cemetery..take a photo..many tourist here
melawat Kazan Cathedral ..take a photo..is one of toursit spot in St Petersburg..Anatoly paid the tickets
met Andrey Sharoyko.. ( we know in internet and banknotes collecting )..Andrey is one of my best collector friends...he and Anatoly who suggest St Petersburg is my visit in Russia
take a coffee in cafe ( cam Coffee Bean ) a lot of people there..they staring at us and smile...
take a walk in Nevsky street..there's a souviner shop..but the price is quite higher compare to Moscow
went to super market and Anatoly boght a Turkish chicken for a dinner..yahoo
going home and surf internet..chatting la apa lagi..chat with friend- steffi in frankfurt ( Germany )
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Tuesday - 15/03/05
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9.00 am - Wake up and breakfast
today the weather is sunny..nice but quite cold
10.00 am - went to Hermitage- wow so big and the scenery is fantastic..many tourist from Europe, USA, China, Phillipines and others
every floor and room had a different segments like Russian history in 1st floor, China History in 3rd Floor and many
14.00 pm - Lunch at cafe nearby..there's a someone sells ushanka hat..i bought it around 300 Ruble
after hermitage visit ( feels like coming there again ) went to souviner shop .quite expensive but the sellers can speaks english well...just bought a key chain, watch, flag and matroyska doll ..,
18.00 pm - SMS Alena..said about my journey here...she's quite happy
19.00 pm - watch TV...Russian Drama, news, movie
21.00 pm - sleep early cause so tired 1 day walking and sight seeing
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Wednesday - 16/03/05
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10.00 am - just wakeup...feels tired travelling in winter ( Russian extreme winter )
check email and surfing internet and take a breakfast
kemas bag to leave for train station
buy things to eat in supermarket nearby Anatoly house- bekalan in 38 hrs train
after lunch ( I can't remember what I eat ) Anatoly hantar ke train station
16.30 pm - Take a train- 2nd classed ( 4 bed in 1 room ) met a guest from finland..they can speaks english..they terkejut and happy to met a Malaysian like me..
talking with them..tells about our country, culture, food and so on
have a look at views outside window..all white like Polar Express cartoon
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Thursday - 17/03/05
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5.30 am - train stop at Volgagrad - they ( Finland tourist ) turun..said do svidania and paka ( bye )
so just leave me alone in the room for 17 hours ..eat some bekal..
22.00 pm - there's another 3 guest coming.,.they dont speaks english..so just hi and communicate by sign languages
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Ekaterinburg
Friday - 18/03/05
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5.30 am - Reach Ekaterinburg ( Sverdslork )...wah...37 houres in train...thats my 1st experience
met Vitaly Kusov and we went to subway nearby..i feel very cold here...i think around -15 or -20..i think so
7.00 am - reach Vitaly house..so its shower time...almost 2 days without shower...feels terrible
after that have breakfast...vitaly mother cook
12.00 am - went out for walking as vitaly house is just a walk to the city...
went to Metal Industry Museum..is where urals fine art ...entering and take a photo
Alex from Ukrainia call...tell sorry cause he couldnt get my message
( Actually i'm supposed to visit Ukraine ( Kiev, Lyov and Kherson ) during my trip to Russia but due to miscommunications problems..so the plan not materialized)
have a lunch in KFC....
went to bookshop,supermarket, shopping complex in the city
17.00 pm - going home watch TV and sembang2 with vitaly
surf internet at vitaly house ( something like streamyx in Malaysia )
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Urals
Saturday - 19/03/05
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9.00 am - wakeup..breakfast in which delicious ( Vitaly Mother is a good in cooking )
Vitaly friends coming...ikima and now we will went to vacation in urals resort ( I can't remember the place )
11.30 am - Reach the resort...wah...is in middle in the forest
book the room and plays guitar with Ikima ( Ikima is a musician, he had experience plays in the street in Germany )
we exchanges malaysian and russian songs by guitar
12.30 am - Lunch in the cafe in the resort
after that take a walk nearby...take photos
6.30 pm - have a barbeque outside the resort..wah..my favourite..chicken wings..yummy..
7.30 pm - theres a something like a game in the resort...all of them speaks Russian only..so i join them...is fun...
at night..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Sunday - 20/03/05
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9.00 am - wakeup..have a breakfast in the resort...i notice 1 songs ...a vey nice songs play in the resort..i ask the waiter what is the songs and whose the singer..she said is by Yulia Savicheva...from there I know and like Yulia Savicheva
11.00 am - went back to ekaterinburg
13.00 pm - Reach Vitaly house - Olya called ...she will come to vitaly to visit me
( Like Alena , i know Olya in ICQ )
14.00 pm - take a walk and buy some souviners nearby in the city
Vitaly mother call...said Olya had come, so rushing to go back home
15.00 pm - Reach home...so shock to see how beautiful and tinggi is Olya..maybe 6 feet over,..maybe..she hughs me and so his friend ( Natalya ) ..wah..feels like in hollywood movies la plak..hehehehe,..she brings her photo album about her trip to USA..nice scenery..
we talking and talking like old friends...very good conversation as we both understand the english well..
17.00 pm - Olya said goodbye...hughs and take a photo
18.30 pm - Vitaly friends coming for a talk..so we talk about country, culture and so on
20.00 pm - dinner- as always vitaly mom cooking...very delicious
watch TV, surf internet and zzzzzzzzzzzz
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Monday - 21/03/05
9.00 am - wakeup, packing , buy some souviners in shop nearby and some food for bekalan in train
11.00 am - take a taxi to the train station
11.30 am - reach Train station...say goodbye and thanks or the hospitality to Vitaly and his family
a lot of russian passengers looking at me and smiling
so stay in 4 beds train ...theres a 1 businessman and old main on board...they dont understand english...so just smiling
16.00 pm - after they left..comes 3 passengers ...they said atkuda ( where u from ), i said i'm from Malaysia..they terkejut but smile
1st person is Yuri, 2nd person is sergey..the 3rd person I can't remember..but they are very friendly although they dont understand english..so we communicate by using kamus ( Dictionary )..they ask me why go to Russia in 2 weeks?..Russia is very big- the biggest country in the world ..at least needs 1 month to travel all over Russia..i told them...later..later
once the trains stop in 10-15 minutes for another passengers to come...so we go out buy a drinks and talking outside although quite cold in evenings
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Moscow
Tuesday - 22/03/05-
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16.30 pm - reach Moscow- almost 30 hrs by train from ekaterinburg
met Oleg and said paka to Yuri, Sergey and others
take a subway to oleg house...have a shower and packing the luggage
went out to buy Alia Pugacheva album and others
17.45 pm - went back to Oleg house..packing again..said goodbye to Oleg and his family
19.00 pm - met Alena for the last time..have a drink and eat pancake in the cafe..she gives me a tasbih beads mades from Urals stone for gift..i give her..apa ..x ingat ..maybe roses or souviners that I bought in Ekaterinburg
20.00 pm - Oleg friends comes to fetch me to send to the airport
on the journey ..watch Moscow scenery for the last time by windows view...feels sad and crying cause I feel so enjoy in this country
21.00 pm - reach domodedevo airport..said goodbye to Oleg and sms to Alena...bye
22.00 pm- flight departure to tashkent and to KLIA..
Paka
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