WARNING START You are browsing 2001-2004 newsletters archive
Prices and events mentioned refer to past times, some links may not work, To get back to current issue, click here WARNING END

Dear Sir or Madam,

Hello, guys. Peter here again! I've just come back from Ibiza, what a wonderful place! Let me tell you a couple of interesting things about it. There are a lot of myths and legends about this delightful Spanish island, and I was impressed by them! The ancient Phoenicians believed that the soil of Ibiza was blessed by God. Incredibly, there are no reptiles or animals which can injure your health. And to this day, many people carry amulets with holy soil, which protect them from disaster. What is more, Nostradamus, the well-known astrologer and foreteller, predicted that Ibiza would be the only one place where people could live after a large nuclear explosion (I hope this prediction isn't tested). There are also quite a lot of unexplained things, such as why people don't live on the island of Es Vedra, which is situated near Cala D'Hort - they talk about meetings with unearthly creatures, circled with bright lights. Ibiza is an unusual place; it attracts creative people. Certainly, there are a great number of world talents there. As they said, they draw their inspiration from the peace and harmony with nature there. 
So Ibiza - the island of creators, is undoubtedly wonderful, but after a couple of weeks, I began to miss my Saint Petersburg. I missed the people, hurrying everywhere, the not-very-fresh air polluted by cars. I missed my friends and home… 

Safety guide to St. Petersburg

Chatting with people all over world always brings us to point where they ask “So, where do you live?”. My answer: “In St. Petersburg, Russia” brings 3 out of 4 of them near to collapse. They say:  “How? It’s such a dangerous place: How do you survive ? You’re being robbed every day and kidnapped on the weekends?”. I usually tell them that the only kidnapping I took part in was when my Russian girlfriend invited me for a little help at her dacha (country house). This turned into a 4-day long romantic experience - snow closed all of the roads, and we were all alone, with no option but to get to know each other better and better. 

Being tired of all these Russian crime conversations, instead of Russian lessons I’ll give you some advice on safety in Russia. It’s a pity, but Russia is not really a paradise country, located somewhere between Finland and China. Here, you can face all aspects of today’s life, including crime, but remember: you don’t have to! Some friends of mine, visiting Russia, came with and "I’m on vacation, everything is fine" mood, and got stuck into the expensive chain of restaraunts, night clubs and greedy one-night-stand girlfriends. They left with the impression that dinner in Russia usually costs $200, and a taxi is $10 for each mile. This is the easiest and most common way to loose your money in Russia. 

Piece of advice #1: Think before you pay! Hennessy tastes and costs the same in the U.S. and in Russia, but you didn’t come to Russia for Hennessy, don’t you?

Another tourist is just asking to be robbed by slowly walking alone through the crowded streets of St. Petersburg with his thick wallet in his back pocket, a digital camera in one hand and map in the other. Suddenly being stumbled upon by a good looking guy, who says “Oh, I beg your pardon”, he thinks: “What a polite guy, and with a British accent”, and just 15 minutes later, when he needs to pay for coffee, he realises that his wallet has disappeared together with the British-accent- speaking person. 

Piece of advice #2: When in Russia, always put your wallet into your inside pocket, don’t take all your money with you, put some Russian money into an outer pocket to pay for postcards, coffees or subway tokens.

I bet you want your own experience of other countries, not the bus windows slide show - otherwise you wouldn’t read this newsletter, would you ? It is a balance between freedom and safety, and it’s up to you to make a choice. Full guided tours with hotel accommodation give you 100 percent of safety, while you have no freedom at all. Almost with the same level of safety, you can get near to absolute freedom by hiring a private guide and taking homestay accommodation - and save as much as half of your travel budget. Bonus: your experience of Russia will belong to you only and it will be so rich that you can probably start a career as a Russia expert in your home country.

Piece of advice #3: Plan your trip in advance, talk with friends who've been to Russia before, decide what you prefer as your travel “base” - hotel, apartment or homestay, and who will help you to expore the terrain - your guide book, the private guide you’ve found through the Net, or a guide for the group, as useful as an audio book.

New threat : Russian police. The local expat media and the Internet are filled with horror stories of foreigners being searched, robbed and detained by …. Russian police. The usual story goes like this: One guy, after couple of beers mixed with a few shots of vodka “na zdorovye”, didn’t make his way back to the hotel at 2 a.m. because of a Russian police patrol. He was stopped, he didn’t speak any Russian, so he was searched and his money disappeared. The usual advice is, in the event of police patrol raid, take your wallet in your hand, and let these cops search you, but not your wallet. It's also a good idea to have copies of your documents, either with you, or in a safe place, just in case.

Piece of advice #4: If you notice the walls starting to dance and you can’t spend the night where you are, it’s time to call to the English- speaking taxi service, which should be listed in your guide. Yes, you will pay up to 20 US dollars, but your only risk will be hearing too much Russian crime music (first choice of taxi drivers), instead of being a part of an incident. Alternatively, get those Russian friends who tested your drinking skills, and tell to them “Otvesite menya domoy/v gostinizu” - Deliver me home / to the hotel.

Sometimes it’s not you, it’s the people around you. Somebody needs help, you changed your plans and need to call your guide, you didn’t like the situation in some place and need the support. In most cases, the solution is just one phone call away, and you can’t make it. From the positive side of view - in Russia you can meet new friends everyday, and only contact point you can give to them, is your e-mail and foreign phone number. What should you do ?

Piece of advice #5 : If you stay longer than a week, and you are used to being wired, rent a mobile phone, or, if you've already got one, buy the connection package at one of the local cellular operators. Ask your guide, your friends, or just make a call to any of these companies - you’ll see the numbers everywhere on street ads. They claim they have English-speaking support, so make it judgement day for the support boy, who lied in his resume. For a small fee, you need never be lonely with calls from Natasha and Masha, whom you met yesterday, and in case of emergency you can reach your consulate even from subway (you can print out a list of foreign consulates in St. Petersburg by clicking here).

What's new in Educacentre

Seems like the best news always comes at the end of year, because EducaCentre is just brimming with events.

1. As you might already know, EducaCentre is a school of both Russian for foreigners and English as second language. On October 20, EducaCentre academic directors together with a British Council (St. Petersburg) representative, run a seminar on "How to buy the English language", targeted on HR agencies and HR managers. The initial topic of the discussion was English skills evaluation criteria, and we looked at why Russian and especially joint-venture companies need staff with English skills. The next seminar is scheduled for January 2003, if you or your friends are interested to participate, you can apply by writing to seminar@educacentre.net 

2. Slava, manager of the International Department, hasn't stopped on his course of change, started with his marriage. To get some rest, he travelled alone to the ALPHE Workshop in Thailand, where he had negotiations with dozens of potential business partners from South-East Asia. You can view a couple of photos here. Seems like, in addition to working hard, he didn't forget to have some fun in the sun.

3. HOT OFFER! We are offering you a "White Christmas at the Hotel Astoria" program, from December 23, 2002 - December 26, 2002. The package includes: 3 nights accommodation; buffet breakfast every morning; transfer to/from the airport or railway station;ticket to the Mariinsky Theatre performance, including transportation; entrance ticket to the Hermitage Museum; Christmas Dinner at Davidov's restaurant including a bottle of house wine. The price of the package is $636 only. To get more details please click here or write to travel@russian-st-petersburg.com

4. International Fellowships and Grants project, http://www.educacentre.net/grants, guided by Vladislav Ivanov, in the near future will provide information on grants, internships and fellowships for Americans and Europeans who want to work or study in Russia and CIS countries. Vladislav hopes that this will help those, who would like to experience former USSR countries, but don't have the financial ability to travel just as a tourist. You can write to Vlad with your thoughts and ideas on grants@educacentre.net

5. "Old jokes in English" web project http://joking.narod.ru, supported among others by EducaCentre's webmaster Serge Arsentiev, is keep being updated, more than 180 materials, including pictures, movies, stories are waiting for you on-line. 

This month in St-Petersburg and Russia.

The Dance of the Little Swans

The outstanding success of the summer ballet seasons at the Imperial Hermitage Theatre has inspired their organisers, “Soyuzsportteatr” to stage performances by leading Russian ballet dancers on this stage in winter too. On November 12, 15, 19, 23, 26, 27 and 29, December 27, 28, 29 and 30 and 2 January soloists from St. Petersburg’s leading theatres will be dancing one of Tchaikovsky’s best ballets — “Swan Lake”.
source : www.whererussia.com/spb

The Birth of a Legend

If love is born in heaven, then where are ideas born? They hover in the air in the form of traditions and legends, patiently awaiting their moment. Then they come to life, sometimes in the most unexpected manner. Here is a story about our city’s founder, Peter the Great: they say that during his journey through Europe, the Emperor loved German beer and decided to brew similar beer in Russia

source : www.whererussia.com/spb

Love Parade

The completion of the construction of the elite Fifth Element apartment block on Krestovsky Island was celebrated with an innovative contest that brought together a host of the city's leading designers and artists on Friday. Each was given the task of decorating one of the future apartments according to their own conception of "love in space" and domestic comfort. Designs featured a live bull, buffet meals and xxx-rated porn videos in the apartments, which are priced for around $3,000 per square meter. Furniture and accessories for the apartments were provided by a number of the city's leading stores. About 2,000 guests attended the opening.

source : www.sptimes.ru 

This is a monthly newsletter from your friendly travel company EducaCentre/ Russian St.Petersburg Tours. Please, contact us if you have any questions about our offers and news. We love hearing from you!!! If you do not wish to receive our newsletter, please, fill in our unsubscription form.