Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DanyarMagyar]

Heya,

I'm traveling with my mom this summer from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg and she had some random questions for me, in particular about Siberia, and I don't know the answers having never been to Russia.

- Good brands of bottled water?
- Where if anywhere could you find clean ice for a thermos or cooler?
- Where are you likely to find a functioning toilet if you have the runs and you are walking in the street?
- Are there anything like public libraries in the smaller cities (ie irkutsk, khabarovsk)?
- Are the post offices easily identified?
- Should we travel with a phone card, disposable cell phone?
- Does the zoo in Vladivostok have an Ussuri tiger or any of the tiny horses from the Yakut region?
- Does the arboretum in Khabarovsk sell seeds?
- Can you get over the counter pharmacy stuff easily?
- Where do you find them cheapest most economic ways to ship things home from Russia, if any?
- Are the overnight trains in 2nd class really hard and uncomfortable? Are they loud? Is it easy to sleep?

[jcan]

Good brands of bottles water is the number one priority when travelling around Russia?

[nukeday]

Those are some of the strangest, most random travel questions I've ever seen....

[bradshaw]

The cities you are traveling to are developed and you will have no problem finding bottled water. I cannot recommend to you the best brand, as I usually grab whatever is cheapest. They were properly sealed and tasted fine, just like a bottle from North America.

The sell ice in grocery stores, which is are very easy to identify. Written in cryllic even, it's easy to identify the word 'market.' Your hotel may have an ice machine as well.

There are plenty of toilets available for use ... hotels, movie theatres, restaurants and cafes all have working toilets.

That's all I can say for sure. Relax - it's easier to get around, find what you need than you'd guess. Pack a good Russian phrasebook with you, as English is sometimes not spoken much in the smaller cities.