Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SwimminThruAsia]

Hey Guys,

So, I read the sticky about getting to Vladivostok.
I'm thinking of hopping over to Vlad from Incheon for a few days in summer, and then flying cross country to Moscow....then, direct back to Seoul.

Is this possible, in a money no object world? With Russian visa regulations, etc?


Would this be cheaper than flying directly from Seoul to Moscow?

Does anyone have any idea? AM I nuts for considering such an undertaking?


Thanks

Swimmer

[kangnam mafioso]

if you value your life, you will not take aeroflop or any other russian airline.

anyway, probably just as or more expensive than taking a major airline from seoul to moscow.

[ed4444]

It is very difficult to book internal flights in Russia from outside Russia. I had to do it in Mongolia but there was no language other than Russian on the aeroflot website.

Luckily I found a Mongolian person who could read Russian to help me out.

Aeroflot have some nice new places but too many old ones as well. I used Pulkovo airlines in Russia aswell once. They were OK.

It sounds like a daft holiday though.

A better one and much cheaper one would be to go to Vlad then take the train to Ulan Ude. Then head into Mongolia and live it up for a while before flying from Ulan Baator back to Seoul.

Its better to take in Moscow as part of an Eastern Europe trip if you are there because its must more convenient. That way you can take in Saint Petersburg which is much nicer than Moscow anyhow.

[kangnam mafioso]

[soviet_man]

The Russian airline "Dalavia" has an office near Seoul City Hall (about 5 minutes walk from subway exit 10 or 11) in the same building as all the other airline offices.

"Siberia Airlines" has an office (across the same street) in an opposite building.

I have bought internal Russian domestic tickets there. Office hours: only Mon-Fri. Closed weekends.

[davai!]

Last April, I flew from Incheon to Moscow on Vladivostok Airlines ( www.vladavia.ru ) It was an interesting trip, the layover in Vlad was 2 nights, so I got to tool around the city for a day. This was definitely not enough. You might be able to stretch that to the next flight, which may come 2 or 3 days later. Might take some sweet talking. I got my ticket thru Kangsan Travel in Daegu...

Anyway, the whole cost way 440 USD, getting back on Aeroflot may run you about 600. Korean Air and Aeroflot do a codeshare, so you may buy one ticket and find yourself on the other's plane, but don't worry about Aeroflot. Their int'l service is usually on brand new Boeings. VladAir, however, uses Soviet Tupolev 54s which were just plain scary and tight. There was a refueling stop in the central Asian (Russian) city Abakan for about 90 min and then back in the air. (4.5 hrs x2+90min for 10.5 hours travel time...)

While in Vlad stay at the Primorsky Hotel. Just refinished and smack dab in the center of town. ($45/night- there really are no cheap options) I found the Gavan Hotel on the internet, which was a decent room but on the other side of the port. Oddly, there was a plaque on the door across from my $50 a night hotel room that "Kim Jong Il stayed here." Also, I successfully walked thru the port (where I shouldn't have gone- Customs Zone!) and on my attempt to exit, I was put in the back of a Soviet van by guys with AK-47s and brought back to the spot where I entered so to rat on the Guard who let me through....

but the city was really awesome. I loved the hills and the bay. There are islands just south of the city that looked like they could be a great day trip. A truly Russian city.

more later...

[davai!]

....A truly Russian city, but certainly Asian as well.

The cars there are almost all Japanese right hand drive, disassembled (motor taken out) at the port in Japan and reassembled at the port in Vlad. This eliminates 80% of the import fee because, in effect, they are importing car parts rather than a whole car... Who knows how many bolts go unused in the reassembly..?

The airport is quite a distance from the city, reportedly because when Stalin (?) drew up the plans for it, he didn't want anyone to see the ice that formed in Golden Horn Bay, effectively trapping in the magnificent Pacific Naval Fleet for a few months every year. The city was touted as a warm water port and he didn't want people to start asking questions....

That said, beware of the taxi situation. After the buses stop running at night, (when my flight got in) they jack up all the prices. You should pay about 500-600 rubles, but they suddlenly have you cornered, I ended up paying about 1100 (35 USD) because I didn't know. Try to make friends with someone on the plane to share a cab, it will help. They're probably all going to the same place.

As far as safety goes, there are a few things you should remember about Russia (and any big city)- Walk like you have a purpose, don't look like a lost tourist (don't pull out a map on the street corner, etc.) But mostly, don't speak English loudly in public and especially around the Militsia. They hear that and they are like flies on s&*t. I didn't feel threatened at any time, but I'm built like a defensive tackle and speak Russian pretty well... Also, bright tshirts with logos on them are rare in Russia and will get you noticed, as will shorts. The Russians dress conservatively and so should you. Here in Moscow, it is a new occurrence to see white tennis shoes.

Get a phrasebook and try to remember things like "one ticket" ("odeen bilyet") or others where you may be in a queue. Russians are impatient and won't appreciate you holding them up for a language lesson. This is especially true in the Moscow metro!

As far as a visa goes, yes, there are 3 things you will need: Invite, Application and Voucher. The process is not hard, but follow it to the "T" and you will be rewarded! The invitation and voucher will come to you by fax, together, after you book and pay for a single night in a hostel. You may have to pay a fee (around 20 USD) for the invite. Make a copy of this for yourself and carry these around the entire time you are in Russia. The application you can print from the online site for the Rus. Embassy. There is a seperate application for American males ages 18-45 and includes an extra form to fill out. (Because the US started to do this, it was recriprocal-the US stopped the practice, but the Russians still may-ask!)

Again, make copies of everything, including your passport, and have these on you at all times. Leave another copy with your friends at home with your itinerary just in case... Not 15 minutes after arrival into Rizhsky Vokzal (Moscow) I was approached by the militsia (yes, the police) and he wanted to see my documents. Gave him the visa, passport and he said he wanted to see my voucher! Give him points for trying, but I had the voucher right in my pocket and he couldn't shake me down.

2 months later, when trying to enter Rizhsky Vokzal to go to Riga (visa run) the SAME GUY asked for the docs again. OOps! Hadn't got registered in Moscow yet... Cost me 600 rubles! To the police!! When I offered him 200 he looked over at his friends and said, "But there's three of us!!!"

Lesson learned, carry your docs with you at all times, have extra copies around. The police will generally be your only obstacle. Mind you, the registration will only be necessary in Moscow, but the hotel in Vlad will stamp you, too.

Make sure to put every city you plan on visiting on your application, and if you just think you want to go to , say, Khabarosk, you know, to see a toxic benzene slick, put it on there, better safe than sorry.

The cost will be about $100 for slowest service, here is the website for Seoul.

http://www.russian-embassy.org/english/consular.html

No matter what the website or receptionist says, they will tell you something different, so bring extra money just in case.



Need a hostel in Moscow? www.godzillashostel.com They will give you a visa and invite/voucher and register you whilst there. (If you want to make an overnight trip to Petersburg, save your ticketstubs so you can show the greedy policeman.)Godzillas is central to everything, clean and fun. Around 25 USD/night. Or if money is no object as you say:

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/moscow/

A couple travel sites:

www.avantix.ru
www.infinity.ru

If not in English, you can still type in the name of the city (not the airport code) in English in the search field. also, www.aeroflot.ru has an english page, and will soon have online booking!


Have fun! I hope you make it, I met alot of folks in Korea who really wanted to go, but the red tape turned them off. It's really not that bad if you expect the unexpected!

The summertime is an excellent time to visit Russia, and if you are a single man, there really is no better place. Fun for women, too!

davai!

[davai!]

http://www.ostwest.com/en-vld-hotels-pri.html

found this. It was cheaper to just show up, but this hotel is right there in the center.