The post you have all been waiting for...

Hello All!! I know you have all been holding your breath for this one. Its taken a week. BUt finally, its here. Its yours to read. Bear in mind that I have much more to write. Much more to tell you. But time is of the essence. And this essence costs more roubles than I have to spend. So enjoy what I have written thus far. And hold your breath again for more exciting instalments.

Matt.

I really should be typing this tomorrow. Yes, really. But perhaps if I do, my initial impressions might be lost. I have a lot to say. I have seen lots. I have been many many places in a very short amount of time. I have absorbed so many changes. And all with only 5 hours sleep over a period of 3 days. I could probably go home, wiser already. But I am looking forwards to spending more time here. If someone asked me to sum up Moscow in one word, I would tell them not to be so daft. One word, whatever word could do this place no justice. It is a remarkable, beautiful, and mysterious city. Everything that I see here, I expected. But that didn’t change the fact that from the fact that I was in awe of everything I saw. Even the simplest details were enough. This place is truly amazing. And so different to anything I have ever experienced. Which is part of the reason I had decided to do this in the first place.

The only logical place to begin would be at the start. So for a change, I’ll do the logical thing and start from Hong Kong. This follows on from when I finished my last blog entry. I wandered around for a while. And I made a few observations. Firstly, in Hong Kong International, there are at least four of every shop. And they all seem to be owned by Nuance Watson. Perhaps they should add an ‘S’ and it becomes Nusance Watson. I’m sure Mr or Mrs Watson won’t mind. They are probably making more money than god. I also managed to find a Starbucks. So I purchased a Mocha Frappechino. Much to my disgust, the tall size left a lot more Frappechino to be desired.

Anyway, I took it back to my seat in the lounge near gate 31 where SU596 was to depart from. Half an hour later. The aircraft gets to the terminal. A further half an hour later, we board the aircraft. Very similar to the Qantas aircraft from Melbourne to Honk Kong in terms of layout. And once again I had to pass through business class in order to get to Prole Class. I think they do this on purpose. Some kind of psychological game where maybe next time you will pay the asking price and go Business Class. And plus their bags of goodies tend to be better stocked than us Proles. (How much more is business class again??? J )

Almost identical setup on this Aeroflot 767 to the QANTAS A330 but only Three seats in the centre Row. And there were no television screens in the back of the seats. However there were Television screens located on the roof, on each side of the aircraft, and up the front of the Prole Class section. Much to both my delight, and disgust, the screens only displayed Where the aircraft was on a map, how fast it was going, how high it was flying, what time it was in Moscow, How long we had been flying for, and minutes to arrival. No movies, no entertainment. Just good old information. This was going to be a long flight. And it was a long flight. It was in the last half of the flight, that I began to feel extremely nervous. Actually hoping the flight would go longer. I wasn’t nervouse because of the flying itself. The chances of even an Aeroflot dropping out of the sky after all the events of the previous weeks, were pretty close to NIL. The nerves of an encounter, for which I had waited for so long, and due to happen with the next few hours. I nodded into a deep doze at one stage. I thought I must have been dreaming, about both the flights, and about Hong Kong. No it wasn’t, I was in an airliner, I had been to Hong Kong. And Moscow was only a few hours out.

Seeing as I checked in pretty early, I had the advantage of being put closer to the front of the plane, and being able to choose whether I had a window seat or not. Yay. Window seat it is. And much to my delight, the delay on food that was experienced on QANTAS was nonexistent on AeroFlot. We wouldn’t be running out of Continental Breakfast today. J I must say, the Aeroflot food was also very good in comparison to QANTAS. And It made me come to my first conclusion about Russian Food. The Russians are such sweet tooths!!! Everything is so much sweeter than it is back home. Even bread. Especially bread. I would also discover this later..

Anyway, the plane started to descend into Moscow. Although couldn’t really see much because there was some very menacing rain clouds blocking the view. But just as we came out underneath them and lined up for the runway, I saw my first landmark. The Ostankino TV Tower was clearly visable, and my God, It was massive!! So Tall!!. Look downwards again, the trees are getting closer, the tarmac starts and then the painted lines, The wheels touch down, the flaps go up, the thrust is reversed, and slows down quickly to a more safer speed. Aeroflot Flight SU596 is on the ground at Sheremetyevo II airport. The Russian contingent aboard applauds the skill of the pilot. I join in.

Everyone disembarks the aircraft, in a semi organized fashion and proceeds through several doors around the circumference of the air terminal. Until finally we reach Passport Control. It takes ages. The Asian Tourists in front of me in the line had forgotten to fill out their Migration Cards on the flight. They went over to bench where they were located and went to reclaim their place in the line. The older Australian ladies also ahead of me in the line advised that it wasn’t a possibility for them to get away with that. I doubt they would have finished them in time anyway, even at the speed that the Border Guard who was servicing our line was processing each entrant. I was in a bit of a hurry as well. I needed to go to the toilet, Badly. It was my turn. I walked up to the Border Guard. She was fairly young. “Dobriy Dyen”(Good Day) And then I realized where I made my first mistake. She started talking to me in rapid Russian. Oops. “Err. Err. Ya ne panimayoo. Mne Russkiy plohka!” (I don’t undertand. My Russian is bad) She smiled but said nothing more. Stamp stamp stamp. All done. Now where is that toilet. I find it. Use it, and try and get out of there as quickly as possible.

I find the baggage carousels. But none of them has SU596 on it. It turns they wouldn’t for another 20 mins. So anyway. I decided to ring Svetlana. “Hello I’m here. Just waiting for my baggage.” There are these big screens at Sheremetyevo Airport. With cameras attached to them. The people waiting in the baggage and customs can see the people waiting for them, just outside this area. After a couple of minutes of confusion we could see each other. The baggage came through. I then decided to read a customs declaration just to make sure I wasn’t carrying anything questionable. The Earrings!! There was a section for Precious Gemstones in any for. I filled one in, took my baggage to the declaration point and showed it to the lady was well as the earrings. She looked for a couple of seconds before shuffling me off to the Nothing to Declare line. Righteo!! Thanks for that. Get through the rather lax security at Customs. (I don’t think this Border Guard even wanted me to put my bags through the x-ray machine. I did anyway. Because the guy ahead of me did. I came out of customs, and immediately was hassled whether I wanted I taxi. I already had a ride. I just needed to find it.

Svetlana and her friends were standing nearby. Introductions were made. Sergei and Olga were providing the transport. We had to make a quick stop off before we left the airport. There was a machine very similar to the old 20c Coin games at Lunar Park. Only this machine had even more money in it and even less chance of winning. A bit more of a look around reveals these rooms that have slot machines in it. Through later observation, I would discover that the Old One Armed Bandits are everywhere in Moscow. Near Stations, In Airports, In Corner stores. Everywhere. And there is always someone using them. Free market economy gone crazy.

We get in the car. Which I immediately notice has no steering wheel on the right side. I look bewildered, Svetlana notices and questions. I reply simply that everything is on the wrong side. She insists jokingly that everything is on the correct side. :) We get onto the motorway, which is no easy task. There is no arrows or lights to stop main traffic. You have to merge in where possible. All discretion is care of the drivers. There are no traffic directions to intervene. But what if there is confusion I ask myself. Even in Australia, if someone gets confused with what another driver is going to attempt, then there is usually some kind of accident. Above all, everyone is driving on the wrong side of the road, which is weird in itself for someone who has been driving in another country. We stop to get petrol. Sergei goes in and pays the attendant, then comes out to fill up the car. We get going again. Traffic is horrible as we join the motorway again. I think it was Leningradsky Prospekt. Maybe. Anyway. I hear sirens. I look to the lanes heading in the other direction. There is a Militsia Lada 2103, followed by a black 7 Series BMW with a Blue Strobe light on top, followed by a black ZIL Limousine, Followed by another 7 Series with blue strobe, and another Militsia Lada. They take the outside lane, and all the cars seem to pile out of the way to avoid holding up this convoy. From memory this happens twice more with differing vehicles.

The traffic slows down to a crawl. We go down Tverskaya which is one of the main streets of Moscow. Mercedes, BMW, Hummers, everywhere. Expensive shops, expensive apartments. Tverskaya is a beautiful street. And if your wallet is big enough, you can share some of it. As an English Teacher, I can only look at it and think, Wow.

We get lost, then we find ourselves again. I see the Kremlin for the first time. On this particular stretch of road, there are innumerable quality imported vehicles, all black with blue strobe lights. Government vehicles of some description. They are everywhere, cutting through traffic, blue strobes, never turned off. Lucky bastards.

Starovagankovsky Perelouk is a small street just up from the Kremlin. It’s the home to BKC International House administration office in Moscow. I go and meet a few of the administration staff, some of which I dealt with throughout the recruitment and visa application process. Another lady gives me some new sheets, keys, a metro pass and a phone card and a few maps. “Well seeing as you found your way here, instead of sending someone to pick you up, tomorrow you can catch Metro.” ‘Err. Ok. I’ll do that”

Go back to street level, get back in car, have some of this sweet slice type, err, thingamajigger. (Don’t know the name of it.) Anyway get moving again, well, we try to anyway. The traffic is still horrible this time of night. It’s a slow journey until we get to somewhere near Avtozovodskaya, Still have plenty of distance to cover. We go to take off from a set of lights. The car stalls. And doesn’t start again. Simply refuses to turn over. Sergei and Olga start making phone calls to other potential rides. I start to feel even more guilty than I did when we were stuck in traffic. Great, now I’ve killed someone’s car. Goodo. We wait. And wait. Suddenly headlights appear, and stop in front of our car. Oh great. Our ride is here. Or not. The car is a Lada 2103. It has lights on the top. Two uniformed men get out. Oh great. I know who they are. The Muscovites each have their paperwork checked. And then ask to check mine. My passport comes out. “Avia Bilyet?” enquires the officer. Svetlana asks him why he wishes to see my airline ticket. I am curious too. He insists, so I have to get into the back of the car, into my bag to get it for him. I find it, he inspects it. Hands it back with my passport. No bribes required. I have only been here for a few hours and already I have been hassled by the Militsia. (Although I haven’t been hassled since)

Stas arrives in his car, and Svetlana and I ride with him. Olga and Sergei catch the Metro Home. The car stays where it died. After further driving, we make it to the apartment building. Its now 11:30pm. I am wrecked. Beyond wrecked. Svetlana and I exchange some presents and she goes home. I struggle to my bed and collapse into it. Tomorrow I have to leave at 9:00am. I have to go to BKC head office where I will start my Orientation. I’m here. I’m half dead. But I’m here. I made it. I tried desperately to sleep, trying to set aside everything I had seen and experienced. Eventually, pure exhaustion set in and I slept.
End of Blog Entry

Footnote
You other Aussies have no idea what you are missing out on in terms of Vodka. I have tried just one sample of the enormous selection available here in Moscow (Russkiy Standart) Oh my god. There is vodka. And then there is real VODKA.

Da Svidanya!!

PS. I just read a previous post. I think I told you all to have sweet dreams. And when you wake up, to follow them. I implore you to do this. Because then, and only then will you find happiness of the kind that I have now. Please people. If you love someone. Tell them today. And then tell them every day.