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  #1  
Vecchio 25-10-2005, 18.44.24
Gregory Morrow
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...

[url]http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1019/p06s03-woeu.html[/url]

Russian holiday: just for the hardy

Only three million tourists visited the country last year.

By Fred Weir | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

"SOCHI, RUSSIA - At first glance, the view from Sochi's Black Sea shore
looks almost perfect: sparkling blue sea, a broad band of beach backed by
palm trees and green hills, a range of snow-capped mountains in the
distance.

Then a freight train rumbles down the beachfront within a few feet of
sunbathers - and the idyll shatters.

The legacy of hamhanded Soviet planners is only one of many obstacles facing
tour operators as they try to entice Western travelers to post-Soviet
Russia.

Though it is the world's largest country, with natural wonders, unique
architecture, and famous art museums, Russia places almost last among
European lands as a tourist destination.

The Russian Tourism Union, an association of 1,000 private companies,
recently cited red tape, high prices, poor infrastructure and service, and
security fears as key reasons foreign tourism fell by 25 percent this year.

Even many Russians are opting for cheaper and better vacation packages
offered in southern Europe and Asia, the group said.

"Whenever I talk to Americans about Russia they inevitably say, 'Why on
earth would you go there?' " says Jeff Wilgos, a Bostonian who's building a
holiday village in the central town of Suzdal, the third main tourist
destination after Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In Soviet times, a trip behind the Iron Curtain was a cold war thrill, and a
bit of deprivation was regarded as part of the experience. Nearly 7 million
Westerners trooped to the USSR in 1991, most with the state firm Intourist.

Last year, barely 3 million foreign tourists (including 182,000 Americans)
came to Russia, few venturing beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg. The vast
majority still travel with package tours offered by Intourist, now a private
firm, and other operators who usher travelers through hurdles - at a steep
price.

"People pay almost twice as much to visit Russia as it costs to vacation in
other European countries,"says Sergei Synitsyn, adviser to the ***** of
Russia's official tourist agency Rosturist. "This is mostly due to the cost
of accommodation. We don't yet have a range of affordable hotels."

Russian tourists took $20 billion abroad last year but spent just $1 billion
traveling at home. Foreigners spent about $2 billion, according to
Rosturist.

For individuals, planning a Russia trip can be daunting. Internet-based
companies have sprung up to help with visas. But official help is almost
nonexistent. "We hope for real funding in future but right now, basically,
we don't have a penny to provide information to would-be visitors," says Mr.
Synitsyn.

Getting around can be a frustration for non-Russian speakers, experts say.
Bureaucratic hurdles are, at best, baffling. "You've got to register your
visa [with local police] in each city you visit, which is sometimes easier
said than done,"says Lisa Dickey, an American writer who's reprising a trip
she made across Russia a decade ago. "Buying train tickets, booking hotel
rooms, and the like - is somewhat easier than it was 10 years ago, though
anyone expecting a Western level of 'customer service' will be in for a rude
shock," she says.

Some experts say Russia's image as crimeridden is a bum rap. But others
disagree. "Russia is largely a police state, and there are lots of
opportunities to run into troubles with the law,"says Viktor Kremeniuk,
deputy director of the official Institute of USA-Canada Studies in Moscow.
"There is corruption among the police, who might use any pretext to make
your life hard. A foreigner who comes here on a tourist visa, with no large
organization to protect him, presents a tempting target to police,
criminals, and venal service personnel."

But most agree that Russia still has much to offer. "This is a unique
country, which most of the world knows nothing about,"says Kira Nekrasova,
director of Intourist's US department.

Sochi, where Czarist and Communist elites vacationed, is a graceful city of
400,000 whose palm-fringed seaside is lined with Soviet-era sanitoriums.
President Vladimir Putin summers here and often skis at the nearby resort of
Krasnaya Polyana. Many ordinary Russians still flock here as well. But
adjacent areas of the north Caucasus, once famous for mountain vistas and
mineral-water spas, are mostly off-limits due to the war in Chechnya.

Boat cruises down the 2,300-mile Volga River remain popular, though the
Tourist Union complains that the cruise fleet is a "floating museum." The
famous Trans-Siberian Express also needs investment, experts say, though it
is booked for two years ahead.

Some see a future in "extreme tourism," such as breaking the sound barrier
in a MiG-25 fighter plane or flying to the North Pole by helicopter. "For
regular tourists ... Russia is probably not the place to go,"says Mr.
Kremeniuk. "But for those who like a risk, it's got real potential, so why
not develop this?"

</>


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  #2  
Vecchio 26-10-2005, 01.52.46
DDT Filled Mormons
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...

On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:44:24 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
<gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@earthlink.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
>[url]http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1019/p06s03-woeu.html[/url]
>
>Russian holiday: just for the hardy[/color]

Despite the name, I have read some really good articles from the
Christian Science Monitor, including this one, which is spot on.

What is it with the Russians who seems intent to let their country go
to rot instead of actually doing something worthwhile with it?
--
---
DFM - [url]http://www.deepfriedmars.com[/url]
---
--
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  #3  
Vecchio 26-10-2005, 15.47.02
Gregory Morrow
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...


DDT Filled Mormons wrote:
[color=blue]
> On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:44:24 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> <gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@earthlink.net> wrote:
>[color=green]
> >[url]http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1019/p06s03-woeu.html[/url]
> >
> >Russian holiday: just for the hardy[/color]
>
> Despite the name, I have read some really good articles from the
> Christian Science Monitor, including this one, which is spot on.[/color]


The _CSM_ is very highly regarded, especially for it's international
reporting. They somehow manage to find interesting angles that
everyone else misses. In fact for international reporting I'd rate
them above the august _New York Times_...


[color=blue]
> What is it with the Russians who seems intent to let their country go
> to rot instead of actually doing something worthwhile with it?[/color]


It's their "culture of misery" I guess...

--
Best
Greg

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  #4  
Vecchio 26-10-2005, 19.13.55
Tom Peel
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...

Gregory Morrow wrote:[color=blue]
> DDT Filled Mormons wrote:
>
>[color=green]
>>On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:44:24 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
>><gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>
>>[color=darkred]
>>>[url]http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1019/p06s03-woeu.html[/url]
>>>
>>>Russian holiday: just for the hardy[/color]
>>
>>Despite the name, I have read some really good articles from the
>>Christian Science Monitor, including this one, which is spot on.[/color]
>
>
>
> The _CSM_ is very highly regarded, especially for it's international[/color]

The Society for Protection of the Apostrophe would like to remind you of
the correct usage... [url]http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/[/url]

[color=blue]
> reporting. They somehow manage to find interesting angles that
> everyone else misses. In fact for international reporting I'd rate
> them above the august _New York Times_...
>
>
>
>[color=green]
>>What is it with the Russians who seems intent to let their country go
>>to rot instead of actually doing something worthwhile with it?[/color]
>
>
>
> It's their "culture of misery" I guess...
>[/color]
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  #5  
Vecchio 26-10-2005, 22.32.02
Kirįly
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...

Tom Peel <notreallytandp@freenet.de> wrote:
[color=blue]
> The Society for Protection of the Apostrophe would like to remind you of
> the correct usage... [url]http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/[/url][/color]

I, another sarcastic Usenet cop wannabe, would like to direct you to the
preferred conventions of quoting previous posters' text when posting
followups:

[url]http://www.xs4all.nl/%7ewijnands/nnq/nquote.html#Q3[/url]

K.
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  #6  
Vecchio 26-10-2005, 22.34.22
michaelnewport@yahoo.com
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...


Tom Peel wrote:[color=blue]
> Gregory Morrow wrote:[color=green]
> > DDT Filled Mormons wrote:
> >
> >[color=darkred]
> >>On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:44:24 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> >><gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>[url]http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1019/p06s03-woeu.html[/url]
> >>>
> >>>Russian holiday: just for the hardy
> >>
> >>Despite the name, I have read some really good articles from the
> >>Christian Science Monitor, including this one, which is spot on.[/color]
> >
> >
> >
> > The _CSM_ is very highly regarded, especially for it's international[/color]
>
> The Society for Protection of the Apostrophe would like to remind you of
> the correct usage... [url]http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/[/url]
>[/color]
I cant remember all that !

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  #7  
Vecchio 26-10-2005, 23.32.34
Magda
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...

On 26 Oct 2005 12:34:22 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, [email]michaelnewport@yahoo.com[/email] arranged
some electrons, so they looked like this :

...
... Tom Peel wrote:
... > Gregory Morrow wrote:
... > > DDT Filled Mormons wrote:
... > >
... > >
... > >>On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:44:24 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
... > >><gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@earthlink.net> wrote:
... > >>
... > >>
... > >>>[url]http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1019/p06s03-woeu.html[/url]
... > >>>
... > >>>Russian holiday: just for the hardy
... > >>
... > >>Despite the name, I have read some really good articles from the
... > >>Christian Science Monitor, including this one, which is spot on.
... > >
... > >
... > >
... > > The _CSM_ is very highly regarded, especially for it's international
... >
... > The Society for Protection of the Apostrophe would like to remind you of
... > the correct usage... [url]http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/[/url]
... >
... I cant remember all that !

Why, are you English?

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  #8  
Vecchio 27-10-2005, 22.21.35
michaelnewport@yahoo.com
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...


Magda wrote:[color=blue]
> On 26 Oct 2005 12:34:22 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, [email]michaelnewport@yahoo.com[/email] arranged
> some electrons, so they looked like this :
>
> ...
> ... Tom Peel wrote:
> ... > Gregory Morrow wrote:
> ... > > DDT Filled Mormons wrote:
> ... > >
> ... > >
> ... > >>On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:44:24 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
> ... > >><gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@earthlink.net> wrote:
> ... > >>
> ... > >>
> ... > >>>[url]http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1019/p06s03-woeu.html[/url]
> ... > >>>
> ... > >>>Russian holiday: just for the hardy
> ... > >>
> ... > >>Despite the name, I have read some really good articles from the
> ... > >>Christian Science Monitor, including this one, which is spot on.
> ... > >
> ... > >
> ... > >
> ... > > The _CSM_ is very highly regarded, especially for it's international
> ... >
> ... > The Society for Protection of the Apostrophe would like to remind you of
> ... > the correct usage... [url]http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/[/url]
> ... >
> ... I cant remember all that !
>
> Why, are you English?[/color]

slecht geheugen meisje

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  #9  
Vecchio 27-10-2005, 22.40.33
Magda
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...

On 27 Oct 2005 12:21:35 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, [email]michaelnewport@yahoo.com[/email] arranged
some electrons, so they looked like this :


... > ... > The Society for Protection of the Apostrophe would like to remind you of
... > ... > the correct usage... [url]http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/[/url]
... > ... >
... > ... I cant remember all that !
... >
... > Why, are you English?
...
... slecht geheugen meisje

Je vois... t'as le cerveau en compote, déją??

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  #10  
Vecchio 27-10-2005, 22.44.51
michaelnewport@yahoo.com
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Russian Holiday: Just For The Hardy...


Magda wrote:[color=blue]
> On 27 Oct 2005 12:21:35 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, [email]michaelnewport@yahoo..com[/email] arranged
> some electrons, so they looked like this :
>
>
> ... > ... > The Society for Protection of the Apostrophe would like to remind you of
> ... > ... > the correct usage... [url]http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/[/url]
> ... > ... >
> ... > ... I cant remember all that !
> ... >
> ... > Why, are you English?
> ...
> ... slecht geheugen meisje
>
> Je vois... t'as le cerveau en compote, déją??[/color]

het leven zonder angst......

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