Trippin in St Pete

[Hammer2722]

Yum! Love Peaches....

[2tallbill]

I went back to sleep, then awaken suddenly and look around. I can't freaking believe
it. I got on a plane to fly half way around the world to meet a girl !!!

My first trip all those many years ago. I had decided that I would check out
the hot women from Eastern Europe. I have made every mistake imaginable
but was too dumb or too stubborn to quit and nine years later found the woman
of my dreams.

[2tallbill]

Father time (the real one, not the forum member) marches on and Smiley
Girl gets married and has a baby. So naturally, we want to go to Russia
and see the new Grandbaby and bounce her on our knees. Going to
Russia involves myself and Mini-Me getting Visa's.

We needed an invitation from Smiley Girl who sent it to us and then we filled
out the paperwork and drove to Houston (4 hour drive) to turn it in to the
company who processes the front end of this for the Russian consulate.

We were sent away because the invitation had among other things, comma's
in the wrong places. So Smiley Girl has to do it again and we get to make
the trip again.

We went ahead and spent the night in Galveston overlooking the Gulf of Mexico
and had a seafood dinner that couldn't be beat. The pecan encrusted Mahi mahi
was absolutely divine, the best that I have ever eaten. The snapper was tasty as
well. The Chardonnay was good but not great.


Gaidos Seafood Restaurant
http://www.gaidos.com/

[ML]

Big Bill, these items can be conducted via email attachments . . . at least that's what I did way back in the day.

No need for 4 hour drives . . . unless you just want to take the drive.

[Boethius]

In Russian (and Ukrainian), more than in English, a misplaced comma can change the meaning of a sentence.  Not saying that's what happened, just information to put out there.


Wow, time flies.  I hope SmileyGirl is happy.  I'm sure it's difficult for your wife to have her daughter and grandchild so far away.

[LAman]

We needed an invitation from Smiley Girl who sent it to us and then we filled
out the paperwork and drove to Houston (4 hour drive) to turn it in to the
company who processes the front end of this for the Russian consulate.

 
 

You sound like a newbie!!!
No you 'need' an invitation from Smiley Girl. You can just do a regular tourist visa and get a FREE invitation from a company doing process for Russian consulates... all through the mail, they are still doing this process.

[2tallbill]

You sound like a newbie!!!
No you 'need' an invitation from Smiley Girl. You can just do a regular tourist visa and get a FREE invitation from a company doing process for Russian consulates... all through the mail, they are still doing this process.

They aren't doing regular tourist visa's because of Covid.

[LAman]

They aren't doing regular tourist visa's because of Covid.

My friend just got his visa two months ago and was in Russia last month.


Here is the decree for resuming issuance:
Visa to Russia (mid.ru)

[LAman]

They aren't doing regular tourist visa's because of Covid.

This is place I use:


Russia Visa 2021 | World Visit Center


My friend used another company

[Boethius]

Guest visas are issued for longer periods, so there is an advantage to them.

[2tallbill]

We all caught Covid, and we have all recovered. I don't know which one
they never told us.

I caught it first and was teased that I was complaining of imaginary man flu type
joint pain. Four days later Angel Eyes suffered the same and I asked if she had
something worse than the imaginary man flu variety.

Mini Me usually runs around at 75 mph, but covid slowed him down to running
around at only 69 mph.

[2tallbill]

Occasionally, I buy Angel Eyes flowers.

The last two times, Valentines day and March 8th. She looked at
the flowers like a mad scientist looks at cadaver brains. Angel
Eyes has resurrected those flowers just like Frankenstein. She
cut off parts of them and grew new roots from which she is
transplanting into new pots. Shazam! the flowers that keep on
giving.

NOTE: The flowers were not tulips. They were roses and something
else.

 

[2tallbill]

I have a grandbaby and I intend to bounce her on my knee.

I bought tickets from Delta to fly to Istanbul from Austin TX.
I can take Turkish air to Moscow for $3,000.00 and change 
I am about to bite the bullet and just pay it but it seems excessive.
NOTE: I can change my Delta tickets to another place if it makes
sense.

NOTE: Angel Eyes has a permanent US resident with greencard. That
means she can't travel to Helsinki, Riga, Tallin etc. without a Schenghan
visa which she doesn't currently have.

Mini me and I are us citizen's we have visitors visa's to Russia.

Does anyone have a better idea/solution? Than ponying up $3K to Turkish
airlines?

[ML]

Big Bill, you will have little trade value, unlike the basketball gal Britney Griner.

And by the way, I saw her play 3 times when her team visited our university.

[Trenchcoat]

Not like you for your wallet to be squeaking Beel, at this rate you'll end up a cheapskate like me

Only thoughts would be look at flights going through Serbia or perhaps a Mediterranean country to Moscow.

[2tallbill]

Not like you for your wallet to be squeaking Beel, at this rate you'll end up a cheapskate like me

Only thoughts would be look at flights going through Serbia or perhaps a Mediterranean country to Moscow.

I couldn't pay Aeroflot no matter how fat my wallet was, because you have
to pay from a Russian bank. Angel Eyes came up with a solution and the tickets
have been purchased. If anyone wants to import some Russian heavy crude,
call Angel Eyes, she and her network of girlfriends will bypass the Sanctions
like they didn't exist.

[Trenchcoat]

I couldn't pay Aeroflot no matter how fat my wallet was, because you have
to pay from a Russian bank. Angel Eyes came up with a solution and the tickets
have been purchased. If anyone wants to import some Russian heavy crude,
call Angel Eyes, she and her network of girlfriends will bypass the Sanctions
like they didn't exist.

Looks like 'Air Serbia' do flights to Moscow through Serbia but it may not be particularly any cheaper even with a slightly shorter route. Some carrier called Pegasus also apparently go to Moscow as well. Wizz Air was going to go to Moscow from Abu Dhabi but they cancelled it a couple of weeks back as people in the UK and possibly elsewhere protested that it was breaking the Embargo which I can understand.

Turkish Air are fine enough to fly with and Istanbul a big airport hub that is well organized generally so not a bad choice I think. I went through there for the Cyprus trip so all was fine enough, real hot walking out on the tarmac at Istanbul though.

[ML]

Like in the New York area, there are two or more international airports in Istanbul.

Be careful to note which airport you fly into and out from.

You can arrive in Europe and then have to go all the way to Asia to depart !!  :-)

[krimster2]

If it’s your first time to Turkey, I’d stick to Istanbul only
if not, you can consider a short flight from Istanbul to Mamaris on the west coast of turkey
beautiful beaches, etc…
do NOT take the bus, you will regret it…

will be plenty of Russians there, 80% will be ones fleeing Russia, other 20% will be hard-core Pootin fans, so your mileage may vary

the rest of Turkey is over-run with Syrian refugees, making it more dangerous the further east you go
wouldn’t go there

Istanbul is pretty safe at night compared to the USA, plenty of people around even at night
the atmosphere is pretty mellow

turkish lira collapsed, making foreign script really valuable
these days prices are up in USD, compared to years ago
but not too many places where you can get a 5 star hotel for under $200 per night
shopping is almost the same as a big US city, malls, etc.

biggest annoyance, being stalked by carpet sellers, everybody and his little brother trying to give you a deal on everything, highly annoying but not dangerous
so you gotta develop some kinda non-aggressive strategy for dealing with them

if you love history, the place will blow you away, only behind Rome, for that experience

[2tallbill]

Nearly naked & afraid

I have arrived in Voronezh
Without bags, +8C outside
temperature one pair of
pants freshly laundered but wet.
3 rolls of white non Soviet
toilet paper.

I have a head cold and I'm sleep
deprived.

Smiley Girl made a pot of
chicken soup, which I have
just finished the last drop.

Show of hands how many
have gone in search/shopping
For pants/big and tall store abroad
without actually wearing pants?
AMAZON DOES NOT COUNT !

More to follow
This Post fat fingered on my cellphone
Without reading glasses. If you can even read this consider yourself  fortunate.
Please do not clog up this thread with
my spelling/grammar shortcomings
which are likely as plentiful as they are annoying

[2tallbill]

Like in the New York area, there are two or more international airports in Istanbul.

Be careful to note which airport you fly into and out from.

You can arrive in Europe and then have to go all the way to Asia to depart !!  :-)

After KLM lost our bags and cancelled the rest of our flights.
They shipped us out on a flight to the Airport on the Asian side
(SAW) Then we found a shuttle between the airports $100.00 and
went to the right airport (IST) but missed our flight to Moscow on
Aeroflot.

I got us a hotel and we showered and ate.

I called KLM but they cancelled all the flights and want an extra $1,200
to $1,800 to allow us to use them to return to the USA.

They don't give a flying f#ck* where our bags may be. 



*flying F#ck is a technical term which means they don't care even a little bit.
A normal person that you meet at the beach for example, doesn't normally
want bad things to happen to you. If you were sitting in the sun getting
burned to a crisp. If asked they might tell you that yes, you look fried
and offer you some of their aloe vera. This is caring on a far higher
level than not giving a flying F#ck.

The not caring a flying f#ck would have zero problem with charging you
two thousand dollars for a glop of their aloe vera. 

The sleep deprivation is hitting me now.

I will be in the chat if anyone wants to chat
http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/chat/

[ML]

After KLM lost our bags and cancelled the rest of our flights.
They shipped us out on a flight to the Airport on the Asian side
(SAW) Then we found a shuttle between the airports $100.00 and
went to the right airport (IST) but missed our flight to Moscow on
Aeroflot.
http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/chat/

Big Bill, thanks  for the  update.

On one of my trips, I flew into airport on European side and a gal came down to the airport on Asian side.  I knew about this, and arranged for the same limo (like you did) to take me over to the Asian side.

We then flew from  the Asian side down to Antalya.

When we came back from Antalya, her airline said they had cancelled the flight she was due to be on (they regularly do such if not enough tickets sold) and rebooked her on  flight the next day.  They paid for her a hotel room near the airport.  I was due to take the limo back to European side and catch flight that same day.

But, I didn't want to leave her alone, so I decided to stay with her.  The dickheads at hotel insisted that I pay for staying.

Ok, so we stayed, went to nice dinner, and then I had to start calling to change my flight and limo pickup.

The gal wanted to have one last roll in the hay, but no way could I perform given that I had to do all this rearranging.  So she was quite annoyed at me.

The next morning, I gave her around $300 to have on hand for any emergencies she might encounter before she got back to Ukraine.

I was ticked when she told me a few days later that, as soon as I left in the limo, she hopped on bus routes to go over to European side of Istanbul and hunt around for a fur coat which she bought.  She had no idea where to go or how to get there . . . but she got help from 'other FSU gals' she encountered along the way who told her which buses to take, which shops to visit, etc.  Like their own club or mafia!!

I told her that money was for emergency only.  Then she got huffy and  said she would pay me back.  But she never had any means to pay me back, and I didn't want paid back anyway.  So I was trying to take care of her and keep her safe  . . . but she never realized or appreciated it.

That was the end of our relationship.  Before that . . . it was shaping up to have some possibilities.

- - - - -

Sorry to intrude on your trip report, but has some relevance for others . . . perhaps.

[Trenchcoat]

I think trips abroad can add a lot of unwanted difficulties to a relationship ML. The more simpler and straight forward to keep them the better. When I did the Cyprus trip with Kherson Girl I accidentally booked us on a flight to the Turkish side if Cyprus thinking we could easily travel to the Greek side. For me not too difficult as an EU citizen but for her it was chancing it (as non EU citizen). It all came down to the rift between the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots and the Greek part being part of the EU. Anyhow I ended up having to buy her a plane ticket to the Greek side while I flew into the Turkish side then taxied across to meet her at an airport in the Greek side (and same back at end of holiday ). So money wasted on flight tickets for her to the Turkish side that I couldn't get refunded. I had no idea about any issue there when booking who would. Didn't really fancy doing the Turkish side as more arrid and a lot of the hotels far more expensive and not sure that much to do there. I made the best I could of it but it didn't help matters with a somewhat difficult girl to start with (i.e shopping impulse). Anyway, yeah I would like to think I would be more avoidant of getting into such a situation again in future.

[Trenchcoat]

After KLM lost our bags and cancelled the rest of our flights.
They shipped us out on a flight to the Airport on the Asian side
(SAW) Then we found a shuttle between the airports $100.00 and
went to the right airport (IST) but missed our flight to Moscow on
Aeroflot.

I got us a hotel and we showered and ate.

I called KLM but they cancelled all the flights and want an extra $1,200
to $1,800 to allow us to use them to return to the USA.

They don't give a flying f#ck* where our bags may be. 



*flying F#ck is a technical term which means they don't care even a little bit.
A normal person that you meet at the beach for example, doesn't normally
want bad things to happen to you. If you were sitting in the sun getting
burned to a crisp. If asked they might tell you that yes, you look fried
and offer you some of their aloe vera. This is caring on a far higher
level than not giving a flying F#ck.

The not caring a flying f#ck would have zero problem with charging you
two thousand dollars for a glop of their aloe vera. 

The sleep deprivation is hitting me now.

I will be in the chat if anyone wants to chat
http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/chat/

Great to see a trip report from the FSU after all this COVID stuff Bill, well done

Yeah missing baggage can be a b*tch. I had it on my Odessa/Nikolaev trip flying into Odessa. I was flying with LOT all the way but with a transfer in Warsaw. Problem was with a quick transfer over another plane meant I got on the plane but my baggage didn't. I got it the following day and they sent it to my hotel (had to fill in all the list baggage firms at Odessa Airport   ). By then though I had stressed out a lot that I wouldn't be getting it back and bought a shirt, etc as backup while in Odessa. After that and noticing how swiftly others moved with cabin luggage rather than hold luggage I have ever since just gone with cabin luggage. I can't take as much but often I find I don't really need that much anyway.

My guess is if you were changing to different airport sides in Istanbul is that it probably takes a long while for baggage to be re-routed. So possibly similar thing but odds are you'll get your luggage at some point soon. I think these days in recent years they have their own luggage tracking system that tracks luggage more effectively than in the past. Another thing to consider is getting tracking fobs on luggage, Apple do one where you can track stuff on your phone. I've got one from another company but a bit bigger as slightly older, it gives some handy updates on location but not always 100 percent all the time.

So I thought you were going to fly with Turkish Airlines?

Anyway ol'Trenchies idea of going through Serbia might not have been a bad one, no doubt a much smaller airport hub situation so potentially as long as enough transfer time between flights baggage all may have gone more smoothly 

[2tallbill]

My Granddaughter needs a monker and therefore shall be known in future posts
 as shorty.
She has 3 distinguishing features.
She is short/fat and has a pumpkin
head. Her butt is only about 6 inches off the
ground when she runs.