Travel Agent Newlands

With the cold war at an end, Russia began accepting foreigners within its borders. The Russian government opened its mind to tourism as an income stream for its empty coffers and held a travel expo in November of 1988 and February of 1999. I was fortunate enough to have attended both the expos and participated as an inbound tour operator to South Africa.

The experience of walking the streets of Moscow was amazing. Battling the minus 17 degrees Celsius temperatures on both visits made the experience real. At the time, poverty was everywhere with street vendors selling vodka on street corners as common as hanger sellers in SA. Food was also in short supply even in hotels and lucky for us, McDonalds had just opened a store in Moscow. Big Mac's became our staple diet for the duration of our visits.

Being guests of the Russian government (with SATOUR and another local travel company), we had dinner in the Kremlin on one occasion and dinner at the SA Embassy on another...no shortage of food here.

Moscow as a city is awe inspiring with everything being bigger than what we are used to. The city streets are five lanes each way and crossing them is a feat in itself. Buildings are huge and either beautifully decorated depicting the country’s vast cultural heritage or bland and square, lacking any imagination whatsoever.

The Russian people are friendly but most do not have a working knowledge of English whatsoever and the services of a translator are essential. We were followed on our visits by ex KGB agents for the entire periods that we stayed in Moscow, I’m sure that this does not happen anymore, but I would advise that people wanting to visit Russia especially for the first time do so with a tour operator and on an organised tour. Moscow is a dangerous city like any big city and guides will avoid the high risk areas.

Unfortunately we were not allowed cameras at the time of our visit, but the photographic opportunities in Moscow and other Russian cities are phenomenal.

I highly recommend Russia as a destination with visits to Moscow and St. Petersburg essential.

I at Travel Counsellors have access to many tour operators who specialise in Russia and who will make your trip to this great country unforgettable. Contact me for more information.