Leaving Moscow- on to Hong Kong and China

Wednesday July 28, 2010 was our last full day in Moscow, and we again decided not to pay for another excursion with the group on the bus. So we put on our walking shoes, headed over to the "world's most beautiful subway system" and struck out for town. Judy bought us a round trip ticket and we were off. Really off, because although the "metro is easy to use- just identify the direction you want to go in...." the signs are all in Cyrillic. Still, we didn't miss a beat or a stop and we managed to get there and back without any unplanned direction changes. I'm studying Russian next, it is so foreign that it seems very appealing. And it would have helped us on this little adventure because although we have it on the highest authority that all students start English in the 5th grade- 90% of the people we asked for directions shook us off. And my newly learned "good morning" and "good afternoon" didn't get us very far. We had lunch in a small sidewalk cafe, revisited Red Square as I was on the lookout for a T-shirt and a pack of postcards of the metro system, and we figured the most touristy place in town was the place to start. And we were right- I got them both. Actually, the T-shirt I got wasn't the one I really wanted, after seeing it in a store window......but that little number was attached to a much larger number- a price tag of 6,000 rubles. Divided by 30 that's.......... yes, $200 USD. For a T shirt that says "Russia" on it. But I can be happy with the one I got and use the extra money for other things. Right? Am I right? In re-reading this I just realized that I've written 2 paragraphs and not mentioned the climate. Well- we just bought an English language newspaper, and in it was an article about the current atmospheric conditions in Moscow. To wit, Monday (the day we all piled into our trusty Volvo bus and walked Red Square) was the hottest day in Moscow since they started keeping records. And to make it a perfect combination, the smog levels in the city from the neighboring peat fields (the underground peat spontaneously combusts, sending smoke into the air. The peat is everywhere, and the fires are impossible to put out. Putin was just asked to allocate 825 million USD to fight the underground fires) was recorded at 10 times the safety level or, as they described it, the equivalent of smoking 40 packs of cigarettes in a single day. "The life of a tourist isn't easy....." anyway, we all have to die of something and I doubt in our case it will be lung cancer. Everyone on board is complaining about it, since the limited a/c on the ship picks up the smoke and pumps it through the air vents. But this too shall pass. In general our little 13 day cruise through the rivers of Russia has been enjoyable and worth the money. Our daily guides speak perfect English (although with a very thick accent), they are extremely knowledgeable about their subjects and everyone did their best to assure us a good time. The weather will be what it will be- and as we move on to China it will be hotter and smoggier yet. Traveling is not for the faint of heart. At this point we are not so much looking forward to the wonders of China as the laundromats of Hong Kong- everything we own is very dirty and very smelly. I guess I'll wear my bathing suit to the laundry because damn- if I don't wash everything I'll have to burn it..... In conclusion, we found Russia to be much more wooded than we ever imagined- we sailed past 2 weeks of aspen and pine, an amazing forested area that was green and clean. The cities also were quite clean, crime was never really an issue (although we picked up a pickpocket in Yaroslavl; he chose poorly as this well-traveled group all spotted him immediately and he finally moved on to another set of tourists), the weather was a bitch but unavoidable and unexpected, the food was familiar enough to be soothing and the boat was very comfortable with a great crew and interesting lectures. Would we consider returning to Russia? No- and that is primarily because of the Russians themselves. With one or two exceptions, if the people we came into contact with weren't WORKING with tourists, say for example the average man on the street or the clerk in a market- they were stone faced, cold and disinterested in providing any assistance. More than once we were shooed away with a scowl and a flap of the wrist, accompanied by some Russian that we (fortunately) couldn't understand. We also wouldn't return because of the cost of the visa (about $400 USD) and the fact that if we ever want to see another Russian Orthodox icon or gold domed church we'll drive down the road to Ben Lomond. So- with that, we're off to Hong Kong for 2 nights after a 3 hour flight to Frankfurt (yes, that's in the wrong direction, we know) to catch our connecting flight to Hong Kong- 11 hours in economy. A night on the plane- our idea of a good time......we'll let you know how it goes.