Change of plans.... going to Russia. I need some help though.

[Chris M 1]

It looks like it will be either Moscow or Egypt. Anyone have any experience here? Tanya said Moscow is very expensive, but Egypt is much cheaper and is a beach area with nice weather essentially. I am a little hesitant about Egypt mostly because I do not know much about it. I have been to Europe 12 times and feel good there because I am in my comfort zone. So to take a trip to Egypt is a little different for me. Have you all felt safe there as an American? A friend of mine said look for an all-inclusive resort, but I was curious to hear if you all had any experiences.

I guess I am a little concerned about meeting as well. If I or Tanya get there hours before the other how will we meet? Hotel? Wait at the airport? I am just concerned is all. I know the Egyptian men can be quite forward and I just want her to be safe is all.

Any ideas on Egypt are appreciated. Let me know if you have found any websites for resorts or anything else. I have just begun the search and it has been a little difficult thus far.

Since our Paris plans fell through I am a little apprehensive is all. As I know you all know it is very difficult to travel when a 'needed' visa is involved.

Thanks again guys and girls.

[clueless_in_usa 8]

NATASHA. That is a term for a working girl.

One of my in-laws has a daughter named Natasha (not Natalia, but Natasha). So, is she a working girl?

I'll tell my in-law

Now that I think about it, for some strange reason I am surrounded by Natashas

[Martyshk 137]

I guess I am a little concerned about meeting as well. If I or Tanya get there hours before the other how will we meet? Hotel? Wait at the airport? I am just concerned is all. I know the Egyptian men can be quite forward and I just want her to be safe is all.

Just make sure you arrive first, that's all. That's what we did when we were meeting in Israel, I just waited for her flight to arrive.

Have no experience with Egypt, but others will chime in shortly for sure

Edited March 2, 2010 by Мартышк+Мартышка

[m_ru 0]

use

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/egypt

is the best travel site ever

:-)))

[slim 1,514]

There's another side benefit to going to the DR (or other islands)...at least for us American guys...everyone speaks English in the DR at the resorts. And I found out that the Dominican people like Americans...and it's because of baseball! I had more locals wanting to talk baseball with me.

Yep, English everywhere, especially about baseball. Some of the guys spoke Russian to my wife without speaking English first. Their REDdar was tweeked like mine.

For some reason, Spanish just doesn't seem that hard to me. Sure, I don't understand everything, but it seems like it's "close enough" that I can talk to someone in English and they can talk back in Spanish and we'll get the job done. Same with French. All those Romance languages are "close enough."

And baseball..... now that's the universal language! - Only try to explain it to your Russian lady one day. HA! If you can make it past strikes, balls, walks, outs.... you're doing pretty good.

I enjoyed Paris but if you don't speak French fluently, the locals can be jerks. We've all heard the stories of the rude Parisians.

That's why I didn't speak to locals. There were enough tourists out and about that English was well understood and if that didn't work, someone who spoke another language (other than French) seemed to be close by. A few words of this, a few more of that - voila!

I am a little hesitant about Egypt mostly because I do not know much about it. I have been to Europe 12 times and feel good there because I am in my comfort zone. So to take a trip to Egypt is a little different for me. Have you all felt safe there as an American? A friend of mine said look for an all-inclusive resort, but I was curious to hear if you all had any experiences.

I guess I am a little concerned about meeting as well. If I or Tanya get there hours before the other how will we meet? Hotel? Wait at the airport? I am just concerned is all. I know the Egyptian men can be quite forward and I just want her to be safe is all.

You can probably compare Egypt to Mexico. If you go "to the hood" of course bad things can happen. There's the occasional bombing, assassinations, gang hits, etc. But... if you stick to the touristy areas, you should have no problems. Greedy people will ensure your safety.

As for your girl being "OK" without you.... ah.... she's been OK without you in Russia, right? Egyptians might speak a different language and try a little bit different approach, but most women have been giving most men the Heisman Trophy stiff arm their whole lives. Egypt should be no different.

use

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/egypt

is the best travel site ever

:-)))

Lonely Planet f'king ROCKS!!!

I highly recommend buying their phrasebook for wherever you go. Get the Russian one no matter what, it's got some helpful hints and tips for Russian langugage. If you go to Egypt, get the Egyptian Arabic phrasebook too.

[Used to be broken 143]

It looks like it will be either Moscow or Egypt. Anyone have any experience here?

Any ideas on Egypt are appreciated. Let me know if you have found any websites for resorts or anything else. I have just begun the search and it has been a little difficult thus far.

Since our Paris plans fell through I am a little apprehensive is all. As I know you all know it is very difficult to travel when a 'needed' visa is involved.

Thanks again guys and girls.

I went to Egypt and spent 30 days there, I would not recommend Egypt especially if the woman you are taking is under 30. The local men are pigs and openly exhibit disgusting behavior. At a street mall in Cairo I was accosted by some jerk. If you decide to go there, be very careful and do not let your female friend out of your sight. Men were crossing the street to ask my husband if they could "buy me" which was annoying after the first few times it happened. If you insist on going to Egypt might consider getting your female friend a head scarf and make sure she doesn't dress like the the typical Russian female because it will be asking for trouble.

Overall its dirty, there are lots of beggars and even on the official tours you don't necessarily end up where your tour described you would go because the guy driving the bus is likely to take you to his brothers neighborhood so you can shop in their family store. The Pyramids while quite stunning are in a bad area and local kids and beggars make the experience uncomfortable. Don't ride a camel they are disgusting they spit and often get unruly with riders on them.

I mentioned Poland before, it is very similar to Germany quite cosmopolitan in Krakow and Warsaw and if you time it right for the festival in the spring there is lots of things to do. We randomly ran into a fashion show on the street in Warsaw and ended up right at the end of the runway. There were free outdoor concerts and the price of food is dirt cheap if you stay away from the main squares. You can stay in a very nice hotel cheaply there too. we stayed in Polonia Palace in Warsaw which is a 5 star for $99 a night and they had a breakfast buffet that was incredible, easily it would have cost $50 bucks each for that type of buffet in the states.

[kharkovpoacher 4]

Clueless, now I know why that is your name. Just kidding.

Okay, I used the kiddie gloves. Now they are off. This is meant tongue-in-check.

In the global sex slavery trade. The unfortunate girls from the FSU are called Natasha's. I did not give them that name. I believe it originated from the Turks, but now Dubai, Egypt, Thailand, and Europe has picked up on this name when discussing these women. If you ever see a BBC documentary on the sex trade, they use Natasha extensively. There is even a book titled "Natasha" that chronicles the sex slave trade that funnels out of the FSU through Turkey to middle eastern countries.

I am just happy that some some Turk smoking a hookah pipe did not decide to use Viktoriya for the term.

As for transit visas through Netherlands. One would have to check KLM's website. I know for a fact Ukrainians do not need one. Read somewhere else Russians do not either. Just what I read on another forum. One always has to do their homework.

[Nasturtium 500]

Egypt has some resort areas that are almost strictly western-inhabited such as Hurghada, which may be a place for you to look into. On the Red Sea by Jordan and Israel there are also resorts. Of course, you need to pass through the rest of Egypt to get there (although there is an airport by Hurghada). That said, it can be filled with improper locals who will decide you are both rich and she is a wh0re. Not everyone will feel this way by any means, but it can happen and you can get those unwanted advances. It may not be worth the potential hassel to you. My husband won't let us go to Egypt because he says it is a terrible place and he hates it. I wanted to visit anyway.

[AKguy 1]

Egypt has some resort areas that are almost strictly western-inhabited such as Hurghada.

That's where Anna and I went. I wouldn't call the area we were in "western-inhabitated", 90+% of the tourists I ran into were Russian, which would work out in this case.

[Nasturtium 500]

That's where Anna and I went. I wouldn't call the area we were in "western-inhabitated", 90+% of the tourists I ran into were Russian, which would work out in this case.

Inhabited by tourists was my point... sorry for being unclear. I apparently had ADD in the middle of writing (ADD in this case was pancakes.)

There is just a different cultural idea there which tends to clash with what a lot of westerners want to do there. Egypt is actually a very strict and religious place especially compared to how it is portrayed in the tourist realm. There is also cultural complications. Women (and men) dressed certain ways is considered socially unacceptable... and can get a lot of attention. Egypt isn't the "West" so it's not going to function like the West. It's best to keep that in mind when going and thinking about what you want to do.

[slim 1,514]

I sure could go for a nice plate of ADD right now. I wonder if the International House of ADD is open.

[Nasturtium 500]

I sure could go for a nice plate of ADD right now. I wonder if the International House of ADD is open.

It was good. I made my own and used a home made yeast starter, wheat germ and oat bran. Makes them fluffy and kind of giant. I don't like sweet, sugary pancakes though.

[slim 1,514]

It was good. I made my own and used a home made yeast starter, wheat germ and oat bran. Makes them fluffy and kind of giant. I don't like sweet, sugary pancakes though.

I always get the chocolate chip pancakes. Yeast starter, wheat germ and oat bran? Sounds more like beer!