This fall's Belarus Tour will probably be postponed, but we'll have a free social - Russian Ukrainian Belarus Travel Music Woman Dating News

	The Russian Meeting Place: A place to meet people and talk about all things Russian... International Discussions about Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Travel, Music, Russian News, Ukrainian culture, Belarusian Dating, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kiev and other intelligent topics about life in the former Soviet Union.

Pages: 1

This fall's Belarus Tour will probably be postponed, but we'll have a free social
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: Khashyar

Hi Everyone,

I have been thinking that September (which is 5 months away) might not be enough time for everyone to make their plans for the planned Russian Meeting Place Belarus Tour and Social...

So, what Lena and I may do is to hold a couple of free RMP Social gatherings in Belarus during Lena and my September trip to Mogilev, and we would invite anyone who would like to come to come without any charge. (You would just need to get to Belarus and pay for your travel expenses)...

Another reason why I think it might be best to postpone it is so that Lena can create a website about a RMP trip to Belarus, and this might take some time for her to do.

What is everyone's thoughts about this?

I wanted to let everyone know as soon as we had thoughts of postponing the dates.

But, what we can do... anyone who wants to travel to Belarus while we are there can look thought the RMP personals, find some people who they are interested in meeting, and then we can arrange a meeting with that person (or with a small number of people)...

Khashyar

Posted by: Castlestormer

Honestly, I was more excited about meeting you and Lena in person, and touring her old stomping grounds with you guys than I ever was about meeting ladies at a social. I never have had problems meeting ladies. If there are fascinating ladies there, we'll find 'em, wine 'em, and dine 'em. But the chance to meet amazing people like you and Lena in her home country shouldn't be missed.

Give us dates, and some hotel recommendations..and we'll still be there. And your idea about looking through the profiles is an excellent one. There are some real sweet ladies in there.

Posted by: Khashyar

thanks Steve...

I will give you the dates as soon as we set the exact dates for our trip.

We are planning on going in September, and we will let you know exactly soon...

It would be fun to get-together with whomever can meet there...

Khashyar

Posted by: tcampbel73

Hey Khashyar,
I am brand new to this site, and I think that going to Belarus is a great idea. I've sent several messages to to a bunch of different girls, but I haven't received any replies. It's only been a a few days... I'm not a bad looking person, have a college degree, and a great job as a software consultant. Is their anything wrong with my profile that I should change? But, back to the trip to Belarus. I've always wanted to go over there since I was very young, and it would be fun as hell to go meet a group (yourself and your friends from Mogilev). If you could send me your thoughts on this, I would really appreciate it. Also, how travel arrangements should be made to go on a trip to Belarus.
Thanks,
Tom Campbell

Posted by: Khashyar

Hi Tom...

Welcome to the Russian Meeting Place

Since Russian women almost never have their own computers, they spend part of their small income to go to an internet cafe or a government Post Office to check and recevie email. So, they may not have even checked your email yet if it has been a couple of days since you sent it.

I think that your introductory letter should be open and sincere, and also send a link in the email to your profile... You can post your introductory letter or profile in the discussion forum for feedback and ideas from others, if you would like.

Regarding the trip to Belarus: We will let everyone know when we are certain exactly when we are going.

We will go anytime from middle August to late September, and Lena and I need to speak about it more and narrow the date.

It would be good to meet others from this website there... Lena's father (who is a very social, kind and fun-loving guy) would absolutely love to meet everyone. Bob (rking) of this forum went to Mogilev and spent half a day with Lena's parents and a couple of her friends and had a wonderful time.

There are some hotels in Mogilev that should cost more than $25 to $45 per night ($45 per night for a very nice hotel), and perhaps even $20 per night for a low end.

But, perhaps we could arrange some homestays at a Russian family's house (or friends of Lena's house) for less ($15 per night or so???). I will ask Lena about this if some people are interested.

We will keep everyone informed about the dates of our trip.

Khashyar

Posted by: Shike

Even if we can't do a formal trip, I'm sure it would be fun to get an informal one going. I've been talking to a girl for about a month now from Gomel,Belarus and was thinking a trip in September would have been perfect timing.

Would have been even better to go with people that are kind and know the area. BUT, I think I would have just as much fun in an informal setting with a couple other American males going at the same time.

Posted by: Castlestormer

I've already chiseled it in stone, and will go to Belarus with or without the group in September. Let's see if Bob and others are still interested in going. We can meet at a place that is convenient for all concerned.

I'm still in!

Steve

Posted by: rtking

I'm going to go to the Ukraine to meet-up with someone in Chernigov (about 1 hour outside of Kiev.) But maybe I can convince that person (if things work out) to come up to Mogilev and Minsk?

At any rate... count me in!

Bob

Posted by: Castlestormer

Bob, do you have exact dates yet? Let me know when you do so I can start finalizing the plans. If you and I are in the same part of the world at the same time; there is no way in hell that I'll pass up the opportunity to meet you. Even though my time with Brian (Jutman) was brief, it was a great thrill being in Red Square with him and his lovely bride. There is something about actually meeting a cyber-family member that adds a new dimension to reading their posts.

I still need to make my trip Belarus because I am establishing orphanage contacts there. I can't change the country, but I can change where I go on my field trips. I'll be in Minsk. Maybe we can meet somewhere halfway....like...err..umm..Chernobyl. I am also planning a day trip over to Vilnius, Lithuania simply because it is someplace I have never been, and it is only about 100 miles away..

Everyone else who will be in that area in September, chime in. Let's do a meet-and-greet.

Posted by: rtking

Yo Castlestormer!

Well... I had to promise the girl that I'm writing to (Sana) that I wouldn't visit Chernobyl. She thought I was absolutely crazy for suggesting it!

Her parents are Pediatric Physicians, and she had mentioned that they saw some terrible things happen to children from the effects of Chernobyl. I'm guessing that she would prefer to meet a man who hasn't irradiated himself, y'know?

I think it'll be fun to meet up in either Minsk or Mogilev! I still fully plan to travel to Minsk, but I may fly into Kiev first, then take the train up to Minsk. (There's a friend (Alexandra) and a couple of restaurants I want to visit while I'm there.) After that, I was planning to get a driver to take me to Mogilev and walk around there.

How long do you plan to be in Minsk, Castlestormer? I think I'm going to try to swing a 2 week trip if my job will let me. If not, it may end-up being a 1 week trip.

I'll let you know the details when I get the plans "firmed-up." I'd like to try to coordinate this tipe with Khashyar and Lena also! I definitely want to visit Lena's parents again. They were incredibly warm and caring people, and I'd like to have them try some single malt Irish whiskey that I'll bring with me!

Bob

Posted by: Khashyar

Hi Guys

I apologize for not posting our definitive dates for our Belarus trip... I know that others need advanced notive to purchase tickets and plan their schedules.

The Los Angeles told us that Lena's Adjustment of Status Interview is going to be about 18 months from the date of our AOS application (which was late April 2003), which places the date of the interview in late October...

So, perhaps what Lena and I can do is to purchase our tickets for September (approximately 3 or 4 weeks in September), and then change the tickets if absolutely necessary if BCIS schedules Lena's interview in September...

The BCIS officer told us Wednesday that we should receive a letter 1 to 2 months in advance of the interview letting us know about the exact date.

So, I think that it is probably best if Lena and I purchase the tickets, and then change the dates if absolutely necessary.

I will talk to Lena this weekend about the exact dates (it will be for three or four weeks in September), and then we can purchase our tickets.

Does anyone know of the prices for tickets to Minsk in September and the best place to purchase them?

It will be fun to meet with everyone in Belarus

Khashyar

Posted by: rtking

Khashyar and Castlestormer,

I've bought my tickets, and I've got my passport sent-off to the Passport Office for renewal. (It expires in August and Belarus and Ukraine both require a passport that is valid 3 months prior to entry into their country.)

Here's my itinerary:

27 August (Friday) Depart Los Angeles (LAX)
28 August (Saturday) Arrive Kiev (KBP)

10 September (Thursday) Depart Kiev (KBP)
10 September (Friday evening) Arrive Los Angeles (LAX)

I figure I'll hang around Chernigov and Kiev for the first few days. After that, I'll take the train up to Minsk and then transfer onto another train to get to Mogilev. It should be fun! I saw that there are car rentals available from Kiev though... I wonder if it's worthwhile to rent a car and drive everywhere?

Hope to see you guys this Fall!

Bob

Posted by: Shike

Just curious but how much did you end up spending on the flight?
I've been looking around and I don't think I can get anything better than 700s for a flight to Moscow or St. P.

I would very much like to go to Gomel and Minsk in September. Just need to find a great deal on tickets.

Posted by: Eryk

> I would very much like to go to Gomel >and Minsk in September. Just need to >find a great deal on tickets.

Depending on how 'adventurous' a traveller you are the cheapest way to Gomel is probably to get yourself to London (left as exercise for the reader) and then travel on to Warsaw with air Polonia (http://www.airpolonia.pl) for around 40 GBP. From there you can get a train to Minsk quite cheaply and also Minsk to Gomel.

Eryk

Posted by: Castlestormer

Thanks for the dates Bob! I spent a large part of the day yesterday trying to book airfare. And I'm having a hell of a time getting from DFW to Minsk. Maybe I'll fly into Vilnius, Riga, or Kiev and head there on some local "puddle jumper" plane or train.

Can anyone tell me the difference between KBP and IEV airports in Kiev? All the big players (Lufthansa, British Airways) claim to fly into both airports, but when I try to reserve flights, I get error messages telling me that there are no flights available between DFW and either airport. I suspect the difference is negligable like SVO and DME in Moscow.

Bob, can we nail down dates to meet in Mogilev? Have you planned that part of the trip out yet? I'll be there two weeks, but I want to wander around that part of the world for most of it. But who knows? If some krasivaya deyvushka turns my head, I might be staying there longer than expected.

CS

PS: Six words: rental car, Chernobyl, let's do it!

Posted by: Khashyar

Hi Everyone,

Lena and I have found tickets through Kosmo Travel in Los Angeles that are about $730 to Moscow, and about $100 more to Minsk for September...

Lena wants to stay for 4 weeks, and I am planning on staying for between 2 and 4 weeks (I'm thinking about how much time I can really take off from my documentary film project)...

We are planning to leave either in the last week of August, or the first week of September.

I just sent my application to renew my U.S. passport yesterday, and the Post Office told me that it should take between 4 to 6 weeks to receive the new passport...

I am planning on stopping by Kosmo Travel on Friday to "lay my money down"

I personally will probably spend 3 weeks there, but I imagine that once I am there, that I will have wished that I would have spent 4 weeks on the trip

I will probably do some filming there, so that I can incorporate it in a future film or video...

I'll let you'all know when I have purchased the tickets, and what the dates are.....

Khashyar

Posted by: rtking

Hi Everyone!

Shike: I have to admit that I spent quite a bit because I want to fly business class to Kiev. (I used to travel a lot as a Management Consultant and I prefer to 'stretch out" on overseas travel now-a-days.) My airfare was $2,890 for a round-trip ticket using Northwest and KLM airlines.

I think, as Khashyar indicated, that Kosmos Travel probably has some excellent fares. They are a Russian owned company (I think one of the people working there is from Tashkent, Uzbekistan) and I found that they were very easy to work with.

Castlestormer & Khashyar: I will definitely be arriving in KBP (Borispol) airport on August 28th (Saturday.) I will probably spend about 3 - 5 days in Kiev. And after that, I'll either take the train or rent a car. If I rent a car, I'll go directly to Mogilev.... if (and that's a BIG IF) I don't get lost! If I take the train, I'll got to Minsk, then take a connecting train to Mogilev. (Or I'll hire a driver.)

I don't have absolutely firm dates yet. But if everyone posts their dates, we can try to coordinate a schedule!

About Chernobyl: I would absolutely love to go! But my lady friend that I'm writing to thinks I'm completely crazy for suggesting it. If things work out, I suspect that I'll never be allowed to see Chernobyl! Maybe we can just rent motorcycles and ride around Mogilev?

Bob

Posted by: Khashyar

Hi Everyone...

I wasn't able to go to the travel agent on Friday before they closed, and so I am going to go today and hopefully be able to purchase Lena and my tickets to Belarus...

I am going to ask to purchase tickets that leave during the last week of August. Lena will stay for 4 weeks, and I will stay for 3 weeks (so that I can get back and resume my projects...)

I will let you know the exact dates once I purchase the tickets...

We welcome anyone else who wants to be there during that time, and we can meet at Lena's parent's house for a wonderful dinner and vodka toast

Lena and I will also arrange free meetings with Russian women from our personals (as well as with other women from Mogilev) to those of you who let us know beforehand that you are going to go on the trip...

I also plan on doing some filming while I am there, and well as interview several Russians for articles about a variety of tipcs for our website...

Khashyar

Posted by: Khashyar

Hi Everyone,

I just purchased Lena and my tickets to and from Belarus.

I will post more details about them in a seperate post...

Lena and I are both leaving Los Angeles on September 1... I am staying for 3 weeks, and Lena for 4 weeks...

I will post our exact dates in a seperate post...

We look forward to meeting others in Belarus

Khashyar