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Cost Of Russian Internet
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Posted by: Legal

can somone te please tell me how much does russia charge there people for there internet , my girlfreind told me it is $100.00 a month. I dont want to jump to conclusions but i recently found lenas site here ,and i actually have done well on my own untill now and i have a few questions .

I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO PLEASE HELP ME I LEFT A MESSAGE FOR LENA TONIGHT , I COULD BE WRONG BUT ITS PROBABLY SPENDING THE LAST DECADE IN A COURTROOM THAT MAKES ME SUSPICIOUS, AND SHE KEEPS WANTING ME TO FLY THERE RIGHT AWAY.

PLEASE HELP ME ROBERTHAMILTON

Posted by: rtking

$100 a month is excessive in my opinion. That almost sounds like the cost of a broadband connection for a month. I just returned from Kiev where I bought my fiancee an internet card (dial-up, POP account) for 109 Gryvnas (about $20.50) which gives her approximately 30 hours of Internet usage.

Some women in the FSU want men to fly to visit them because they want to ensure that you're serious. They don't want to waste their time writing to someone who has no intentions of visiting them. It's expensive for them to use the internet ($1 an hour for internet time, but they may only earn $100 a month.)

How long have you been corresponding with this woman? What part of the FSU is she in? That may explain some of the cost differences.

Bob

Posted by: Legal

thankyou rtking I have been talking to this women alot twice a day for about two weeks i am very attatched to her but cautous i understand her finances compared to ours and agree with you on why she wants me to fly there which is no problem for me , I think she might have just recieved her bill because she said unless there was something important to chat about she couldnt afford to talk , at that point i offered to send her money and she said no she wouldnt take it , i thought that was a good sign , im thankful for her, lena , and now you i just found this site and it has answered alot of questions so far but im confused and have no one to talk to funny i can handle multy million dollar personal injury cases and cant talk to anyone in my field about this and now i have finished a whole bottle of wine ,sorry for the run on but i need help . to answer your question she lives in krasnoyarsk and she is really been honest from what i can tell . my problem is my training is to trust no one its a court room thing and keeps me alive .hopefuly you can advise more i will answer anything you would ask if it will help we have become close but she cut me off quick .Sincerely Robert Hamilton

Posted by: rtking

Holy Cow, Robert... it's 1:00 AM here in California, so that means that you're still up at 4:00 AM in Florida! Yikes! (I'm still mildly jet-lagged from my trip to Ukraine, so I have and excuse!

)

I guess we really need to find out more about this woman. Many people on the forum will tell you that you should never send money to a woman that you've never met. That's probably sage advice and has only a few exceptions. But the fact that you offered and she declined is a good sign.

To be honest, 2 weeks of writing seems like a short amount of time to really know someone and make the commitment to fly to a foreign country to meet her. But (to play both sides of the arguement), it's often times better to meet in person and really discover whether or not you have mutually compatible personalities. There's been instances of long letter writing campaigns that have led to a meeting between two people where there just was no chemistry.

Y'know... love and emotions are a funny thing. In business, emotions don't come into play. (I suspect that in a courtroom, the same holds true.) You play your cards with a cool head and, like a great chess match, you plot your opponents moves. As a Management Consultant, I do the same and I work directly with top level executives of Fortune 100 companies. But when it comes to love, emotions take over and I'm a hopeless glob of Jell-O.

If you feel so inclined, please tell us more about your lady. Maybe we (the members of the forum) can help out a bit. The collective experiences of this forum is astounding. I might recommend that you do an internet search on your lady's name to see if you pull-up any information on her. Also check some of the scam sites for her name. (I'm not suggesting she's a scammer. I just think it's good practice to do due-diligence and check the background of anyone you correspond with.) If you are serious about this woman, I might even suggest using on of the flower delivery services on the internet to deliver flowers to her and have her picture taken with the flowers. This will help ensure that you're writing to a "real" person. If nothing else, this will help put your mind at ease.

I hope that helps!

Bob

Posted by: Legal

hello rtking again forgot to tell you i survived the hurricane in okeechobee florida on my 5 acere farm but my friend my 56 foot carricraft power cat motor yacht went down in the storm and that does not bother me as much as loosing what seems to be my whole lifes dream a good loving and thoughtful women that is not selfish like the women i see in my field a good I do not want to make a bad mistake and lose a good women do to my ignorance in this area of love which we all seek. again I thankyou moore than you know

Sincerely Robrt Hamilton

Posted by: rtking

Sorry to hear about the loss of your yacht. But that's why we have insurance, right? On the other hand, there is only ONE Robert Hamilton. So we should be thankful that you're OK!

I understand about finding your true love. It's important to find someone that you can trust. That's the basis (IMHO) of a strong relationship. Trust and respect are paramount. I've always said that the woman I would love would have to be my best friend. Someone who I would not be afraid to tell anything and would keep no secrets. And she would do the same for me.

If you are just venturing down this road, Robert... I would take it slowly and try to meet as many women as you can. I think you'll find that there is a range of personalities and you'll want to find one person who will match your personality best (and your personality will match hers as well.)

Meeting people is probably a strong start, but it's an expensive proposition (both in direct costs and lost income.) You can try to hedge your bets a bit by writing... but (again, my opinion) you probably can't substitute a real meeting with the people you write to.

Again, I'm glad that you're OK! You guys are getting pounded in Florida this Hurricane Season.

Bob

Posted by: Legal

You are the greatest rtking i cant sleep i dont have court for another week and to answer more of your questions if you dont mind she has sent me lots of pictures of her and her son i allready checked where she works without her knowing it , i have a tremendous amount of connections all over the world through my family( government people) and cant find any thing wrong . as you can tell i go for what i think is right carpedium you know sieze the moment .she has worked in the same factory for 20 years that is astonishing to me i also trade in stock options on the side i was bored after my 13 year divorce and the as i said the us women only want one thing when they see me in my suites $ she takes a one week vacation every year with her son i was impressed of her struggle and devotion to her boy . i dont even know you and never told anyone what im telling you and by the way i have been around the world not everywhere but enough .time to open another bottle .

Sincerely Robert Hamilton

Posted by: rtking

Robert, I have to say that it's a very promising sign that she's so devoted to her son. I have heard that many FSU women are strong mothers because they end-up being (either literally or essentially) a single parent. The men sometimes disappear, find another wife or drink incessantly and don't contribute to the family. Of course this is a generalization, but it still seems to happen enough that many women find themselves raising a family alone.

Things I like about your lady so far:

1) Apparent strong and careful parenting
2) Declined financial assistance
3) Appears to be communicating with you honestly

But aside from these attributes, what do you like about your lady, Robert? What has she said that makes you interested in her (and her particularly?) How did she contact you? Or did you contact her first?

Sorry for the many questions! I'm sure other members of the forum (as soon as they wake up) will be able to help contribute to this thread.

I'm off to bed Robert... but I'll check this thread in the morning! Have a great night (morning for you soon!) and I hope things are settling-down (hurricane-wise) in your part of the country!

Bob

Posted by: Legal

Hello rtking yes i am thankful to be alive it was 24 to 30 hours of 95 mph wind and my home which i had built my way heldup great ,the complete home was screwed with outside gavanized deck screws the carpenters hated me ,each post has 1200 pounds of cement every 4 feet and straped from footers to truss with metal bands and 3/8s thick and 4inchwide flatstock steal embeded in the footers to the floor joices metal roof zack srewed down i only lost som sofit no problem . I will sayit was a long night .any way back to my darling . i do belive she wants a good life her and to share love i will be careful but to be honest i have no problem spending the money to do to russia but need all the advice and help i can getlike you said i want to senher flowers my florist said 100 dollars my flight is only 500 dollars so if you have a place i would appreciate it she has never asked for anything execpt pictures and me on the web cam . i hav eto go back and read what you wrote to answer the rest. again

Sincerely Robert Hamilton

ps i want lena to talk to her what do you think about that ?

Posted by: Legal

rtking i contacted her first and all the things that i felt were personality family values takes pride in her son very optimistic about finding the right person me but, as her and i agree we have to spend some time together, common sense we both agree on she doesnt ask for materialistic things only devotion love and to be happy we both make each other laugh quite a bit we both like a lot of affection, not just sex but you know holding hands movies dinner at home walks on the beach, she even showed me a dress she made i couldnt believe she made it herself , trust me my friend i know clothing this was qulity . you helped me through a rough night i thankyou lena and god for letting me find this wonderful site im not wrong often and have a inner feeling about her , but again i do need all the help i can get so i dont make a mistake and mess up a wonderful future .thankyou so much . Sincerely Robert Hamilton

talk to you soon and any one who has input

Posted by: rtking

Quote:

RobertHamilton wrote:
ps i want lena to talk to her what do you think about that ?

Robert,

Probably a great idea. I know Lena and Khashyar personally and they're great friends and very honest people.

Khashyar and Lena are both in Mogilev (Belarus) presently... so they may not be able to help make the call until after they return home. I believe Lena will return home toward the end of the month. They have internet access while in Mogilev, but it's dial-up and they can't check all the threads due to the limited bandwidth they have... so it's probably best to send them an email to: russianmeetingplace@yahoo.com

As for flowers... you actually could send flowers online. Just search for your lady's city and the word "flowers" in a search engine. (e.g. "Krasnoyarsk flowers") You should get a list of flower delivery services online. Be sure to send flowers in ODD numbers. (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, etc.) Even numbers signify death (I think...) and is considered a "No-no." One website that I quickly pulled up is flowers2moscow.com I've never used them and can't recommend them, but they will take a digital picture and translate a note in their services. Maybe this is a good start?

Good luck!

Bob

Posted by: Jim_FL

Hello Robert,
Seems you have already checked this woman out better than most guys do

. Probably the best way to check for scam reports is to just type her full name into Google.com and see what links it returns, it's generally very effective. As for flowers, I can wholeheartedly recomend these guys: https://www.russianservice.com/default.htm
I've used them over a dozen times, and never a problem. I have to agree with Rtking though, $100.00 sounds high for net access, actually it sounds like the monthly salary for a factory worker. My wife came from a small town about 300 miles East of Moscow. I looked into broadband for her (DSL & RF) it ran $55 to $65 per month depending on provider. About the same as here.....

Posted by: gino

hi guy's $50.00 a month in moscow for dsl. but i realize you cannot get dsl everywhere. my g.f. found prices ranging from $20.00 to $100.00 a month. it's just like here you need to go out and shop aroung. gino

Posted by: Legal

hi jim thankyou very much is it possible for you and i to have lunch or dinner i live close to you or even coffee i could use a local friend for guidance and i a appreciate everyones help moore than than you know ,im just glad to see that im not alone i guess all those years in the courtroom has helped .there was somebody else who wrot but i cant remember and the insurance man is here now i have to go you guys and gals know the deal with that.

ROBERT HAMILTON

Posted by: wavetossed

I don't know where you guys get the idea that $100 per month is too high for Internet access for a Russian woman. If she is spending a couple of hours a day online at an Internet cafe at $1 per hour then that is about right. The cafe will charge for the full hour even if you don't use all of it. If you are webcamming that means being online a lot longer than email. The girls who do email try to borrow a computer at work to type their letters, then copy to a diskette and take to the Internet cafe to send quickly.

Of course, DSL and Internet cards are totally useless because in order to use them you must first own a computer and secondly you must have a landline at your apartment. This may be normal in Moscow or Kiev but elsewhere in Russia it is not normal. My girlfriend has no landline in her apartment and earns $75 per month. She has a cellphone but it costs her $1.50 per minute to receive phonecalls from me.

After several back and forth emails about the money issue, she agreed to accept $250 via Western Union so that she could afford to talk to me on the phone. I told her that she wasn't accepting money from me, she was just doing me a favor in passing the money to her cellphone provider.

Remember, Krasnoyarsk is in the heart of Siberia and life there is not anything like life in Moscow. This woman sounds like a real gem. She obviously speaks English and she has the typical Russian attitude towards money, i.e. she doesn't need it and doesn't value it very highly even though she has very little. I'd say you should arrange a visit. Meet her in Krasnoyarsk, fly off to Moscow for a few days and take the train back to Krasnoyarsk. You'll have the adventure of a lifetime.

Don't shower her with too many gifts and don't try to impress her with expensive things. That would backfire with a woman who sews her own clothes. She's going to be more interested in relationship things and gentlemanly behavior.

Posted by: Legal

wavetossed and all of you are the greatest people , and all of you are right in everything youve said to me. to all of your questions , she works in factory for 20 years in krasnoyarsk and lives in a flat with her son she has a computer and a web cam but it is slow i dont mind she is worth the wait and yes i feel she is a gem and dont want lose her by doing anything that might hurt or offend her do to my western ways i have been very careful we both joke about me teaching her to drive and she refuses to let me send her money , now i understand. she has high values thats worth more than money to me, all she keeps asking me is when can i come to visit she has been lonlely for a long time by allways putting her son first i respect that you great people know what i mean she wants me to meet her family, remember i have in my line of work i have 30 to 60 seconds to profile a person but its different when your emotions are involved and without all of your fast responces, i would have been lost . I have never had the pleasure of meeting lena or her husband but what a gift from god they are to have a wonderful site and great people like all of you , there is so much more i want to ask but for now i will listen to any advice from all of you wonderful people
Sincerely Robert Hamilton

Posted by: Jim_FL

Quote:

Originally posted by wavetossed
I don't know where you guys get the idea that $100 per month is too high for Internet access for a Russian woman.

I got the idea it is too much from personal experience, and consulting my wife who paid those bills herself for several years

Quote:

Originally posted by wavetossed

Remember, Krasnoyarsk is in the heart of Siberia and life there is not anything like life in Moscow.

While it is true that "it's not Moscow", Krasnoyarsk is a very large city and she should NOT have to pay more than $0.01 per minute for the net. The bill comes as part of her regular land-line phone bill (broken out like long distance is here in the states).

So, for $100.00 a month, she can stay online 166 1/2 hours per month

or 5 1/2 hours a day, seven days a week, at peak time (8am to 6pm)

Net access is also like long distance here, in that you are charged the most from 8am to 6pm, a little less from 6pm to 2am, and it is very very cheap from 2am to 8am.......

Posted by: Jim_FL

I sent you my cell # by private message

Posted by: wavetossed

Krasnoyarsk has a population of 900,000. I'm more familiar with two other Siberian cities further west, Ekaterinburg with 1,400,000 and Chelyabinsk with 1,100,000 population. However, the infrastructure in these cities is in no way comparable with western cities of similar size.

For instance Ekaterinburg is a major trade center, both the USA and the UK have consular offices there and the airport has a few international flights from BA, Lufthansa and Czech Airlines in addition to the Russian airlines. But the city only has a dozen hotels in total and these are mostly small hotels with no more than about 200 rooms. The city council just this year made available 15 choice sites for developers to build 3-star hotels with 130-150 rooms each.

When I was there it was hard to find a restaurant. Several of the ones I read about in various Internet guides were no longer there. And as I wandered around the main downtown area, there just weren't many restaurants at all. There were quite a few cafes, but one thing all of them had in common is that they were smaller than you would find in a western city, i.e. there were less people who could afford to go to restaurants. In Chelyabinsk, every time I ate in a restaurant in the evening, the place was only half full. I must admit that I didn't eat out on either a Friday or a Saturday night, but still, the restaurants were doing noticeably less business.

So it's hard for us to understand prices and lifestyles when we quote them in US dollars because things seem cheap by western standards. It probably makes more sense to calculate the prices in Russia as a percentage of a monthly salary and then to convert your local prices into a percentage of your salary. Unless you make a very good wage, the results can be eye-opening and give you a truer picture of how a Russian person will understand the numbers.

I did this type of conversion because my girlfriend was practically panicing the first time we sat down in a restaurant and she saw the prices on the menu. And the next day, she wouldn't go into another restaurant until we sat down and had a good talk about relative values of things and how the extraordinary situation with the Russian exchange rates meant that my money could suddenly buy much more in Russia than it could in London.

Believe me, this situation will not continue. As the Russian economy improves and Russia trades more and more with other countries, this skewed exchange rate will fade away. Enjoy it and take advantage of it while it lasts.

Posted by: Jim_FL

Quote:

Originally posted by wavetossed
For instance Ekaterinburg is a major trade center, both the USA and the UK have consular offices there and the airport has a few international flights from BA, Lufthansa and Czech Airlines in addition to the Russian airlines. But the city only has a dozen hotels in total and these are mostly small hotels with no more than about 200 rooms. The city council just this year made available 15 choice sites for developers to build 3-star hotels with 130-150 rooms each.

This is quite interesting because Nizhniy Novgorod is very similar, yet apparently quite diffierent in infrastructure:

major trade center
pop. = 1,000,000 +/-
Intl airport with Lufthansa direct service
subway system
and if you go on the net, you will think they have no more than 5 hotels ranging from 12 to 800 rooms.
However, if you go to the city you will discover they have no less than 35 hotels with over 200 rooms.
restaurants, while not always where you'd expect to find them are quite prevelant throughout the city. Only prob with them is usually expensive & good, or cheap & bad with nothing in between (keeping in mind that "expensive" is about double what you'd spend at McDonalds stateside)

Hey, Liliya's little town of 70,000 has three hotels and more than 20 restaraunts

Posted by: Legal

Hi Jim very good info, iIwould like to get together for dinner when things get cleaned up here from the storm before I go to kranoyarsk that is the least I can do for you and your wife remember what I said if you need anything I will do my best to help you, I hope you never need my services but if you do I know how to return a favor to a friend and I consider you a friend. I have to go for now so I can wait for my lovely lady to email me and I want to keep the line open . I will be on maybe later.again I can't thankyou enough for all the help now and hopefully in the future if the group we discussed gets together I would love to get involved so just ask I know that would me and my lady. last thing I am going to apply for my visa in the morning and have it at least overnighted up to New York you said , I will check with Russian Service.com in the am .

Sincerely Robert Hamilton

THANKS AGAIN AND TO YOUR LOVELY BRIDE :

Posted by: rtking

Robert!

Glad to read that you're preparing for a trip!

I wish you the very best of luck on the trip and in meeting your lady!

Let us know how things went!

Bob

Posted by: Legal

Hi rtking as you know I have recieved more information than I had thought possible and I am so thankful for my new friends . jim in florida also like you is a great guy and all of your experiences combined are very informative. by the way is your name bob. I am now working on my visa i allready have my passport do to the fact I travel whenever I get the chance. I value your friendship and i think lena and all of you wonderful people should have some kind of yearly get together. Please feel free to give me any advice whenever you want.

Sincerely Robert Hamilton

THE SUNSHINE STATE THAT HAS THE MOST WONDERFUL WEATHER IT NEVER RAINS OR STORMS HERE! HA HA

Posted by: Legal

Hi jim I tried Russianguideservices.com for visa and came up with the flower shop we spoke about . Please advise me again i may have not heard you correctly , we did have did cover alot of different things on the phone yesterday. Please advise or call me . I would like to get this done today if possible i am looking forward meeting you for dinner.

Sincerely Robert Hamilton