Looking back on my Russian experience I would have to say it was mixed. Some amazing sights and great people. Some difficult times and difficult people. It's definitely a country worth visiting but I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a sense of relief when my train crossed the border back to the European Union.
The visa registration process and the paranoia associated with it are quite stressful. You are supposed to register initially in one city within three working days. You pay an authority about ten euros for a stamp and at each subsequent city you must again register your visa within three working days.
The information I had initially was that if you were in other cities for less than that time it was unnecessary to register again.
As such I kept pocketfuls of tickets to give to the authorities if stopped (to prove how long I had been in each place).
I'm told a favourite ploy of the police is to dole out fines to tourists. They are in their rights to stop and check your ID and visa documents
at any time and if you are disorganised and perhaps even unlucky you could get yourself a fine of fifty to a hundred euros say. It is quite common of
these gentlemen to fabricate an imagined transgression to increase their weekly wage whether from tourists or otherwise. Greasing the palm is an entrenched part of Russian society and not something I wanted to partake in personally.
Although I was never stopped there are so many police on the streets so the anxiety plays on your mind a fair bit.
Compounding this the I was later told that by hotel staff that I was supposed to be registering at every city regardless of how long I stayed because I was staying at hotels and not private residences. This was all in the fine print of the regulations apparently. It was very hard to know which was the correct information, and whether these people too were just looking to make some money from registering me again. Even online sources were split on the matter. By that time though was too late although I was concerned I would be fined at the border this never eventuated.
Another difficulty is the lack of English signage and access to English assistance. I have travelled fairly frequently in non English-speaking countries but I think the absence of a shared written language as well as a spoken one made it really tough going. In addition, unfortunately its hit or miss whether people in service positions were really willing to help. Writing down amounts and dates for example makes things a lot easier. I actually had a few bad experiences in a row later in the trip in which I was actually speaking a bit of Russian I had picked up by necessity. I was smugly dealt with by a disinterested hotel receptionist and then later in the day met with a very angry and stressed out ticket assistant at the train station.
Attitudes of people working in service positions are at times pretty hard to take. Whether in the corner shop, a street sellers or at stations. Staff sometimes
seemed almost unwilling to serve customers and when you did get their attention they knew how to let you know that. You could often have good friendly service as well but you're just as likely to queue for thirty minutes before meeting a surly salesperson. I'm not sure if it's complicated paperwork or unwieldy systems but it seems to take an age for each transaction to be completed.
For example I went into a post office in Moscow mid afternoon on a weekday. There were only three or four people in line but it took well over thirty minutes to be served and purchase three stamps. Day to day purchases like this can be very time consuming and you can imagine how frustrating this can get.
I think in terms of efficiency and service the country has a long way to go to compete but I believe a lot of the aggravation of these people comes in part from inefficient systems and it is probably also historical. For a Russian worker there's a lot of paperwork and upteen things people need to communicate to complete a transaction. On the train for example. You need to choose, time, date, class, seat position, bed position etc which is then all written down and printed from the ticket. It's not a simple transaction where a few quick words will suffice. In the supermarket there often isn't just one check out but a cashier at each different section where you choose to pay e.g. produce, bakery, frozen goods.
As I alluded to another possible reason for this very different service culture is the lack of an established competitive work ethic. Communism was in place until 1991 and prior to that everyone was guaranteed a job. It didn't matter if you didn't work hard, were surly or not enamoured with your job as you wouldn't lose it. Compared to the western model which demands staff meet certain reasonable standards or face the sack.
I had heard it was difficult in Russia and that's a fair description but despite all this it wasn't as bad as expected overall. These experiences aside I had a lot of assistance from ordinary people with directions, ticket bookings etc. Often times unsolicited on the street or at the station. On one occasion a fairly tipsy man claiming to be an off duty policeman even escorted me through a crowded train station to the correct platform. He smiled and shook my hand before throwing his empty beer bottle on the tracks beneath the train. Priceless.
There were also some fantastic locals that I met, like Peter from St Petersburg who runs his own tour company who talked very frankly about corruption in Russia and how it is to live there. There was Ksenia and Nicolai, reporters from Moscow who taught us all about contemporary Russian drinking habits.
There was also Tagir and Sergei who had just embarked on their own business running a hostel in Kazan. We had an unforgettable singalong night there
and they would literally bend over backwards to accomodate tourists.
The great sights of Russia will stay with me and there are many: St Petersburg's frantic Nevsky Prospect, Red Square and the amazing metro stations in Moscow, gentle smoke rising up from brushfires in Suzdal and esquisite old orthodox churches. These will have a place alongside the grouchy staff, constant police presence and the often tense atmosphere that prevails, at least in the cities.
I would advise people to visit and it seems the powers that be are about to ease the visa process and become more tourist friendly in future which is great news.
Certainly it's worth going but remember to be patient and bring a good sense of humour too!
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