Bolshoi in Russia: Stumbling between Devoloped and Developing

by Iva Skoch on

Here is a laundry list of my observations based on traveling in Russia and talking to people here. I am stating in advance that this post might offend people (believe me, I’ve already taken a ton of heat for my prior posts, even if some were meant to be tongue-in-cheek). Since the terms “first” and “third” world no longer carry the same meaning they once did (after the “second” world vanished with the disappearance of the Soviet Union,) I will use politically correct terms “developing” and “developed” instead.

I’ll also remind you, dear readers, that this is based on a relatively short trip, focused on Moscow and St. Petersburg, plus some background research into statistics.

I will start by saying that I have never been to a country where you are so frequently thrown from luxury to poverty in a matter of blocks or minutes (sorry, NYC, you’re not #1 in this regard). One minute, you think that you are in one of the most developed countries on the planet. The next minute, you feel…completely the opposite. The gap between the rich and the poor is wide in America, too. But it’s a little different here. There is no visible middle class in Moscow, so you get thrown from “high” to “low” very abruptly.

Top reasons that make Russia look like a developed country:

  • Arts. Museums have amazing collections; orchestras have fantastic musicians.
  • Design. Although related to Arts, but Russia’s young designers (interior, product, etc.) deserve their own category. They do really cutting-edge work here.
  • Prices in big cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg). Moscow is the most expensive city in the world. No really, it is.
  • Nightlife. As described in one of my previous posts, the club scene is dazzling.
  • Education. Very high literacy level (Russia’s 99.4% rate beats America’s). Russians are avid readers. Good schools (although I’ve heard rumors it’s pretty easy to buy a college diploma here).
  • Luxury. Premium cars and fashion brands are seen everywhere. Heck, an enormous Rolex ad sits opposite the Kremlin.
  • Sushi. The sushi wave has hit Russia big time. It’s good and it’s one of the most reasonably-priced things to eat.
  • Good coffee. You can get a good espresso so many places now.
  • Technology. You can pay all your bills through electronic kiosks. How cool is that?
  • Wi-Fi. It is not difficult to connect to free Wi-Fi. Even Red Square has Wi-Fi spots.
  • Personal safety. You do feel safe here.
  • Low birth rates. On par with the rest of the West, Russian women postpone having babies and only have one, maybe two. (Not saying that’s necessary good, but that it mimics the developed world.)
  • Secular society. Although religion (Russian Orthodox), is an important part of the society, it doesn’t enter politics too much. (Same here: this is not a judgment.)

Top reasons that make Russia look like a developing country:

  • Can’t drink tap water in most places.

  • Service is generally quite poor. Certainly not compatible with the cost of things.

  • Plumbing. Showers are smelly (lack of traps) and in many places you can’t throw toilet paper into the bowl, and are told to put it in the bin next to the toilet.

  • Lack of international signage. Reading Cyrillic is a must, in restaurant menus or public transport.

  • Pollution. Air is terrible in Moscow and not great in St. Pete’s. Cars still use leaded gas here. And, that gas is cheap.

  • Russian passport doesn’t exactly “open doors” to many developed countries

  • Human rights abuses. Lack of care for the disabled or physically challenged (as of last year, there was not even a law prohibiting discrimination). Gay parades are prohibited. On-going freedom of press issues. (In the interest of brevity, I will spare you the citations in this post, so please feel free to do your own research.) Foreigners must register, like in many “police states.” Foreign tourists still have to register with the police if they want to stay more than three business days. This is a pain in the butt, but some hotels will do it for you.

  • Poor healthcare. CIA estimates that 1% of Russian are HIV-positive, while Russia “is not counting.” (Official estimates are less than a third of what international bodies estimate, and Russian health officials scoff at international estimates.) Cancer treatment is virtually non-existent for those who can’t afford it, and survival rates are a fraction of those in the West.
  • Low life expectancy. An average Russian man can expect to live 59 years.
  • Smoking. Sixty-plus percent of adult population in Russia smokes. That certainly doesn’t help their low life expectancy. It doesn’t help that cigarettes are cheap. A pack starts at less than a dollar. A pack of Marlboros will set you back less than $2.
  • Opulent displays of wealth, real or fake. The popularity of excessive jewelry and leopard-print clothing cannot go unnoticed.
  • Rudeness and inability to form functioning lines. My pet peeve. I always thought Czechs were rude. It must be an East European thing.
  • High emigration rate. A high percentage of people leaving a country with no intentions to come back…it’s a bad sign.
  • No middle class. It’s either Bentley or a Lada. Or, it could also be a “Volsche“. One billionaire had an old Volga (another Russian car) put on the chassis of a Porsche Cayenne and had the car decorated with Swarowski crystals–and a picture of Stalin— at a cost of $1m. Call me biased, but this is easily as bad as whatever the Tsar had ever done.
  • And, of course, xenophobia. Russia still remains the greatest country ever. (A least that’s what you get by reading the Moscow News.)

From Russia, with love.

Bolshoi in Russia: Lenin, Stalin and other marketing icons still alive and kicking

by Iva Skoch on

I have always wanted to see Russia. Growing up in a satellite communist country, with the Soviet Union–the occupying force–pitched as the Evil of all Evils, it took me a while before I thought I could honestly visit the country with an open mind. Nineteen years after the end of communism in Central Europe, to be exact.

Needless to say, I grew up imprinted with a lot of stereotypes about Russia and Russians: They are expanding. Unemotional. They are alcoholics. Xenophobes. And especially: the world would have been better off if Lenin was never born and the Tsar kept ruling Russia.

It’s scary how deeply those stereotypes get rooted when you are bombarded with them from early childhood. I am not saying that some sterotypes aren’t true about Russia today, but they are not exactly helpful when you want to have an open mind about a place. Of course, I really didn’t want to go to Russia just to confirm the stereotypes. I felt like Russia was the missing piece to my view of the world–primarily the political world–and understanding it would greatly help.

With that said, I do think that Russia would have been much better off had the Tsar stayed in power and the Communists never took over.

Soviet memorials


That’s why I was surprised to find so many Soviet plaques, statues and memorials throughout Moscow. Under communism, the Soviet Union was one of the major players in the world; one pole of the bipolar world we all grew up in; well, the older ones of us at least. Even after the Soviet Union split up, Muscovites didn’t feel the need to take down all the signs, the statues and memorials. That is very different behavior from the Czechs, for example. Czechs took all those things down so fast, you wouldn’t believe it. Too fast, some claimed (including Western tourists who expected it of us). After all, it is, and always will be, an important part of our history.

In Russia, Soviet memorials now coexist peacefully with the Tsar memorabilia. Proud displays of the times when Russia was a primary player in world affairs. The times it clearly misses.

Marx’s statue still dominates the square by Teatralnaya metro station. It says: “Workers of the world, unite.” Plaque’s commemorating Lenin are displayed on buildings everywhere. They get as ridiculous as stating that “Here in this building, V.I. Lenin had a speech at a conference in 1917.” Of course, there is the Lenin mausoleum and, next to it, a cemetery of most Russian leaders, including Stalin.

Russians have a conflicted opinion about Stalin. A friend mentioned that they still do not view him primarily as a mass murderer, like the rest of the world does. They view him as a hero, who won a major war for them: the Patriotic War, as they call World War II here.

The Sculpture Park, a lovely little park right next to the World’s ugliest statue I wrote about earlier, has an interesting collection of Soviet statues that were, perhaps, too ridiculous to keep in the streets. Behind a dominant statue of Stalin is a striking memorial to his victims and political prisoners (see photo).

Romanticizing the communist past


Soviet memorabilia is still a great business here. Stands selling anything from Russian fur hats to propaganda posters are still as popular as ever. Old Arbat, what used to be the heart of Moscow’s art community, is–sadly– filled with such stands. They provide an ironic backdrop to Starbucks, McDonald’s and other symbols of capitalism that now dominate the strip.

All of those souvenirs are, of course, not authentic, although they are certainly supposed to appear that way. They are mass-produced, probably somewhere in China, and sold to Western tourists wanting to appear retro chic. It honestly cracks me up to see all these 18-year old kids–kids, who never lived through the Cold War and to whom communism is merely a chapter in their history book–wearing Lenin T-shirts or at least a Che Guevara hat.

If there was such a thing as a “poser university”, wearing communism-romanticizing gear would have to be its graduation gown.

Gadling TAKE FIVE: Week of May 24–May 30

by Jamie Rhein on

Although, finding deals are still on our minds (poor Iva in Moscow is having little luck), food and drink has been one topic of interest this week.

  • Iva, for example, has found some solace in the vodka. She’s discovered loads of it, and all brands are not the same.
  • Aaron has clued us into saying good-bye to free peanuts–even though they cost peanuts– and has told us where the best places to drink in 2008 are located.
  • Tynan was wined and dined at the Lalu Hotel in Taiwan and found out that while staying in luxury you can eat vegan.
  • Kent shared the advantages of a two-day trip to San Juan, one being eating Mexican food overlooking the ocean, Must be tough.
  • But, if you want to know what it’s like to work on an organic farm, ask Jerry. He has first-hand experience. It sounds tough. Check out part two tomorrow.
  • I’m the one, though, who knows all about White Castle hamburgers, and I’m proud of it.

Have a great last half a weekend in May. Sunday is June 1. Hope you find something yummy.

Bolshoi in Russia: The thing about hotels…

by Iva Skoch on

Greetings from St. Petersburg! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means “Big” in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.

Did I mention how expensive Russia is? Oh yeah, I pretty much mention it in every blog, don’t I. It really is quite shocking how little you get for your money here. It’s one thing to travel around Southeast Asia and stay in crappy hotels for $20/night. You get what you pay for. Russia is different. That same crappy hotel will cost you more like $200 in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It often seems that Russia has all the disadvantages of a third world country (dirt, smog, poor services, etc) and none of its benefits (not cheap).

We stayed in one such crappy little hotel right on 44 Nevsky Blvd (the main drag in St. Petersburg). The hotel entrance is pictured here. The outside is really not the problem, although its classic communist realism look is not exactly the picture of hospitality. It’s the inside. It’s the smell.

One thing you’ll notice about a lot of Russian bathrooms is that they tend to smell bad. The reason? Poor plumbing. It was explained to me that they don’t use a “trap” in the shower. Hence, most bathrooms smell of raw sewage, worse than the New York subway on a hot summer day. All that for only $180/night.

They do give you breakfast with it, though. I even documented it for you: a piece of stale toast, piece of nondescript cheese, some tea and a yoghurt. What they don’t give you, however, is a place where you could eat that breakfast. So, you have to take it back to your room and enjoy it while sniffing the aroma coming out from the bathroom.

It was not nearly the worst hotel I have ever stayed at. It must be up there in terms of value for your money, however. The best thing to remember about Russia before going is that you will spend a lot of money and get very little in return. At the end of thee day, it’s all about expectations.

From Russia, with love.

Bolshoi in Russia: How to turn Prague into Moscow in 7 easy steps

by Iva Skoch on

Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means “Big” in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.

Needless to say, the similarities between Prague and Moscow have been on my mind lately. With a group of friends, this is the summary we came up with over a few drinks.

How to turn Prague into Moscow:

1) Turn back time at least 10, preferably 15 years.
2) Tear down 95.3% of the old buildings and replace with communist
realism buildings.
3) Reduce number of pretty women by 20%, primarily through the use
of bad make-up, bad hair dye, bad clothing, and gold teeth.
4) Increase the population by ten-fold.
5) Increase prices to New York City standard.
6) Replace every third car with a Mercedes and one of the two
remaining with a BMW, give everyone two, and park them all on the
sidewalks.
7) Widen every other street and turn it into a likeness of the
Magistrala, then remove all speed limits.

I know, I know. Probably not the most insightful thing you ever read in your life. Isn’t it strange how things always sound better over drinks?

From Russia, with love.