Underground Russia

by Erik Olsen on


This is a site that I might have deferred to Neil since it’s more his bailiwick, but hey, he took the Manhattan Kayak piece a while ago. So there.

Here is a series of really interesting photos from underground Russia, or more specifically under Russian Streets. The captions are pretty much non-existent, so I have no idea if this is just Moscow or an assortment of different places, but the photos are rally quite striking, kind of a mix of futuristic, Matrix-underworld and brutal Communist construction. Anyway, take a look.

Red Corner: Fine Moscow Cuisine

by Neil Woodburn on

There was a time when “fine cuisine” and Moscow were never uttered in the same sentence. When I first ate in the Russian capital in 1991, there were less then 20 restaurants for an entire city of 9 million. The food, as you might imagine, was very sub par.

Then came capitalism and anyone with money it seemed, was opening up eateries, which, as you might imagine, were also sub par since no one had any experience running private restaurants.

But today, oh boy today, Moscow is awash in fine eating establishments. Sure, there is still a selection of junk and fast food, but high end dining in Moscow, fueled by a flush of cash from rising oil prices, has finally made its grand appearance.

Fortunately we have Robin Buss from The Independent to tell us where to go and what to eat. While not the most in-depth article, it does provide a nice insight into Moscow dining and has a couple of interesting stories as well. I particularly liked the one about the guy who was turned down for a job at McDonald’s so he borrowed money to start his own restaurant and now owns 90 of them.

The Happiest Country on Earth is…

by Adrienne Wilson on

For those of you unfamiliar with the reality TV series Survivor or have better things to do with your time than watch average folk battle it our for prizes and such by competing in gladiator type competitions, you may not be familiar Vanuatu. Perhaps, you’re fortunate enough to know about the group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean without the help of television and if you are you may also like to know that Vanuatu has ranked tops as the world’s happiest country. According to this Yahoo News piece, a study measuring people’s wellbeing and their impact on the environment has ranked Vanuatu at the top with Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, and Panama trailing close behind to complete the world’s top 5 happiest places to reside. Not really surprising if you ask me. Islands always come off as cheerful places to me and having been to Costa Rica myself, I could certainly see myself living there. As far as Vanuatu is concerned – I’d love to go there as much as I’d love to go to Somalia. Happiness is what you make it.

The Happy Planet Index is complied by the British New Economics Foundation (NEF) and also combines life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental footprint to rank countries. Hopefully the results won’t drive herds of shutter-bug tourists to happy little Vanuatu or away from Zimbabwe, an African country my friend finds as one of the best, but ranks 178 on the list. The U.S. comes in at 150, Canada (111), France (129), Germany (81), Japan (95) and Russia (172).

What do you think? Agree or disagree? What do you consider the happiest place on Earth?

Red Corner: Fake Vacations, Russian Style

by Neil Woodburn on

Interested in sneaking away with your mistress for the weekend but can’t figure out how to lie to the wife? How about a fake business trip?

We here at Gadling certainly don’t advocate such infidelity, but as a service to our readers who do (shame on you!) there is a company in Moscow that specializes in fake vacations.

For just a few hundred dollars, Persey Tours will provide ticket stubs, fake hotel receipts, souvenirs, doctored photos of the philanderer at a distant location (see promotional photo above), and even a cell phone with the appropriate area code. Even the most suspicious of spouses will be fooled by such a detailed web of deception–as will friends or co-workers you want to impress with your “exotic” travel.

The LA Times article from which this story comes also covers the rash of other forgery services available in Russia. Although not really travel related, the remainder of the article is well worth a read. Who knows, one day you may suddenly need a fake diploma from the Russian State Medical University. Now you know where to get it.

Red Corner: 24 Hours in Moscow

by Neil Woodburn on

The Independent (UK) has a regular column entitled “24 Hours In:” which offers a succinct snapshot of a popular destination and what it has to offer the time-pinched tourist.

Moscow was one of the more recently highlighted cities. Take a moment to pop over to The Independent site to learn where to stay, what to eat, what to see, and what to avoid (cheap vodka) while visiting the Russian capital. It’s an annotated version of your basic guidebook. If you find yourself short on time and heavy on rubles, print it out and hail the nearest taxi: you’ve got a long day ahead of you.