Choose Your Russian Taxi Carefully!

by Justin Glow on


I’m not sure I ever had much of an interest in visiting Russia before I started reading EnglishRussia.com. I mean sure, I’d go if the opportunity presented itself, but once my favorite Russian blog hit the scene and they started covering all sorts of “largest country in the world” oddities did I realize this was truly a place I wanted to go.

Take this video for instance, simply titled Moscow Taxi. “When you travel to Russia, choose your taxi carefully!” EnglishRussia.com reads. “Or you might get a ride with anybody like this Moscow taxi cab…” How could I watch this video and not want to visit Russia someday?

The embedded version above is actually an edited version. For the full video, head to EnglishRussia.com.

Best Underground Transit In the World Is…

by Iva Skoch on

…apparently London’s, but this is a list compiled by Virgin, a British company, so go figure. Anyone who has ever spent more than two seconds in London’s tube during rush hour must question their sanity.

Don’t get me wrong, I think London has a great and extensive subway system but during rush hour it is a nightmare – packed and no air-con. Plus, it costs 4GBP (about $8) for a single ride, unless you buy an Oyster Card, their version of a pass which is well-worth it but still very expensive.

Anyway, here is Virgin’s Top 11 Underground Transit Systems in the World:

  1. London
  2. Paris
  3. Moscow
  4. Madrid
  5. Tokyo
  6. Seoul
  7. New York
  8. Montreal
  9. Beijing
  10. Hong-Kong
  11. Sao Paulo, Brazil

Out of all of these, my vote goes to the Paris and Hong-Kong subway systems. New York’s is relatively cheap ($2) and easy to navigate, but geez, it looks, smells and operates like something from a third world country!

The World’s Most Expensive Cities

by Justin Glow on

Mercer, a human resource consulting company, has compiled a list of the most expensive cities in the world based on a cost of living survey which “measures the comparative cost of over 200 items” in each city. Two years in a row Moscow has topped the list, followed by London, Seoul, and Tokyo. Here’s the top 10:

  1. Moscow
  2. London
  3. Seoul
  4. Tokyo
  5. Hong Kong
  6. Copenhagen
  7. Geneva
  8. Osaka
  9. Zürich
  10. Oslo

Most of the locations on the list were in Europe, taking thirty of the fifty spots, with six in the top 10. New York and L.A. are the only two from the United States in the top fifty. For the full list, head to Mercerhr.com. [via]

Related:

Moscow Heat Wave

by Iva Skoch on

Now Moscow isn’t exactly the place to hit the beach these days, but it’s interesting to note that, today, Moscow hit an all-time high winter temperature with a whopping 47.48 degrees F.

I don’t think they’ll be whipping out the sunscreen, but this is a surprise, considering how long official temperature records goes back: 1879. And this compares with a December average high temp of 27 F.

Of course, this comes on the back of last year’s near-record cold snap, when temps hit as low as -23.8 F (January 19, 2006), coming within a degree of record cold.

Even more surprising? This weekend may get even warmer. But don’t feel too bad for the heat-plagued Russians, though: they can always cool off in Vostok, Russia, where the record world low temp of -128.6 F was recorded back in 1983.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of November 5

by Adrienne Wilson on

It’s weekly recap time. Grab a P&J sandwich, chill out, read and relax.

5. Finally! A Cool Looking Sleep Mask:
Personally, sleeping masks cramp my style and bug the heck out of my eyes. However, I know there are many who enjoy keeping unwanted light from their lids as they rest and for you I direct you back to this potential travel gear or stocking stuffer you might wish to get for yourself or someone you know.

4. Moscow: Now Open 24 Hours:
Those who dislike the idea of city shops closing at early hours and lack of nightlife in big areas can leap with joy to learn that Moscow is changing things up these days. No more retreating to your hotel room at 9 PM for drinks. They are bending the curfew it seems so you can stay out late.

3. Forget Flying for Cheap: Have Them Pay You to Fly:
Get paid to fly? Is this too good to be true? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

2. Spider Pepper:
Sadly this isn’t a recipe for making black pepper from tarantula, but it does provide some interesting info on how spiders and peppers defend themselves in sort of the same way.

1. The Real Borat?:
Borat, Borat, Borat… It seems this Borat stuff is all I’m hearing about and I still haven’t gotten in theaters to see the flick. In any case there are mixed emotions about the comedian, especially from Mahir Cagri who seems to be completely sure that he was the inspiration for Borat. He had been doing similar comedy acts in Turkey before Sascha Baron Cohen came along. Who knows?