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What else? Complimentary pre-trip advice. Inexpensive accommodation in Moscow ($25/night rooms, $70-120/night apartments, hostel from $20/night). Invitations and registrations. Information searches. Assistance to Russian bride seekers. Errands of any kind who need to have things done here but are unable to travel to Russia. A qualified gopher, if this term is still in use..

E-mail me. The response time is from instant to a few hours. If the matter can't wait call +7 985 217 3241. If voice transmission is bad send a text message. BUT PLEASE MIND THE TIME DIFFERENCE WHEN CALLING. MOSCOW IS EST +9. OR THREE HOURS AHEAD OF MOST OF EUROPE.

new JUST GOT SKYPE: Uncle_Pasha_2011

This is me. The location is a boat graveyard somewhere in the vicinity of Rostov. End of August 2011.

Alexandra's truck, a 1995 LandRover with a 2500cc diesel engine and manual transmission to make it even better in off-road situations. Here it is shown ready for filming an episode about foreigners having a misadventure in Russia. In real life it does not look much better - but this is exactly the sort of appearance you need to repel thieves and to enjoy profound indifference of greedy and picky and bored enough to stop you for no reason Russian police.

The car is full of absurdities typical of British engineering. Her Majesty's subjects will be expected to add 10% to the bill, which does not however relieve them from hearing my rant and giving an explanation on behalf of the UK auto engineers. For the fear of scaring away prospective clients I will hold myself sharing here specific stories of brake failures (two per year) or sudden power steering loss but but once I have you as my captive audience you will hear a thing or two that may make you want to jump out.


Several time in the past I worked with filming crews who carried lots of equipment. Wish I had this camper back then! Those with writing or filming are especially welcomed. Large desk, Internet, 220V power supply to allow you to do your work. The trailer can easily take a 400km (900lb) load.
 

For the adventurous a camper is available. My person, the truck, and the camper will cost you let's say $300/day but subtract from it what you'll save on hotel accommodation and restaurant meals. Also reduce the amount by the cost of bus or train tickets. Add versatility. And understand that this offer makes every sense who does not want to be constrained by his low budget.

In exceptional cases I may even let you have this outfit without the nuisance of my own presence. An "exception" means that I know you real well, you are solvent enough to compensate damages and, most importantly, you are ready for the contingencies of Russian roads.

Disclaimer. One of several.
His English is sort of fluent but be warned of the accent that some/many find irritating. Also be aware that Pasha's vehicles are always dirty outside and cluttered inside. What's worse, it is intentional, with the aim seemingly being to demonstrate that he merely condescends to this lowly driver role out of greatness of his Russian soul (which is actually of mixed Jewish and Ukrainian heritage) as opposed to recognizing that he is a loser forced by circumstances to do small and silly jobs. He will call your payment a "contribution" and otherwise attempt to position himself as a feudal lord.

Camping in Karelia, partly with the purpose of refining the techniques of living on the wheels. Now, after 10 days on the road in the company of two humans and one dog, I feel sort of ready to take small groups to camping trips.

One thing I do take seriously, especially when travelling, if food and drink. A basic meal takes 30 min. from the beginning to "the dinner is served". 

I may as well admit I'm the slowest driver on this list. I will not go over 65mph. I will not do more than 200 per day, or spend more than three hours in a row driving. Why? I've seen enough cars twisted around lamp poles and bloodied bodies to develop a paranoia about speed. I may be a coward but I managed to stay out of trouble for the last 30 years, of which 15 were in Russia, and I will, with your permission, stick to my conservative driving style. Especially after several drivers got deleted from the list following major accidents.
Recently my former assistant  Dima (who is now in charge of the www.russian-horse-rides.com project) seduced me into joining the more advanced part of humanity. So I not only acquired one of these devices but in less than three months learned how to use it. Alexandra, being an information expert, has even figured out how to download updated maps into this box! So now navigating around Moscow's traffic jams gives me and my passengers a false sense of control over situation...


The Dacha Experience and Horse Riding is now Dima's project. A deserted village in the Upper Volga hills. Home-raised horses. Rafting. Catacombs. $50/person per day for accommodation, food, and horse rides, including assistance with horses if necessary. Unlimited area for riding. Good riders are allowed to go out unescorted. For more info see www.russian-horse-rides.com (English) and www.unclepasha.com/horses.htm (more pictures, the pages are updated more often but the site is in Russian). 

Lastly, winter travel. A few years ago we've come up with a slogan "Winter is the Soul of Russia". Now I have a suitable vehicle. Being a profound pessimist I'm ready for the worse. Every time the car leaves civilization (and outside the Moscow region Russia is one big empty largely unlivable space) it has a heater independent of the engine with enough gas to keep it going for 10 hours, a gas burner for cooking, a sleeping bag, a tent, a foam pad, and even an inflatable boat. Plus tea, sugar and lots of cookies, and usually more serious food too, and liquids that will either help you feel better of freeze painlessly. [Photos of winter equipment]

Car upkeep contributions:

Airport rides - $80. That includes parking, waiting, stopping at the bank if you need to, assistance buying a local phone etc. Well worth it.

Hourly rate for Moscow driving and whatever other no-brainer support you need - $25.

Daily rate - $250 plus direct expenses.

Real long-distance travel - think of $1/km as the approximate rate.

Errands, assignments - from complimentary to $25-50/hour, with $50/hour being the rate for extremely difficult, tiring or dangerous tasks. Hours of simultaneous translation is one example of an expensive service.

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...You may also see the old page from over 10 years ago >>