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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.. |
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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 |
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This is me. The
location is a boat graveyard somewhere in the vicinity of
Rostov. End of August 2011. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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".
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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. |
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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... |
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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).
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| 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.
e-mail
or call +7 985 217 3241
...You may also see the old page from over 10 years ago
>> |