" Proceed with Caution!!!!

[jrm]

I have been involved in the pursuit of women from the FSU for almost 4 years. I have been:
1. Scammed by one woman in Ukraine, and lied to by many.
2. Mugged in St.Petersburg in broad day light near Nevsky Prospect by 5 or 6 gypsy's.
3. Ripped off by one agency owner, who freguently posts on this board, whose name rhymes with Smack!
4. Spent enough money to buy an airplane.
5. Seen a lot of interesting and depressing sights.
6. I have had women testify to their "love" for me without meeting them or even talking to them on the phone.
7. I have had plenty of sex, with many pretty women, but not without a high price(my airplane). Sex wasn't my goal, but...
8. And still, I am not married, could be soon, but I am reluctant, as some on this board, we have a lot to lose!

I don't post on this board or read it, because there is very little useful information, and a lot of opinions. And here is mine, mainly, for the newbys, "it's an addiction", shopping the web for desperate women, that will promise to love you forever, or two years, whatever comes first!!!!!
Flame away. I don't care, I won't read it.

[Frank O]

... in response to " Proceed with Caution!!!!, posted by jrm on Jul 2, 2003

NT

[thesearch]

... in response to " Proceed with Caution!!!!, posted by jrm on Jul 2, 2003

with everyone by all of the incredible responses below.

However, with jrm's final comments he reads somewhat like a troll although who knows.

"I don't post on this board or read it, because there is very little useful information, and a lot of opinions. And here is mine, mainly, for the newbys, "it's an addiction", shopping the web for desperate women, that will promise to love you forever, or two years, whatever comes first!!!!!
Flame away. I don't care, I won't read it."

However, with his comment about not reading or posting here because there is very little useful information --- well perhaps if he had read here and asked some questions etc. maybe he would not have had such a negative experience. Or, maybe he just manifests negative regardless. How you approach this certainly alters the odds of what type of end result you are more likely to get.

[valuedcustomer]

... in response to " Proceed with Caution!!!!, posted by jrm on Jul 2, 2003

I went to Kiev almost three years ago with a European Connections Tour.  At the end of the evening we were basically encouraged to take ladies out to dinner.  I remember one-lady ordering frog legs because she had never had frog legs before and the dinner came out to $100.  But, some of the guys who later when on to Moscow told me stories of spending more than $200 for a dinner.  We were basically being used to provide entertainment.  The Russian women were also too cold for my liking.  The best woman there was my young interpreter who was married and after we became friends told me that she didn't think any of the women at these events were sincere.  One of my friends who went on to Russia proposed to a lady, gave $3000 to his interpreter to give to her to cover her expenses, and never heard from either of them again.  The EC tour said, well that happens.  I decided to switch to Latin Women and have never looked back.  I now have a loving Colombiana I am bringing over who just asks for love and not money.  And, I don't need a Visa, and frankly Colombia has all the comforts of America (more advanced than Russia or Ukraine) and it is just easier and more comfortable to get around, and, of course, warmer.  I don't regret my Russian experience.  I went to places I would never have gone otherwise.  And I did take a year of Russian in a college, which is a fascinating language and I made friends with my teacher, a sweet lady who was a former professor in the Soviet Union.  But, it's not a place I choose to look for love.

   

[Streetwise]

... in response to Re: Try Latin , posted by valuedcustomer on Jul 3, 2003

I stand to be corrected, but following the "try Latin" post, I had a quick flick through a few sites (it's been a while since I checked out that area) and my initial conclusions are:

Attractive looks, age over 22, and height over 5'5" seem to feature occasionally... but not often all in the same women.

The sites specialising in Latinos seem less sophisticated, the photos and supporting information seems generally more sketchy.

The places they come from are often crime-ridden areas of extreme poverty, I would be most careful about where I went (yes, I think human life is cheaper in some of those places than it is anywhere in Russia or Eastern Europe).

On the plus side, I didn't see any "professional" photos (you know, the kind of photos that bear not the slightest  resemblance to the woman who turns up at the restaurant!)    

Also, I have had the fortune to visit Brazil (Rio and Recife) and Colombia (Bogota); I did not feel at all relaxed in Bogota, and I would challenge the claim that South America offers anything remotely approaching US (or UK)living standards. Maybe for 0.05% of the population, possibly..

Brazil was better, and I was impressed by some of the women I saw walking around (keeping fit seems to be a national obsession!) I was also impressed by their apparent warmth, they seemed more approachable and responsive than their RW counterparts; but that might not be a good thing in the longer term. A Brazilian business associate advised me to forget Rio and concentrate on the touristic areas of Natal, Recife etc (to the North) as all the menfolk have migrated to the big cities to find work, leaving many women "on the shelf" with nothing to do except lie on the beach...

But before I forget that this is the wrong board to be discussing Latinos, let me conclude by saying that having looked at both sides of the coin, my inclinations remain unquestionably towards Eastern Europe.

[pablo]

... in response to Latin... first impressions of...., posted by Streetwise on Jul 6, 2003

To each his own Streetwise, but I would have to agree with Valuedcustomer about LatinAs vs. RW.  Having been to Russia two summers in a row and now South America two years in a row, these warm, affectionate women appeal to me much more than their Russian sisters.  There are very beautiful, sincere (and insincere) women on both continents but the ladies from the South stole my heart my first trip there.

As for SA approaching our standards you must be talking salaries because if it's culture and history, SA is way ahead of us by a few hundred years.  Sure there are places to watch out due to the high crime rate but you can't possibly be serious about Russia being safer than SA.  You have to be careful wherever you go and that includes most of the major cities here in the US.

You hit the nail on the head in accurately describing Latinas as having more "warmth, more approachable and responsive than RW".  Case closed as far as I'm concerned, but happy hunting in the FSU.  

Anyone who has gone East or considering going East should give some thought to giving our neighbors to the South a try.

Poka

[Bobby Orr]

... in response to Re: Try Latin , posted by valuedcustomer on Jul 3, 2003

I hear ya...........

[Jack]

... in response to Re: Try Latin , posted by valuedcustomer on Jul 3, 2003

The Internet is helping more and more men to become aware of the great number of women who attend these large socials who are social scammers, working girls, not looking for a foreign man or party girls.

It is nice being able to report such deception by these companies on the Planet Love Russian discussion board without the poster being called all types of names and having the post eventually deleted.

Could you imagine being able to report this on this discussion board if this agency were paying big bucks to advertise here?

Some boards you cannot discuss or expose scam activites of certain agencies if they are sponsors of that Russian discussion board.

[Charles]

... in response to " Proceed with Caution!!!!, posted by jrm on Jul 2, 2003

I think there's a lot of sour grapes in this post, as KenC and others have correctly pointed out.  The only thing I can agree with this guy on is  getting mugged in St. Petersburg which happenned to me too.  Don't get off the beaten path and don't be out after dark.  I've stayed out on the streets of Kiev, Moscow, Simferopol, Yalta and Sevastopol and never had a problem, but St. Petersburg seems to be a muggers haven.

[John K]

... in response to Re: " Proceed with Caution!!!!, posted by Charles on Jul 3, 2003

Most of my trips to Ukraine have been to Zhitomir.  People tried to pick my pocket once, and one time this last trip, Marina and I had a couple of guys watching us pretty closely in the bar.  When we left, I pointedly stared at them on our way out, letting them know that I made them as well.  Our walk home was uneventful.

Our last trip, Marina even saw a daylight abduction by the mafia.  Her mother and I missed it, but it was still sobering to hear about it.  Zhitomir has gotten more dangerous from previous years, which leads me to believe that other areas are likely to be more problematic as well.  Of course, we were over there in the winter this time, so it could be a seasonal thing.  I'm not sure.

Just remember to treat it like a trip to NYC or downtown LA or Detroit.  Don't make a target of yourself and don't go anywhere off the beaten path.  Incidently, Marina and I drove through downtown LA once and my wife decided immediately that this was not a place she wanted to be.  Apparently, that survival instinct works well, despite where you are.

[KenC]

... in response to " Proceed with Caution!!!!, posted by jrm on Jul 2, 2003

My wife once told me that Americans are the only people that assume that only the best will happen to them and are disappointed when it doesn't.  The rest of the world assumes the worst and are pleasantly surprised when something better happens.  jrm is a perfect example of that thought process.
1. Scammed and lied to- so what?  Women manipulating men with their sexuality is as old as time itself.  There is no national boundary on this practice.  Foolish men will always be open to be scammed.

2.Mugged- So Russia aint Disneyworld!  There are plenty of American cities that you could do worse in.  Being from Detroit, I learned to avoid such situations.  Maybe jrm should never leave Kansas again.

3.Jack- ripped off?  I highly doubt that.  More likely jrm is an unrealistic man with too high expectations.  Better to blame Jack than take personal responsibility.

4.Expense-Stay in Kansas and ride the bus.

5.Interesting and depressing sites-welcome to the real world.

6.In "love" without meeting- Enter any chat room for the same experience (refer to my #1)

7.Lots of sex at high cost- jrm sounds like a man bedding women above him, cash is the equalizer, others can accomplish(?) the same with charm and personality.

8.Not married, too much to lose- Stay in Kansas and continue to live with Mom.

In closing, there will always be foolish men that women will take advantage of, no matter what country they do or do not visit.
KenC

[thesearch]

... in response to Poor baby, posted by KenC on Jul 3, 2003

sd

[Bobby Orr]

... in response to " Proceed with Caution!!!!, posted by jrm on Jul 2, 2003

Although the details are different my bottom line is like yours and I have now been to Ukraine twice and Russia eight times, though five of the eight trips to Russia were wife hunting / vacation trips.  I am alot more upbeat about it than you.  I have had a great time in spite of the difficulties.  Luckily, I have never been robbed, but have been willingly scammed by a Ukrainian girl from Kharkov and seen and had to deal with brutally miserable behavior by people over there - but have sometimes seen behavior like that here as well.  Over all I am a better person for my experience - and will attempt the long shot of a FSU wife again.  Just remember, the odds of marriage occurring for the average guy with a good head on his shoulders is slim - otherwise you probably are rushing it.

[thesearch]

... in response to About like yours, posted by Bobby Orr on Jul 3, 2003

Could you emblelish on this for me?

"Just remember, the odds of marriage occurring for the average guy with a good head on his shoulders is slim - otherwise you probably are rushing it."

[Bobby Orr]

... in response to Re: About like yours, posted by thesearch on Jul 3, 2003

I think the statement stands on its own.