... in response to Re: Back from a 3 week trip in Belarus, posted by Streetwise on Aug 17, 2005[This message has been edited by YEP]
he he .... I hoped you jumped in as I saw your nick on past posts about "Belarus/minsk".
Minsk and Mogilev (+ Mogilev region)
http://www.maporama.com/share/map.asp?SESSIONID=%7BC09A700C-8E0D-4E59-A857-CE74408A3914%7D&NewMapSize=890%2C684&NewMapStyle=maporama_shell&units=0&customize.x=24&customize.y=9&customize=submit
Was trying to find Belarus when in english mode but didn't so here's the "danish" mode ;-)
Arriving on a bad "state" hotel at the bus-/trainstation on arrivel with my girl but we didn't notice :-)
If you stay there always go for 3'rd floor if you want a shower en suite ;-)
Continued by train to Mogilev the next day. On the return we had a reasonable appartment for US $ 30 a day. She found it in a paper where they have listings with apartments ;-) But the first night on my returntrip we did in a hotel with "seperate beds" (she's watching how we spend money like a hawk and I love that trait of hers) that her sister and "BIL" used as she went to the US as chaperone for some kids earlier this summer.
In Mogilev I rented an apartment for the very acceptable sum of US $ 13 a day for a little more than two weeks. Wasn't perfect but my girl asked me to join and watch others but I trusted her on that one and she was with me the whole time and I'm sure she'd pick another place if it wasn't OK.
Well my way to Belarus was a bit different than most of your guys for FSR's as I live in Europe (Denmark) so I took a bus to Berlin and a bus from there to Minsk and then the train to Mogilev from there ;-) (Cheap and a "interesting experience and very cheap leaving me more to spend there).
Main reason is that taking a plane from Scandinavia to Belarus with all the things I had with me would had cost a fortune ....
so I choose the +5 Euro for an extra bag of things than the +5 or more euro for every extra kilo ;-)
Currency
Going rate as ... Belarus Ruple / euro ... it's 2600+ to 1
A dollar was around 2100-2200 (from my head).
Best rate is to be had in BelSwissbank ("belarus Swissbank") in Minsk.
The further away from Minsk the more someone digs into that margin ... so in Mogilev the going rate was 2450 to 2580 pr. euro.
Customs ..... well thats a seperate chapter ;-)
But to get in was a pain of 5 hours at the German/Polish border because their IT-system was down (or some recent diplomatic thing between German/Polish border and then one more time to get into Belarus from Poland some 3-4 hours where the officials squeeze 5 euro per nose in the bus out of each person. I was the only western person in that bus.
This is done in a very clever way ... the money is collected and one is "chosen" to deliver together with a busdriver. I was actually close to be the one ... but a nice Belarus fella that spoke german went in the way so the only extra squeeze was me being forced to sign an extra healthinsurance of US $ 8 ;-) what the heck ... I'm alive and just enjoyed the experince of that little trick and laughed "upstairs".
Hopefully I'll be around when it's time to kick a little back then I sure know where to start .... right ... at the border ;-)
Getting back to europe was an experience again
just to get out of Belarus took about 6-8 hours ... and a squeeze (eco-tax as the busdriver told my girlfriend) of 2500 Belarus ruples (almost worse than toiletpaper ;-) Fun fully intended)
Well I had a little stack of DVD's US $ 2-3 a piece with me back .... but the toll is way more interested in squeezing you than checking your luggage ;-) and as most people on the bus is belarus is from there ... there's not a lot to find there .... ehm saw some euro's move hands as the toll entered the bus so someone needed a little help getting some cash out of the country for some shopping/financing (buying a used car in Germany I suspect or bring some cash into hands of family there).
Hmm I was only at a disco once and that was on the birthday of my girl so and was a local place in Mogilev so my expertise on Minsk is very limited when it comes to the disco and not the main purpose of me going to Belarus.
correction .... had a romantic dinner/evening with my girl in the old town of Minsk the last day I was in Belarus in a little nice place ;-)
Be carefull the drinks isn't the usual 2 cl a piece I had a double which more turned to be a 5x2cl or more ;-)
On the other hand I saw the whole family and went to a "holiday-resort" (resort is a joke - cold water only) of a Metal factory that has been open for people not working in that plant. But nature was fine and I did some fishing with the "BIL" (his great interest).
Other obvious answers.
I only visited one woman over there as I think I did my "homework" reading/lurking this site for about a year and hanging on different free sites for the same ;-)
But hey you never know where the lightening will strike. It just happend to hit me in Belarus ;-)
You guys just keep the questions comming and I'll try my best else I'll check with my girl and I'm sure she can deliver on more exotic questions. Her english is excellent btw
