Hi all, Today I picked up my 3 year work visa and booked flights from New Zealand to Moscow, arriving next Monday.
I was there for two weeks in December, working in the same office I'll be in (I've been working remotely since July), so I've had a little bit of a chance to look around, though not very thorough. I'm planning to live in the area between Savelovskaya and Mar'ina Roshcha metro stations. - the most urgent question, which I need to decide in the next three days: should I take kitchen things or buy them there? Saucepan set, crockery, cutlery, cups and glasses etc will be easy and not worth taking I expect. But I do a pretty large proportion of my cooking in a large wok and heavy cast iron skillets. The few native Russian contacts I have are baffled by the question of whether such a thing can be purchased in Moscow -- they don't have one, their friends don't have one. Of course it is a very large city, and asian people do live there. Everything must be available somewhere! I'm not planning to take very much with me from NZ. I'll need things like this more or less immediately, and shipping with DHL will cost about US$10/kg. At 1.4 kg for my small cast iron skillet, and 6.9 kg for my wok that's going to cost basically the same as I paid for them! But if it's going to be hard or impossible to find them in Moscow then it's maybe worth it, - Banks. Where should I open an account? Aside from the obvious things such as cards and ATMs, which banks (or other companies) are the best for doing currency exchange and sending, say, $5k - $10k at a time home from Russia? I'd prefer something with, say, a fixed $15 or $20 fee than someone who takes a percent or more out of the amount transferred. Is there a reason to use foreign banks such as Citi or Rabo, or are local ones as good/better?n - Restaurants. I've looked around in Raikin Plaza and the Ashan Siti just over the railway lines on Sheremetyevskaya, but there seems to be a shortage of restaurants in the area, unless you go in to the garden ring, at least according to Google Maps. Is there anything suitable for regular use? i.e. cheap prices (def under 1000 RUB) but good (not fancy) food; healthy selection with salads, veg etc; ability to be in and out in 30 or 40 minutes rather than a drawn out dining "experience". Is there anything like that anywhere in Moscow, for that matter? - recommendation for rental car companies. I'd like to grab a car for a weekend sometime soon after I arrive, while I can still drive on my NZ license/International Permit, see what it's really like to drive in Moscow, maybe head out of town e.g. maybe up towards Yaroslavl and look at the Volga and churches. Cheap and reliable is important. I don't care if it's 5+ years old with a few dings and 100,000 miles on the clock. I've driven in LA, SF, Seattle, Chicago, New York, DC. It can't be worse, right? When I was there in December I was struck by the fact that although the traffic was very heavy, and people were pretty assertive about changing lanes, no one seemed to get upset about it and I didn't spot any collision damaged cars. I think that's all for now :) Thanks for any advice. Bruce
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