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Russia Travel Visa - Vodka and Old Friends

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If you think getting a visa to travel to Russia is difficult,you should try getting one to travel around the country. Livingin Russia, I needed just such a Russia travel visa. Russia Travel Visa Unlike many countries, foreigners in Russia must declare ontheir travel visa where they will travel in the country. If theywant to add a location, they have to get a new, temporary visafor the location. Basically, it is red tape and bureaucracy outthe ying yang. While living in Siberia, I was invited to speak at a humanrights conference in the town of Tinda. I wasn't entirely surewhere this was, but new I needed a temporary visa to get from mycity to it. My host, Oleg Vladimirovich, told me getting onewould be no problem. I should've known I was in trouble when ourfirst stop was the liquor store. Four vodka bottles in hand, we hit our first stop at the home ofa retired customs official who was married to someone's halfbrothers third sister and so on. We reminisced and drank shotsfor a half hour or so. Feeling no pain, the customs officialcalled a friend and off we went


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to meet him while leaving theopen vodka bottle behind. At the new gentlemen's home, we cracked our second bottle ofvodka. Reminiscing was undertaken, which left me out of theprocess since I had never met the chap before. Eventually,another phone call was made and we were off to make a newfriend. As you can probably guess, this process was repeated two moretimes. At our final meeting, I was so "warm on the inside, coldon the outside" as Russians say when demurely sipping vodka thatI was reminiscing with a man and wife who I had never met beforein my life! Eventually, we obtained the necessary visa or something thatwouldn't get me arrested. Oleg joked it was a "semi-visa". Itmight work or might not. Seeing double, I headed home to pack mystuff for the train. About the author: Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers ofwriting journals. Travel journals are great travel accessoriesand travel gifts for student travel, family vacations andadventure travel. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com formore travel articles, travelogues and travel stories.

Written by: Rick Chapo

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