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Another trip to town...
Jan. 29th, 2005 03:10 pmI welcomed the opportunity to go into Baikonur again, not because I really need anything (except, maybe, a haircut), but as a means of staving off the utter boredom of hanging out at the hotel in the middle of the day while hazardous operations keep everyone from working at the полтинник.
Going into town also gives me a chance to practice my French.
Our first stop during yesterday's trip was at the main post office. Sizewise, it has about three times the floor space of the facility near the market, and fortunately for us, the place was very nearly empty. Here's what it looks like:
I was told by Alexander, one of the office staffers (the tall fellow looking at the camera in the photo above), that there is a uniform postal rate for "standard" size envelopes (which fit through the slot on the drop box outside the front door). We've got size standards for envelopes in the US, too, including a maximum thickness, but my impression is that the Russian postal rate is a flat rate given the size and thickness standard.
In any event, seeing as how there were Kazakhstan stamps on sale (valued at 70 tenge, where 5 tenge = 1 ruble = ~0.04¢) I bought a couple of stamps and envelopes (in case the ones I brought along are of a non-standard size).
After leaving the post office, the most striking feature within view is a Soyuz rocket, positioned around 100 yards away. During a drive-by a couple of weeks ago, I recall seeing a couple of wedding parties assembling for photos before this relic. The van I was in had left the scene way behind before I could unlimber the camera. Yesterday, I was luckier.
* * * We're about halfway through the fuel loading operation as I write this. Hopefully, I'll be back at the Fili by 6 pm.
Cheers...
Going into town also gives me a chance to practice my French.
Our first stop during yesterday's trip was at the main post office. Sizewise, it has about three times the floor space of the facility near the market, and fortunately for us, the place was very nearly empty. Here's what it looks like:
I was told by Alexander, one of the office staffers (the tall fellow looking at the camera in the photo above), that there is a uniform postal rate for "standard" size envelopes (which fit through the slot on the drop box outside the front door). We've got size standards for envelopes in the US, too, including a maximum thickness, but my impression is that the Russian postal rate is a flat rate given the size and thickness standard.
In any event, seeing as how there were Kazakhstan stamps on sale (valued at 70 tenge, where 5 tenge = 1 ruble = ~0.04¢) I bought a couple of stamps and envelopes (in case the ones I brought along are of a non-standard size).
After leaving the post office, the most striking feature within view is a Soyuz rocket, positioned around 100 yards away. During a drive-by a couple of weeks ago, I recall seeing a couple of wedding parties assembling for photos before this relic. The van I was in had left the scene way behind before I could unlimber the camera. Yesterday, I was luckier.
Cheers...
