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Arrived in Moscow...
Nov. 7th, 2008 10:14 pmEverything went by the numbers today, except that when I recovered my bag from Delta, its appearance had changed. For one thing, the TSA-approved lock was gone; for another, it looked "lumpier," which was explained by the bag having been searched and its contents placed back inside in a hurried, willy-nilly fashion. I've found no TSA notice in the bag, but as everything is otherwise intact, I've made certain assumptions.
I am at the Marriott on Tverskaya, up near the Belorusskaya train and metro stations. I went for a walk along Tverskaya toward the center of town shortly after arriving, and ascertained that walking to the Kremlin area would be more of a trek than a walk. I got as far as the Eliseyevskiy store, then turned back. The most notable item along the route was a Rostick's/KFC that looks out over Mayakovsky square. There is a certain serene pleasure in seeing the Colonel engaging in an eternal staring contest with the late Soviet poet.
Upon returning to the hotel, I called my mother-in-law to announce my arrival, grabbed the collapsible cane that I had packed for her, and headed toward the metro station to go visit her and my sister-in-law. Everything went well, though I didn't eat too much, trying to avoid the languor that occurs after eating when one is tired (I probably got one whole hour of sleep on the flight over, and not all in one stretch, at that). I can feel the heaviness in my limbs right now, as I type this.
After dinner, Alla went with me to get a SIM card for my Siemens GSM phone, which will work in Russia (and Kazakhstan, since logically, it's part of Russia). With the SIM card and a 500 ruble calling card, I ought to be able to call home more often.
Upon returning to the hotel and passing by the lounge/bar, I caught sight of a number of colleagues I'll be working with during the upcoming campaign. We had a couple of beers and caught up on what's been happening since the last time we had seen one another. Some of the folks present worked the July campaign; some of the others I hadn't seen since early 2005.
As is usually the case, I'm on a short leash for this connection. The hotel charges 272 RUR per minute for a call to the States (a little over $10, as the exchange prices I saw today vary between 26.7 and 27.0 for people wanting to buy rubles with dollars), so I'm planning a "got here safely" call via Skype during this hour of connectivity, which runs 377.20 RUR for the hour, which will also allow this post, a quick check of email, and probably a host of other events, if I were to so put my mind to it.
We leave fairly early in the day tomorrow, but I need to plan enough time after wakeup to repack my suitcase. Tomorrow will not only be another day, but another long one.
Cheers...
I am at the Marriott on Tverskaya, up near the Belorusskaya train and metro stations. I went for a walk along Tverskaya toward the center of town shortly after arriving, and ascertained that walking to the Kremlin area would be more of a trek than a walk. I got as far as the Eliseyevskiy store, then turned back. The most notable item along the route was a Rostick's/KFC that looks out over Mayakovsky square. There is a certain serene pleasure in seeing the Colonel engaging in an eternal staring contest with the late Soviet poet.
Upon returning to the hotel, I called my mother-in-law to announce my arrival, grabbed the collapsible cane that I had packed for her, and headed toward the metro station to go visit her and my sister-in-law. Everything went well, though I didn't eat too much, trying to avoid the languor that occurs after eating when one is tired (I probably got one whole hour of sleep on the flight over, and not all in one stretch, at that). I can feel the heaviness in my limbs right now, as I type this.
After dinner, Alla went with me to get a SIM card for my Siemens GSM phone, which will work in Russia (and Kazakhstan, since logically, it's part of Russia). With the SIM card and a 500 ruble calling card, I ought to be able to call home more often.
Upon returning to the hotel and passing by the lounge/bar, I caught sight of a number of colleagues I'll be working with during the upcoming campaign. We had a couple of beers and caught up on what's been happening since the last time we had seen one another. Some of the folks present worked the July campaign; some of the others I hadn't seen since early 2005.
As is usually the case, I'm on a short leash for this connection. The hotel charges 272 RUR per minute for a call to the States (a little over $10, as the exchange prices I saw today vary between 26.7 and 27.0 for people wanting to buy rubles with dollars), so I'm planning a "got here safely" call via Skype during this hour of connectivity, which runs 377.20 RUR for the hour, which will also allow this post, a quick check of email, and probably a host of other events, if I were to so put my mind to it.
We leave fairly early in the day tomorrow, but I need to plan enough time after wakeup to repack my suitcase. Tomorrow will not only be another day, but another long one.
Cheers...
