alexpgp | Moving in Moscow...

I had experienced some trepidation when considering my options for getting from my sister-in-law's to the hotel. Taxis are hard to find, although surrogate taxis (essentially, anyone with a car and a few minutes to spare to make some extra dough) are fairly plentiful, and one hardly ever has to wait more than a couple of minutes for someone to stop.

The only problem is that, as an American, I apparently stand out like a sore thumb when in public, and there have been cases where gypsy cabs make unscheduled stops to pick up "friends" who, together with the driver, convince the fare to leave the car far from the intended destination, sans money and sans luggage.

One alternative I've never tried before involves the Metro, and it was the one I adopted in the end. It turned out to be remarkably convenient and cost about $1.00. Though I did end up dragging my stuff for a while through streets, I merely broke a sweat doing so, which in the end is probably a good thing.

Before leaving the apartment, however, I experienced the thrill of going shopping locally for a new pair of athletic shoes (кроссовки), as the pair I bought a little over two years ago here in Moscow finally fell apart after giving good service. I forget exactly how much the old shoes cost, but I do remember they were cheap. Today's purchase was about $17 (515 rubles, exchange rate is 28.6 rubles to the dollar). That's a hard price to beat, although that'll also depend on how long these last.

So, I am set up at the hotel and am going to see about setting up my cell for roaming in Kazakhstan. For that, I apparently have to show up in person with my passport and a прописка (registration of residence) at an MTS office. Once I finish this post, I'll surf and find one locally, as there has to be at least one such office this close to the center of town.

A message left for me at the hotel indicates I am to be ready to depart the hotel at 7 am for the airport, but the day is young: last time, the time changed from 6:45 to 5 am upon short notice the night before. But that's later, and I need to get moving now.

Cheers...