Miscellany
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29-10-2007 |
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Main
Pablo's trip 2007 (New! - Only in Spanish!)
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Here you will find a set of useful information for the traveler: The documentation | The money | The customs | Medical services | Transportation in Moscow | Transportation in Beijing | Telephone, communications and internet| Emergency in Moscow | Pharmacy in Moscow| Emergency in Russia | Other in Moscow | Food and water | The lodging | The safety | The languages | Time zones | Moscow railway stations Russian visa: before three days of staying in Russia is necessary to register both passport and visa at OVIR (Inmigration Russian police), depending on the type of visa. The hotel should do it, and it's strongly recommended to insist on it. If you're going to stay less than three days, the law says is not compulsory, but it's usuful especially in Moscow, where the police (militsia) ask frequently for the documentation. It is good to do it anyway in every place where we are going to sleep, so our staying could be traceable. Passport should be carried with us at every moment. Mongol & Chinese visa: The only recommendation is to use your common sense. Once you put your feet on China, you can go everyewhere. Police hardly ever bother. A good idea is to carry with us copies both in paper and electronic support (e.g. in the e-mail) of the passport and the visas. It will simplify the situation in case of lost or theft. Credit cards: In Moscow there is abundance of automats, although it is not possible to pay with card in many places; this situation becomes worse as you go eastwards. There are automats in all the big populations throughout the route, including China. In general it is not a problem to get cash from a card. Traveller checks: It is not possible to change them in every places. You should go to big banks. In 2004, change rates were approximately the following ones: 100 roubles = 3 € 10 yuans = 1 € In Russia, you have to fill in a document on entering the country. There you should write down the foreign currency you are taking with you. Be careful with cheating, because that will the amount of money you will be allowed to take out of the country. Cultural goods older than 50 years, or religious good no matter its antiquities, can not be exported. You just can carry 200 g of black caviar. In China, everything older than 1949 needs a certificate. You can not take out of China nothing built before to 1795. This issue should be covered by the compulsory assurance (in China is not obligatory but strongly recommended). There's no special need of vaccination for any point of the TransSiberian route. In Russia it's possible to get any kind of medicine in the pharmacies (APTEKA), but it is conveninete to bring the medicines commonly used in Spain, especially in the case of especific treatments. If it was necessary, there are a big variety of foreign medical centres, as the European Medical Center (English and French spoken), tel. 9336655) in Moscow. Besides, there is a Russian clinic with more affordable prices that for years has especialised in the medical attention to the foreign diplomatic personnel (tel. 2378338, 2375933). Moscow's metro network is fast, reliable and cheap. Tickets can be bought at the stations. It is definetely the best option for moving around the city. You can click to see a map of the Moscow's metro network. Taxi: official ones are yellow, but it's recommendable to avoid them. they work as a mafia gang and their price is four times the normal one. there are a lot companies companies of taxis that do not distinguish of the particular cars by their appearance and still is very extended and continues the practice to stop any particular car raising the arm; the average price in the 2004 was of 100 roubles from the center, but it depends on the distances by the city. For example, the price from Kremlin to underground station of Vladykino is between 200 and 250 roubles. It's good anyway to negotiate the price before initiating the trip. Particular vehicle: The traffic police is called GAI. They stop frequently the vehicles, mainly foreign. For long stays it is necessary to accredit the driving license through the GAI. The best way of moving around Beijing is the metro. It's cheap and fast. Its weak point is that is not very big and there areas that are not covered. Here you can find a map of Beijing's metro network. Buses are slow and difficult to get to know where you're going: everything's in Chinese. Taxi: official taxis are red. If they have a meter, you can trust it. In the case it has not, it's conveniente to negotiate hard the price before startin the trip. A typical price in 2004 from Sanlitun, the going-out area to Tiananmen square it's about 20 yuans. To the airport, the price should be around 100 yuans, including the toll. Do not be moved for the crying of the chinese if they say it's a impossible price. A taxi to Badaling (70 km), the nearest place to Beijing of the Great Wall, return ticket including the tolls should be about 300 yuans. In the airport, pay attention to the tax of 90 yuans you have to pay inmediately!!! Be careful if you are running out of cash... Almost any thing that moves in Beijing is susceptible to be a mean of transport. Apply the same criteria than for taxis. Telephone, communications and internet To phone to Russia from Spain: 00 (international) + 7 (Russia) + 095 (Moscow) u 812 (St. Petersburg), etc + number. To phone to China from España: 00 (international) + 86 (China) + Prefix province + number. To phone to Spain from Russia: 8 (tone) + 10 (international) + 34 (Spain) + number. To phone to Spain from China: 00 (international) + 34 (Spain) + number. For other countries, change the international code and have into account the province prefix. Mobiles: In Russia there are two kind of mobile numbers, a direct one (7 figures) and another one with 9 figures and you have to call through 8 + tone + number or without 8 from another country. Phone booths work with phonecards. Be careful because not every card can be used with all the booths. Put an eye in what you're buying! You can find stamps, postcards and internet connections all along the route. The best places for internet are the central post offices. Emergency telephones in Moscow (Source: Revista Moscow Information) EMBAJADA DE ESPAÑA EN MOSCÚ (24 horas): 2904152 AMERICAN EMBASSY DOCTOR 728 5000 # 5840 Dr Jerry Hersh (medical unit) FINNISH EMBASSY DOCTOR 247 4920 (clinic) Dr Paavo Cajanus 787 4174 (residence) FRENCH EMBASSY DOCTOR 2302343 (clinic) Dr Olivier Tregouet 237 4955 (residence) GERMAN EMBASSY DOCTOR 9399269 (clinic) Dr Wolfgang Luster INDIAN EMBASSY DOCTOR 917 0289 (clinic) Dr (Mrs) Hena Mohan 133 3573 (residence) JAPANESE EMBASSY DOCTOR Dr Yoshiro Sato 202 3853 DIPLOMATIC POLYCLINIC 237 5933/8338 4-Dobryninsky Per. 4 237 4004 (children) 237 3904 (home calls) Emergency 237 5395 Academic Dental Clinic — Ostozhenka 6, Bidg 3; Fax 201 3876 201 5603 Adaptatsiya (+ children's dental) — Ul. Dolgorukovskava 4 973 0182 Adventists' Dental Centre — Pr. 60-Letiye Oktyabrya 21a; Fax 126 8767 126 7554/7906 Alyona (+ children's dental) — Protopopovsky Per. 9, Kom. 529 284 2571, 280 6255/1571 American Medical Center — Pr. Mira 26, Bidg 6; Fax 933 7701 933 7700 (24-hour service) Assist-24 (Int'l SOS Alarm Center)— Pr. Mira 69, Fl. 3; Fax 937 6470; 937 6450 24-hour emergency medical asistance; www.intemationalsos.com Botldn Hospital 945 0045 (enq.) 2-Botkinsky Proyezd 5 945 0033 (recept.) Diplomatic Block (Korpus 5) 945 7982 Private (paying) patients (Korpus 3 & 4) 945 9839 European Medical Centre (24-hour service, house calls, dental clinic, repatriation) 787 7000, —2-Tverskoy-Yamskov Per. 10 251 6099 Dental clinic 797 6767,254 4092/5311 German Dental Centre — Ul. Volochayevskaya 2, Kor. 1; 362 4909, Fax 362 4902 362 4902 Global Voyager Assistance — Fax 727 0908; e-mail: info@gva.ru 727 0909 (30 lines) Help Dental Service (+ children's - 13+) — Schyolkovskoye Chaussee 2 165 3307/3138 Intermed (dental clinic) — Ul. Durova 26, Bidg 5; Fax 913 7110 284 7403 Intermedservice (dental clinic) — Fakultetsky Per. 4; Fax 786 2672 158 4481/4501 International SOS Clinic — Grokholsky Per. 31, Fl. 10; Fax 937 5977; 937 5760 24-hour western clinic; all major languages spoken; all major credit cards accepted; Internet: www.internationalsos.com Italian Medical Centre (CMI) — Arbat 28/1, Bidg 1; Fax 232 9424 232 9424 Kolechko — Ul. Vavilova 71, Polyclinic No. 106; Fax 925 6335 134 8029 Mediclub Ltd — Michurinsky Pr. 56; Fax 932 8653 931 5018/5318 Medinge — Ul. 1-Brestskaya 17; Fax 251 3789 251 3789/0329 A/0 Meditsina — 2-Tverskoy-Yamskoy Per. 10; Fax 250 9180 250 9186 Moscow Family Clinic — Sivtsev Vrazhek Per. 26/28; Fax 241 0943 241 4803/6700/9393 Moscow Homeopathic Centre: Ul. Vladimirskaya 2 — 176 1540 Registration—1761455 Children's department—1761945 House calls —756 2446 Moscow Mental Health Association: Hotline pager —244 3449, 564 8282, 931 9682 Mosta (dental clinic) — Hotel Varshava, Leninsky Pr. 2, Fl. 1 2389893 Na Kuznetskom Mostu Dental Clinic — Kuznetsky Most 9/10 9235322, 9236263 Open 9a.rn.-9 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed Sun. Narcomed narcological service (consultation, home calls, 24-hour) 9254501 Polycar & Co. (+ children's dental) — Ul. Dekabristov 2, Kor. 3 9071466 — Ul. Sannikova 17 9040517 Psychiatric emergency service 9253101 Psychological hotline 2050550 US Dental Care — Ul. B. Dmitrovka 7/5, Bidg 2; Fax 9338687 9338686 ZAO Medsi (Tourists'clinic) — Gruzinsky Per. 3, Kor. 2; Fax 2544427 2544396 Eczacibasi Drugstore — Ul. Maroseika 2/15 9289189 Pharmacy — Ul. Kozhevnicheskaya 13; Fax 2353550 2357853 Komsomolsky Pr. 30 — Mon.-Fri. 8 am-8 pm; Sat. 9 am-8 pm; Sun. 10-6 2463030 Pr. Mira 124 2830573 Vita — Ul. Akad. Korolyova 24 2187046 Ul. Krasnaya Presnya 13 2523584 Kutuzovsky Pr. 14 2431601 Leningradsky Pr. 74 1519764 Leninsky Pr. 40 1370116 Pr.Mira7 2811124 / 1702 Ul.Myasnitskaya/2132 9231388 Ul. Nikolskaya 19 9251846 SmolenskayaPl. 10 2419882 Tishinskaya PI. 6 2544610 36.6 7976366 Enquiries re availability of prescribed medicines 9270561 Moscow Optic Centre — Frunzenskaya Nab. 54 2423069 — Ul. Dokuchayeva Per. 10 9752525 Firemen 01 Police 02 Ambulance 03 Gas Service Emergency 04 OAO Meditsina — Ul. 2-Tverskaya-Yamskaya 10 2509186 First aid, eyes, adult 2996128 — eyes, children 2371971 — psychiatric 9253101 — dental, adult 2615336 — dental, children; open 7 p.m. 1485522 — maternity & gynaecological; open 24 hours 2840026 ANNA (Domestic violence against women) — Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. 1246185 — Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-5 p.m 4778671 Lost & found: — en el metro 2222085 Lost & found 2009957 Lost children 02, 4019982 Moscow tips — M-F 10-5 2295431 Moscow telephone service 09 Time 100 Weather 05-tone-3 Veterinary “Beladonna” — Ul. Ryabinovaya 69; 24-horas 4407335 / 36 Veterinary “The Kind Movement” 3056245 Veterinary “Ideal” (24-horas;) 2905229 — Borisoglebsky Per. 9 In practically all Russia is not recommendable to drink tap water, with the honorable exception of Irkutsk and the environs of Baikal Lake, from where the water comes. The water is so good that you basically can drink it straight from the lake. In the rest of the places is better not to take any risk and drink it bottled. The water with gas is popuplar, and is advisable to make sure what thery are giving you when you ask for "water". The Russian food is pleasant. Popular dishes are shashlyk (made of meat), soups like borsch, of nice but strong flavor that usually is accompanied with bitter cream, crepes (blini), roasted potatoes (kartushka), salty cakes like pirog and a Russian species of raviolis that is called pelmeni. Russian salad is called olivie , and Russian steaks, kotleta, of which there is a great variety of preparation forms. There are numerous occasions in which it is possible to taste Caucasian or Asian food. Particularly recommendable the uzbek one. The Chinese food very is varied, and it's surprising how different and how the same is regarding to which we are used to. In Beijing there are a big choice of restaurants (!!!). It's almost compulsory to taste the flavorful beijing duck, although it's good to get some information about a good place to eat it. For the train, the most recommendable option if you don't want to abuse of smoked omul (Baikal lake fish), of Chinese noddles and the suspicious aspect food from the stations, is to take a good provision of stuff from some supermarket (alongside Iarovslavskaya station in Moscow there is a very good one, western style). Add some of the excellent Russian vodka (our recommendation is Russky Standard), with orange juice. Our favourite brand for the juice was J7. Lodging has a wide range of options. In Moscow the offer is big, with the rule that the far you go away from Kremlin, the cheaper. Anyway, a good starting point is are the suggestions by the guide "TransSiberian Railway" from Lonely Planet www.lonelyplanet.com) and the page of hotels www.hotelclub.net. With a little luck you can find really good prices. In Beijing you can choose from hostels in hutongs (traditional neighbourhoods) up to good, central hotels, in a budget range between 3€ and 30€. Rusia, China and Mongolia are in general safe countries, where fortunately still is difficult to get violently robbed in the street. In Russia, there are conflictive areas that shouldn't be visited (and actually, you need an special permit to do it). Recommedations are based in common sense. You should take into account that they are countries with different culture. Don't be intimidated for the aspect or the clothes that you will see hanging around. Fear, or the respect for the unknown, that is not bad, can not prevent us to interplay with locals. Just pay attention and avoid potentially dangerous situations. It's convenient to have a look to the safety advise coming from the foreign affairs ministery of your home country, without forgetting that they always talk about the worst case. The webpage of the Spanish ministery is www.nuevo.maec.es/turcana/es/servicios.jsp, http://www.mae.es. Trains are, as a rule, safe. Pay attention to your compartment companion, especially if you're travelling on you own. Drunk russians and former soldiers can be tricky and annoying, and they may be interested in taking profit from your lugagge. Lock your compartment during the night and use the safe boxes under the the beds to secure your stuff, mainly if you don't trust your neighbours... In Moscow and Beijing you can find English speakers, but not very extensively. During the 9000 km that the route crosses, the chance to speak something different to Russian or Chinese decrease dramatically. It's a good idea to study some of both languages or at least to have a phrase book. It's surprising the big amount of trouble that can avoid. The TransSiberian railway passes through 7 time zones, which it can take you to a kind of train-lag. Trains follow Moscow time in Russia and Beijing time in China. Down there are local times for some important cities, refered to Greenwich Mean Time, during summer: Madrid: +1 GMT Moscú: +3 GMT Yekaterinburg: +5 GMT Omsk: +6 GMT Novosibirsk: +7 GMT Irkutsk: +8 GMT Chita: +9 GMT Vladivostok: +10 GMT Beijing: +7 GMT (this is the time that rules throughout China). Russian railway stations are wonderful, busy and vivid. Here you have a map with their situation. In Beijing there's just one. Stations in Moscow refer to the places where the trains go. The most relevant for the TransSiberian route are Iaroslavskaia and Kazanskaia.
This is the main station for the TransSiberian railway.
Main destinations: Russia: Vladivostok Irkutsk Archangelsk Novosibirsk Sverdlovsk Habarovsk Vorkuta Krasnoiarsk East, Asia: Beijing Ulan-bator From here starts train with direction to Russia and the East.
Main destinations: Russia: Adler Alma-ata 2 Barnaul CheliabinskGorkii (N. Novgorod) Rostov Kislovods Samara Sverdlovsk Tashkent Tiumen Toliatti The basic directions are Bielorussia and Europe through Bielorussia (Germany and Czeck Republic).
Main destinations: Bielorussia: Minsk Pas Smolensk Brest Gomel Europe: Warszawa Centralna Koeln Hbf Berlin-lichtenberg Praha Hl.n. Kaliningrad Pass Main directions to Ukrania and Europe.
Main destinations: Ukrania: Evpatoria Kaluga Kiev Kishineu (Mold.) Lvov Odessa Simferopol Ujgorod Europe: Budapest-Keleti Sofia From here trains go mainly to Russia, Ukrania, Black Sea coast and Crimea.
Main destinations: Russia: Adler Belgorod Gorkij (N. Novgorod) Kislovodsk Mineralnye Vody Ukrania (Crimea): Dnepropetrovsk Doneck Harkov Evpatoria Sevastopol Simferopol Kerch Basic directions are St. Petersburg, Murmansk and Scandinavian countries.
Main destinations: Russia: Sankt-Peterburg Petrozavodsk Murmansk Pskov Baltic: Helsinki Tallinn Basic directions are Central Russia, South East of Ukrania and Baltic countries.
Main destinations: Russia: Astrahan Baku Doneck Rostov Saratov Volgograd Voronej The trains that start here go basically towards the Baltic countries.
Main destinations: Baltic: Riga Pas Velikie Luki
Main destinations: Russia: Dubna
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Last update 29-10-2007
