St. Petersburg Day 8.5: The Cruise
After seeing Peterhof, we had a nice cafeteria lunch with the locals and food wasn't all that bad. It wasn't all that good either, but then again, we hadn't left Russia. Near St. Isaac's Cathedral, we hopped on a boat to take a tour of the city. Naturally, they only had a Russian guide (told you they're not tourist-friendly) so our guide comes along just to translate.You absolutely must must must do this. The city is amazing to see from the water - all of the bridges and canals are almost all original and best of all, it doesn't stink!
We split up with Akshay and Priyali since they wanted to go shopping while we thought we'd climb 250 flights of stairs to see the "best view from St. Petersburg". I should have saved my 100 rubles and my energy - the view wasn't much though we kept taking pictures anyway to make it sulit. Of course, Raffy and Ezer hatched the grand masterplan to tell Akshay and Priyali the view was excellent just to make them jealous. Haha! I don't think they believed us. :)
By the time we got to the Church of Spilled Blood (because someone's blood was spilled inside), we'd almost run out of cash. Money flies out of your pockets so quickly in this country.
We should have saved some money for the souvenier bazaar right across the church, since we all ended up buying at least 2 Russian nesting dolls as pasalubong. This is Raffy not missing any chance to take pictures of the local pretty girls, who happened to be our salesgirls. We promised we'd email them the pics but Raffy lost the email addy, so I hope they bump into my blog one day. :)
St. Petersburg Day 8: Peterhof
Today was a relatively easy day - we took a 45-minute drive to Peterhof, the summer residence of the tsars. Why do they need a summer residence? Just because they can have one and because the wind coming from the Gulf of Finland (that's the one behind us in the picture) cools them down during the hot 17 degree months.
The palace itself was amazing - done mostly in the Baroque style, which meant even more gold than we've seen in their temples. I mean, look at how ornate everything is! From the chandeliers to the gilded doors, frescoed walls and antique furniture. This is how the tsars hoped to catch up to the French, who were the clear leaders in European aristocracy at that time. One thing that surprised me was the China Room where they had watercolor paintings on the wall of Chinese life and Chinese porcelain and vases all around. This was apparently all the rage at that time - but you'll never find any Chinese palace with European style or stuff. Proof of superiority? :D
But what was really breathtaking were the natural fountains that surrounded the palace gardens. Peter the Great had scoured the whole city looking for the perfect place to build his fountains, the highest of which shot up to 21m - out of sheer natural force! He built his palace at the foot of a hill and every night, they shut off the tap so the waters would collect and push against the entrance. When released in the mornings, they rushed out creating the 21 natural fountains surrounding the palace. Amazing.
What was really funny was that they had what they called "trick fountains" because the royals had a sick sense of humor. For example, you would be innocently sitting on a bench or walking along a pathway when suddenly, spurts of water would be upon you, as what happened to me and Ezer. These days, can you believe they actually hire someone whose job it is to hide in wait and turn the fountain on and off for hapless tourists?
We passed by an amazing church on the way back to town, which was the favorite of Tsar Alexander. Can't say I blame him.
This afternoon, we're going on a boat cruise of the city. Yey yey yey!
St. Petersburg By Night: Day 7
Eight hour train ride to St. Petersburg, formerly Leningrad, today. Thankfully, it wasn't one of those rickety old trains I pictured in my head. Seats were comfortable, wide and new, bottle of water was provided free, toilets were clean and they even provided entertainment on board showing "The Ice Age" on TV (albeit in Russian). Still, no one likes being on their ass for 8 straight hours and at some point, I wanted to scream from boredom.They had one of those food cabins but nothing like the glamorous ones we imagine from the old movies. This just had a bar and stools for you to sit on, food was crappy and the fries were soggy. Good thing we had shawarma for lunch. Shawarma is the exotic version of McDonald's - you'll find it even in the unlikeliest of places, tailored to local tastes.
I can't imagine living in this country. It's an asthmatic's nightmare, not that I am. Everyone smokes here. It is entirely possible to eat in a restaurant withOUT a no smoking section. While smoking is not allowed in the passenger cars, you can smoke at the junction between each. At any given moment, you'll find at least 3 people huffing and puffing putrid smoke that burns the lungs and bring tears to any passer-by.
Anyhow, I whiled away my time alternately dozing off and playing peek-a-boo with the cutest girl who kept coming by to my seat. She was adorable with the bluest eyes I've ever seen in my entire life (not that that's a lot) and her laughter was so infectious, it brought even a smile to the other Russian passengers (and that's a feat, believe me).
We arrived in St. Pete's quite late, about 8pm, and were all set for the night tour until we were told it wouldn't start til midnight. St. Pete's is one of the highest cities in the world and as a result, we had gotten in at the tail end of a 2-week period called "White Nights" where the sun hardly ever sets and the sky gets only as dark as a twilight-y hue. This is hugely anticipated by the locals for the parties that last literally till the sun goes down and apparently, they thought we could party just as hard.
St. Pete's at night is really lovely and it's hard not to like the young city, which was only founded by Peter the Great in the 18th century. While Moscow had an eclectic mix of Russia's Asian/Turkish influences largely inherited from the Medieval era, St. Pete's is almost entirely European in its origins from the Italian style architecture to the canals and bridgeways modeled after Amsterdam. The 2 cities reflect the position Russia has always been in - the behemoth caught between Europe and Asia, neither completely Westernized nor Oriental.
The ambience is enough to put anyone in an amorous mood - it has all the romance of Venice minus the stench, and of Amsterdam but on a much much grander scale. I came without any expectations and I'm completely blown away. One of the best-kept secrets in Europe, a secret at least to most Asians.
Being the capital for 150 years, there is so much history here and in my opinion, much more to see than in Moscow. You can sense in the air a whiff of scandal and intrigue, in the river where Rasputin was murdered to the many palaces built for illicit affairs and forbidden loves. I'm such a sucker for all that.
Ok, have to log off now and beat Raffy to sleep, which will be impossible once the snoring starts!
Moscow Day 6: The Convent and the Cemetery
Finally, today was the last day of a long series of meetings. We were all partly hung over after the "Illumations: Moscow by Night" tour (posted the pics in earlier entries) and not in much mood for the last day. Because when they say "by night", they don't mean 7pm; it's more like 12am to 3am. No one was sad the sessions ended by early afternoon so those based in Brussels could catch their flight back.Those who were left decided to see some of the other lesser-known sights in Moscow. Todd (from China), Thanos (the funniest person alive on the planet) and Adrian (swoon...) joined the Asia gang in our jaunt.
First stop was Novodivechy Convent where Peter the Great exiled his meddling sister after she kept trying to kill him. It was a nice quiet place, not the sort of place you would expect to see hanging bodies as Peter the Great did, to send a signal to his sister to quit poking around his kingdom. Today, it houses some of the best collection of Russian iconic art.Unlike the other European medieval religous art, Russian icons are quite peculiar. First, there's gold overkill. That's the first thing you see when you enter, a massive wall of gold (see picture #5). Only upon closer inspection do you notice the icons, which are painted and the gold overlay is done almost as if to clothe the holy figures (pic #3). 
Good thing Thanos was with us so he could explain some elements of the Russian Orthodox faith - like why they have nowhere to sit in the Church (pic #1). Answer: Because you come to worship, not to relax. :)There is a cemetery right beside the convent where famous people are buried, or so we're told. I can't verify how famous they are since the tombstones are in Cyrillic letters but Mikhail Gorbachev's wife is there somewhere though I didn't even know she was dead. The cemetery is an interesting novelty because the graves are original and very personal. It felt a little creepy to be walking around so we didn't stay long but worth a stop if you have time. The weeping woman grave was very touching.
Final stop was Victory Park which is a much lovelier place to visit at night. The fountains spout red water at night and makes for a very dramatic picture. The two pictures at the bottom of the collage seem exactly the same except for me. Ezer and Raffy are amazing at keeping their poses.
Moscow Day 4: The Ballet
Hahaha... No one can say Russia isn't a cultural experience. After going to a strip club the night before, what else is there to do that's extremely the polar opposite? A ballet of course! So off we all trooped to the famed Bolshoi Theater to watch Adolphe Adam's Gisele. I am very sure that the guys preferred the "activity" from the night before since not a single one was left awake by Act II.I don't know anything about the ballet but at least I don't pretend to. I'm sorry but I'm not that cultured and I don't mind admitting it. Unlike some people in the group who pretended to know the story, got it all wrong and was busted when Ezer bought a souvenier program and read the synopsis. Haay. Some people talaga.
Anyway, that's as close as we ever got to a group shot (and no, in case you wonder, my crush isn't in the picture).
To be honest, I didn't appreciate the ballet much. Maybe it's an acquired taste but I would pick a movie over it any day of the week and twice on Sundays. We didn't even get to finish the end since the lead character, Count Albert, did a pirouette and must have injured himself. He lay on the floor groaning for a whole minute with a complete cast of ladies surrounding him. The music played on, the girls just stood there and we all tensed in anticipation (our ignorance thinking this was still part of the story). Finally, after what seemed like forever, the curtains came down and we never got to see him dance again. He didn't even come out for curtain call. I must admit, this was the most exciting part of the entire show.
Some pics of the end.
Moscow Day 3: The Strip Club
Today was the start of work - the reason we could justify taking this long trip over to sightsee. It was interesting to meet all these BMs from all over the world like Karim (Egpyt), Dewald (South Africa), Roxana (Romania), Thanos (Greece), Carlos (Mexico), Eduardo (Peru), Adrian (Argentina - my crush!! :), Todd (China), Talal (Saudi) and some others that I don't remember now. Funny actually that being Filipino, Ezer, Raffy and I ended up being the majority!! Over-represented for the smallest region in the world by business size.Anyway, it was a loooong day. They really made us suffer for this junket, which was still worth it. I'm sure the guys felt the same especially since they took us to a STRIP CLUB later that night. But first, we went to a nice traditional Russian shashlik (barbeque) place, that sadly, was the same one we had taken the initiative to go to the night before. But no matter, the shashlik's were still good and buffet is always right by me.I tried Russky Standart after - one of the most famous of Russian vodkas. Two shots and I barely felt the cold after. It was funny - some of the guys kept saying "wow, this vodka is so much better; goes down so smooth; tastes good"... yada, yada, yada and were sipping it like martini. I tried it and it tasted like isopropyl alcohol. Of course, I felt like an idiot saying so since everyone was all praises.Until Boris the Russian came and started laughing at how everyone was sipping their vodkas. "Vodka tastes awful that no one drinks it like that! You just chug the whole thing down!" Mwahahaha! I was right! It still tastes bad, even in Russia!So he taught us the right way to drink it, which was bottoms up. And definitely have an apple after to neutralize the taste, or at the very least sniff some bread. Surprisingly, it tastes much better when you follow up with some apple. That's how I ended up with 2.5 shots.After that, we went to a strip club called Spearmint Rhino. Boys, remember this and you will thank me on your knees one day. This is definitely not Pat Pong. If you ignore that the girls strip down completely naked, it's actually quite a show. The things they can do with a pole... mon dieu. It's quite normal in Russian culture for girls and couples to go to these types of establishments for fun, so while they must have been surprised by our motley crew, I don't think it was weird for them I was there. An interesting experience - and I'm glad it wasn't at all seedy.I can feel the guys reading this swimming in a pool of drool.
Moscow Day 2: Red Square
They really don't make it tourist-friendly to come to Russia. First, the visa is a pain. They literally put the exact date you will be in Russia, no more, no less. Better make sure you plan it just so, or you will get stuck for quite a bit in immigration. Second, there is no concept of service, even if they're in the service business! It's quite amazing really, Russian hospitality... It's even worse than Paris!
There are loads of other examples but bottomline, they seem to make it intentionally difficult for tourists - I get that no one speaks English. But parking your stuff before you see Lenin's Tomb and walking all around the Red Square, the LARGEST square in the world, to get it back is ridiculous. Or how about charging at least 100 rubles (P200) camera fee on top of the already-steep entrance fees!! This is the only country I know which does that so tip for future travelers - bring a small camera and smuggle it in. This is just highway robbery.
The only consolation for all this pain is that St. Basil's Cathedral takes your breath away. No picture can ever prepare you for the crazy kaleidoscope of colors that hits you as you enter the Square. So forgive me if I post a couple dozen pictures of the church from all angles. :) In case you wonder why there are no shots of the inside, it's because there was nothing much to see.
Lenin's tomb was also in the Square though that was a bit of a let-down - too much bureaucracy to get through (we had to bribe our way to skip the long queue) and nothing much to see inside. We were in and out in 2 minutes, and being shush'd the entire time.Ezer and I skipped the walking side tour of Lonely Planet to have a fabulous long lunch of blinis, Beluga caviar (yum yum yum) and white wine at the side cafe on Gum, the super-nice department store on the square (it's the building that's all lit up with lights at night). That fed us enough for the long walk to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the official church of the Russian Orthodox. It's only about 7 years old as it was burned down a couple of times till they re-built the whole thing. It's definitely worth a visit - it looks so grand inside.
We wanted to maximize our visit so we went on a tour of the subway stations after. Ok, before you start laughing, let me point out a couple of things. In Russia, it's super sulit to go walking around even at night because the it doesn't get dark till midnight! Their subway station is also the lowest in the world. They dug the stations beneath the river! You won't be able to see the end of the escalator when you get on. And it's impossible to go via stairs. You'd just keel over in a puddle of sweat.
There were stations which really felt like art museums, from the ceiling art to the paintings, sculptures and mosaics that surround it. It's the only station I've been to in the world which didn't have a single piece of grafitti on it. Good idea to keep away the vandals - no one would want to violate such beauty. There are other nicer pictures but my camera battery died. :)
It's too bad really. Moscow is a nice city! There's so much of Russian history, architecture and culture that it just brings so much character to the place. And they would have a higher share of tourists if they just made it a teeny tiny bit easier to go there and get around. A smile wouldn't hurt either. But that may be too much to ask.
Moscow Day 1: Arrival
I went to sleep in Singapore and woke up in Moscow today. Our plane arrived at 8am after a quick pitstop in Dubai. I'm here for a meeting with the other laundry BMs around the world but we (Ezer, Raffy, Akshay and his wife Priyali) arrived a weekend early to see Moscow.
Weather reports put Moscow at a rainy 17degrees. Good thing it didn't rain though it still felt like 13degrees - and this was summertime for them! I was walking around in a long trenchcoat and even (I'm ashamed to admit), gloves! And there were Moscovites in shorts and sleeveless shirts rollerblading! And most natives had already retreated to their daschas (summer country homes) to escape the "heat". They must have incredibly thick skin.
P&G put us up in the Russian World Trade Center Hotel since it was just a 5minute ride to the office. This is the view from my balcony - not bad - with the Moskva River and one of the 7 sisters, 7 buildings built during Stalin's period in the most prime locations around Moscow. Now, these buildings been converted to hotels or apartments for the many millionaires living in Moscow (this city has the most # of millionaires than any other city in the world). 
We took a walk around the old Arbat area to start souvenier hunting and find a decent place for lunch. We didn't find it - food was tasteless (as is most of Russian cuisine) though the beer was decent. That's Akshay eating the house specialty - ox tongue with horseradish. Our lengua is much better. We did a little people-watching in the restaurant -- Raffy enjoyed the girls a little too much with his camera lens getting longer as the girls got prettier -- and I'm talking literally here! :)
There were some interesting odds and ends to see as you walked around: Russian matryuschka dolls or nesting dolls of all kinds (nba stars, footballers, presidents, the Simpsons), Russian women with big breasts (not that they were for sale) and old World War II spy masks.
Next stop was their gourmet supermarket. I'm sorry if I don't know the names - I can barely pronounce it, much less spell them. The store looked like Harrod's except all they sold was food. And like Harrod's, I walked out empty-handed bec everything was so expensive! But this is the place to buy caviar and every type of Russian vodka your heart could ever desire.
I felt the Pushkin museum was overrated. But that might just be because the masters section of Rembrandts and Monets were closed off and the sculptures were all plaster replicas of the real thing - like this one of Michelangelo's David.
We had dinner at a very lovely restaurant called Tiflis. It was actually 9pm already when these pictures were taken but the sun doesn't set in Moscow till midnight. Food was ok - nothing I'd dream about having again, even though this was already one the best restaurants and serving Georgian food on top, which is the tastiest of all Russian cuisine. 
Some observations:
1. Russian women and men for that matter, never smile. I'm actually afraid to haggle because one man sent me away saying "I know its too expensive for you so just go buy somewhere else".
2. Everything in this country is on a LARGE scale! From the palaces to the monuments, the squares to the roads to the parks to the buildings - everything is just enormous!
3. Weather is erratic - one hour it'll be hot as Manila and the next, a cold cold cold reminder that the Russian winter can drop to 37 below 0. Brrrrr. Or maybe that's just because of the people.
La Vie En Rose
There have been countless experiments to understand the peacock feathers of human mating, the swish and swagger that advertise sexual interest, the courtship dance at bars - all to reduce a complex primitive wonderful emotion called love into a science. One such study found the "pink lens effect" - when newly smitten lovers idealize their partner, magnifying the other's virtues and explaining away their flaws: She is the funniest person I've ever met. He's moody because of his job. The couples who stayed together the longest? They also idealized each other the most, and for longer.Call it the pink lens if you want. I call it trust - that stage where the other is just absolutely pristinely perfect till proven otherwise. "Trust" is a funny word. It's not as misused, overused or abused as "love" - we don't go around telling our lover we trust them; But it's more important as a foundation to any relationship than even this dopamine-triggered burst of passion and intoxication we call love. And whether the lens come off at one go or it chips off bit by bit, when it's gone, the world is a little less pink, a bit more gray and a lot more dull. Not even the strongest love can bring the "pink lens effect" back. It's the most precious gift of a relationship and when it's broken, it shakes even the core of what we believe in as persons, because it shatters not just the ideal partner but the ideal of love.What actually hurts like hell in a break-up (apart from all the singular behaviors towards the end that sadly, shouldn't define the relationship or the person but often do), is that the person we continue to idealize has stopped feeling the same way about us. And conversely, that the person we thought was perfect was in reality, not. Coming back down to earth and realizing our and the other's humanity, has never been more painful.
I miss the blindness, the bliss, the ignorance of that single leap of faith - the trust that one person can embody all that is good and perfect and right in this world. And when it comes again, I'm keeping the glasses on and seeing la vie en rose for as long as I can.
I Should Always Bring My Camera
Because you never know when you're going to see something interesting, especially if you consider that no matter how long I live here, I'm really a foreigner in Singapore. It's pretty cool to be on perpetual travel mode even on regular weekends, if I can ever get my lazy ass off the bed, couch or LazyBoy.I did today, to make it to the Red Dot Design Museum where they hold a flea market of original "art" works every Sunday. I got duped into buying a one-of-a-kind retro belt (they only make 1 of each item) but I was tempted with so much more - Ipod skins, Converse original artwork sneakers, unique jewelry pieces... I snapped pics of a couple of the more interesting ones - any buyers? :-)This is a picture of a lamp with an empty Vodka bottle for the base. They have a fat one too, made out of an empty sake bottle. Don't laugh - they retail for $200.
How about this - empty Dynamo liquid detergent bottles made into lamps and sold for $100!!!
And these are my favorite... and I swear they're real products being sold. I wonder if there's any market for these kinds of things. A button wearer???!
And what about this next one - an eye dropper of course! It "dispenses eye medication accurately into your eye". The salesman told me it helps save you those stray precious drops that you might accidentally put on your nose because of your ridiculously poor aiming abilities. Another side benefit? You won't poke your eye out. This could be the next best thing since sliced bread.
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