This is how it all started……….
In the fall of 2001 I was given a laptop and after knowing what little I knew about the internet, I spent my time looking at porn, HEY! It was easy to find!
Then one day I came across and FSU date site, I was looking for some eastern nudes, but I did manage to find my first FSU dating site this way. I was stunned by the beautiful girls, and even more bewildered to think how it was even possible that they had no guy in their life. So much in fact I called the company that week. She told me yes they mostly are single and wanting a western man. I also asked about the tours, and found this all to be amazing. Beautiful girls, and no guys? I thought I better help change this.
I did a search and found about a dozen I wanted. I did most of what the agency said, except wear a suit. (I’m not bending that much) So off I sent my 12 postal letters, with photo’s and a return envelope. About one month later I got a reply from Moscow. I was excited ! I was hoping to stroke the ego with some more replies, but none came. So I wrote to Janna. I thought things were going good until I made the phone call.
Again it was exciting for me to speak to someone so far away, and finding her this way. Then she mentioned she was taking English lessons, and needed $200 for the course. I didn’t know what to do, I never did send the money, and told her it wasn’t right for her to ask for something like this. She later wrote me back saying how I was right, and she was sorry. We continued writing, but it was going nowhere, and than she wrote me a letter with Dave’s name on it. That’s never a good sign.
Don (the author of this post), who read “The Russian Women Bible” said………..
“With 200+ pages, I wasn’t too sure I would get through reading it all. But I found it easy to read and covering all aspects of dating in the FSU. Even though I have made a half dozen trips thus far, if I had a book like this prior to taking my first trip five years ago, I could of avoided some of the traps that awaited me.”
– Don from Winnipeg, Canada – reader.
OK, I hung on but was tuning out fast, I told her what she did, and claimed she only wrote me, uh huh. Her letters became more and more vague, to the point where I no longer replied. About a month went by and she wrote asking why I had yet to return her letter.I told her as I saw it, and she was gone never to be heard from again.
Months later I found the sister site AWeb, Yeouch! At this point I thought it makes sense to write emails to the agency so they could make sure the girls got them. WRONG! Anyways I again found Anna. She was sitting on a rock with her long blond hair draped over her body. Full lips and big blue eyes I was squirming in my chair, I was a newbie and in lust with a photo !
I had wrote to her via the postal route but heard nothing. I convinced myself that she never got the letter from me, so I signed up and wrote her again, using the agency’s email service. So off I went typing away at a snails pace, hoping for some results this time around.
To my surprise she wrote me back ! I was so happy to finally get something from her. We exchanged a few emails, but I never had her email address due to agency policy. And so I decided to part with some…. errrr too much cash, and make an appointment for that phone call. During this period between me booking a 3-way call and her reply to me was that she found a guy, and was very sorry for my interest in her. I was saddened, but I had already decided to make the wickedly priced call to her via the agency. After all it was the only way I could get her personal telephone & email.
All this was arranged before she told me the “get lost” news, so when the phone rang at 6 am I was thinking maybe she changed her mind. From there on we did have a good email and telephone correspondence, up until I made my first visit in July 2003. To any newbies reading: my mind was racing with all kinds of ideas and fears brought on by others talking about the insincerity of these women . ( Like they knew )
But I decided to take a chance, booked my flight,and told her I’ll be there. She even booked a week off work to see me. I was impressed, so after a landing in Germany, I did a little sightseeing and got my ticket to Odessa via the train.
Let me just say this. The ride from Munich to Odessa is about 40 hours. It was my first time ever on a train, and I assumed it would be as I perceived a train ride I’d seen here. WRONG ! WRONG!! WRONG!!! Oh man, was I on acid?
I got to Vienna and was told to go to the international ticket window. It was at this point I became aware that all the tourists that were riding with me were going to stay in Vienna, and I was now on my own. When I was buying my ticket in Munich, a guy behind me heard where I was going and said, “Good luck” . Before I could turn and ask him some questions he was gone. Oh, how I wished I would have spoken to him!
I later found out why……
I was told in Munich, that when I got to Vienna that I was to tell the ticket seller I need a ticket for the sleeper car. I looked at my ticket printed in Munich, and it said reservation in German, so I thought I was OK. That, and the fact the ticket seller in Vienna knew no English. So what did I learn up to this point? Western tourists don’t travel to Vienna’s international train station for trains connecting to Eastern Europe.
So I purchased my ticket to Odessa and than I realised I didn’t know where to go to catch the other train. He pointed to the front doors so off I went. As I walked out through the doors it was clear to me that there was no tracks or station in front of me. Puzzled, I went back and tried to get an understanding as to where I was to go. “Tram! Tram!” he says, and points to those doors again, I never heard of tram, and thought he was trying to say train in English. “Ok Ok ! ” I say, and walk out, finally seeing some streetcars and thinking if this is what he’s referring to.
I see some guys in their 20’s hanging out, and ask if they speak English, one guy did, and he told me I had to go buy a ticket. I tell him I am supposed to go to Ukraine and don’t know where to catch the train. He offers one of his tickets for me to ride the tram, and even shows me what tram to get on en-route to the east bound trains. So now I’m on a tram/streetcar for the first time, riding to what hopefully is the other train station.
I arrived shortly after seeing some of Vienna, via the tram. I boarded the second train and off I was zooming across Austria ! I thought this train isn’t bad at all, maybe later when it gets dark I’ll wonder up front and get my sleeper.
So at about midnight the train stops in what is still forever burned in my head. It was a poorly lit rail station full of drunk guys signing songs and walking about with bottles of beer,on a train that looked way past it’s prime. Looking out the window all I was saying to myself was ,” Shit ,glad I’m not on that train.”
A few seconds later the cabin steward taps me on the shoulder pointing to that very train ! I was stunned and pointed in a manner of “there? you want me to go there ?” I get up, grab my gym bag, and show him my ticket. “Where’s the sleeper car?” I ask He points to the rear of the other train, and I walk over and get on the midnight Slovakian ride into hell!
I grab a seat in a cabin with 6 seats, of course no-one speaks English, and I’m afraid to open my mouth. The Canadian embassy has a travel advisory section that states “Don’t ride on the trains at night alone”. OK well how bad could it get I wishfully thought.
I sit down and this man and woman are looking at me with the look of “this guy ain’t from these parts.” The packed train pulls away and I’m starting to wonder what I’m in for. All I can say is that it has been to this day the worst train ride I have ever been on. I thought it was derailing a hundred times, with brakes squealing every five minutes. It was brutal
After about 3-4 hours of this I decided I should try to see if I had a sleeper, I knew I didn’t and that’s why I was suppose to confirm in Vienna. Live and learn.
So I stumbled my way up front and found the sleepers, but there were no open beds. The one cabin steward spoke enough English to tell me there were no beds,and I couldn’t get one even if I had the money. So I decided to sneak into second class, where the seats recline enough to get some sleep. After maybe an hour the other cabin steward comes in motioning me to get to the back in the cattle car ! I showed my ticket and pretended to pack up, but as soon as he was gone I sat back down and slept.
I was exhausted after flying from Canada and having maybe 4 hours sleep in 2 days, so I really zonked out! So much so, that when the train began rolling back to Vienna, I jumped up, packed all my stuff back in my bag, and headed for the open door! You see, the train was empty – as was the station – and with the sun rising, I thought it was going to be back to Vienna! So as the train is rolling back I start yelling for someone, anyone, to stop the damn train so I can get off ! A brakeman hails the the engineer and I hop out. Now I’m in the middle of a train yard, with a guy speaking words I’ve never heard before.
He takes me over to the platform, and for what it’s worth, I show him my useless ticket. “Odessa Odessa” I say pointing to the ticket, and he walks me to this antique train. Now people, I’m in culture shock; they ask me if I speak Deutsch, and I’m wondering why they would be speaking Dutch? A happy go lucky guy takes me aboard and walks away. “Great” I’m thinking, another ride from hell. But he motions me to come up to the “nice” private cabins, 2 beds and a sink with some horrible tacky decor.
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I’m guessing it’s about 6am (I travel without any time piece) as the sun was coming up, I still had no confirmation on where I was. I thought I was in Romania, as there were about 100 high-rise apartments end on end. I though well at least it’s sunny out, and when I get some food from the train all will be better.
This story is continued on the Russian Ukrainian Adventures Russian Women Information Forum, and is part reproduced here with their permission.