Lucasbalo:
Just asking. You are still my buddy though.

USA no come world cup

seunny4lif:

USA no come world cup

They suck at Football but i am rooting for Nigeria. They have the MLS but it's not well funded and that's where the Premier League old players play their final years of football.

Zubby no be you wey I see for Televison ?Abi na another person for Russia ??

this super eagles are out to disgrace our ancestors. Why?

Lucasbalo:
They suck at Football but i am rooting for Nigeria. They have the MLS but it's not well funded and that's where the Premier League old players play their final years of football.

Bia lalasticala,ogini?

Biko front page,I can’t be enjoying this alone.

ZUBY77:
For some reasons, i decided to go to the Russia.
The current world cup played a very big role in decision making but i have always wanted to go to Russia. I have been to almost everywhere else in Europe except Russia, therefore the FIFA World Cup was a big opportunity to travel around Russia.

First of all, i bought a match ticket from Fifa and got my FAN ID (note that FAN ID is the official visa to Russia for World Cup) sent to me in Abuja. After picking up the FAN ID, i knew it was time for another adventure in another world.

Fasten your seatbelt. It's time to see Russia as it is.

odogwu

AK481:
Bia lalasticala,ogini?

Biko front page,I can’t be enjoying this alone.

It seems you want children to mess up this beautiful thread?

I'm sure the OP himself wouldn't want the thread on the front page, at least, for now.

Nice Thread. Check your mail Sir

I pray to be in the next World cup live God willing. Bro keep the pix coming

ZUBY77:
Departure Port, MM International Lagos.

Like i have always done each time i wanted to fly, i went to the Airport early. I was going to fly Turkish airways.
From my research, Turkey seems to be closer to Russia than all other international airlines flying from Lagos.
Lufthansa was a no no. Not interested in going to Germany. Besides Lufthansa and other major European airlines are pretty expensive. At 445,000 naira, i got Turkey. But some airlines charged as high as 800,000 naira. Since i was going to do a lot of flying and hotel lodging inside Russia, it was prudent that i started saving as much as i could from the beginning.
So it was Turkey airlines >> Lagos - Istanbul - Moscow..settled.

... After checking-in my single luggage, i gave some naira to the lady who handled it - atleast she politely asked.
Straight to immigration checkpoint, i was directed to one old man in particular whom they said handles the FIFA FAN ID Travellers. The moment i was directed to him, i knew something was fishy.

He brought out one list of names and threw it in front of me.
"Is your name on this list?" he fired.
I smiled. "What list is that Sir?"

"Are you asking me a question on top of the one i asked you? His face changed. Silly uneducated rogues and Small time criminals. Taking criminal advantage of whatever position they found themselves.

" If your name is not here, you are not going to Russia. All the money you spent will be a waste".

A look at the top of the list and I saw Super Eagles Supporters Club.

"But sir, this is the list of government sponsored supporters club. I am not one of them, i am sponsoring myself to Russia to support my country. So if you stop me from crossing here, the appropriate authorties will know about this". I said.

"Are you threatening me?" he asked.
I looked up at him, "It is a shame if you see it that way, but i dont care. I am still in Nigeria, so i am not stranded yet".

"Just find us something and go your way". He said.
Other people were behind me and they knew i was not going to let anyone jump ahead. Some of them were going ro Russia too. I would have normally given these rogues some money and continue but i wanted to give voice to the younger people behind me. I was sure some of them struggled to buy flight ticket ro Russia. Atleast they needed to know the forged list was thrash.

Well, i opened my small hand bag and brought out 5000 naira, handed it to the old man and said, "I am just giving you this as help. Stop this stealing you people do here at the airport".

I was eventually stamped off to go to Russia. But before then, there was the custom too, the NDLEA and one other group who all saw when i paid immigration. They all believed it was their right to be paid too. And this happens everyday in a country we believe would become good in the near future. It was just a shame.

Fast forward, i arrived in Moscow Vnukovo International Airport the following day, cleared immigration without paying a dime, picked my Iceland vs Nigeria match ticket and the collection center there at the airport before taking a taxi to a hotel recommended by a friend.


Pix..
With the Colombians,
With the Egyptian and Peruvian
At the Cathedral of St.. Something
With a Mexican

You did everything right except giving the two bit hustling idiooot N5.000. I have come in and out of Nigeria several times and i never bribed anyone at the airport or anywhere. Corruption must be eradicated in Nigeria for the country to reach her full potentials.

Illiteracy/Extortion/corruption is a big issue in Nigeria, its so sad.

The following morning, the world Cup kick off day showed up. It was time for the game to begin. But before I left for the Luzkniki stadium, the famous stadium that hosted Chelsea vs Manchester United championships league final in 2008, I decided to eat some good food before going to the game.

After hours of searching for a good restaurant, i finally found one. Sat down, ordered for rice, unhooked my belt, waited for 30 minutes with a glass of Bud beer, and when the food finally arrived, this is what i got.
250grams of rice. Not enough for a 3 year old child.

#TourOfRussia

After the Russia vs Saudi game, I walked all the way to the Red Square due to traffic congestion. At the Square, I met up with my American friends. After a couple of drinks, I went to the hotel, picked up my luggage and followed Arte, one of the Americans to an apartment he rented. He offered to host me for the night since I was travelling the following day to Kaliningrad where Nigeria will play Croatia.
We dropped of my luggage and returned to the street. The Russians were all over the place singing and dancing. Their national team thrashed Saudi Arabia 5:0 in the opening game.
After a couple of more drinks, we retired to the apartment and rested.
My flight from Moscow to Kaliningrad was 17:35. It gave me enough time to search for apartment to rent in Kaliningrad. After several trials, I got what I was looking for. A neat new one bedroom and sitting room apartment. With my Gtbank mastercard, I paid 210 US dollars online for two nights (15th and 16th nights). My return ticket to Moscow was on 17th morning.

It is worthy to note that Kaliningrad, even though a Russian territory was isolated from mainland Russia. To travel from Mainland Russia to Kaliningrad by land, one must go through Lithuania. Unfortunately due to political reasons, one must have shengen visa before you are allowed into Lithuania. I didn't have this information before embarking on the journey, therefore the only option was to fly. At almost 500 American dollars, it was expensive to fly from Moscow to Kaliningrad but I had no option than to buy the ticket since I already bought the match ticket and would want to watch the game. For a small period, I wished that Russia could just annex Lithuania like they did Crimea.

Abbeybailey:
You did everything right except giving the two bit hustling idiooot N5.000. I have come in and out of Nigeria several times and i never bribed anyone at the airport or anywhere. Corruption must be eradicated in Nigeria for the country to reach her full potentials.

Please sir, how did you manage to overcome their shenanigans? This will help first time travellers who don't want to settle.

You can create a thread to share your experiences so as not to derail this thread. Thanks in advance.

Mehn I feel like am there with you

Nice updates, the journey though odi kwa expensive.

Sir Zuby, I comot cap for you, boss. Your narrative skill is beautiful. I love how you play with words, and carry us along on a vivid mental journey of Russia. You be boss! Tuale!

ferhyntorlah:


Please sir, how did you manage to overcome their shenanigans? This will help first time travellers who don't want to settle.

You can create a thread to share your experiences so as not to derail this thread. Thanks in advance.

I just tell them simply that I came from a background that i do not bribe people for doing there job. It's that simple. I don't know if my accent or the Blue Passport adds to it. I just wish people stand up to the bribe seekers. Corruption, Bribery , Nepotism and Racism must be curbed for Nigeria to move forward.

Keep the updates coming sir - really following!

sureinfo:
whats your spending like? hope you were able to get your FCMB card before travelling?

No. Uses my GTB to buy things online.

Plus I left home with cash $$

But things plenty expensive here.

450$ l flight ticket Moscow - Kaliningrad Croatia game. (return) No train due to Lithuania.
Another 200$ one way Moscow - volgograd. Plan to go to St. Petersburg for Argie game from there if Nigeria wins Iceland. If not, its back to Moscow and then Lagos.

While at the Domodedovo International Airport Moscow waiting for my flight to KALININGRAD, i decided to try out another Russian dish but I couldn't dind any; therefore I settled for the usual airport stuff.
I walked to a mini eatery and scanned the availabe foods.

What other options do i have than to eat whatever available. Some 4 pieces of sour nuts and some kind of small cucumber.
One tomato ball broken into 4 pieces for me, one hot dog and some pieces of small fried potatoes. Well, atleast i got a glass of beer to compensate for the food.
Thats about 50$ of my money. Well its the airport...

An hour later, it was time to fly. Our flight was announced. I proceeded to the entrance gate and queued up behind crowd of white people. I was the only black on site but I was already used to such scenes. After final checks, we boarded the Nordavia airbus plane and disappeared into the sky.

#TourOfRussia

KALININGRAD is situated on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Given the love I have for Geography, i knew it was the Baltic as we descended towards it. The KALININGRAD airport is close to the sea and for a moment, i thought we were diving into the sea.
Minutes later, we landed at the airfield, cleared the immigration and headed outside.
With the Yandex taxi app (kind of Uber) I downloaded while in Moscow, i scanned for nearby taxi and got one almost immediately.
Since i had to put my destination (the rented apartment) address on the app, the driver didn't have to ask where i was going.
He helped put my luggage in the boot and zoomed off towards the city center through the highway.

While in the taxi, i called the lady whose apartment i rented. She said she was waiting for me at the apartment.
Twenty five minutes later, i was being showed around the apartment. Since the lady didn't know English, she was waiting with an older woman who was the interpreter.

In a bid to work for her money, the interpreter wouldn't let anyone else say much. She tried to explain even the things i clearly understood. But since i was new, i just kept quiet and listened.

They explained to me how to virtually do everything, ranging from how to bath to how to switch on the gas cooker, use the microwave, washing machine, wifi, and even sleep. Funny that these people believe we dont have microwave in Africa.
While they were showing me around, i was busy looking for cooking pots. I found them in one of the shranks and the moment i saw them, i knew I was finally going to cook my own food.
I waited for them to finish their lectures which seemed to take long but they eventually left.

One minute after they left, i searched for shopping mall nearby, one was 200 meters away. I walked down and picked a bag of small rice, fresh tomatoes, tin tomatoes, chicken, small bottle of olive oil, Maggi, pepper, canned corn, a small bottle of whisky, drinking water and park of Marlboro.
Back in the apartment, i removed my clothes and returned back to the kitchen. It was time to show them Russies how we roll in Naija.

ZUBY77:
KALININGRAD is situated on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Given the love I have for Geography, i knew it was the Baltic as we descended towards it. The KALININGRAD airport is close to the sea and for a moment, i thought we were diving into the sea.
Minutes later, we landed at the airfield, cleared the immigration and headed outside.
With the Yandex taxi app (kind of Uber) I downloaded while in Moscow, i scanned for nearby taxi and got one almost immediately.
Since i had to put my destination (the rented apartment) address on the app, the driver didn't have to ask where i was going.
He helped put my luggage in the boot and zoomed off towards the city center through the highway.

While in the taxi, i called the lady whose apartment i rented. She said she was waiting for me at the apartment.
Twenty five minutes later, i was being showed around the apartment. Since the lady didn't know English, she was waiting with an older woman who was the interpreter.

In a bid to work for her money, the interpreter wouldn't let anyone else say much. She tried to explain even the things i clearly understood. But since i was new, i just kept quiet and listened.

They explained to me how to virtually do everything, ranging from how to bath to how to switch on the gas cooker, use the microwave, washing machine, wifi, and even sleep. Funny that these people believe we dont have microwave in Africa.
While they were showing me around, i was busy looking for cooking pots. I found them in one of the shranks and the moment i saw them, i knew I was finally going to cook my own food.
I waited for them to finish their lectures which seemed to take long but they eventually left.

One minute after they left, i searched for shopping mall nearby, one was 200 meters away. I walked down and picked a bag of small rice, fresh tomatoes, tin tomatoes, chicken, small bottle of olive oil, Maggi, pepper, canned corn, a small bottle of whisky, drinking water and park of Marlboro.
Back in the apartment, i removed my clothes and returned back to the kitchen. It was time to show them Russies how we roll in Naija.

Lol.. Love your narrative skill. Ride on bro.

ZUBY77:
KALININGRAD is situated on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Given the love I have for Geography, i knew it was the Baltic as we descended towards it. The KALININGRAD airport is close to the sea and for a moment, i thought we were diving into the sea.
Minutes later, we landed at the airfield, cleared the immigration and headed outside.
With the Yandex taxi app (kind of Uber) I downloaded while in Moscow, i scanned for nearby taxi and got one almost immediately.
Since i had to put my destination (the rented apartment) address on the app, the driver didn't have to ask where i was going.
He helped put my luggage in the boot and zoomed off towards the city center through the highway.

While in the taxi, i called the lady whose apartment i rented. She said she was waiting for me at the apartment.
Twenty five minutes later, i was being showed around the apartment. Since the lady didn't know English, she was waiting with an older woman who was the interpreter.

In a bid to work for her money, the interpreter wouldn't let anyone else say much. She tried to explain even the things i clearly understood. But since i was new, i just kept quiet and listened.

They explained to me how to virtually do everything, ranging from how to bath to how to switch on the gas cooker, use the microwave, washing machine, wifi, and even sleep. Funny that these people believe we dont have microwave in Africa.
While they were showing me around, i was busy looking for cooking pots. I found them in one of the shranks and the moment i saw them, i knew I was finally going to cook my own food.
I waited for them to finish their lectures which seemed to take long but they eventually left.

One minute after they left, i searched for shopping mall nearby, one was 200 meters away. I walked down and picked a bag of small rice, fresh tomatoes, tin tomatoes, chicken, small bottle of olive oil, Maggi, pepper, canned corn, a small bottle of whisky, drinking water and park of Marlboro.
Back in the apartment, i removed my clothes and returned back to the kitchen. It was time to show them Russies how we roll in Naija.

You be boss. I'm following you bumper to fender! I admire your writing skills. Patiently waiting for your next updates.

thanks zuby77 for the update

ride on boss

Nice update, great narrative skills. Keep us updated


Guys pls stop quoting him, it’s a waste of nairaland space, kindly drop your comments below. Thanks

Wait o them no d peel dia irish potatoes

Great write up here.. This is superb.

Show them russies how we roll in 9ja.