Showing posts with label Moscow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moscow. Show all posts

Friday, 16 December 2016

Pokemon No-Go: Moscow GPS foils taxis, Uber, runners

We love this story, but of course are not amused about those actually getting lost. It's truly an "only in Russia thing":
Russians seek answers to central Moscow GPS anomaly
From the marathoners who magically run at a higher rate to Uber drivers thrown 30 kilometres off-course, Putin's GPS shield is bringing cloaking devices into modern un-reality.

"Isn't this the Kremlin?"
"No, you idiot, it's Vnukovo Airport!"
"Where's Pikachu then?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know?"
"It was your turn to handle directions!"
"I followed them!"
"Then where the hell is the Kremlin?"
"It's supposed to be right here!"
"Then why does the GPS on my phone keep telling me this is the airport?"
"Where are the planes?"
"I don't know!"
"It doesn't look like any airport I've ever seen..."
"They probably stopped air traffic because Putin is arriving."
"That's stupid."
"No, it's not."
"Helicopter."

"Pikachu's in a helicopter?!?"
"No, you idiot, it's Putin's helicopter!! Can't you hear it?"
"Yes, but..."
"Look, there it is! It IS Putin!"
"Holy shit."
"No shit! I told you!"
"Then where's [inaudible]?"
"What...?!?"
"I said, where [inaudible] then?"
"I can't hear you!!!"
"No shit chickenshit".
"Wow, that thing's loud..."
"Did you see Putin waving?"
"No, of course not!"
"I swear I saw him!"
"Can't be."
"Why's that?"
"Because it's his double, you idiot!!!"
"His what?!?!"
"You think they'd let Putin wave?! It's his DOUBLE, dufus!"
"He has a double?"
"Of couse he does, numbskull."
"Oh."
"I wonder when the planes will start again."

"So where's Pikachu then?"
"Cloaked."
"What?!?"
"Cloaked. You know, stealth technology."
"You think Pikachu has a cloaking device?!?"
"Sure, why not?"
"You watch too much Star Trek!"
"No I don't!"
"So where's Pikachu then?"
"I don't know!"
"Why don't you ask William Shatner then?!?"
"Kirk?!? Where? What...?"
"I just keep feeling like he's going to magically turn up..."
"Ha. True."
"I'm ready for vodka."
"Me too."
"Maybe Pikachu is in the bar."
"With Shatner".
"Ha. No shit."
"Well, let's go then."
"Keep your eyes open for him."
"Who? Pikachu? Or Shatner?"
"Ha. Do you hear planes?"
"Huh?"
"It's an airport, remember?"
"No, it's the Kremlin."
"Oh, geez... Let's get that vodka..."
"Roger that!"

Thursday, 2 June 2016

Zhukovsky, Moscow's 4th airport opens

Open for business, but no flights yet at Moscow Zhukovsky Airport
Earlier this year, we captured the mess that is transportation to Moscow's 3 major airports with an illustration by Andy, a Russian resident in Moscow has HOW many airports?!?.

Well, Andy's life just got a little more complicated.

On May 30th, Moscow's fourth international airport, "Zhukovsky", opened for business.

The newest, Moscow Zhukovsky Ramenskoye International Airport (ZIA), is located in the town of Zhukovsky, on the outskirts of Moscow (in Moscow Oblast, to be precise).

Precise? Well, maybe not, as most of the airport is actually located in the town of Ramenskoye. Perhaps the former aviation research, testing and cargo facility (it once a test site for Soviet Buran Spacecraft) had worn out the city's moniker.

But with a slice of the airport located in Zhukovsky, a town named to honour Russia's pioneer of modern aerodynamics research, Nikolay Yegorovich Zhukovsky, how could they not rename it?

Names aside, Zhukovsky Airport was planned to relieve mounting pressure on Moscow's existing airports, which has since eased (25 airlines pulled out of Moscow last year):
Moscow Zhukovsky International Airport is intended to serve low-cost airlines. Few have signed up so far, but Air Kyrgyzstan and SCAT will commence service next month. Cities with flights to ZIA will initially include Aktau, Aktobe, Astana, Bishkek, Osh and Shymkent.

Unfortunately, no transportation infrastructure exists or is planned, so if you find ZIA on your flight itinerary, be warned. All Moscow airports share an IATA city code, MOW, so be sure you know which airports(s) you are flying through.

If you happen to be lucky enough to attend the biennial MAKS Airshow, long hosted by the Ramenskoye Airport, perhaps you can manage to take a flight into ZIA to check it out firsthand.

But still, please, don't ask Andy for a ride.


Resources from IHateTaxis.com
Moscow has HOW many airports?!?
Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) transportation options and guide
Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) transportation options and guide
Moscow Vnukovo Airport (VKO) transportation options and guide
Moscow Zhukovsky Ramenskoye International Airport (ZIA) transportation options and guide
Moscow Layover Ideas & Things to Do in Moscow

Related resources
New Moscow airport's take off stalled by vanishing passengers - Reuters
Zhukovsky Airport to Serve First Flight in June - Russian Aviation Insider
Fourth international airport opens in Moscow RT.com
An Aeroflot Nightmare: How I Got Placed Under Virtual Arrest in Moscow
Airport nightmare: Russians seize concertmaster’s violin
Hundreds Miss Sheremetyevo Flights Because of Road Work
STUCK: The meaning of the city’s traffic nightmare - New Yorker
Getting around Moscow by metro and public transport


Tuesday, 12 April 2016

Moscow has HOW many airports?!?

Moscow has 3 major airports.We recently found a great Russian blogpost that describes the relationship between the 3, and the challenges of moving between them:
Moscow Airport "Infographic" copyright by Andy Frecka
(click to enlarge for full details)
"Moscow has many airports. How many? No one really knows... One time I had a stingy thrifty Dutch friend write me and say that he was flying into Domodedovo (domestic flight) and would then have a departure from Sheremyetovo (International) only 4 hours later. This was to happen during the day. And when I inquired as to his logic, he answered that doing it this way would save him TEN EUROS. Also, he was asking me to pick him up..." [read the rest of this priceless story in Moscow Transfer Travel Travail].
If you enjoy Andy's writing as much as we do, you can follow him on Twitter as @andyfrecka.

But, please, don't call him for a ride.

Resources from IHateTaxis.com
Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) transportation options and guide
Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) transportation options and guide
Moscow Vnukovo Airport (VKO) transportation options and guide
Moscow Layover Ideas & Things to Do in Moscow

Related resources
An Aeroflot Nightmare: How I Got Placed Under Virtual Arrest in Moscow
Airport nightmare: Russians seize concertmaster’s violin
Hundreds Miss Sheremetyevo Flights Because of Road Work
STUCK: The meaning of the city’s traffic nightmare - New Yorker
Getting around Moscow by metro and public transport


Thursday, 6 February 2014

2013 Taxi Stories: The GOOD, BAD & UGLY

We're not far into the new year, so we are still reflecting on some of the more interesting taxi stories in the last year...

The GOOD:


Hamar, Norway
You're in a taxi in Norway... driven by the Prime Minister?

One of the coolest stories to emerge last year was when Norway's Prime Minister,
Jens Stoltenberg, donned a taxi driver's uniform and got behind the wheel of a taxi
in Oslo, to find out what his constituents really think. Read the story here.
The BAD:


Ufa
What's inside this ambulance in Moscow? A heart attack victim or leather couches and caviar?

It's so hard to get through the streets in Moscow that a new mode of
transport has emerged, as described in this story that emerged in 2013:
'Sick' in style: Meet the new Russian ambulance luxury taxi.
Read the full story here.
The UGLY:


Chicago
Really, what's the worst that can happen if you accept a ride from a driver in a Chicago airport?

In 2013, Chicago hatched one of the worst taxi scam stories we've seen. Not only for how deep it gouged, but for how heartless it was. Here's how it went down: a Chinese student, speaking little English, lands at Chicago O'Hare Airport, and is approached by a taxi driver... Read the full story here.

A few other notable taxi stories from 2013:

Read these posts in our Smart Travel Advice series:
In case you have missed it, please read our post: Do We Really Hate Taxis?

Sunday, 12 January 2014

Getting to/from Sochi Airport... with a little luck ♣

Sochi Adler International Airport 02
How to get to Sochi from the airport? Is there a Sochi Airport train? Is car hire at Sochi Airport possible?
Just some of the questions on the minds of travellers headed to the Sochi 2014 Games...

Welcome to Сочи (Sochi). We are trying to help you get to and from Sochi Airport, but we're hoping for a little luck.

Luck, because information is more scarce than we would expect for an airport paying such a central role in a major world event. Case in point: the Sochi Olympic Games open in less than a month, and if you search for "Sochi airport official", this is what you get:

Oh dear. While we appreciate that the Games' Russian hosts may not hold communications to the same standard as the West, we surely expected a higher requirement from the IOC. Well, perhaps they have bigger fish to fry at the moment.

That makes our job even more important than ever, in making our Sochi Airport (AER) Transportation Guide as complete as possible. The only problem is, that source information truly is lacking. We have been scouring the web, but we aren't finding much, or we're finding conflicting information. But we are putting the best information here:

We are eager to have our guide as complete as possible, to help as many people as we can, but we're in the dark here. If you have seen, or you have, more or different information on ground transportation at Sochi Airport, including special alternate arrangements during the Games, please add your comments below.
 
Please leave your Sochi Airport transportation tips in the comments below!

On the subject of luck, perhaps it is only fitting that we are calling on luck to help us out here, as Sochi is considered to be a very ♣ lucky ♣ place:
The most famous Russian saying about the city is "If I could read the cards, I would live in Sochi" ("Знал бы прикуп - жил бы в Сочи"). Initially coming from the Preference card game, this saying shows the association of Sochi and its inhabitants with luck, moreover, with an accidental and unpredictable fortune.
Source: WikiVoyage
Sochi Adler International Airport 05
Inside Сочи Airport (aka Sochi Airport)


To help you with your luck in getting to and around Sochi, we've listed some additional links below, but here's our favourite:

Is Отменен a good thing? (no, your flight is cancelled)
What Посадка does mean? (your flight is boarding... hurry!)
It says Посадка закончена, should I run? (don't bother, you missed your flight!)
For more, see this Russian Flight Information Board Translation Guide

Official Sochi 2014 travel, transportation and airport information:
If you are visiting Sochi, you may find our Moscow airport ground transportation guides helpful:
Related resources: