Why travelling to Russia in winter is not a crazy idea

Russia was one of the countries included in my travel bucket list but i never imagined visiting during the cold months since we all knew how harsh the cold is in this country.
Then off we go and grab a Russian visa to fulfill my dream.

Call it crazy for one to brave the Russian winter months. During the coldest month of January temperature can fall down to  -18C and winter season can prevail until March.  Thus, winter here has a reputation of bitterly cold  , dark, dreary and uninspiring. In fact, travellers are frightened by the phrase "Russian winter". Many recall Napoleon's army which did not fare well in the cold in the year 1812 or even Hitler's army who lost victory because of extreme cold weather.

Take me to Russia anytime of the year.

On the brighter side , we travelled to Russia during winter and we concluded it was a genius idea after all! Here are the reasons why .

Winter is low season

The cold temperature drives away the potential visitors thus the prices are not high. Airfare and hotels are heavily discounted except during peak days such as christmas , new year , fatherland day etc. 

Enjoy glorious food 

Borsch is mainly the most popular Russian food. Enjoy a hearty bowl while drinking russian vodka. Perfect for a cold night. 

Go watch a ballet

When i was there i cannot fully declare that the cold didn't bother me anyway . So what better way to warm up is to head indoors like the GUM shopping center or watch a ballet at the Mariinsky Theater. Russian ballet can leave you wide eyed with delight.

Snow

If you're like me and comes from a tropical country , Snow is a big thing for us. It's a priviledge for us to see and experience snow from abroad. I highly think that Russia is most beautiful when covered in snow and ice. 

It was very very cold , windy and sometimes raining but it didn't bother us at all !

Fewer lines 

The most time consuming part of anyone's journey is the long queues to get into the museum or park or a historical building . One way to avoid it is to come during the less popular tourist months like winter. Less people more chances of photo ops minus the photobombers.

Red Square not so crowded in the lean months.

Discount shopping

Saleslady at the Arbat shopping district was more than eager to make a sale by giving us good discounts. Sales are low during these times and you should take advantage of it.

Inside a souveinir shop in Arbat Street 

I sure enjoyed the winter . I do hope i can go back and celebrate christmas in Russia and be able to 
say : "Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva!" (Merry Christmas in Russia)

Sol Y Viento Mountain Hot Spring Resort Review

Pansol Laguna can be a good idea when planning for a group outing . Be it a teambuilding mission or family reunion or barkada getaway Pansol always comes up on the list. It's popularity stems from the fact that it houses a bountiful assortment of resorts to choose from. Private resorts with private pool allows the group to cook their own meals beside having the whole place to sing karaoke all night long. 

Speaking of Karaole , it annoys me when a resort allows karaoke singing out in the open. It is simply irritating and makes it cheap. Karaoke should be done in an enclosed room where no one can be disturbed .Nuff said. 

And so , my number one criteria in a resort : No Public Karaoke! Sol Y Viento fills that shoe and more :)

OVERLOOKING LAGUNA LAKE

PROS :

✔ Ample Parking

✔ Restaurant on site

✔ 24 hrs security guard

✔ 5 different pools of different temperature

✔ Fast checkin and Front office always smiling

✔ Courteous staff

✔  Clean grounds with pretty landscape - maintenance people always cleaning

✔  Quiet sorroundings  - no karaoke and boisterous people

✔ Lounge towels available at the pool side - only for checked in guests

✔ Pools have varying depths - great for kids and adults

CONS :

✔ Dormitory rooms location can be quite a hike !!! - seniors and pwds beware 

✔ No Hot Water in the room  

✔ Room rates are quite expensive

✔ High end resto with high end price too 

✔ Rooms are quite a walk to the pool (no pool side rooms)

✔ No lounge chairs - a midrange resort should have at least lounge chairs to stow away your things

Day Tour Rate : P300/person (can bring food inside resort but subject to corkage fees)
Table/chairs rate : P700
Overnight with Room : ranges from P5,000 to P8,000 per night (for 2)
Dormitory rooms are available good for 4 - 10persons . Rate range from P7,000 to 12,000 per room

Resort Facts :
Address : 55 Makiling Heights Pansol Calamba Laguna
Tel # : (049)-5450052 or (02)8614003 or 0917-5684294
Website : www.syvhotelsandresorts.com 

10 Tips to Save Money in Paris

A Schengen visa could only mean one thing , a free pass to 26 Schengen member countries and Paris is almost always first on the list to visit. Needless to say, it is also one of the most expensive cities to visit and a careful planning and budgeting is a must .

Here are tips to survive a vacation in Paris without breaking the bank :

1, Take a bus from the airport - whether you're arriving from Charles de Gaulle or Orly airport there are buses available every 15mins  to take you to the city center.The airport bus will cost you €11 per person and takes around 45mins to 1 hour depending on the traffic. From it's drop off point you can take metro to get to your destination. 

2. Forego using a taxi - Paris has an efficient and extensive metro system. It can get you anywhere you wish to go. A metro ticket costs €1.90 but if you buy a carnet of 10 tickets it should cost €14.90

3. Visit the Louvre for free - admission is free every first sunday of each month from October to March. Timing your visit would prove to be beneficial.

4. Buy food at a grocery store/bakery - eating in a paris restaurant is quite expensive instead shop for cheese , baguette, jam , drinks at a supermarche. Then find your perfect picnic spot in the city and enjoy great views. 

5. Get the Prix Fixe Menu - or the set lunch or dinner would cost you €10 - €20. Every restaurant has an offering and the deal is better than a regular menu. 

LE PETIT CLER

6. Order une carafe d'eau - bottled water or sodas in a Paris resto would cost more than a bottle of house wine. Always bring your own bottled water (bought from the grocery) or ask for the free tap water - carafe d'eau . It is safe to drink. 

7. Take a free walking tour - many volunteers offer free walking tour thru the city. Make sure to research legit tour companies prior to your visit. And don't forget to tip.

8. Free WiFi - is practically available everywhere. You may find it in cafes, parks , museums, fastfood joints. Go ahead and post your pictures in fb and instagram instantly !

9. Find an accomodation away from the central area - The central you are the more expensive the accomodation . I personally recommend the 14th arrondissement . This area has great selection of affordable hotels , is more quiet and less frantic and with lots of cafes and restaurants. 

10. Take a Seine River Cruise - it costs €15 . Discover Paris in the most romantic way by taking a boat ride thru the river. 

Why you need to go to Prague right now

I fell in love with Prague. I may even have left my heart in Prague. And who wouldn't? Prague may belong to the least popular european destination amongst Filipino tourists , in fact some Pinoys has not even a clue to which country it belongs to, but my say is, Prague has to be included in every traveller's bucketlist.

Prague is beautiful . Period. It was my first ever taste of Europe and i wasn't expecting that much. It turned out to be much much more. It seems that Prague architecture is the biggest draw card. Every building or tower tells a story and almost all was spared from the bombings during the World War 2. Prague city has little physical evidence of the second world war . It was occupied by the Nazis for 7 years (1939-1945) and not a scratch on it (only to my naked eye :). Prague is really one lucky city!

BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE @ CHARLES BRIDGE

CHARLES BRIDGE 

One of Prague's most alluring and one you won't and shouldn't miss is the Charles Bridge. I walked this path countless times during my stay and never got tired of it. Charles Bridge or Karluv Most crosses the Vtalva River . It is protected by 3 bridge towers , two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side.

At night , bridge would light up and casts an eerie glow . Nothing scary. More like a romantic glow. During daytime it is filled with tourists just walking , taking pictures . Not to be missed are souveinirs and local musicians . Best part of the day is the sunrise. I highly nudge you to set that alarm a little extra early so you can witness Prague beautiful sunrise. Trust me it'll be worth it !

PRAGUE CASTLE

PRAGUE CASTLE 

The massive UNESCO World Heritage site goes back to more than 1000 years of history. The enormity of this castle was described by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest coherent castle complex in the world. Here shown was i looking up and trying to challenge my eyes how far it can see while throngs of tourists disturbing my moment . hahaha. Seriously, i'm not much into history but a walk around this complex would surely tire you out and take half of your morning so make sure to put on your most comfortable walking shoes .

ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK

PRAGUE ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK ON THE OLD TOWN SQUARE

Above me are 12 apostles figurines which blesses the city every hour . The animation would go on live every hour and tourists would flock to this venue to witness it. This is one of the most popular touristy thing to do in Prague in case you haven't read it yet from the other blogs . Hahaha again :)

Walking around this city will eventually wear you out. As in my case, the growling hunger ticked simultaneously with the clock and found ourselves settling in with a nice Prague comfort food.

PRAGUE COMFORT FOOD 

GULAS OR GOULASH

The Czech Goulash basically belongs to traditional Hungarian cuisine. Pck the morsels with a dumpling  (a traditional Czech side dish made from wheat or potato and boiled) or eat with rice. It tastes and look similar to Mechado from the philippines.

PIG'S KNEE OR KOLENO

Need i say more to introduce this mouth watering pork dish? Don't be shy. Go ahead and indulge. Wash it down with beer - like a true cave man!

TRDELNIK

As i always say , you can't buy happiness but you can buy this sweet thing and it's kinda the same thing . In every street corner you see this. Nutella is smothered inside and then you die and go to heaven. Just kidding. Top it with ice cream and then hell will break loose. :)

After filling up we then ride around the city with the coolest vintage car .

OUR RIDE AROUND THE CITY IS GOT TO BE THE COOLEST TOP DOWN VINTAGE CAR

PRAGUE VINTAGE CAR TOURS

After the sumptuous meal we had, i swear i wouldn't walk anymore and this pretty little thing offered the best solution for us. We paid a little less than 100usd for a 1 hour ride tour of the best sights of the city. It was a wonderful cold/windy ride and we got a lot of envy stares from the other tourists.

It's a great way to see the whole city in style .

PRAGUE QUIRKS AND ECCENTRICITIES

I love Prague not only because of it's beautiful landscape but also it's quirkiness and unconventional , bizaare, freakish statues. Maybe it's weird but it adds to it's character and i love it more.

JOHN LENNON WALL 

A GIANT BABY BUTT by DAVID CERNY

A HANGING MAN

A DANCING HOUSE

A PEEING MAN by DAVID CERNY

And this man never ceases to amaze me .....

P.S. Prague is part of the Schengen Countries. To get a Schengen visa and to know more about it pls see it here 

Get a letter of invitation or travel support (for Russia tourist visa)

What is a Letter of Invitation or Travel Visa Support Letter ?

This is the most important document that you need to present but should not be confused for a hotel reservation. A Travel Visa Support letter is not the same as a hotel voucher/reservation. A hotel voucher is not necessary to get you a visa but a Travel Visa Support letter will.

What is the difference ?

A hotel voucher may be obtained by booking a hotel through various entities such as the hotel itself, hotel booking engines such as booking.com , travel agents .

A Travel Support Letter (one that is required by the Russian embassy) must come from an authorized Russian Travel Agency or Russian Hotel.

Where to get it ?

Option 1: Email your hotel in Russia and ask for it. 

Option 2: Get it from your local travel agent to lessen the stress and hassle of getting one.

Option 3: Get a letter on your own. 

Option #3 gives you the freedom to shop around. Please bear in mind that the travel support letter is not free nor does it have a fixed price. My best option was to look for the most affordable service fee i can find.

The travel support letter fees i found in the net ranges from 30usd to as high as 60usd per applicant. 

Here's what a Travel Support Letter looks like :

TRAVEL SUPPORT LETTER 

There are 4 important components (encircled in violet) of the Travel Support letter that should appear in your application form:

1. Name of the Host Company

2. Address of the Host Company

3. Reference Number

4. Confirmation Number

Note : The hotels and travel dates declared in your travel support letter must be the same as in your application form.

And here's how to complete the Russian visa application form . 

How i got my Russian Tourist Visa

Philippine passport holder need a visa to enter Russia. Compared to other countries that i have previously applied for a visa like Schengen , Japan , Taiwan , China etc , Russian tourist visa application is fairly simple and non-complicated . 

Upon checking  their website , there are only five (5) documents to prepare .

TOURIST VISA REQUIREMENTS :
1. Duly filled up application form 
2. A valid passport (passport must be valid not less than 6 months from your date of departure from Russia)
3. One passport sized photo (attached to the application form with glue)
4. Travel Support/Confirmation from an authorized Russian Travel Agency.
5. Airline Tickets (travel dates must be the same as the confirmation and application form)

1, HOW TO FILL UP THE APPLICATION FORM

The application form is available at visa.kdmid.ru 

The link will open to the site as pictured above. Choose your country and language. Read the information in the blue box and then click Complete New Application Form .

Note : The application must be filled up online.

You must create your password so you can retrieve your application form in the future . One must also take note of the Application ID for future reference.

VISA DETAILS

Select Tourism as your purpose of visit . Common Tourist as visa category. 

The date of entry and exit to/from Russia must be same as in your airline tickets. It should be the exact date of your entry date and exit date.

PERSONAL DETAILS

Personal details are pretty much explainable but at this point you may save your work as draft. You may retrieve it again by using your password and application ID (which hopefully you have stored). Next page enter your Passport details which basically you will find in your passport :)

PASSPORT DETAILS

Now here's the tricky part :

VISIT DETAILS

Remember? One of the requirements is a Travel Support/Confirmation from an authorized Russian Travel Agency. If you have been able to contact one prior to filling up this form then input the info regarding the Name of Organization , address , their reference number and the confirmation number they have provided.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

The information being asked above is basically your permanent address and work details.

APPOINTMENT DETAILS

Appointment will be set at the Embassy of Russia in Manila.

Click the Next button and a summary of everything will be displayed. Check very carefully if you have missed / mispelled info from your entries. 

If you feel you are satisfied with it then you may Click and Submit .

Print the application form and glue your passport sized photo .

Don't forget to affix your signature.

Here's a sample print out of the application form :

Yellow highlighted part were intentional to protect our personal identity. Thank you.

As you can see it's fairly simple. Once you have printed the form , gather all the remaining requirements and head to their office in Makati . Don't forget to bring your payment :):)

The embassy also allows representative or travel agents to submit documents on behalf of the applicant. 

Visa Section of the Embassy of Russia in Manila address :

Room 402 A , 4th Flr , RCI Building

105 Rada Street Legazpi Village

Makati City MM Phils

Contact them at :

810-9581

Visa submission days :

Monday - Wednesday - Friday

0900am - 1200nn

Visa Fee : (updated Feb 22, 2017)

P 3,750/applicant - single entry

But do please check their website for more information . All information in this blog has been my personal experience and I will not be held liable if there are  changes in information. It is best to contact the authority before submitting your application.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MATTER? I WOULD HAPPILY ACCOMODATE AND ANSWER FROM BELOW :)