Are you a frog of the well? If so, this post is meant for you. You must have travelled at some point in your life. What's the first thought that comes to your mind when you think of travel or what's the one thing that you expect from your journey. Why do we feel happy when we travel? If you took more than 3-4 seconds to answer, YOU NEED A LIFE!.
We travel to experience a difference in life, we feel happy because of a difference in a feeling and we expect to see a different world through the same eyes is an underlying expectation from our journey.
Just like any other Indian, I was very excited too when I visited Moscow. From childhood, I have been hearing experiences of friends & family about how different other countries are from India. Like I said in my previous post that feelings cannot be explained. It must be experienced. What I am going to share is the most basic things in our daily lives and how these basic things separate them from us and make them a developed nation.
When you follow the rules, people follow you
1. Crossing the road only when the traffic light is green - There was a supermarket right across the street and I wanted to buy some bread and eggs for my breakfast. I went down the street and was wondering should I just cross the road or should I look for a zebra crossing. In India, I never cared about the traffic light while crossing the road. I thought let's follow the rule for once and I crossed the road following traffic light and it felt good. Trust me I still follow this habit wherever possible in India now. Emphasis on Wherever possible 😂
Take the right stand!
2. Stand to the right side of the escalator in Metros (Subway) - In Moscow, everyone stands on the right side of the escalator leaving one side for those who are in hurry or want to move up/down. In India, if you are in a hurry you have to crawl your way up like a snake and sometimes it's very irritating. Why can't people just stand on the right side of the escalator? the yellow line that you see in the centre of escalator stairs is for this purpose only. Please follow it.
Don't act like a gentleman. Be one!
3. Russian Metro didn't have a metro coach or seats reserved for ladies. Men offer it themselves and ladies don't claim it as their birthright. A lot of has to change on the part of Indian men and a few Indian women too. We don't need a reservation, we need common sense. Offer seats to the needy.
It's not a big deal!
4. Public display of affection is not a big deal in Russia. Couples kissing on the escalator, kissing and walking on the road, bus stands, in ticket queues are a common sight. It was a cultural shock to me🤭 How are people just standing next to them and not giving them moral lectures? If such was the case in India, their video would have gone viral by now or would have been thrashed for making people around them jealous.
Where are the dogs?
5. I did not see a single stray dog or a cow. I did see a dog in the metro but it was a pet. It's not a big problem. I do like this about India that we share our space with animals. Just because we are a superior race doesn't mean we have the right to cage them, kill them or send them away. We can take extreme measures only if they pose threat.
Check me out!
6. In my experience, most of the metro stations did not check my bag or frisked me at the entrance. This was bugging me a lot. I was used to standing in a queue, put my bag in the scanner, frisked by police before entering the metro platform. On a couple of times, I asked the police officers if they wanted to check my bag to which they just smiled and checked my bag.
Water is precious and it's not free
7. I am not sure for a fact that drinking water was not free. I am assuming it based on my experience that drinking water is not free in public places. Even in restaurants, water was not served for free. I had to buy it for 35 rubles (Approx Rs 38-40).
The next best thing...Beer!
8. Although the water wasn't free, you can get beer for as cheap as Rs. 35. It was available in Mcdonalds, KFC, Dominoes and other F&B outlets as a part of meals. I could barely contain my excitement in front of Elena. I am a beer lover. I went to get it in a supermarket and lady at the counter wasn't giving it to me and kept saying something in Russian. The girl behind me came to the rescue and asked me to show her my ID with date of birth.
Switch it on!
9. The moment I reached my hostel, I tried to plug in my charger in the socket but it was not compatible. I arranged a charger from a guy from Peru. I had to meet Elena in another hour. My phone was running out of battery. I kept pressing the charger in the socket but it was not charging the phone. I figured the switch on and off position of the button in Moscow is opposite of the one in India.
Flash your way out!
10. You don't need a metro ticket or card for your way out. In India, we have to use metro token and card both at entry and exit.
So, these are a few things I experienced differently in Moscow. If you have similar experiences or if I missed out some, feel free to comment or reach me.
Check out Yatra's 25% flat discount (limited offer) on International flights in "Grab a Deal" section on top of this page.
If you want to make money from your blog, join Cuelink (offers deals, coupons to display on your website) as it just takes a day or two for approval and pays really good commission.
Adsense is history.
Check my post on Cuelinks - 👉Easiest way to monetize blog/website
Instagram: Excursionist_sunny
Twitter: Ohboytravel
We travel to experience a difference in life, we feel happy because of a difference in a feeling and we expect to see a different world through the same eyes is an underlying expectation from our journey.
Just like any other Indian, I was very excited too when I visited Moscow. From childhood, I have been hearing experiences of friends & family about how different other countries are from India. Like I said in my previous post that feelings cannot be explained. It must be experienced. What I am going to share is the most basic things in our daily lives and how these basic things separate them from us and make them a developed nation.
People crossing the road when the light is green even in a small town in Russia |
When you follow the rules, people follow you
1. Crossing the road only when the traffic light is green - There was a supermarket right across the street and I wanted to buy some bread and eggs for my breakfast. I went down the street and was wondering should I just cross the road or should I look for a zebra crossing. In India, I never cared about the traffic light while crossing the road. I thought let's follow the rule for once and I crossed the road following traffic light and it felt good. Trust me I still follow this habit wherever possible in India now. Emphasis on Wherever possible 😂
Escalator in Subway (Metro) |
2. Stand to the right side of the escalator in Metros (Subway) - In Moscow, everyone stands on the right side of the escalator leaving one side for those who are in hurry or want to move up/down. In India, if you are in a hurry you have to crawl your way up like a snake and sometimes it's very irritating. Why can't people just stand on the right side of the escalator? the yellow line that you see in the centre of escalator stairs is for this purpose only. Please follow it.
Don't act like a gentleman. Be one!
3. Russian Metro didn't have a metro coach or seats reserved for ladies. Men offer it themselves and ladies don't claim it as their birthright. A lot of has to change on the part of Indian men and a few Indian women too. We don't need a reservation, we need common sense. Offer seats to the needy.
4. Public display of affection is not a big deal in Russia. Couples kissing on the escalator, kissing and walking on the road, bus stands, in ticket queues are a common sight. It was a cultural shock to me🤭 How are people just standing next to them and not giving them moral lectures? If such was the case in India, their video would have gone viral by now or would have been thrashed for making people around them jealous.
Dog in Metro |
5. I did not see a single stray dog or a cow. I did see a dog in the metro but it was a pet. It's not a big problem. I do like this about India that we share our space with animals. Just because we are a superior race doesn't mean we have the right to cage them, kill them or send them away. We can take extreme measures only if they pose threat.
Check me out!
6. In my experience, most of the metro stations did not check my bag or frisked me at the entrance. This was bugging me a lot. I was used to standing in a queue, put my bag in the scanner, frisked by police before entering the metro platform. On a couple of times, I asked the police officers if they wanted to check my bag to which they just smiled and checked my bag.
Water is precious and it's not free
7. I am not sure for a fact that drinking water was not free. I am assuming it based on my experience that drinking water is not free in public places. Even in restaurants, water was not served for free. I had to buy it for 35 rubles (Approx Rs 38-40).
Beer 😍 |
8. Although the water wasn't free, you can get beer for as cheap as Rs. 35. It was available in Mcdonalds, KFC, Dominoes and other F&B outlets as a part of meals. I could barely contain my excitement in front of Elena. I am a beer lover. I went to get it in a supermarket and lady at the counter wasn't giving it to me and kept saying something in Russian. The girl behind me came to the rescue and asked me to show her my ID with date of birth.
Switch it on!
9. The moment I reached my hostel, I tried to plug in my charger in the socket but it was not compatible. I arranged a charger from a guy from Peru. I had to meet Elena in another hour. My phone was running out of battery. I kept pressing the charger in the socket but it was not charging the phone. I figured the switch on and off position of the button in Moscow is opposite of the one in India.
Flash your way out!
10. You don't need a metro ticket or card for your way out. In India, we have to use metro token and card both at entry and exit.
So, these are a few things I experienced differently in Moscow. If you have similar experiences or if I missed out some, feel free to comment or reach me.
Check out Yatra's 25% flat discount (limited offer) on International flights in "Grab a Deal" section on top of this page.
If you want to make money from your blog, join Cuelink (offers deals, coupons to display on your website) as it just takes a day or two for approval and pays really good commission.
Adsense is history.
Check my post on Cuelinks - 👉Easiest way to monetize blog/website
Instagram: Excursionist_sunny
Twitter: Ohboytravel
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