Boris' flat in Moscow

You have already seen the pictures of my host and friends at Boris' in Moscow.  His flat was in the suburbs but as Moscow is so big (12m people) it was in fact quite a way out, but easy via the fab metro system.

It was raining when I arrived in Moscow.  This was very disappointing.  It sort of spoiled the romantic image I had of arriving and seeing it all white.  Or in a blizzard.  Or seeing Cossacks on horseback.  Or Stalin.  Or Roman Abramovitch. 

The railway station, as usual, is quite beautiful, but quite spartan.  It is the Kievsky station so is primarily for travel to Ukraine (the Ukraine?). 

Unfortunately my WikiTravel printout (yes, I was sparsely prepared) did not have enough info for me to work out the exchange rate.  Walking around the station to get the lay of the land did get me in front of currency exchange places, but my brain was addled and I was incapable of working out what the numbers meant.  They did in fact show the $$ exchange rate. 

Have I aklready said this?  Don't arrive anywhere without the exchange rate or local currency.  Hmmm.

I got cash from an ATM.  10000 Rubles.  I got ten 1000 Ruble notes.  My 'guide' said that these were hard to change.  Must be cos they are vast amounts of money.  So I put my card in again and got another 1000 expecting it to arrive in 100 Ruble notes.  It didn't.  Another 1000 note.  Fuck.

I elected to get a taxi to Boris'.

Finding a taxi was quite hard so I just stood where I thought a taxi ought to be (the front of the station was a mass of 1000s of cars...).  A taki-person appeared and asked me if I wanted a taxi (in gestures).  I said yes in the same way. 

He understood the address and quoted 500.  This was, in my estiation, twice the going rate.  So I said 300.  We settled on 400.  So, the first Russian I met I bargained with.  Golly.  Of course, I had no idea how much 400 was.  At all.

We arrived at Boris' and I offered him a 1000 note (remembering that they are 'hard to get rid of'). They were.  He didn't have enough change.  Shit, this was obviously a very expensive taxi ride.  So, I offered dollars.  No problem.  He worked it out as $15 (£8). 

So, I had been done, but not seriously.

So, there are 50 Rubles to a £1.

When I arrived, Boris offered me a night of parties and clubbing.  I declined. 

As a gift I (ironically) gave Boris my 1/2l of Ukrainian vodka.  He was genuionely pleased.

[Note: CouchSurfing gifts are not expected but local, from home, stuff is a good idea.  I wich I'd taken Sue's advice on this]

He immediately gave me a key and showed me how it all worked.  Not simple - doors have many complicated locks, and are padded.

Flat is small.  Two beds, bathroom and kitchen.