IIHF World ChampionshipDiscuss International Tournaments like the WJC, Olympics, and World Cup, as they take place, or discuss past tournaments. performances.
Would love to go to this tournament. However destany tours seems pricier than it has to be (at least by judging by the costs for Buffalo). Would love to see how others go about making plans for this trip.
why in the world would anyone need to use a tour company to do this ? how hard can it be to get tickets to the games? go to kayak, get some plane tickets, go to tripadvisor or a hosteling website and get a hotel.
- How far is the rink in correlation to downtown?
- How difficult would it be for one to get around with no Russian (only English and poor French)
- How does one typically get around there? Taxi, bus, subway, tram, etc?
- Are there decent hotels near the rink?
Is Ufa like any other major European city where you just need some street smarts and common sense?
- How far is the rink in correlation to downtown?
- How difficult would it be for one to get around with no Russian (only English and poor French)
- How does one typically get around there? Taxi, bus, subway, tram, etc?
- Are there decent hotels near the rink?
Is Ufa like any other major European city where you just need some street smarts and common sense?
here's the link to the map http://maps.yandex.ru/-/CFfYqIYD
with no Russian it's rather difficult but what do you expect from non speaking English?
the best way is to meet with locals.
The public transport works fine. The typical price for taxi is not high ( i have been to Ufa in 2008)
Regarding hotels you can see the booking.com
why in the world would anyone need to use a tour company to do this ? how hard can it be to get tickets to the games? go to kayak, get some plane tickets, go to tripadvisor or a hosteling website and get a hotel.
Some people don't make their own bed in the morning, or hire someone to drive their own car. Go figure.
Other than the obvious troll attempt, for someone who's never traveled any further east than western Europe, this is the impression that one has - sadly. Yet on the same hand we know that's not true. But it's so far east, that one can't help but wonder. I wouldn't expect it to be the same as New York or something, but that doesn't mean it's complete crap. Additionally I live in Northern Canada, so the weather there is likely nicer than up here lol. It would likely cost me at least 2k to go to the frozen four, where as it'll probably cost 5ish to go to Russia. And I could care less about college hockey, yet love the WJHC. And watching it in Russia (or Sweden in 2014) would be a blast! I might as well spend the extra and go further and see more of the world than the US.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darth Bangkok
why in the world would anyone need to use a tour company to do this ? how hard can it be to get tickets to the games? go to kayak, get some plane tickets, go to tripadvisor or a hosteling website and get a hotel.
Quote:
Some people don't make their own bed in the morning, or hire someone to drive their own car. Go figure.
That's not it at all. Say this was anywhere in western Europe. Between my French, English, and almost non existent Spanish, and the fact that many in western Europe speak many languages, I doubt I'd have an issue finding and booking a decent hotel close to the rink and ensuring I have or can get transportation, etc. Additionally while one may not speak the language, it's easier (at least for someone who doesn't speak Russian) to read a map, etc when it's not in Cyrillic. That's probably the most daunting part of this. Just looking at a map that's in Cyrillic is an experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by antidotevsk
here's the link to the map http://maps.yandex.ru/-/CFfYqIYD
with no Russian it's rather difficult but what do you expect from non speaking English?
Thanks! The language issue isn't the end of the world, but how common is English as a 2nd (or 3rd/4th) language there?
Last edited by hototogisu: 12-30-2011 at 09:12 PM.
Reason: removed quoted post
I chuckled when I read some comments of guys taking their girlfriends, reminds me of the saying; would you take a ham sandwich to a banquet?
This "ham sandwich" would very much like to visit the "buffet" that is Russia thank you. :p And don't be so sure that the girlfriends might not also consider Russia to be a "buffet" of sorts... some very handsome Russian men out there gentlemen and got to love those Russian accents! lol
I, for one, would love to visit Russia.
Niagara Girl
Last edited by hototogisu: 12-30-2011 at 09:12 PM.
Reason: removed quoted posts
Any respectable hotel will be able to assist you, for free, in terms of getting around, food, getting to the arena and so on. Some basic research will help, and I'm pretty sure the organizers in Ufa will do a good job of accommodating guests (tournament information and so on). I've heard that Ufa has a good reputation with it's audience and they care about their fans.
Bring a Russian dictionary of course, and have some basic phrases written down, so you can show people (where is ...), in case of emergency or if you want to buy something.
But choosing a respectable hotel can be the big difference between having a poor and good experiences.
Well, historically Ufa was formed up of 2 towns, its shape resembles hourglass.
So we have old Ufa (the bigger south part), Chernikovka (the lesser norh part) and "crosspiece".
The new Ufa Arena (capacity 8000) is in the center of old Ufa, the old LDS (capacity 4400) is in the center of "crosspiece".
It's easy to get to both rinks with different kinds of transport.
Quote:
- How difficult would it be for one to get around with no Russian (only English and poor French)
Difficult but not impossible.
Much of Russian people learn English in schools and univercities, so you'll can get some help when needed.
It is also possible to order taxi with English-speaking driver (though it might be more expensive).
Quote:
- How does one typically get around there? Taxi, bus, subway, tram, etc?
Taxi is relatively cheap, you can get trough the whole city (~ 60 km) for about 450 rubles ($15).
It is also not a problem to move by bus, tram or trolleybus.
Quote:
- Are there decent hotels near the rink?
Yes, there are hotels near both rinks and around.
Quote:
Is Ufa like any other major European city where you just need some street smarts and common sense?
As I live here I can't answer this question
I can say Ufa habitants are friendly. And WJC will be a notable event for the city.
The language issue isn't the end of the world, but how common is English as a 2nd (or 3rd/4th) language there?
Well, as I wrote above, most of Russians get English courses in schools.
But don't expect much, there aren't much of English natives to get everyday practice here
The new Ufa Arena (capacity 8000) is in the center of old Ufa, the old LDS (capacity 4400) is in the center of "crosspiece".
Is that this rink here? [HERE]
Ice Palace Salavat Yulaev (Russian: Дворец спорта Салават Юлаев) is an indoor sporting arena located in Ufa, Russia. The capacity of the arena is 4200.
Both rinks appear to be more in the southern end of the city. The new one in the south, and the older one further north, close to the middle, but still in the south?
Looking at some of the hotels and comments there. Looks like hotels in Russia (or eastern Europe?) are a LOT different than what we're used to in North America (mainly a lot smaller). And still smaller than what we had when I went to Paris and Madrid 10 years ago. Additionally they all look expensive - especially when you see how small they are. ~125-175 a night.
I was born in Russia but moved to Canada when I was 13. I don't think my Russian passport was renewed however I have my Canadian citizenship.
I'm now 27 and have never been back.
If i were to go back as a Canadian citizen, is there any risk at all of me being taken to do military service or anything like that?
Probably shouldn't be asking on a hockey forum, but some opinions would help
For what its worth, a good friend of mine is Russian, and has been in Canada the last six years at university. He left before he completed his military service, and has been back a few times without any problem. He also said that at 27 you are no longer obligated, which is when he plans on moving back (he's 25 now). But since Russia doesn't recognise dual citizenship, they might still consider you Russian even if you use a Canadian passport. The best solution would be to contact the Russian embassy or consulate to see the best way to go about it, as they will know for sure what to do.
For what its worth, a good friend of mine is Russian, and has been in Canada the last six years at university. He left before he completed his military service, and has been back a few times without any problem. He also said that at 27 you are no longer obligated, which is when he plans on moving back (he's 25 now). But since Russia doesn't recognise dual citizenship, they might still consider you Russian even if you use a Canadian passport. The best solution would be to contact the Russian embassy or consulate to see the best way to go about it, as they will know for sure what to do.
Russia do recognize dual citizenship but Russia demands from its citizens to use Russian passport when coming out of the country and to Russia. Bure,Jashin,Gonchar and so on have dual citizenship.
Other than the obvious troll attempt, for someone who's never traveled any further east than western Europe, this is the impression that one has - sadly. Yet on the same hand we know that's not true. But it's so far east, that one can't help but wonder. I wouldn't expect it to be the same as New York or something, but that doesn't mean it's complete crap. Additionally I live in Northern Canada, so the weather there is likely nicer than up here lol. It would likely cost me at least 2k to go to the frozen four, where as it'll probably cost 5ish to go to Russia. And I could care less about college hockey, yet love the WJHC. And watching it in Russia (or Sweden in 2014) would be a blast! I might as well spend the extra and go further and see more of the world than the US.
I'm a westerner (but biased, I have to admit), and of course I've been there. Ufa is probably much, much safer than New York and other big Western cities. Moreover, people is much more friendly if compared with western counterparts, and they are always curious about foreigners. Plus I think the organization will make an effort to accomodate tourists during the WJC. And if you're smart (especially if you get to know the language), Russia is a cheap place especially concerning food and transports.
With that being said, going in Russia without knowing Russian might be tricky. Think of the US without knowing English...
If I will be there I can help you, I speak both English and Russian and I can call a taxi for you Russians taxists can be not pleasant to deal with if you don't speak the language. Not that in other countries where I've been it was different, though...
EDIT: Lol since we talk about sandwiches, remember that russian sandwiches (buterbrod is Russian for sandwich) are usually different eg they don't have the upper slice of bread.
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Алексей Черепанов навсегда в наших сердцах
Last edited by Alessandro Seren Rosso: 12-31-2011 at 05:35 AM.
Is that this rink here? [HERE]
Ice Palace Salavat Yulaev (Russian: Дворец спорта Салават Юлаев) is an indoor sporting arena located in Ufa, Russia. The capacity of the arena is 4200.
That is the older rink, the Ufa Arena is located in Ulitsa Lenina
Is Ufa like any other major European city where you just need some street smarts and common sense?
Basically but try to know a few phrases it would help a lot. Russia is not dangerous or scary it is pretty safe and a lot more safe than it was in the 1990's. Problem is Russia's reputation from the 90's is still stuck in many westerners minds. Completely different country, it has been transformed in the last 10 years although work still needs to be done(that is for a different thread).
The people are more welcoming in cities like Ufa than say Moscow, you should find it to be an interesting experience
Is that this rink here? [HERE]
Ice Palace Salavat Yulaev (Russian: Дворец спорта Салават Юлаев) is an indoor sporting arena located in Ufa, Russia. The capacity of the arena is 4200.
I was born in Russia but moved to Canada when I was 13. I don't think my Russian passport was renewed however I have my Canadian citizenship.
I'm now 27 and have never been back.
If i were to go back as a Canadian citizen, is there any risk at all of me being taken to do military service or anything like that?
Probably shouldn't be asking on a hockey forum, but some opinions would help
u shouldn't be worried about the military, what u should be worried is getting a russian visa. By their law you are a russian citizen and they will not give you a visa for your canadian passport. You have two options: pay 500-600 U.S. and cancel your russian citiizenship all-together, or spend about the same and renew your russian passport (which i have done, and yes I am a dual citizen of usa and russia). YET, it took me 13 month to get a confirmation of my citizenship, which you must do if your passport has expired (if you didn't grow up in moscow and st. petersbugh it may take looooooong time ) and another 3 to get my passport.
Therefore, if you wanna go to UFA you may as well get started now and unless you grew up in aforementioned two cities you may not get your papers on time, you will 99% not get a visa stamped in your canadian passport.
u shouldn't be worried about the military, what u should be worried is getting a russian visa. By their law you are a russian citizen and they will not give you a visa for your canadian passport. You have two options: pay 500-600 U.S. and cancel your russian citiizenship all-together, or spend about the same and renew your russian passport (which i have done, and yes I am a dual citizen of usa and russia). YET, it took me 13 month to get a confirmation of my citizenship, which you must do if your passport has expired (if you didn't grow up in moscow and st. petersbugh it may take looooooong time ) and another 3 to get my passport.
Therefore, if you wanna go to UFA you may as well get started now and unless you grew up in aforementioned two cities you may not get your papers on time, you will 99% not get a visa stamped in your canadian passport.
I actually did grow up in Moscow so I guess that's some good news haha
lol
Russians taxists can be not pleasant to deal with if you don't speak the language. Not that in other countries where I've been it was different, though...
