Back in Brunei

Apologies to all.... I was away in Moscow since the 25th and arrived back in Brunei on 2nd June. I know. Your next question would be - isn't there an internet in Moscow? And the answer to that is, yes. The connection is fantastic but I could not afford it. The hotel I stayed in charged 1,132 Currency Unit. What's a Currency Unit? That was my question too. Apparently in Russia, they run a two currency system. The roubles which you can exchange for about 25 roubles to US$1 (roughly 17 roubles to our $1) and the currency unit. The currency unit is the amount charged by hotels and other tourist agencies for services which roughly equals to about 33 roubles to 1 currency unit. But you cannot use roubles to pay for 1 currency unit and can only use USD. It gets confusing after a while. Anyway, internet cost about US$40+ per day. I have paid about $25 a day for internet but at US$40 a day, I draw the line. So no internet for me in Moscow and hence no posting.

Next question - you came back like 4 days ago and still no posting? Ah... The answer is more fun. I didn't realise what fun it was not to type anything. So, no posting. I haven't even downloaded any photographs from my camera. So, no photographs either.

Anyway, a short note about my Moscow trip - had dinner at a Morocco Restaurant, an Afghan Restaurant, a Ukraine Restaurant and McDonalds. Realised that the people to watch out for are the Police and not the criminals - police ask for money if they catch you without a dokumenti. Realised too that I had suddenly gone illiterate - the Russian alphabets developed independently. There are many mosques in Moscow except that the domes all have crosses instead of the moon crescent and the real mosques in Moscow don't have domes. Took a boat ride along Moscow River. Walked in the Red Square. See old crown jewels in the Kremlin. Saw Gorky Park and the famous St Basils. Took photographs of Russian tanks parked along the streets. Moscow's underground stations look like art galleries but their trains looked as if it came out in 60 years ago and no aircond. Russian roads are really really wide (10 to 12 lanes) and forget about trying to cross them. Watched ballet at Tchaikovsky Hall - the first part was interesting - full of costumes etc, the second part was full of women with skin coloured tights - I thought they were naked at first! Oh yes, never asked SIA to provide you with seafood unless you like eating salmons throughout your flights.