Transit Visa for US citizen (2 entries if possible)

Hello,
This might be a challenging one. I'm traveling from New York to Hanoi and have long layovers both on the way to Vietnam (12hrs) and on the way home (22 hrs). My question is, can I get a transit visa for both dates with only one application, or am I going to need to fill out papers, more importantly pay, for two visas. Also, I does anyone have advice for the easiest way to get one of these visas for a US citizen. I am very apprehensive about sending away my passport, so if someone knows a way to get a visa without sending away the passport I would be very grateful- would rather not spend 34 combined hours in SVO. Thanks in advance.

The smugglers bus from Russia

A couple of days ago I took the bus from Kaliningrad, Russia over the border to Lithuania and could not believe my eyes!

At one of the last Russian town before the border, three Russian ladies got on board. These three then started putting packets of cigarettes into sox and black plastic bags and began hiding them between the seats and behind the heaters. Dozens of packets.

Once were over the border into Lithuania the ladies then collected the booty and got out at the first town. Very well organised, as one lady had brought along a wire thingy with a hook at the end to pull out the stuff from behind the heaters. Really quite blatant!.

FYI- the official limit for bring smokes into Lithuania from outside the EU is two packets, but they didnt mind me having, ahem, a few more..........After all, why pay $4 a pack when they are just $1 a pack in the place you were in a couple... more »

Train through Petropavlovsk – Kazakh visa needed?

Hi,
I plan to travel on Transsib from Chelyabinsk to the east, and I would like to take the direct train through Petropavlovsk instead of the "traditional" way via Yekaterinburg and Tyumen'. Do I need Kazakh visa and double-entry Russian visa, if I cross the Kazakh territory only in a through train Chelyabinsk-Omsk?

finland station to st petersburg airport

hi

we are taking the train from helsinki to st petersburg this june. we are then going straight to the airport that day. what would be the best mode of transport from the finland station in st petersburg to the airport. cab, metro?

also being that i will only be in st petersburg for one day, as an australian, do i need to get a visa?

Does Kolomenskoye fullfils a whole day?

How many hours I should plan for visiting Kolomenskoye? Does it fulfil a full day?

Baggage storage, money echange & local SIM in Saint Petersburg on a Sunday

Hi everyone,

I'm arriving in Saint Petersburg on a Sunday, early morning, and my couchsurfing host only gets back in town at 22:00, so i need to figure out what to do till than:

1. do you recommend doing all the errands of money changing and getting a local sim at the airport or should i get to the center? is everything open on Sunday?

2. i would like to store my bag somewhere till the evening, is there bag storage somewhere in the city or just the airport?

3. what can i do in he city on a Sunday if I'm stuck with carrying my bag?

your advice would be appreciated.

Carmel

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Accommodation on Visa

Hi apologies if this has been asked (prob has!)
I've managed to find an incredibly cheap fare to Moscow from London (£49!) so am heading there in July, been all over Eastern Europe but not Russia yet. Question is: I really want to go to Elista but the only hotels on the dropdown menu for the Russian visa (Real Russia) are insanely expensive ones! Can I just put one of those and then stay somewhere cheaper? Secondly does anyone know anywhere really cheap in Elista? I can't find any budget hotels there and there seems to be no hostels.

Visa for an American living in Japan

I need a visa for an upcoming trip to Russia but am running into a small problem. The Japanese agencies are generally used to only handling visa requests for Japanese nationals (I'm an American living here in Tokyo). My wife will be asking the travel agency HIS if it is possible, but most likely you also need to book their hotels, which tend to be more expensive (and less conveniently located) as well as pay a hefty fee (something around 100 US dollars).

I wouldn't mind doing it myself, but it turns out that the Russian visa application section hours at the embassy are from 9:30 to 12:30 Monday to Friday only. Unfortunately, I am not available to go there at that time Monday to Friday.

Does anyone know of an agency in Japan that handles getting a Russian visa for an American passport?