Subject: Important Arrival Info: LP9033 Elbrus Tour 3 pax

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-----Original Message-----
From: Pilgrim Tours (Caucasus division) [mailto:elbrus.pilgrim.tours@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 7:35 PM
To: Dae Shik
Subject: Important Arrival Info: LP9033 Elbrus Tour 3 pax
Importance: High

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Dear Dae Shik

/Please confirm‎ when you receive this message/

You informed us before and we count your arrival in

MinVody flight is SU-785

Please  let us know if there are changes.

     SHORT SUMMARY OF THE IMPORTANT POINTS:

- Make sure you receive our 'Final confirmation, balance'

  message with  final balance.

- Have a copy of your "visa support" page along with you.

- Fill out "Migration Card" at a border check-point, keep it

  safe and have it with you.

- If you stay in Moscow only one night and your luggage was

  delayed by airline sign for its delivery to MinVody not to

  hotel.

- Our driver/guide will meet you at MinVody Airport with 'Pilgrim Tours'

  sign in his hands.

- If the tour is not paid in advance have Ruble or Euro or

  USD cash when you come in the Caucasus and pay the balance

  for your tour right upon arrival in mountain hotel.

Detailed information see below.

ARRIVAL IN RUSSIA.

When you enter Russia you have to complete the "Migration

Card".

In this Card:

- Purpose of visit:  Tourism

- Host organization in Russia: as it is stated in your visa,

  the hosting company from the visa support page.

Keep your part of the Card in a safe place !! - this is an

important and essential part of your visa, you will need it

when you fly back and OVIR/UVIR registrations must be

stamped in this card as well.

Please do have the copies of visa support along with you.

You may be asked about them at MinVody airport and fined if

you do not have this paper. Also a passport copy may be of

use.

If you have problems with your luggage (lost or undelivered)

and you stay only one night in Moscow, sign for its delivery

to MinVody airport not to hotel. If you sign for MinVody

delivery our driver will pick the luggage up in 1-2 days

from MinVody. If it is delivered to a Moscow hotel after you

leave we can do nothing and the luggage will stay there

until you return.

If the period between your arrival in Russia and in Elbrus

area is more than 2 nights you must be registered in OVIR

before you come to Elbrus region. If you stay in a hotel

the hotel must register you. If you stay in a private

apartment the private host must register you. You will be

fined if you do not have this registration.

If the period is less than 2 nights that is ok and we will

register you after you come to Elbrus region.

IN MOSCOW.

Hotel:

If you live in a hotel either from us or independently.

In a hotel you will be asked to leave your passport at the

reception for necessary OVIR registration. If your are not

asked about this remind a receptionist about registration.

Ask them to do this fast and have passport back as soon as

possible. No need of a passport to walk in Moscow, but you

must be sure that you have it back before departure. It is a

good idea to have the passport copy.

DO NOT FORGET YOUR PASSPORT when you leave the hotel

for an airport!

Transport:

There may be huge traffic jams in Moscow. Transportation

from hotel to airport may take 1 hour but in case of traffic

jam it may take 2,5 hours. Bearing in mind that you must

register your ticket 40 minutes before the flight time at

latest and border procedures take time we strongly recommend

to leave your hotel at least 4 hours before the flight time.

YOUR FLIGHT TO MINVODY.

If you have overweight (over 20 kilos), you have to pay for

it. Do not try to pay less or negotiate, probably you will

be checked in MinVody airport again and if your receipt does

not cover your luggage weight you will be fined. That is why

pay for luggage correctly, keep receipt and tags in safe

place.

A hand luggage normally counted within the weight limit

except some specific items (notebook, some food, a book,

umbrella etc). That is why placing all iron in a small

backpack gives no legal advantage. It may give an advantage

only if you do not show that backpack at the registration.

Do not carry 2-way radios, GPS devices, binoculars in your

hand luggage. Radios and GPS are not prohibited in Russia,

but there are some unclear regulations and better not to

have them in hands to avoid any special attention from the

authorities.

Binoculars are prohibited in an aircraft by unknown reason.

Photographing of airport and airfield is prohibited.

Smoking is prohibited in an aircraft, at airfield and

airports (besides some special places).

MEETING IN MINVODY AIRPORT.

You have to wait a bit until you receive your luggage.

Smoking at the arrival hall is prohibited and if you smoke

there you will be fined. Toilet may be pretty far from the

luggage zone so better visit it in your plane in advance.

Our driver will meet you near the arrival exit with visible

'Pilgrim Tours' sign/table in his hands.

Police may ask you for passport, visa, visa support(voucher)

Probably they will try to tell you that something is wrong

in the documents. Do not trust them. The only real violence

may be if you are not registered while beeing 72 hours in

Russia. You may be fined for that BUT YOU MAY BE FINED ONLY

IN OVIR/UVIR OFFICE AND THEY MUST GIVE YOU A RECEIPT. All

other payments are illegal and are only a way of earnig

money of local police people. Do not pay them. They can not

do anything with you, they only can speak with you trying to

frighten you and force to give them some money.

That is a big shame of local police, it is hard to struggle

against this because tourists themselves give them money.

There will be long 3-4,5 hour drive to our hotel. Feel free

to ask our driver to stop for some instant shopping (water,

some food) or if you need a toilet.

MONEY. PAYMENTS.

If your tour is not completely paid in advance you have to

pay the balance for your tour upon arrival. If you have

uncertainty about the balance ask us beforehand.

In case you will need any additional services you can order

them through our rep in hotel and pay for them on the spot.

Our staff accepts only cash: Rubles, US dollars and Euros.

If you pay in Euro or USD there will be local exchange rate

(not Central Bank rate) so we can go to local bank office

and exchange them into proper amount of Ruble. Our people

will inform you about the local rate or you can come and

see that yourself.

Generally speaking we recommend to  exchange your money

in Moscow because normally the excahnge rate there is better.

There is a bank office in Elbrus area where one can cash

Visa and Master cards. It does not accept other cards and

checks. There is a "Western Union" cash transfer agent.

Working hours of that office and cash availability are

unpredictable which may delay receiving cash for days. That

is why do not rely on it in case you must make fast cash

payment but have cash along with you. Bank office does not

work on weekends so if you come on Friday you definitely

must have cash.

In Moscow you can cash all cards and checks without a

problem.

Russian Rubles is the only currency to pay in shops,

ticket-boxes, cafes. You can exchange money either in the

bank office and our rep in hotel also can exchange

reasonable amounts right on the spot.

-

CONTACTS:

Our hotel for this season is 'Scheherazade' in Azau village.

This is a 4-storey building 200 meters away (and a bit

higher) from the Azau (Elbrus) lift station. This is a

contact hotel where our reps and guides live. Our customers

live in this hotel and other hotels nearby.

Here are the attached plans and photo.

 -Route MinVody-Azau

 -Elbrus area

 -View of the hotel

Our reps in the Caucasus:

Initial contact:  Irene (Ms) (English, French)

+7 903 4924887

+7 928 3428345

+7 918 7460545

Next contact:  Andrew (Mr) (basic English)

+7 909 4928017

My phone number:

+7 903 7296422 Gleb (Mr) (English)

SMS is a best solution!!

Sometimes the phone connection is not good and it may take

time to find your tour. It is better to send SMS messages to

any of the phones.

Please provide your tour reference number when you call or

write. There are many groups and individual customers and

without this number we can not find information about a

tour and can not answer.

*************************

--

Best regards,

  Gleb Myasnikov

Pilgrim Tours,

Moscow, Russia,

Web sites: http://www.pilgrim-tours.com

E-mail:    elbrus@pilgrim-tours.com

Tel / Fax: 7 (495) 660-3501 (Russia)