DiscoverRus Travel Club has the pleasure to welcome US teams and their parents to the 8th FINA World Women’s Junior Water Polo Championships to take place in Khanty-Mansyisk (RUS) from August 9-15, 2009.
Khanty-Mansiysk is an oil boom town in Russia, the administrative center of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. . It is served by Khanty-Mansiysk Airport. Khanty-Mansiysk was the venue of the 2003 Biathlon World Championships, and in 2005 the first Mixed Biathlon Relay (4×6 km) took place here. The town also hosted the 2005 Chess World Cup and the 2007 Chess World Cup from November 22 through December 18, 2007

Dear Parents of the US Team! You can share your information, questions or concerns about the accommodation in Ugorskaya Dolina Hotel, airfare to Khanty-Mansiysk or your trip to Russia. We have created the page on our website about the hotel or you can visit the Hotel Website. We will be more than happy to address all your concerns.You can also call Anna directly 757 470 0141 or our office.

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p.s. here are some interesting videos about Khanty-Mansiysk :

Oil in Khanty-Mansiysk    Khanty-Mansiysk Locals   Russia-EU Summit in Khanty-Mansiysk

 Deep in the heart of the Siberian wilderness, covered by impassable taiga forests and high mountain peaks, Altai is one of the top attractions of the Russian wilderness, and an incredible place for outdoor adventures from rafting, hiking and mountain climbing to fishing, horse-riding and many others. Altai is second to none in the beauty of its landscapes, and in diversity of its attractions. A flowery fragrance of Alpine meadows; grasses along the icy mountain streams; the famous Altai honey; the nomadic stone idols and Rerich’s trails; the settlements of the “old believers”, the Siberian shamans…

 Discover the high mountain glaciers, where during the summer snowfall is higher than in winter, deserted steppe, dense Siberian taiga, meet pastured camels on the valley floor and gather a basket of ripe cedar-cones amidst the lofty forests during your horseback riding tour across the Altai mountains. Discover the most spectacular adventure destinations of Altai: Mount Belukha, Teletskoye Lake, Denisov Cave and Plateau Ukok .

The mount Belukha. The Altai is the highest mountain range in Siberia and includes the regions highest peak, Mount Belukha, which stands at 14540 feet. Belukha attracts with some inexplicable magnetism, people called it “the cradle of the future civilizations” and believe that this place is the hub of the universe. Belukha is surrounded by glaciers from all sides. It terrifies the locals with avalanches and landslides because of the frequent micro earthquakes. It is the character of many legends and myths,locals were afraid to look at it and believed that anyone who ascends its slopes would become blind. And now we have an explanation for it - the mountaineers of the time didn’t wear sunglasses!

Reserves. There are two big reserves in Altai - Altaisky and Katunsky, which are registered by UNESCO in its list of the World Heritage of Mankind. It’s amazing that there are 1190 lakes in the reserve from the smallest, that are not marked on the map, to big like Dzhulukul, and the biggest like Teletskoye.

The Teletskoye Lake attracts tourists for its stunning and mighty beauty, The name of the lake comes from the name of the tribe Telesy, who lived on it banks. In Altaian it is called Altyn-Kol (Golden Lake) - according to legend at the times of the great starvation in Altai a poor man found a bar of gold the size of a bulls head , but he couldn’t buy anything with it, when he has lost all hope he plunged into the water of Altyn-Kol with it. Since that time the waters of the lake are considered to be gold-bearing. Only very brave tourists can risk dipping into these waters because the lake remains cold even during the hottest days. The lake is so clear that if you stand on the ice in winter and take off the snow from the surface you may see the bottom of the lake through the ice. During the day the lake changes its face - in the morning it is crimson, at midday it is blue, in twilight it is black, in moonlight it seems to be golden justifying its Altaian name.

Ulalinsky mellow bank. In 1961 the famous Russian archeologist found under the old town cemetery one of the most ancient archeological objects of the Stone Age in Siberia - Ulalinskaya stop. It was one of the greatest discoveries of XX century!

The Denisov Cave. Not far from the village Black Anuj in the Ust-Kansky region, in the steep bank over the Anuj river in 1982 archeologists discovered the Denisov cave - this unique archeological monument, the place of habitation of ancient man. People lived in this cave 300 thousand years ago, and 20 sediment layers show us the different epochs of the human development.

The plateau Ukok and “The Ukok Princess”. The plateau Ukok is one of the most remote natural objects in the south of Republic Altai. On borders of plateau pass frontiers of Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. At the end of the last century, in one of plateau barrows, archeologists had found a mummy of the young woman not less than 2 500 years old, she’s got the second name - the Ukok Princess. This discovery provoked the wave of interest to the Plateau all over the world, but since the Princess was taken out of her place and carried to museums, Her spirit was outraged. Local people believe that all cataclysms now happening at the Altai are excited by the Princess’s spirit and as soon as she come back Home a tranquil life in Altai will return again …

Question: I have clients going to Russia for three+ weeks, two of which will be river cruising. We are actually wondering about how many rubles they should actually take with them for small restaurants, tips, taxis, trains, mall museums, etc.;  Which credit cards are most widely accepted? Should they take any US dollars? Is it better to take a small number of rubles from home and then exchange once in Moscow?

Answer: Credit cards will be accepted in several, more expensive places and, like in America, ATMs are scattered all over and easy to access. Keep in mind, that credit card might not be acepted in Russia smaller towns. When you make a credit card purchase or ATM withdrawal the transaction will be made in Russian rubles at the official rate for that day. It is a good idea to bring some US dollars with you, but not too much; just enough to last until you find an ATM close to your hotel. Just ask your tour guide about where to find the nearest ATM machine. There are two important moments to consider regarding currency exchange in Russia. First, if you do not want to be ripped off-do not exchange currence at the airport. The exchange rate that was offered in Sheremetevo airport was 23 rubles for 1 USD while the official rate was 29 rubles per dollar. So, If I had exchanged $100 I would loose about $20 or 600 ubles. Second, the banks have policy about the foreign  paper bills. The US dollars that you or you client is exchanging have to be brand new. If it is not brand new, they might chargeg you a comission and giveyou less rubles for your USD .

Experience the legendary Trans Siberian Railway and the Trans Mongolian Railway onboard a private charter train. Forget about any hassle of packing and unpacking every day. Your cabin is your “home on wheels” during the entire rail cruise journey. Our train offers a choice of First Class and Deluxe accommodation as well as restaurants, a bar, a service car with shower cabins and a conference car for lectures. Stops for land excursions at the most interesting places along the route are included every day. In Ulaanbaatar, the Capital of Mongolia, a night in a hotel is included as well as hotel nights are included in Moscow and Beijing. Our rail cruises offer you to experience travelling remote areas of the world like Siberia and Gobi Desert and at the same time enjoying the comfort of a private charter train.

Yet the main attraction has to be the gradually changing scenery itself: from the climb through the Ural mountains (the boundary between Europe and Asia), to the wide open steppes and broad rivers we cross, traveling on the Trans-Siberian is the only way to truly take in the vastness and grandeur of the world’s largest country.

Travel aboard luxury train “Trans-Siberian Express” for unparalleled opportunities for viewing wildlife and scenery, time for optional excursions, and the chance to experience some of the Russia’s most pristine wilderness. Our train contains some of the finest accommodation available in luxury train travel today, offering a high level of comfort; particularly important in the cabins, which will be your ‘hotel room’ on wheels.

Experience a panoramic view of the majestic and diverse landscapes of Russia while enjoying some old-fashioned luxury train travel. In this fast-paced hectic world can anyone think of a better way to unwind and celebrate life than a healthy dose of luxury train travel every now and then?

Maslenitsa (Pancake week) is the only purely Russian Holiday that dates back to the pagan times. For seven days Moscow jingles with bells, sings with garmoshkas and glares with gaily-painted dresses. The people are letting the long-annoying winter out and the long-awaited spring in.

The counters in the Maslenitsa town are groaning with various dainties. There are the paunchy samovars with mellow tea, bunches of sweet-scented barankas, nuts and honey pies with different signs: “Whom I love - to those I give”, “A present of the sweet-hart is the dearest”. Salted foods, various fish, caviar - choose and eat anything however much you like!

But the essential elements, of course, are pancakes (blini). Pankacke is a symbol of sun. It is as round, gold and warm as the sun. Pancakes are served hot with either butter, or sour cream, or caviar, or mushrooms, or sturgeon - to any exquisite taste.

Where else can you take a horse-drawn sledge ride that will take your breath away? Or take a jaunty slip down an enormous ice slope? Or go round on a giant carousel? The Great Maslenitsa will reel you round in a dancing fairy-circle and your feet won’t be able to keep still to the sprightly chastooshkas (gaily songs) and byword. Clowns and skomorokhs (histrions) will make you laugh to tears. The show goes on and on in the balagans (Punch-and-Judy shows) and theatres. And those who will not want to be simply a spectator can take part in the masquerade: to dress up beyond recognition or to muffle in a long fur coat and to drink a glass of vodka with a bear.

On the last day of the Great Maslenitsa the feasting and drinking ends up by burning down the scarecrow symbolizing winter thus saying goodbye to winter till the next year.

For the Russians Maslenitsa is like a carnival for the Italians, especially because the initial sense of festivals is the same: the Italian word “carnival” (carne-vale) means “farewell the beef!”, and Maslenitsa that precedes the Great Lent, in old time was called “Myasopust” because it was forbidden to eat meat during this week.

The last day of Maslenitsa is called the Forgiveness Day. Everybody ask one another for forgiveness in order to redeem themselves from their sins before the Great Lent. They bow to one another and say, “God will forgive you”. Maslenitsa is over and so is the winter giving way to the spring.

Everybody knows what the Russian Soul is! This is prowess, dare-devilry, and, of course, the famous Russian hospitality. Everybody is welcome to Moscow to see the Russian winter off!

For the ninth time in the heart of Moscow the Maslenitsa Town will unfold, and once again on the Vasilievskiy spusk joyful songs will be heard, traditional dances will flow, circus tents and pubs will open and competitions and challenges with various prizes and presents will start. The celebration will be taken outside to the streets of Moscow and anyone willing will be able to join the carnival procession. You can find out the what, where and when of the Maslenitsa week in the Celebration Program here.

Come to our Great “Shirokaya Maslenitsa” celebration and let this festival bring you joy. Let it help you forget about everyday routine, let the Russian ways help you unwind. The Maslenitsa Festival is the best chance to see and try them all! Where else, if not then, during the Maslenitsa Festival, to relax, say goodbye to winter and greet the coming spring! This is just the right time to enjoy life to the fullest, the right time to, Have Fun!

Forbes about Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin: 

“Prime Minister might as well be known as Czar, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russians. Vastly more powerful than his handpicked head-of-state, President Dmitry Medvedev. Presides over one-ninth of Earth’s land area, vast energy and mineral resources. Former KGB officer unafraid to wield his power; invading Georgia, cutting off natural gas supplies to Ukraine or Western Europe (again). Declared nuclear power has veto on U.N.’s Security Council. The anti-Obama: “I’m deeply convinced that constant change is not for the better.”

Did you know that founder of Google was born in Russia? Neither did I. Shame on me! So I “googled” the founder of google and that what I found.

“I think, if anything, I feel like I have gotten a gift by being in the States rather than growing up in Russia. . . . It just make me appreciate my life that much more.” Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin was born on August, 21 1973 in Soviet Union. It was before the “iron curtain” went down. In 1979, when Brin was six, his family felt compelled to immigrate to the United States.

Brin immigrated to the United States at the age of six. Earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, he followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps by studying mathematics, double-majoring in computer science. After graduation, he moved to Stanford to acquire a Ph.D in computer science. There he met Larry Page, whom he quickly befriended. They crammed their dormitory room with inexpensive computers and applied Brin’s data mining  system to build a superior search engine. The program became popular at Stanford and they suspended their Ph.D studies to start up Google in a rented garage.

Did you know that founder of Google was born in Russia? Neither did I. Shame on me! So I “googled” the founder of google and that what I found.

“I think, if anything, I feel like I have gotten a gift by being in the States rather than growing up in Russia. . . . It just make me appreciate my life that much more.” Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin (born August 21, 1973) is a Russian-born American computer scientist^[5] best known as the co-founder of Google, Inc., the world’s largest Internet company, based on its search engine and online advertising technology.^[6] As of 2009, Forbesranks Brin as the 26th richest person in the world.^[3]

Brin immigrated to the United States at the age of six. Earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, he followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps by studying mathematics, double-majoring in computer science. After graduation, he moved to Stanford to acquire a Ph.D in computer science. There he met Larry Page, whom he quickly befriended. They crammed their dormitory room with inexpensive computers and applied Brin’s data mining system to build a superior search engine. The program became popular at Stanford and they suspended their Ph.D studies to start up Google in a rented garage.

Childhood in the Soviet Union

In 1979, when Brin was six, his family felt compelled to immigrate to the United States. In an interview with Mark Malseed, author of The Google Story,^[10] Sergey’s father explains how he was “forced to abandon his dream of becoming an astronomer even before he reached college. Officially, anti-Semitism didn’t exist in the U.S.S.R. but, in reality, Communist Party heads barred Jews from upper professional ranks by denying them entry to universities. Jews were excluded from the physics departments, in particular…” Michael Brin therefore changed his major to mathematics where he received nearly straight A’s. However, he said, “Nobody would even consider me forgraduate school because I was Jewish.”^[11] The Brin family lived in a small, three-room, 350 square foot apartment in central Moscow, which they also shared with Sergey’s paternal grandmother.^[11] Sergey told Malseed, “I’ve known for a long time that my father wasn’t able to pursue the career he wanted,” but Sergey only picked up the details years later after they had settled in America. He learned how, in 1977, after his father returned from a mathematics conference in Warsaw, Poland, he announced that it was time for the family to emigrate. “We cannot stay here any more,” he told his wife and mother. At the conference, he was able to “mingle freely with colleagues from theUnited States, France, England and Germany, and discovered that his intellectual brethren in the West were ‘not monsters.’” He added, “I was the only one in the family who decided it was really important to leave…”.

DiscoverRus Travel Club and Russian Railway Tours exclusively present Trans-Siberian Voyage via private train “Alexander Nevsky”. Undisputedly the world’s greatest railway journey, the Trans-Siberian Railway runs from Moscow over the Urals, across the magnificent Russian steppes and alongside the shores of the world’s largest freshwater lake. Through the territory of Soviet Russia and the land of the Tatars, across the Steppes and on to China and Japan, the Trans-Siberian express takes from nine to ten days to complete its journey. Russia’s Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest continuous rail line on Earth, that runs in an epic journey of almost six thousand miles over one third of the globe. The Trans-Siberian line runs from Moscow to Vladivostok, passing through Yaroslavl on the Volga, Yekaterinburg in the Urals, Irkutsk near scenic Lake Baikal’s southern extremity, and then Khabarovsk. Just sit back andenjoy the trip!

Thu Jun 4, 2009 12:26pm EDT

By Simon Shuster - Analysis

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Sberbank’s, having acquired a 35 percent stake in Opel, is likely to pass it on to Russian Technologies, a sprawling and secretive industrial giant led by a close ally of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

This would be in line with a familiar Russian strategy of folding scattered assets — in this case, stakes in various automotive groups — into a tightly controlled state behemoth.

Analysts said that Opel would then feed modern European technology to the existing Russian car makers and give them access to western markets, but it would still be an uphill battle to boost operating efficiencies.

Sberbank agreed to acquire the stake last week in a deal to save Opel from the bankruptcy of its U.S. owner General Motors. The deal also gave Canada’s Magna 20 percent of Opel and left GM with 35 percent.

Russia’s business logic in the deal has remained a mystery, and investors in Sberbank have been fretting over how this stake would be managed by the Russian side, and in whose interests.

But on Thursday, the head of Sberbank, German Gref, said his bank would pass its 35 percent stake in Germany’s Opel to a Russian strategic investor, though he did not name any candidates.

“The more likely strategy will be to transfer it to Russian Technologies,” said Dmitry Dmitriev, analyst at VTB bank.

Headed by Putin’s old friend Sergei Chemezov, Russian Technologies has been handed control of more than 400 firms, including key assets in the weapons industry, machine building, aviation and car production.

In its scope and influence, some analysts say it rivals the powerful oligarch groups who cobbled together vast resource empires during privatization.

Last week, two days before the Opel deal, Chemezov said that a decision had already been made to create a special holding for the automotive sector within his conglomerate.

Asked by the Vedomosti daily if it would take over assets held by state-run banks like Sberbank, he said, “We reached an agreement: if (the banks) end up with assets that would be part of our core operations, we can take them under our control.”