Touching down at 05.30am in a foreign land is never a good welcome to any, but trying to be cost efficient, I had to choose the best deal which I could get out from the travel agency whom is handing both my visa, air tix and accomodation during my 3 days trip to the biggest country covering majority of Asia and Europe. Having the best deal also meant extending the journey to twice the time as compared to a direct flight, but it certainly made good money sense, especially when I think of paying that enormous amount for an airline called 'Aeroflot'! Not disclosing the amt, as a guide, that figure is more than the amt I need for a return flight to Singapore on Singapore Airlines.
Strangely, there was nothing served on the flight from Heaththrow to Vienna on Austrian Airlines. I had to buy any sandwiches or drinks that I want, pretty much the same as budget airlines. Only coffee/tea was served with peanuts. By the time I reached Vienna airport, it was close to midnight and all shops were closed. My flight seemed to be the last leaving the airport for the night and was glad I didn't end up walking out of the airport instead of going to the next gate for departure due to the poor signage. Luckily I was finally getting some food on the transiting flight to Moscow in the middle of the night, on a plane full of Russians, with only 1 Chinese onboard who probably looked more like a Chechen terrorist(was warned by my boss prior to this trip). Fortunately the passengers on board were rather neutral, one of them even initiated to say hi to me as she was attempting to get the row of free seats beside me for her daughter to sleep more comfortably in. Strangely, the silence of the cabin was broken by ruptuous applause the moment the plane touched down on the runway - I only had similar experience while on a flight to Dubai! Guess they were just glad to be still alive and safe to see their love ones after the recent spat of air accidents throughout the world.
The immediate relief was followed by a smooth clearance from the passport controls upon touchdown and seeing a Russian woman carrying a signboard that says 'Mr Tang' the moment I collected my luggage. I was immediately led to a driver who speaks no English and whisked away to the Golden Ring Hotel just off the junction of Smolenskaya Square. Out of the airport, the first signs of the immerse growth potential in the country, a mega IKEA outlet. Certainly seems bigger than the ones in London that I been to. Reaching the hotel, was only glad that I was given a room to check in at 06.30am. Certainly needed a washup before getting into office. Rooms cost £160 a night, considered to be 5 stars, but have heard that anything less than 4 stars is probably not worth paying as well. The room looked good and tidy, although was disappointed that it was a single bed(but what I am to complain!!!). Good thing that I was given a room on the 20th floor, highest from I can see from the lift buttons, therefore a splendid view of the city. Toilet seems much more luxurious than the rest of the sections and was well pleased by the good service that the hotel gave during the entire stay even though I was such a difficult customer(ie. tried requesting for free internet, asked for power adaptor and even asked to borrow an umbrella when raining).
Huge roads, giant buildings and alphabets that look total greek to me. I was definitely overawed by the city in the morning rush hour traffic. My boss told me that when he was here in 1984, there were no cars on the road, 21 years later, the jams is just a bit better than the ones you have experienced in Bangkok.
to be continued...
I snaked through Ul. Old Arbat, where stores of touristy stuff were sold to tourist like me. This was where I found Macdonalds(my source of dinners and breakfast for 2 days) and Hard Rock Cafe. The street was lined with stalls selling the dolls that contains a smaller doll and a smaller one, so on and so forth till it gets to small to see it. Other common sights included street artists doing portraits of people for 20-50 roubles on the spot. Been ill-advised by my close kin to bring only USD, I found out at the entrance of the Kremlin that they only accept roubles. 
And so I had to make my way back to Arbat street to change some roubles and make my way back to Kremlin entrance. Now here is the interesting bit, if you are planning for a trip soon, this was my experience, and you might be able to pick up a tip or 2 on some cost saving measures(disclaimer!). Entrance to the Kremlin cost 300 roubles, entrance to the Armoury Chamber cost an additional 50 roubles. To take pictures, thats another 50 roubles, and if you carry a bag similar to my haversack(normal mambo bag), then thats another 60 roubles to safekeep it, in case you plan to bomb one of the Cathedrals in it. And make sure you plan your trip well as the Kremlin closes at 5pm.
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