19 June 2018, Tuesday
I’ve reached another milestone today. It’s been 50 days since I left home, and even though I didn’t know it at the time, today marks the official halfway point of my trip. Before I set off from Singapore, I kept my return date open-ended but I knew that the entire trip would take more than 90 days. I had set a target of reaching home before 9 August 2018 so that I could celebrate our nation’s birthday with my family. I eventually made it back on 8 August 2018, exactly 100 days after leaving home.
Today is also a milestone because I’m leaving Tallinn for St. Petersburg, with Russia being the 13th country of the trip. Russia is one of the key stops for me, mainly because I managed to secure tickets to catch two matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup – one in Moscow and the other in Nizhny Novgorod. The match tickets also entitled me visa-free entry to Russia, which was a huge bonus, because getting a visa to Russia in normal times is quite cumbersome and costly.
After spending three splendid days in Tallinn, it was with a heavy heart that I bade farewell to the lovely city and my wonderful accommodation at Tabinoya. I left Tabinoya just before 8am and walked to Viru to take tram number 4 to Tallinna Bussijaam, the bus station. At 8:10am, I hopped on the tram and paid €2 (S$3.25) to the driver on board. All single trip rides cost €2.
I was initially a little puzzled at how to make payment because there was a physical barrier between me and the driver, so I didn’t know how to hand over the money. The driver told me that I had to drop the coins into a small compartment indicated by an arrow sign. It was a two-way drop box so the driver would collect the coins from the box, then place the ticket at the same box afterwards. You can only buy tickets when the tram is not moving, for safety reasons.
It was just a short ride and I arrived at Tallinna Bussijaam just 10 minutes later. I went to platform 12 to catch my Ecolines bus (click here). The bus ticket cost €20 (S$33.31) and the 370km journey would take around 6 hours 15 minutes. A female staff member came around to check my ticket and passport, and she also asked to see my Russian visa. I proudly showed her my Fan ID, a special laminated pass issued to every fan who has a valid FIFA World Cup ticket. The Fan ID will be my most valuable item for my stay in Russia as it is equivalent to a visa. At 9:18am, the bus departed Tallinna Bussijaam and I was on my way!
At about 11:45am, we arrived at the border control at Narva. A police officer came on board the bus to collect our passports. It was a little nerve wrecking to hand over my passport and see the officer walk away with it. We waited on the bus for quite a long time and it was 12:17pm when the officer finally returned us our passports. I checked and saw that there was only an exit stamp from Narva.
After crossing the Narva river, we were officially on Russian territory. At 12:22pm, an immigration officer came on board for preliminary checks. He looked at the exit stamp from Estonia and the ID page of my passport but did not collect it. At 12:25pm, the bus stopped at the Customs side, and we all had to alight and take our luggage with us. After getting our passports stamped, we put our luggage through the scanner before boarding the bus again. At 1:08pm, the bus moved off but there was still one more stop where yet another officer came on board to check all our passports for the entry stamp. At 1:14pm, we moved off at last. What a thorough check on the Russian side!
(There is no time difference between Tallinn and St. Petersburg)
(Exchange rate: 100 Russian Rubles = S$2.3255)
At 3:50pm, we arrived at the Vitebsky railway station. After 6½ hours, I’ve finally made it to St. Petersburg! I was so happy and excited, because Russia was the most “exotic” country I had visited so far. I had done my homework beforehand and I knew how to get to my hostel, but I was still feeling a little jittery because I assumed that not everyone spoke English here and all the street signs would be in Russian, so I imagined I would have some difficulties finding my way around.
I managed to locate the bus stop all right, but I did not have any small change with me so I bought a ham & cheese pancake (68 RUB/S$1.58) from a food stall to break up my big notes. Bus number 8 came quite soon and I hopped on the bus hurriedly. Just like in the morning, I wondered how to make payment. In this case, a bus conductor came around to collect payment, and I paid 40 RUB (S$0.93) for my ticket.
The bus ride took less than 15 minutes and I alighted at Zhukovskogo Street along Liteyniy Avenue. From there, I walked for about 10 minutes before I reached my accommodation, Your Space Capsule Hotel. (Update: At the time of writing this post on 18 April 2020, Your Space Capsule Hotel has since closed down)
Your Space Capsule Hotel
Address: Fontanki 20, 191028, St. Petersburg
Price: 6,600 RUB (S$156.06) for 3 nights for a capsule
Your Space is a capsule hotel inspired by the Japanese concept of many small bed-sized rooms, providing cheap and basic accommodation. However, I think its name was probably inspired by MySpace, an early American social networking website (anyone still remember MySpace??).
I had stayed in several capsule hotels before but Your Space took it to another level, literally, because my capsule was located right at the top, on the third storey. I had to climb quite a long way up a wooden ladder to reach my capsule. It was maybe about 5m high, so if you fall, you can actually hurt yourself quite badly. The good thing was that it afforded more privacy because no one else will climb up here.
The capsule was quite spacious and it had a roller blind that you could pull down when you sleep. There were large lockers located outside the room where you could keep your belongings and luggage. There was also a large common area and kitchen where you can prepare your meals.
As I prepared to head out, the hostel staff informed me that the telco Beeline had a special “Welcome” plan for all World Cup fans. For just 700 RUB (S$16.28), I could enjoy unlimited Internet and 30 minutes of calls across Russia and abroad, valid for 14 days. It was a wonderful offer and I grabbed it. I was loving Russia with every passing minute already.
When I stepped out of the hostel at 6:20pm, it was raining. I put on my waterproof jacket and whipped out my umbrella and made my way to Gostiny Dvor Metro station. I did not have to buy a ticket to ride the Metro because Apple Pay was accepted, so I could just tap my iPhone at the gantry and waltz through. So convenient! It only cost 45 RUB (S$1.05) for a single trip, which was much cheaper than most of the European countries.
To reach the train platform, I had to take a very long escalator. I found out that the Saint Petersburg Metro has one of the world’s deepest metro systems. In fact, the Admiralteyskaya station is the world’s second deepest metro station, located 86m below the ground. Gostiny Dvor station is only 56m deep but the escalator ride down already felt like an eternity to me.
The scene that greeted me at the platform was something I didn’t expect. It was full of buoyant fans draped with Russian flags over their shoulders, blasting air horns and chanting “RUS-SI-A!” loudly. Not to be outdone, the Egyptian fans also tried to make their presence known but they were outnumbered, of course. The fans continued with their chanting inside the train cabin and even jumped as the train was moving. I was half-afraid that the train would stall! But the atmosphere was tremendous and infectious.
After alighting at Novokrestovskaya, the chanting intensified as the crowd made its way towards the Saint Petersburg Stadium. It was pouring even more heavily when I reached the station exit at 7pm but everyone was in high spirits. I didn’t have a ticket for today’s match but I wanted to come here to soak up the atmosphere, and I really did end up getting soaked.
There were tons of volunteer marshals along the way, greeting and welcoming us with their warm smiles despite the rain. It was also heartening to see Russian and Egyptian fans coming together for group photos, demonstrating the power of sport to unify people from all over the world.
At 7:40pm, I made my way to the FIFA Fan Fest at Konushennaya Square to catch the match on the big screen. Fan Fests take place in iconic locations of host cities and feature broadcasts of the matches on giant screens, live concerts, parties, food, beverages and other entertainment. I was so caught up in the jovial mood that I bought a Russian scarf for 300 RUB and a mini Russian flag for 100 RUB from the street vendors. The atmosphere was simply electrifying, and I was loving it.
Along the way, I passed by the iconic Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. It seemed even more beautiful and larger-than-life seeing it in person. As Russia were playing against Egypt tonight, there was a HUGE turnout at the Fan Fest. Even though it was still an hour before kick-off, I gave up trying to enter the venue after being stuck outside for a long time. I decided to head back to my hostel for the screening.
Your Space was located in a cluster of buildings with many cool eateries and shops. I liked it because many locals hung out here. I had a quick dinner of carbonara pasta and a latte (390 RUB/S$9) at a small and hip eatery, located in one of the buildings opposite my hostel. Based on my experience so far, I found that Russia was actually not as expensive compared to many other European cities, in terms of food, transport and accommodation.
Back at Your Space, I watched the match with the other guests at the common area. The hostel had even ordered pizza for everyone and we had a pizza party! The atmosphere wasn’t quite as boisterous as the Fan Fest, but it was great nonetheless, with comfortable seats and free pizza. It was only my first day in Russia and I was already in love with this country. Excited at what’s to come!
