I thought the highpoint of embarking on another trek across Russia was going to be using all my gear and travel clothes again. I missed regularly being in my Merrell boots and wearing my Uniqlo clothes. I had been using them sparingly while home to preserve their wear. However, before I would allow myself to enjoy the feeling, I first needed to get through passport control and customs.
Airport Monitor At My Gate in Vienna Toward Moscow
In general, immigration officers around the world are not known to offer the warmest greetings. Russian immigration officers tend to leave you feeling particularly cold. Even knowing I had everything needed to enter Russia to enjoy another trip, there was a nagging feeling of unease. Entry rules and regulations are not stagnant and do change. I was concerned about the staple the Japanese Immigration officer put on the opposite side of the same page as my Russian Visa for my Japanese entry. Would this be considered damage? In our recent presidential debates Russia has been brought up as “threat” to the United States. Would this create problems for me as an American tourist?
Ironically, Russian Immigration stole the spotlight from my travel clothes and became the highpoint of the beginning of my trip. On this visit I passed through immigration faster than many of the Russian Citizens from my plane. My migration card was even electronically filled out for me. I was dumbstruck. I thought I must have misunderstood. Honestly, I half expected to be tackled and tased for this perceived misunderstanding as I crossed the threshold into Russia. Again, knowing I was doing nothing wrong and explicitly granted permission to enter, I still could not shake the feeling of doubt.
My Russian Visa
On my way into Moscow I managed to even fumble through acquiring a data plan for my iPad and ended up arriving at my hotel two hours earlier than anticipated.
It was a welcomed but unexpected start.
// Oliver