RUSSIA, the Show ME State

[Trixie]

Hello all!

Due to a few (very few) requests, I have decided to post a few words on my impressions of Russia. To those of you who couldn't care less,I do apologize for taking up space.

Anyone who loves to travel should consider a trip to Russia. The Big Two, Moscow & St. Petersburg have accomodations, dining and shopping possibilities to suit any taste and pocketbook. THey are truly glorious, sophisticated (or base, depending on one's mood!) world-class cities. The oft-mentioned dangers of the "russian mafia" are highly over-emphasized. One has no more worries about the russian mafia, as a tourist, than one would have visiting New Jersey. In fact, I met a self-proclaimed mafia member, a security guard at a hotel I stayed at. He and his family took me for a picnic.

While in Moscow, do make use of the Metro. Provided you can learn the cyrillic alphabet, it's cheap, will take you everywhere, and is a tourist attraction in itself. Also, those with an interest in art should definitely visit the Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow) and the Russian Museum (St. Pete). Overshadowed by the Hermitage, and the Kremlin's collection of gold-encrusted thingies, their collections of art are fantastic, and a real eye-opener to the heart and soul of Russia.

A word on Russian men. They are wonderfully visible everywhere, and are lean, good-looking and unselfconsciously sexy. They do prefer rather skin-tight clothing (in NYC, SF or LA) they'd be immediately pegged as gay), and if the weather is hot, will go about in public shirtless rather commonly. Perhaps due to the long Russian winters they crave the sun, and are less worried about skin cancer.

Beyond the big cities, Russia becomes a bit more exotic. I visited a handful of provincial towns, each of which had it's own special charm. English becomes less common, but the people become more friendly and curious as to why on earth you are there. In particular Arkhangelsk, in the far north, is fascinating. Extremely Soviet in appearance (ie; row upon row of concrete block style apartments, and a giant statue of Lenin) it is nonetheless vibrant, friendly and hospitable. And since it stays light there 23 hours of the day in July, one can sit, sipping beer on the promenade by the river Dvina all evening, watching russian sailors sun themselves and play volleyball on the beach.

Lastly, If you crave a truly out-of-the-ordinary destination, do visit the Solovetsky Islands, in the White Sea. These arctic islands are home to a monastic community founded in the 15th century,

and the monastery was used as a gulag during the Soviet years. Despite the gulag episode, the islands resonate with a spiritual and natural beauty that can compare to only a few other places I've visited.

And, the men are so adorable!!

My only great disappointment came in St. Petersburg. Outside the Hermitage there are booths where one can dress in 18th century replica clothing for pictures. Despite my pleas, the damned woman simply would not allow me to put on the replica of Catherine the Great's golden-thread ball gown!

Catherine was a tickler too, you know!

La Belle Trixie

[JamesK840]

That's great! I've always wanted to see Russia.

 

You missed the best part though... any hookups?? Any cruising or hiring stories? :9

[+ Axiom2001]

Trixie--...truly enjoyed your take on the new and evolving Russia. I have been twice; in the latter 70s traveled via train across Siberia for seven days plus; in 1990-- the year before the collapse of the Communist government-- I was there. During this time I discerned major changes as opposed to when I was first there. ...truly cherished both visits and will return one day after other travel vistas have been experienced.

 

As far the men-- I could have devoured many of them. In 1990 I stayed in an apartment in St. Petersburg; outside the complex per day were two gorgeous young lads, one looked like Rob Lowe who had the most vibrant, sexy blue eyes. Everytime I was around him, my dick stirred. My group and I had been traveling all over Czech..., and after returning from Prague, we went back to St. Petersburg; Jaime, another gay man with the group, and I sat in a restaurant waiting for something, and lo and behold appeared the two lads who had lingered outside of our apartment complex with their wares. My Rob Lowe look alike inquired about me; I was flattered as well as yearning. Unfortunately, nothing happened; I am a shy one in many cases.

 

Yes, men, Trixie hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the cultural and scenic attributes of this vast place. I wish he'd given more "t" about his encounters; my trips were devoid of this component!:-)

[+ Lucky]

Indeed Trixie! You tease us and we want more! Is that the only memory you have of St.Petersburg?

[Boston Guy]

T:

 

Thanks so much for sharing. It sounds like you had a wonderful trip!

 

I was fascinated by what you wrote about the small towns; my interest in visiting Russia is now greater than ever.

 

Thanks again,

BG

[Trixie]

Sadly, I have little to tell regarding escort-related news. I had intended to use FreeManBee in Moscow, but couldn't get hold of them via e-mail. And like a fool, forgot to take their phone number with me. Lonely Planet lists gay venues for Moscow and S.P., but after searching out two of the three listings in St.Pete and finding nothing, I gave up.

I did meet a syrian bodybuilder (seriously, a syrian bodybuilder!) in St. Pete, and we passed a pleasant afternoon together. We met when he was forced to share my umbrella-covered table at a sidewalk cafe by an afternoon downpour.

It's amazing how much one can communicate even when there's a language barrier. Our initial conversation, in halting german:

SB: You...alone?

T: Yes, alone.

SB: Wife, no?

T: No wife, no.

SB: Women, shit!

And that pretty much was that!

Trix

[+ glutes]

Thank you for your post Trix! Hope to share more notes with you as I want to go there next year. Just saw on the news where they shut-off Red Square???

[Guest Aaron Lawrence]

Hi,

 

I have now been to Russia three times and am beginning to plan my fourth. In my experiences I have found that the boys in Russia are very sexy, very available, and very interested in making money. There are 12 million-plus people in the Moscow area, thus making the escort population tower over that of Prague, Amsterdam, and similar cities. The catch is that you have to know how to find the boys. They don't have an "escort infrastructure" built up like Prague does. And language and cultural barriers have made it difficult for westerners to find them.

 

My solution has always been to hire guides while I was there. They are always worth their weight in gold. My first guide has now retired and moved to Berlin, but my guide for the last two trips (and a side jaunt to Riga) is available. His name is Alexi, and he is a real stunner in my opinion.

 

http://www.aaronlawrence.com/alexi/alexi.htm

 

He cannot read and write English beyond a kindergarten, but has a basic mastery of the spoken language. More than enough to communicate with him, have him translate menus, show you around the city, and the like. His language is also particularly adept at discussing sexual matters, in no small part due to his work for me.

 

Seriously, there are a TON of boys that escort in Russia. It's almost impossible to hire them without speaking their language though. Pimps/agents/procurers have taken advantage of this gap, and fill a void connecting boys to clients. They charge a premium for this service. In Russia it typically doubles the escort rates. In Ukraine it was even higher. I remember hiring one boy for an overnight ($130) only to learn that he was only receiving $15 for his efforts. He was new to escorting and had no concept that the agency was taking him for a ride. To him the money was great.

 

Ratewise, in Moscow you can expect to pay (through an agent) $70 for an hour, $100-120 for two hours, and $150-200 for an overnight meeting. This may be slightly off now as I haven't been there in six months and the dollar may be fluctuating. In St. Petersburg the rates are much cheaper. I remember two years ago meeting an attractive young soldier (age 18 or 19). I filmed him in my videos, but had I been hiring him the cost would have been $25 for an hour... and that includes his agent's fee.

 

If you negotiate with the boys directly you can expect to pay half to two-thirds of this price. You are cutting out the middleman, after all.

 

And in all cases you can expect the boys and the agents to try to get a bit more out of you if they can. They are increasingly becoming aware of what escort rates are like in the United States. They know they can't get the identical fee, but take the view of Americans being able to pay more (since they obviously do back home). So don't be surprised if your boy tries for $70 for an hour. Counter him with $70 for two hours and see what he says.

 

Oh, and these are all averages and generalities. Particularly well-known escorts on the 'net will charge more. Hustlers will charge less. New boys will typically charge less because they haven't learned they can get more. That sorta thing.

 

My advice, for anyone traveling to Russia, is to hire Alexi on your first night in town. He's fun and you'll have a good time. Even if he isn't your thing, ask him to bring along pictures of the other boys that he knows. Alexi runs a de facto escort agency. You can easily negotiate with him to hire lots of boys for you. He has pictures of a few dozen. Many (if not most) of these boys are the ones featured on my own site at...

 

http://www.aaronlawrence.com

 

...as he and I met these boys together during our trips. Or they were friends of his that he introduced me to. Whatever your tastes though, Alexi will find it for you.

 

I encourage you to hire Alexi on as a guide, too. As a sexual escort he will charge more, obviously. If you are willing to accept him as a platonic companion, offer him something like $20/day + $20/boy that he hooks you up with. He'll likely accept this (as its good money when he doesn't have clients) and he will be glad to take you around the city, introduce you to people, take you to the bars, etc. Expect to pay his expenses/meals/whatever during your daily travels. It's only fair, after all.

 

If you do contact Alexi, tell him that Aaron Lawrence told you about him. He'll roll out the red carpet. I am something of a sugar daddy for him these days (long story--you can read about it on my site if you want). I hate sending him large volumes of cash, so instead I do what I can to send him business. He always earns his keep though, and has received nothing but glowing reviews from the customers that hired him. And the rates you pay him will easily pay itself back through lower taxi fares, cheaper boys, not wandering around lost in the city, less change of being robbed, etc. To say nothing for increasing your enjoyment of visiting a very foreign culture.

 

--Aaron

[+ Axiom2001]

'Expect to pay his expenses... It's only fair, after all." Of course, Aaron, I wholeheartedly agree. I'm glad you wrote this, for some Yanks have a tendency to take advantage once they'e out of their usual confines. They quibble about $$$'s rather unnecessarily when knowing deep down that if they were in the States they would pay $$$$'s for whatever they desired, men or material items! Thanks for writing!

 

Am I to presume that you've posted contact information for Alexi on your site? I must go back and read and view; I'm a member for a few more weeks.

[adriano46]

Guys,

 

Not much to add here as most has been said.

 

It is unfortunate that the main escort sites on the web do NOT respond to e-mails, despite having addresses. Even if none writes in Russian (in Cyrillic), they do not often respond. They DO respond to telephone calls, however.

 

That is a catch because if you are not traveling with a laptop to take a look at the names being proposed, you could be set up for a disappointment.

 

It is better to negotiate directly as some of the better escort agencies, scenting a foreigner, are demanding more (eg unfortunately FREEMANBEE is now uping its night rate to $300 if they know you are not Russian). Others do not give a rate until they talk to you.

 

Aaron Lawrence's idea of using his friend as a go-between is one good step if you do not speak Russian.

 

Check the old thread on "New in Moscow" under Europe for more updates. Obviously others check as it has nearly 4,000 "looks". There are many new sites on escorts but I was "burned" when I put one up and forgot to notice it had some questionably younger buys.

[Guest Aaron Lawrence]

Alexi can only read and write Russian (he reads English on the same level as a first grader--it's quite funny to watch him sound out words). So e-mailing in English is of very limited use.

 

He does have a phone number though. You can always find it on my site. I created a special "Alexi's escort page" on my website at...

 

http://www.aaronlawrence.com/alexi/alexi.htm

 

It's 99% certain I will be in Russia in October. I can't wait to see him again. He's one of the sweetest people I have ever met.

 

--Aaron