There are clubs in Moscow, which seem to be pretty clean. While I worked at Pacha for example, I saw the “zero tolerance policy” of the clubs owner on various occasions. While he can’t avoid that some people lock themselves into a toilet and snort a line or two, he was very much against drugs and made sure that the security spots drug dealers and kicks them out, but also prevents open drug use inside the club. We are family, another (long closed) club, was much more lax with its policies. Some of the bartenders even sold drugs over the counter openly. That’s why the club was closed after 3 raids, where the police found a good amount of it.

Most of the Moscow drugs seem to be cocaine and cannabis, but also ecstasy and speed seem to be popular. In summer and autumn, some people go to the woods to pick magic mushrooms, which are also pretty popular over here. MDMA and other chemical drugs seem not to be so easy to get your hands on. Heroin must be wide spread, but its rare you see an addict somewhere on the cities centers streets. I heard you’ll find more of them in the suburbs and the Russian regions. And of course there is this new ugly drug, called crocodile, which kills most of its addicts within 2 years. Its a chemical drug and apparently it all starts with foul skin, which looks like crocodile skin and that’s where the name comes from. Meth should also be easy to get your hands on, since the cold medicine is sold freely over the counter and often still includes ingredients, which are long prohibited in other countries, but I’ve never seen it around.

The price of cocaine and cannabis is almost double of what you’d pay in Europe, but apparently the quality is pretty good and the price is so high, since as the consumer you’ll also have to pay for the complicated transport into the country and all of the bribes, which are involved to get the product into the city. Supply is not steady and while my friends in New York or Berlin, just have to call a dealer or his messenger to get their product, there are long dry periods in Moscow, where product is in high demand, but supply very limited.

That’s my 5 cents. A piece of advice for foreigners. Stay away from any drugs, while you are here (if you can). The people who sell them to you, will hand you out to the authorities in a heartbeat, if they get caught themselves. Because in that case, they won’t have to pay the bribe to stay free, but you’ll pay for them and you. Being a foreigner, you’ll probably have a much higher income and more to lose. Typically this will cost you anywhere from $1000 to 10 000 and more, depending on how bad your situation is. I heard lots of stories from people who got caught in the past years and I also heard from a kilo of cocaine being planted in a guys car, because they had no other way to get to him, since he was clean when they decided to check on him. Keep that in mind, next time you’ll dig a line of coke or a joint for relaxation. Russia is a bit different in that sense as well.

Also, and that is a different story, but I feel its appropiate to warn you here as well, be careful when you are in a club. Especially the afterhour clubs are known for shady girls and guys, who will put some drugs in your drink to be able to rob you. but it can also happen in a place like Imperia Lounge, which is one of the best clubs in town (that’s where they drugged a friend of mine). It happened to many of my friends, even to myself and unfortunately not only once. Always keep your drink close to you and be aware, especially if you talk to people you don’t know. If you feel strange, try to find a friend immediatly and ask them to take you home or at least watch you. You won’t be able to make it alone and THEY are just waiting for you somewhere to take you out and rob you. If you are unlucky it can even cost your life. A Kuweity diplomat was drugged in a restaurant last year (on a Sunday). Apparently he was with a girl and she must have given him the drugs. The guy (I used to know him and I was shocked when I read about it) was found dead next to the tracks of a Moscow trainstation. His car, a $150 000 Porsche Carrera, was missing and he had no more belongings on him. Probably (I didn’t get any info on that), his apartment was cleared as well. Rumor is that he was drugged and overdosed by accident.

If they have protection, it seems the dealers can even openly sell drugs, which this video from Novosibirsk is showing. The two guys drive to a known spot, where dealers hang out. The film everything and they are not happy that even young kids can easily go there and buy their fix. The conclusion is that the dealers even have some protection and don’t have to worry about being busted, or they are just some idiots, which don’t care, if they get caught or not. You can find idiots everywhere on this planet.

Nowadays we have Youtube and other Internet media, where we can find amazing, but scary materials. We can witness how people push the limits without a backup plan or security. And I see a lot of that in the Russian scene as well.

Here is one of the new things, which seem to be in fashion. Its called “Roofing” in the Russian scene. Lets climb on of the “Seven Sisters” or another Moscow highrise. With no security, but a camera to document it. I just hope they all come down alive and healthy. Sadly there are also some posts on Youtube, that show things going wrong, but I won’t post them here. I’m sure its a nice adrenaline rush, but is it really worth it? I guess it wouldn’t be a big problem to wear a harness and to secure yourself with a carabine and a sling.

Usually I take a few minutes and I go through the profile of my new friends, especially their photo albums. No, I’m not some pervert, looking for a mastrubation model. Photos say a lot about a person. You can see their birthday parties, who they hang out with, what their favorite places are, their dog, their family and so on. So yes, I’m actually interested in everybody who befriends me on a social network. I also have a look at their favorite books and movies. What kind of sports they do. It can actually be inspirational. But let’s go back to the photo albums. You’d be surprised what you can find there. I often check the photos, even before I accept the friend request. While Europeans and Americans usually close their complete profile (until you connect) and you can’t see anything, I came to realize that most Russians have open-to-public photo albums. I guess they want the world to see what they have to show. It’s also quite interesting, how many swimsuit and bikini photos you’d find there. Especially as profile photos.To be honest with you, I almost find it a bit exhibitionistic. Let me ask you: Would you wear a bikini and take the Moscow Metro, during rush hour. Would you? But at the same time you allow millions of viewers to see you in a bikini or other, let’s say «open minded» outfits. Yes right, you can’t see them staring at you. I wish you could, but I don’t take that thought any further now.

Over the years I came to realize, what the real reason of this exhibitionism is. I would want to believe that they are doing it for us men. To turn me on and to attract me. But, I came to realize that these photos are NOT targeted at all, at us men. Not at me and not at the happy Italian or Turkish chap commenting «how beautiful you are» in bad English. No! They are directed towards other women. Nah, not what you are thinking. I’ll get to the bi-sexual phenomenon in a few months. Seriously, I understood that there is a competition among the women themselves. A virtual beauty contest, so to say. Hey, look what beautiful legs I have. Or, Hey, check how much money I spend on my Cavalli bikini. Or simply, Look, how tanned I am, during my Mauritius vacation, while you sit in your office on a rainy grey Moscow day.

Yes, it’s that simple. I’d even go so far to say that most of the overdressed women on Moscow’s streets, you know the ones that look like they are going to a VIP event or wedding, while they just go to work, do that for the same motivation. We stupid men think they do that for us, instead they do it to impress and outdo the other females. So what do you say? Am I wrong? In the meantime I’m checking some more of them bikini photos…

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This was part of my guest appearance on the Russian Cosmopolitan Magazine’s blog, where I wrote about Russian women. See the Russian version and the readers comments here: http://www.chattycatty.ru/member/kris-helmbreht/diary/

Sunday

Garage – RnB Night
Propaganda – Gay Night (if you feel like it) . Naomi Campbell was seen at that party already (she’s currently with a Russian oligarch and in Moscow sometimes).

Monday

Its a dull day in general. Heard there is something happening at Papa Johns downstairs in the club.
Otherwise check Looch (Luch) for a cocktail at the bar.
Simachevs should be OK or get a pint of Guiness at the Silvers Irish Pub

Tuesday

Once a month they have “Propaganda got Soul” with nice funky soulfoul house at Propaganda. Check the schedule. Its worth it. Nice people and nice tunes.

Otherwise check the Latin Night at Papa Johns, which is usually full and pretty funny. You feel like being in a club in South America with many of the Latin community being there and dancing, along with some nice Russian girls.

Wednesday

Right after you can head to Polyanka and enjoy the cities best RnB party at Garage Club, starting at midnight.

Thursday

As for the warm-up I suggest a visit at the cities best lounge, called Looch (Luch) on Bol. Piragovskaya 27. Its usually pretty filled up with the banker types and girls.

If you are one of the privileged or you know someone who is, you can join the legendary tech house parties at Ninja Vanilla. No reason to go there, if you didn’t get yourself on the guestlist before. Its impossible to get in without.

Check Sanchez House night at Propaganda. One of the oldest parties in Moscow and still one of the best, despite the recent increase of pussy hungry and hunting (as well as annoying) foreigners.

If you like it more glam, check the Thursday parties on So-Ho Rooms exklusive summer terrace. There are anywhere between 20 and 300 people, depending on the party, but it usually fun. So-Ho Rooms is one of the best clubs in Moscow with a hard facecontrol, but you can pass that with ease, if you and your partner are following their dresscode (glam, fashionable, elegant – no sneakers, no ripped jeans, jacket and shirt are usually working).

And for the ones of you, who don’t care about glam and are into rock, check Rock n Roll, which offers a 20 cocktails for 1000 Rub special and is full with drunks and drunken girls.

Friday/Saturday

These are probably the best going out nights in Moscow and it have much to offer.

Warm-Up

The warm up I suggest a cocktail at City Space (Swiss Hotel). At Klava Bar, you’ll find Mashup music and lots of foreigners. The manager types.

Watering Holes / Girls & Booze

The legendary Real Mc Coy has changed owners, but is still a good night o visit during the weekends. Its usually packed with sub-urban girls and love hungry men. Try their famous 0.5l Mojito or Long Island Icetea.

Che Bar has a somewhat latin flavor and is usually filled with easy girls and Russians as Expats hunting them.

Rock n Roll Bar is on the lower middle class side, but usually full with a good mood and nice sub-urban girls.

Petrovich is for the older ones of you. Or let me put it this way, if you like Milfs and Booze, this is your bar. Its a pretty fun place, if they would only play a bit less Russian 90s classics.

Bars

Then there are the cities hottest bars on Krasnye Oktybr, rocking all night long: Strelka (more cool and hip), Rolling Stone and the new hotspot Gipsy (be careful that they don’t rip you off at the bar). Luch (Looch) is usually also pretty full. Or try Dream Bar, one of the more easy to get in and not so expensive bars. Right across that you’ll find Didu, which has a nice audience and very cool drinks (but horrible and too loud music). If you feel like hanging out with Moscows rich and beautiful, than you should check their latest favorite bar: Manon.

Clubs

As for clubbing, you can visit one of the glam places, like So-Ho Rooms or Imperia Lounge. If they don’t let you in, try Pacha or Rai, which are usually not so picky. These clubs are typically filled with long legged model type girls and rich guys. Expect commercial house music (the worst!) and even Russian pop. If you want glam and techno / minimal, then check Progressive Daddy, they have a small but elite audience and always very good DJs.

My favorite club is still Solyanka. You can mingle with the cities most trendy people and listen to the latest in tech-house and house, performed by foreign guest DJs.

And if electronic music isn’t your kind of thing, than check out Moscows most popular Indy Club Krizis Zhanra.

Afterhour (after 3 AM to noon)

My favorite Afterhour is still at Paparazzi, a small downstairs club with excellent DJs and a nice mixed crowd. The alternative to that and a bit more trendy, is MIR. If you like it more glam, then you should try out Krisha Mira. After 3 AM they do facecontrol and let people without the card and guestlist slot in, but let me warn you. They are very picky. Krisha is the hangout of the cities entertainment elite and the ones who want to hang out with them (politicians, oligarchs etc). Beatiful people, nice atmosphere with tech-house music. But again, hard to get in.

An alternative is Arma, which is a huhe old factory hall. Usually its full with student types and hip people and they have good DJs. Expect tech-house and minimal.

If you want to hear house music, you’re better off at Garage Club, which is small and cozy, but a lot of fun. Or you visit the cities dirties club, Glazur, which is always crazy fun, but also a bit dangerous.

!!! A piece of advice at this point. Even though its late and you may be drunk. Hang on to your drink, don’t let it stand unattended and be careful, who you’re drinking with. Some of Moscows afterhour clubs are also hangouts for thiefs, who are looking for your wallet and Iphone or even worse, chicks (or boys) who drug you and after rob you and your apartment. So be careful!!!

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That’s it. I’ll add and adjust this list frequently. If you need addresses and more information, just google the places: name+moscow. Or contact us, we can book you a table and get you in with ease. Sometimes even with a table deposit discount from 10% to 30%.

Post your opinions below. I’m happy to hear you recommendations and get feedback.

Over all the task was a difficult one and I’ve been a bit naiv to accept it in the first place. They wanted a foreigner to write about his views about Russian women. It should be provocative, they said and “spicy”. It was hard to write for a female target group, aged 18 to 25, but over time I adjusted and I think I found the right way. The feedback (comments) got better and better. Still, the editor decided to kick it after 2 months, because it was not their format. Here is what she wrote:

“Hi, Chris, nice to meet you!

Unfortunately, we have to refuce of your blog. This is quite nice, but not in our format, you know…

Casual sex, drugs, bulimia, clubs, etc – all of this aren’t Cosmo.”

So buckle up and get ready to read about casual sex, drugs and bulimia. I don’t think it was that hard, but judge yourself.

Eye Candy at the Ritz

My friend John is in town for work. He is a director, working on a TV commercial in Russia. John is half Spanish and half English, living in London. He is a party boy like me and that’s why we get along so well. Now and then John comes to Moscow for work and we enjoy to hangout.  I usually show him the best new nightlife spots. Tonight we take it easy. John just arrived and is tired from the trip and his work meetings. Besides, there are not much interesting parties during a Moscow summer work week. So we decided to meet at the O2 lounge on top of the Ritz hotel for a few drinks and a chat.

John is telling me about his past trips, his plan to make a movie about Moscow and this fantastic party he just attended in Ibiza. It was held by the head of Cirque de Soleil, who is known for throwing the most crazy parties at his Ibiza estate. John and a few other friends were flown in with a private jet and driven right into the party. Amazing story. I’m jealous. We sit across from each other and sip on our cocktails, enjoying the warm Moscow summer wind. I like to listen to Johns stories. They make me remember my good party times in New York, when I partied with Tricky or Lenny Kravitz up on some East Village roof. It all feels so far away now, me being here in Moscow for such a long time already. Sometimes I wonder, how I could make it 8 years in this city and why I didn’t move on, or go back to the Big Apple. But, Moscow has this strange energy, which I hate, when I am here, but I miss, when I’m somewhere else. Part of it are the women for sure. Even in a metropolitan city as New York, where I used to live with a model and I have not been missing any fashion scene party, doesn’t do it for me anymore. Its simply boring. Where ever you go in Moscow, you’ll find something interesting to look at and to experience. Yes, I’m still talking about women, not the everyday Moscow life.

May it be the style, the body or the attitude, there is always something entertaining about the women for us men. One can feel, how much they make an effort to stick out, to be something special and indeed they are. Its not only the eye candy, but the overall picture that interests me. Let me tell you, I just love women. They are … Hm, its hard to put it in words. They give me this great positive feeling, the excitement and the stimulation. Its the spice in my everyday life, which never gets boring, because of that. At least while I am in Moscow. Nevertheless I am here long enough, to be able to look behind the show and to see beyond. Not everything is as glamorous as it appears. Besides, I kind of have a feeling that there are too many cultural differences between my culture and the Russian culture, in terms of being in a relationship with a Russian woman. But that is an entirely different subject, although it is also part of my conversation with John that night.

John keeps on telling me about the Ibiza party. He says that some of the artists of Cirque de Soleil were performing in the trees and that there was a white Venetian gondola, on a smoke / fog covered pond bringing people to the other side, where the real party just started. It all sounds very much like a fairytale, I answer. I wish I would have been there to experience it on my own. The John stops talking, he starts stuttering and ends up being quiet completely. He has a somewhat surprised facial expression and he is looking at me, but actually looking right through me. Then he is staring at something behind me. It must have been quiet only for seconds, but it fell like minutes. While I’m still trying to find out what is going on in my friends head, he finally spits out an explanation. That woman behind you. She is sitting on the couch with a guy. I turn around. Yes, she is gorgeous, I confirm. Its one of these long legged model types in a stylish, but way too small dress, that is in danger to explode every minute. She must be in her early 2o’s. I check her from top to bottom, scanning every detail and enjoying the view. Nice high heels, I add. They must have been expensive. No, that’s not it, says John. Did you notice that she isn’t wearing any underwear? She just showed me her private parts, looking deeply into my eyes, while doing that.

I can’t help myself, but to laugh. Ah, she caught you, while you were looking at her privates?, I’m teasing John. No, I swear to God, she showed it to me on purpose. Man, I love Moscow, he adds. Yes yes, I agree. You never know what to expect. Did you notice the guy sitting next to her, I ask? He’s probably her suga daddy. He must be our age, but looks much older and he also has a few more pounds on himself. Man, we can’t compete with that guy. I’m sure he is filthy rich. Forget about it. He probably has much more money than us, and even if he doesn’t, he’ll spend more. Also on his women (plural!). But its nice, that she showed you some interest. Seems she is bored with him and she recognized the Latin lover in you, I say smiling. So what were you saying about the party?,  trying to get the conversation back on track, but John is lost. We end up talking about the fabulous Russian women and I tell him about some of my recent adventures. Sometime later we head home, slightly buzzed from the cocktails. The girl and her man, have left long before us, but John kept dreaming about what he saw and still talked about it, when I put him in a taxi to the hotel.

Yes, I know, what you are saying now. Why would you pay so much attention to a whore and talk about Russian women at the same time. There are so many more classy, trendy and cool women here. I agree with you. As I said, I’m here long enough to see this side of Russia as well. This was just my opener. There will be many more stories, but I wanted to share with you what many foreigners think and love about Russian women. Yes, its the cliché, but somehow it seems to be right. At least sometimes. I guess one needs to go a beyond the super visual, if he has enough time to spend in Moscow to look for it.

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I wanted to portrait some stereotypes, foreigners (who don’t live here) have about Russian girls and how some of the girls even serve these stereotypes. And by the way, as always, this is a true story. The photo above is Angelina Jolie @ the Ritz. She came for the Rusian premier of one of her movies.

Link: Chatty Catty (Cosmopolitan Blogs) in Russian

Apparently the government is more prepared this year. What does it mean? Did they get more firemen? I doubt it. I heard they bought a few more firefighting aircraft and probably our authorities (I say our, since I live here as well) will be less surprised, if it will happen during their summer holidays again.

Nevertheless we had an unusually dry and hot springtime, which raised the fears of fires. Luckily, its raining a lot right now. Its nothing out of the ordinary. Just a the typical humid Moscow summer, as I know it from the past years. Nevertheless this article from Bloomberg says that there are wildfires burning just outside of Moscow. Yes, there were days in the past weeks, where you could smell the burned wood during the morning hours in Moscows center already, bringing back bad memories, but of course it was far from being the smog of last summer.

Here is the Bloomberg article…

Is lightning striking twice in the same place? Kommersant has sounded the tocsin, warning that once again peat bogs around Moscow are burning: “According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, on Sunday in the region around Moscow sixteen wildfires broke out simultaneously.”

Authorities said that the fires have been extinguished, but Kommersant quoted Grigory Kuksin, of Greenpeace Russia, who refuted the good news. “In the Gus-Khrustalny district alone, five fires are burning,” Kuksin said. “The situation in the region is bad. There aren’t enough resources to put out fires or even contain them.”

The bogs currently ablaze may prefigure a return of the catastrophic wildfires that last summer coincided with a record-shattering heat wave and raged for weeks, generating lethal smog that blanketed the capital, wrought billions of dollars worth of damage and, at least indirectly, caused tens of thousands of deaths.

Disaster may well hit again. Zhivoy Zhurnal published a photo of a grim poster of unknown provenance that has mysteriously been turning up in the capital’s elevators. The poster states: “In accordance with predictions of an emergency in 2011, the threat of wildfires in the Moscow region continues.”

For now, rains are holding the smog at bay. Alarmed Muscovites may take additional comfort in the (reportedly air-conditioned) “anti-smog” centers to be established at the mayor’s orders in each district of the capital, according to Russkaya Sluzhba Novostey. But will such facilities really manage to accommodate many of Moscow’s 12 million residents? Don’t count on it.

In my opinion we’ll probably smell a bit of fire this summer, but it won’t get as bad as last year. Hopefully we’ll keep the typical Moscow summer with its daily Thunderstorms and downpours and that should keep things halfway under control, even though the authorities seemed not to have learned out of their mistakes (which comes to no surprise to anyone knowing Russia) and improved the equipment of the firefights, but more important re-establishing the local forest workers and firefighters, they’ve kicked out recently in an attempt to save money.

Once you have a Russian friend, you have a friend

I was surprised to hear that the Russian controllers and pilots speak Russian to each other in their own airspace. Besides Pilots and Controllers give the elevation in meters and not feet, as usual in international aviation. That must be highly confusing for foreign pilots in Russian airspace. As a VFR (Visual Flight Rules in lower airspace) pilot, you’d usually listen the radio conversations, to get a picture of what’s going on around you and if you’re anywhere close to some danger.

What you are listening too, is IFR traffic, which is controlled by the ground. The air traffic controller sees all aircraft on his screen with position, heading, elevation and speed. So he can (usually) guide the airplanes around each other and warn them, if they get close to each other.

Anyway. Enjoy listening to the Moscow controllers and if you wonder which airlines are up there, just check this list for the names (call signs) you hear, or vice versa.

And here is a partial picture, of what’s going on up there on Flight Aware. Unfortunately they only have the international and European flights on there and its missing the Russian airlines, which of course make out the majority of the traffic.

Read more about it on the British Telegraph…

More photos

But this incident shows a lot about the Russian airline industry as well. Many of these 30 to 40 year old Tupolevs are still in service. I actually flew on them a few times and not only national. One of my worst flights ever was in a similar Tupolev, which came to pick us up with an 8 hour delay in Turkey, because the scheduled Il-86 of KrasAir had technical problems. I have never seen an aircraft like this in service. The seats were sit through to the springs. It was dusty and dirty. The windows were milky and scratched. The gummy around the windows was dried out and had many cracks. The tray tables were broken and many of them scratched and signed with graffiti tags. There was an open life-raft laying in the emergency exit over the wings. I am sure that this aircraft was also just standing somewhere, without being used until they needed it to pick us up. Thank god, both of these airlines, Kras-Air and Domodedovo Airlines are out of business. Nevertheless, you can see many of these aircraft standing around on Moscows airports and many of them are clearly in bad shape.

There is hope, though. Airlines like Aeroflot or Sibir S7 are replacing all of their old Tupolev and Iljushin airplanes with newer Airbus and Boeing’s, but if you check the registrations of these airplanes, you’ll find out, that most of them are not new, but 3rd or 4th hand and also been in the sky for the past 20-30 years. Its a sad situation for a growing business like this.