Russia 2019 Day 14: Goodbye Russia. Do svidaniya!

Sunday, September 27, 2026

Russia 2019 Day 14: Goodbye Russia. Do svidaniya!

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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures

Russia 2019 Day 14:

Goodbye Russia. Do svidaniya!

Russia 2019 Day 14: 22nd May (Wednesday)

Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring Cities).
Day 14 Moscow to Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur:

Moscow (Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya)>van>Domodedovo Airport>Edim Letim>Thai Airways>Bangkok (transit at Suvarnabhumi Airport)>Thai Airways>KLIA>Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

This is page 15 of a 15-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page
< D13: Old Arbat Street | Go to Other Days | D1: Moscow >

Route recommendations: Here are some tips on travelling to and around Russia:

1. Traffic Directions!

Driving in Russia is left-hand drive, and driving is on the right-hand side of the road. Do look to the correct side when crossing roads.

Speed limits are between 60 km/h within urban areas, 110 km/h along expressways, and 120 km/h on highways.

2. Getting to & around Russia.

Since Russia's "special military operation" into Ukraine, accessibility to Russia by air has been limited. But several airlines (including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines) still operate flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

We flew return with Thai Airways from Kuala_Lumpur (KLIA) to Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) with short transits at Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport). Presently, Thai Airways still flies from Bangkok to Moscow but now lands at Vnukovo Airport.

We booked hotels, train tickets, and several meals via the internet. Ground arrangements (and airport transfers) in Moscow were made through Alexander of Angel Tour, who can be contacted through WhatsApp at this phone number: +7926-435-86-87.

Ground arrangements (and train station transfers) in St. Petersburg were made through Tanya (contact no.: +7921-923-12-27), a local agent in St. Petersburg.

Travelling around the cities was in a 16-seater van. Travelling between Moscow and St. Petersburg was by the Red Arrow Sleeper Train and the Sapsan High Speed Train. Within Moscow, we got around using the Moscow Metro.

For out-of-pocket spending, we exchanged some Russian Rubles before leaving. We also brought along our Big Pay debit cards, as these can be used to withdraw Russian Rubles at ATMs. Debit and credit cards can also be used, but many smaller shops or market stalls only accept cash transactions. Click here for exchange rates to Rubles (presently 1MYR = 18.67 RUR, i.e. Russian Rubles).

3. Immigration & Customs Requirements

Tourists entering Russia will need a tourist visa, which can only be obtained via a TOURIST CONFIRMATION VOUCHER issued by a Russian travel agency or a Russian hotel that has the license to invite foreign tourists. This can be done through a local travel agency affiliated with a Russian travel agency to obtain this invitation letter. The following is a list of countries that are visa-exempt to enter Russia.

For Malaysians, leaving and returning to Malaysia, getting through immigration is easier now. Just install and register MyBorderPass, and getting through will be a breeze. A QR code will be generated; have this scanned, and you're through.

4. Places & Things of Interest

?In the early morning, we took a high-speed Sapsan four-hour train ride from St. Petersburg's Moskovsky Station (Московский вокзал) back to Moscow's Leningradsky Station (Ленинградский вокзал). Alex met us at the hotel and took us to Sparrow Hill & Victory Park, a couple of places that he had missed showing us earlier; his tour task was then completed. We then went forth ourselves to the Old Arbat Street to view the place and had dinner there before taking a nice night walk back to the hotel.
- Moscow Domodedovo Mikhail Lomonosov Airport (website) (Московский аэропорт Домодедово имени М.В. Ломоносова) (GPS: 55.41030, 37.90245).
- Sky Duty Free Moscow Airport (Магазин беспошлинной торговли в аэропорту Москвы) (GPS: 55.41425, 37.90002).
- Suvarnabhumi Airport (website) (ท่าอากาศยานสุวรรณภูมิ) (GPS: 13.68189, 100.74686).
- Kuala Lumpur International Airport (website) (Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur) (GPS: 2.74174, 101.70155).

5. Food

a. Breakfast

Breakfast: Paid buffet at Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya (Велий Отель Моховая Москва) (GPS: 55.75104, 37.61031).

b. Lunch

Vietnamese Pho & Spring Rolls (Gỏi Cuốn) at the Edim Letim ‘Let’s Eat and Fly’ Food Court (Едим летим) (GPS: 55.41408, 37.89973) at the Moscow Domodedovo Mikhail Lomonosov Airport (GPS: 55.41030, 37.90245).

c. Dinner

Meals on board Thai Airways Flight TG 975 Moscow to Bangkok:
Thai Green chicken curry & Beef Stew.
d. Brunch (Day 15)

Meals on board Thai Airways Flight TG 975 Moscow to Bangkok:
Chicken Sausage & Omelette.

6. Accommodations

One night on board Thai Airways Flight TG 975 Moscow to Bangkok.

7. Communicating with Each Other

When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. Back then, it was not easy to buy Russian Sim cards, and our Moscow guide got the Beeline physical SIM cards (with 14 days unlimited data) at 700 RUR (MYR 37.50) for us before we arrived.

Even now, it is not easy to purchase a SIM card. However, it is possible to buy Russian Sim cards online; just be aware of the restrictions posted earlier.

8. Communicating with Locals

At hotels and tourist spots, locals speak fairly good English. In the smaller towns, most locals speak only Russian. As such, it helps to know some basic Russian.

9. Dressing

When entering churches and monasteries, it is advisable to wear long pants, especially for women. Ladies will also have to wear headscarves or veils. Caps and hats should be taken off when in churches and monasteries.

10. Weather

Daytime and nighttime temperatures in Moscow were 23°C and 6°C, respectively. Daytime temperature in Bangkok was 35°C.
A useful weather forecast site for Moscow and Bangkok is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.

11. Navigation

I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.

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PRELUDE

?The day before was a free and easy day, with us making a visit to the St. Isaac's Cathedral, and later in the evening attending the colourful and interesting Russian Folklore show.

Today, we leave St. Petersburg, taking the Sapsan HSR train to Moscow, where Alex, our Moscow tour guide, will take us to visit places that we had missed earlier.
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DAY 14: MOSCOW TO BANGKOK TO KUALA LUMPUR

Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring Cities).

Day 14 Moscow to Bangkol to Kuala Lumpur:
Moscow (Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya)>van>Domodedovo Airport>Edim Letim>Thai Airways>Bangkok (transit at Suvarnabhumi Airport)>Thai Airways>KLIA>Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
(Click here for the Google route map link)

(Zoom out to see Bangkok & Kuala Lumpur)

Many of the posts below link to my Facebook posts from the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)

Our flight back home was in the late afternoon; I was a bit tired and decided to stay in to rest. But the girls were still full of life and went out exploring. Here they are at the Smolenskaya Metro Station with a Moscow Metro mural behind them, while taking the Moscow Metro.

2:30pm: Waving goodbye to the beautiful receptionist at the Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya.

4:30pm - Late Lunch, our final meal in Russia, before flying to Bangkok, at ‘Let’s Eat and Fly’ Food Court (Edim Letim) (Едим Летим), Moscow Domodedovo Mikhail Lomonosov Airport:

Vietnamese Pho & Spring Rolls (Gỏi Cuốn). After many Russian meals, we were happy to try some Vietnamese food.

Вкусный!
(Thats "Vkusnyy!" meanin "Yummy!" in Russian)

A peek out from the main terminal building: Airbus A320 planes of Aeroflot and S7 Siberia Airlines (lime green). Both are major airlines of Russia.

We are flying Thai Airways Flight TG975, which uses the Boeing 777-200ER, a long-range, wide-body airliner.

Popped into the Heinemann Duty Free to get a bottle of real vodka, i.e., Gold Label Celebration premium Beluga Vodka. Heinemann Duty Free is now thirty minutes outside the airport at GPS: 55.45354, 37.74026.
The limited-edition Beluga Celebration is dedicated to the 115th anniversary of the Mariinsk Distillery (GPS: 56.21690, 87.73039), where the vodka is produced using water from nearby artesian wells. The distillery is a legendary factory established in 1900, located in the heart of Siberia.
In late 2022, international rights were sold to the Noblewood Group, and production for the brand shifted outside of Russia. The organic grain spirit is distilled in the village of Jaunkalsnava, Latvia, and bottled in Nikšić, Montenegro.

So the question is, is this still REAL Russian Vodka?

6:25pm - We take off. Just after this was an aerial view of highways leading into tunnels running under the Moskva River.
Goodbye Russia. Do svidaniya!
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Russia 2019 Day 15: 23rd May (Thursday)

Brunch:

Meals on board Thai Airways Flight TG 975 Moscow to Bangkok:

Thai Green chicken curry & Beef Stew.

7:30am Thai Time - Landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. Murals along the arrival corridor walls; this one by Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian and French comic book author, film director, and children's book author.
We will be transiting here.

Saw this Myanmar Airway International (MAI website) plane, an Airbus A319, as we boarded our 9:05am Thai Airways Flight TG 415 to Kuala_Lumpur.