Veni, Vidi, Scripsi…

“I made that Leh-Ladakh trip with just 50 grand!” What if I told you that you can book your tickets to-and-fro and cover two beautiful countries with that exact same amount. With all due respect to local travels inside the beautiful Indian subcontinent, am just telling you that you can plan International trips at surprisingly low and worthy prices. I just wanted to start off breaking the myth that goes like… “International trips are for lavish spenders.”
Anybody can crack such trips by planning them out few months in advance. All you have to do is to make sure that you’re saving a part of your income and dedicate it to the trips and not touch it come what may. Then all you have to do is exploit the unreal discounts and features that today’s internet world offers you!
Let me walk you through my experience of the days I spent travelling around Russia and Turkey on a 10-day vacation.
So what exactly was my agenda?
Am just one of those ardent worshippers of Football, and ever since my childhood I dreamt of attending a Football World Cup game. Yes, I planned the Russia trip to go watch a 2018 World Cup game. And I did it! It was the group stage game between Brazil and Switzerland. Let me get to that part later.
The Russia plan was on!
Booked two tickets for the match. I initially planned to do this trip with a very close friend of mine. We ran through a long list of countries that we could tag along with the trip to Russia. We even considered to visit Kazakhstan, a beautiful country that grants a 72-hour Visa-free entry for Indian passport holders. We finally picked Europe and booked flight tickets to Europe from Russia and also a return ticket to India. The tickets along with a proof for accommodations arranged were part of the mandatory documents for the Schengen Visa application. We applied to the nearest French Consulate and we got our visas stamped! We had plans like the Hoegaarden Brewery Tour, checking out some classic Jazz club gigs in Belgium and what not.
We got the visas only after two unsuccessful attempts. Things were already progressing a bit shaky, and another shocker landed on my plans. Like a wise man once joked…
“Dear life, when I asked if my day could get any worse, it was a rhetorical question. Not a goddamn Challenge!”
My friend pulled out of the trip! I ended up cancelling my Europe tickets. I even went to the extent of almost cancelling the entire trip. But I decided to put my dream before my doubts. Who said you can’t enjoy your own company? That’s when I picked TURKEY as my second stop before returning back home.
The World Cup game ticket and the Fifa Fan ID that came with it, gave me free entry into Russia without a Visa. All I had to do is get a Turkey Visa. This time I took no chances and paid an agent (once bitten, twice shy!) and got my application approved in a week’s time.
(Just in case someone reading this wants to plan their own trip, please note. I don’t advocate going to the agents. Next time around, I’m sure I can get this done on my own, just by ensuring I properly read the application’s requisites).
DESTINATIONS & AIRFARES

- Delhi — Moscow — Aeroflot — 13000/-
- Moscow — Rostov — Moscow 2000Kms (Free train ride organised by FIFA)
- Moscow — Istanbul — Pobeda — 7000/-
- Istanbul — Ankara — Local Bus — 750/-
- Ankara — Delhi — Ukraine International — 22,000/-
- Chennai — Delhi — Chennai — Jet-Airways/Indigo — 4,250/-
- Turkey Visa + Agent fee — 8,000/-
Total Travel Expense: 13K + 7K + .75K + 22K + 3.25K + 8K => 55K
Though this sounds pretty cheap, these tickets also come with another price to pay. Did I not mention about the Europe tickets I cancelled? Any deal you secure at such rates definitely fall into the non-refundable economy class. I lost close to 30 grand on my cancelled Europe tickets. Don’t even get me started about that.
I can easily go on to write another article, on the DOs and DON’Ts with ticket booking, cancelling and rescheduling. Maybe next time.
But here it is… 55K on tickets and you have a dream trip booked.
“So, what part of this article talks about the kidney I have to sell, to pay for my stay and other expenditures?”
… I can hear you cursing me as you read this. But trust me, I got this. They don’t cost you a kidney. I have both of mine intact. So, you definitely can trust me on that. :D
MY GO-TO OPTIONS FOR…
a. AIR TICKETS — IXIGO
In the list of air tickets I’ve mentioned above, I did not mention the solid cashback of 2000 bucks you can get on this app for every international ticket you book. It gets credited to your wallet within 24hours and can be used when you book your next ticket. No conditions apply, no bull crap here. Like every other servicer IXIGO applies a small convenience fee (within 500 bucks mostly) and has given me the best deals so far.
*Applying the 6K cashback I got on this app, I can guarantee you that I did book my tickets under 50K.*
You can also set fare alerts that promptly notify you about fare drops. The Moscow tickets to Delhi were usually around 19K, but IXIGO notified me one day around midnight and I grabbed it for a 13K. Ain’t that a steal?
b. HO(S)TELS — Hostelworld & Agoda
These are two of the most promising accommodation service providers in my personal opinion. They link you to the best available Hostels as well as Hotels. You can go through a exhaustive list of options with reviews from legit users/travellers from all over the world. I’ve stayed in Hostels for as low as 750 bucks (this was in Thailand) to an average 2000 bucks (in Russia & Turkey) per day with breakfast included.
“Do these places even exist, or will they be comfy enough to get a good night’s sleep”
Look at what I got for 1.7K a night…

HOSTEL LIFESTYLE
The folks you meet here are the easiest to interact and connect with. They don’t come with a pre-defined conception of your character and will hardly waste their time to judge you and derive any. Like Lennon sings…
Imagine all the people living for today, living life in peace, sharing all the world…
I rediscovered myself in this Hostel culture. How frequently in life do you really get to enjoy Solitude? Imagine how irritated you feel when you’re all alone and if your mobile battery lets you down. I used my phone there just to take some snaps, and turned my mobile data on only when I had to check the Maps.
Anybody can buy you a beer here. Not a second will they hesitate to share their numbers. You make friends for a lifetime here. Every other person you meet is of a different nationality. I now have friends from Mexico, and all the way to Uzbekistan. This helps you big time. Say, you’re planning to visit Russia. It is nearly impossible to go on a tourist visit without a proper invitation. I can now call Igor, my friend from Moscow and get an invitation letter in a jiffy!
Life in bunkbeds are real fun. You just have to maintain a certain decorum at night to let the folks around you sleep at peace. But in the evenings or any other time of the day, your room will be so lively. I once met this 70-year-old traveler from New Zealand who supported Croatia that night at the hostel’s bar when my team — Argentina got kicked black and blue in the match. We watched the game with a few Argentinians and some Spaniards. We still occasionally text. This really is a small world. T’is up to you to go out there and experience it.
Putting the esoteric philosophical detailing aside, let me list down the places I went to in chronological order and describe in detail some of the most unforgettable experiences from the trip…
DAY 1: MOSCOW
Touchdown. Got a sim card for local use. Got it with 4GB Data for a week for 500 Rubles, close to 520 INR. Pretty cheap compared to the other countries I’ve been to. There were FIFA volunteers all around who provided me with the map to the entire city having details of Metro and Bus routes.

Metros of Moscow:
The most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen and one the most brilliantly constructed systems in the world connecting almost every part of the Moscow city. Every metro station is designed over a theme. The metro stations of Moscow were initially the underground railway system from the Soviet Era.
The fares are capped at a maximum of 55 Rubles which is equivalent to 60 bucks here. That’s quite cheap for a system spanning a city having a diameter of 30kms. Checked into my hostel. My go to eating joint in Moscow was Burger King because I was initially afraid to try their local food. But I had my Eureka moment. I’ll get to it. Brace yourself.

DAY 2: MOSCOW
Moscow and Vodka don’t rhyme but are very often used together. I used AIRBNB to try some of their EXPERIENCES. Airbnb is much more than just a hotel reservation platform. I went CRAFT BEER HOPPING. Yes, you read that right. The youngsters in Moscow don’t drink Vodka at all. The new industry on the boom is their craft beer havens. I tasted around 8–9 different beers and my guides Anton and Katerina also showed me around the city. They had the craziest of variants from Russian pale ale (17% Strong) to Swizz Mango. I went nuts.
I’d suggest anyone to go check these places out. These are places which nobody but the locals know…

Wolfpack Bar: A wolf themed bar near Sretensky Bul’var

Zagova:
A dark themed shady yet happening bar few kms away from Lubyanka Square.

Right opposite the Russian KGB HQ (a body equivalent to our nation’s RAW) in famous Nikolskaya Street of Moscow.
Checkout Airbnb experiences at every destination you visit around the world for any such wonderful packages. This was a 2000/- INR (introductory price) package called “Explore the world of Russian CraftBeer.” https://abnb.me/iCAmWAMtVM?s=51
DAY 3: TRIP TO ROSTOV

I boarded my free train ride to Rostov organised by FIFA. It was surprisingly good for a free ride. I met some friends — Diana, Ramon & Igor and we are still in touch. They were very amiable and we got along very well. We still trade memes on WhatsApp and Instagram! :D

DAY 4: ROSTOV
We reached Rostov around noon. The security was rock solid and the Russians pulled off a calm, composed and well organised World Cup! The gates to the stadium opened around 6 pm. After all security checks, we got in around 7. And the kick-off was scheduled at 9pm.

I still reminisce that evening. My stand was in the eastern corner right behind the goal post, while my friends had seats in different sides. I entered the seating area catching my breath. Saw that grand spectacle named Rostov Arena with my very own eyes and stood there speechless for a minute. I took some time to just stand there and enjoy the view. Thinking of that ambience still gives me goosebumps. It was literally a ‘dream come true’ moment.
Imagine, you travel all the way from India, all alone, for the love of football and witness this with the backdrop of an unreal day fall… (Well, that’s how the sky looked at 8 pm).
Well, the game ended in a draw though ( 1–1 ). But I got to enjoy a screamer from Coutinho and also Steven Zuber’s equalizing header off a bullet cross from Shaqiri, both of which happened at my end.
I’ll cherish that day for a lifetime!
DAY 5: BACK TO MOSCOW

I flew back to Moscow early next morning. Dropped my bags in the hostel, finished my lunch and I went to the central part of Moscow which is the Lubyanka Square or Red Square, from where most of the famous tourist points were just a walk away. But my ecstatic and over-excited self went over the roof and ended up covering a lot of miles on foot. I lost weight like a Gucci model slated for a photoshoot, in the process. The excitement literally takes over, that you forget fatigue is eventually going to come say “Hello!” :D


Another interesting event that was happening was the Fifa Fan Fest. Fans from all over the world grouped here and we got to watch the games that was screened on huge screens. This was sheer fun.

DAY 6,7 — MOSCOW
Yes, I went to the Kremlin Square. You’d probably have seen it a million times in movies. Eg: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol — The bomb blast scene takes place in the Kremlin Square. Went around Moscow, covered art museums and food streets.

Also visited this brilliant Georgian Restaurant - Kazbek, where they taught me to make their traditional flatbread a.k.a the Khachapuri.
Had a soulful Tartare, Panna Cotta, and a Georgian sparkling wine — the best wine I’ve ever tasted.


The best wine in the world deserves some real big space in my write up.
Georgian Sparkling wine - made of raspberry & grapes.


Khachapuri, the cheesy Georgian flatbread that I baked with a chef who was from Tbilisi, Georgia.
I discovered one of the most unique and unsung cuisines of the world. I think the key is to keep an open mind and try all the local food!
The Blini — Like Dosa, Chapati and Pancakes, the Russians have the Blini. Comes in different variants: Veg: with mushroom, tomatoes and greens. Non-veg: with beef, pork, chicken, ham etc. If you don’t want the sweet blini, you have to tell them beforehand. I loved both the versions.

The Borscht — Russian beet soup with cream I just can’t describe how tasty this was in any language. It had beetroots, cubed potatoes, onions, (some magic too, I believe), & sausage if you choose non-veg. Finished with a dab of sour cream making it a wholesome and filling porridge. I went shopping & grabbed some ready-to-make packets of this wonder.
DAY 8: ISTANBUL
After a tedious adventure in Russia, I was almost breaking, wondering if I can handle Turkey all alone. It’s a part of those random contemplative thoughts that pop up into the head for a first timer to solo trips. The entire experience was fun, but physically exhausting, carrying a backpack that weighs around 15kgs, all the time. Landed in Istanbul in the morning and got their metro map and started to check my way to the hostel.
Sim cards in Turkey are a big-time scandal. They charge you around 120 Turkish Liras, which came close to 1800 INR. So, I decided to save the route to my hostel offline on Google Maps and made a daring attempt to figure my way out after leaving the airport.
That was nothing but STUPIDITY of the highest degree. People hardly spoke English there. I had to point the exact location of my hostel in a map like a 100 times, and finally one good soul sent me in the right direction. Istanbul’s humidity is no different from Chennai’s humidity and it drained the living juice out of me.
Point to note:
Get a sim, pay what they ask. Consider you donated for a cause. Don’t end up wandering like me, puzzled in the streets.
Istanbul was nothing but a PAINTING!

It just looked too good to be real. I got down at a station called Sultan Ahmet. I stepped out of the Tram, to find two solid architectural wonders in front of my eyes — the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. The mainland of Istanbul houses around 3000 beautiful mosques. Some Sufi song kept running on the back of my head all the time. It felt so divine and peaceful.
Streets of Istanbul…
The reason I picked Turkey as my travel destination, was to see for myself if it really looked as magnificent as it appears in Instagram posts of all those travel bloggers.
In reality however, I was stunned.
While it wasn’t as clean as Moscow, it was quite clean for a city that’s flocked by tourists. The location of the city around seas, birdlife, artistic buildings, crazy solid roads on the streets built over sloped land left me baffled. It had 2 major parts. The flashy, modern Istanbul on the Asian side with skyscrapers all round and an artsy old European side.
Day 9, 10 — Istanbul (European & Asian Side)
The first day, I spent it exploring places around my hostel as I reached only around 5 in the evening. The second day I set out to explore the wonderful monuments of the city.
Hagia Sophia
In my personal opinion, this was one of the most overrated museums in Istanbul. It was initially built as a church by the Greeks, then was converted into a church by the Ottomans, followed by a lot back and forth before the Turkish government decided to let it be just a museum. It really does have a rich history rooted deep into its timeline of Greek — Ottoman Empire clashes, but its interiors were shambles.

30–40% of this monument was under renovation, but they still got the regular ticket fares for entry into the place.
The services of guides, to explain the monument and show you around, were totally overpriced. The best thing to do is to download audio books to explain such places before you step in.

The next day, I took the famous Bosphorus Cruise to grab a scintillating view of the entire city of Istanbul, all along the Bosphorus strait which joins the Black Sea & the Sea of Marmara.

Both the Asian and European sides of Istanbul were visible from this Cruise.
TURKISH CUISINE
What if I told you they had their own version of the Pizza?!
They call it Lahmacun and Pide, where Lahmacun is more like a pizza and Pide is more of a flatbread.

And not to forget, the Shawarmas. I bought it from one of the many live counters where they slice the meat out from the ‘doner kebab’ as they call it. You find it literally everywhere. It’s as easy as finding a bottle of water out there! :D

Sweets like the Tatli is sold all over the streets. I also had the Baklava, but I was just lost in the act of enjoying it that I missed out on taking a picture of it.
If someone ever told me that they like the Middle Eastern Cuisine and also told they have never heard of Hummus or Haydari (Turkish versions of dipping sauce), I will call them nothing but Liars.

Turkey is one of the rarest of nations that doesn’t charge you for soft, delicious flat bread sides. It’s like a a heaven that gives you free garlic bread when you just a dipping sauce.
“Where do I apply for a citizenship?”
THAT WAS TURKEY
Turkey was indeed a portrait. I could still reminisce that feeling of living inside a painting when I look back at the pictures from the trip. But it was also the only place I got looted (not literally, but you will not feel the money leaving the pocket, but at the end of the day, you’ll be dry). Every person who is trying to sell you something, will passively mug you one way or the other.

As much as I want to visit this beautiful country again, I also badly want to do it with a group. Not all places are easy on a solo traveler.
There are other exotic places in Tukey like Cappadocia, Pamukkale and the gorgeous beaches of Antalya that I’ve missed. Will be back again, someday and definitely stay longer and enjoy it to the fullest.
Day 11 — I left Istanbul to Ankara, on a local bus, where I caught my flight back to India the same day.
You’ve come to the part where you finally get to see “THE END”
Thanks for hanging on! The night before I left my hostel in Istanbul I met this person from Mumbai. She was also traveling alone and was a biomedical grad who happened to be working as a research writer for some big pharma consent. We had this conversation that just changed the way I was looking at Life. Until that point I was just feeling proud that I pulled this trip off on my own, but later realised that this was something everyone should be doing in the 20s. Quoting a part of our conversation, she said…
“Once I went to Cambodia, and that trip changed my entire life. It showed me the darker side of the world and gave me a whole new perceptive about Money. I have been to the States, and there have been times where a waiter/bartender has insulted me outright, for giving him a tip that was lesser than the regular tip people generally give there. But on the other hand, there are places like Cambodia where I saw little children all around the streets begging for money. They thanked me and bowed even when I paid them just 1 Dollar or lesser.
Witnessing poverty firsthand showed me the relativity behind Money. What seems big to you may seem meagre to another and what you may belittle and throw away can be a ray of hope for survival for another.
Living in the 20th century, looking at the pollution levels, environmental hazards and adulterated food all around, being a bio-med researcher, I can assure you that our generation will celebrate reaching the age of 50. What are you saving for when you’ve already lost half of your life?”
We went on discussing for hours and it struck all chords in my head, that I decided I should definitely write about this life-changing trip of mine, and, if not inspire, at the least, I’d urge, request or convince some soul reading this to understand that it is now you should be doing your trips. If not now, then when?
THE END…?
Maybe not, who’s in for a Europe trip, 2019?