REFUSED ENTRY TO RUSSIA!!

Enjoying plane grub

View more photos 

We arrived in Kaliningrad, after an uneventful flight. We mosied off the plane and into arrivals, which was also customs. We qued for ages, to get through customs. Finally we were at the passport checking office. The lady looked at me. Then my passport. Then me. Then my passport. Then i looked at Robin. The woman looked at Robin. The woman looked at Robins passport. She said nyiet! And gabbled away in Russian.

She went off and got another lady after we stared at her blanky. We were then informed that our visas didnt start till the 16th...a whole 2 hours away! The reason we got visas for the 16th is becasue we were arriving in St Petersburg on the 16th at 2am, via Kaliningrad, so didnt see this as a problem. But seemingly it was.

We were refused entry into the Airport, and had to wait surrounded by security and army on our own, while they conviscated our passprts. Our transfer flight was 11pm. The lady said...No passport till zero zero. And by god she meant it! Not a second before 12, and officially the 16th, we got our passports back.

View more photos 

The passangers had boarded our plane an hour before, and we held up the whole flight while we waited till the 16th! When we finally got our passports we were sent to security, where they then growled at us in Russian while pointing at our tickets in an exaggarated way while shaking their heads. Apparently our tickets were not valid?!! Eventually after much pointing they let us through, and sent us...not onto the plane that was waiting for us...but onto a bus full of severly pissed off Russians who looked like they had been waiting for at least an hour too. Seemingly we had held up two planes and a bus. But (HOORAY!) we boarded another plane (another smelly, dirty plane) that alarmingly smelt of petrol when taking off and severe burning  when landing!

After that pulaver there, we arrived in St Petersburg without further hastle. We arrived in our hostel at 5am, and just went straight to bed. Well at least we made it to Russia eventually!