BRINGING MONEY IN

It is difficult to say how much money one should bring to Russia as it depends on what kind of life- style you plan on living here. People willing to sleep in cement cells, dine on bread and poisoned water, and molest pigeons for entertainment will find Russia quite cheap. From here everything goes uphill: museums have special prices for foreigners making them as expensive as museums in Western countries; food prices have skyrocketed thanks to a combination of collapsing domestic production and astronomical import tariffs; long distance rail and air travel also has an entrenched price discrimination system; and at every turn you will find people - taxi drivers, souvenir salesmen and ticket scalpers - trying to squeeze as much out of you as possible. In the end, Russia, despite the economic turmoil, low per capita income, and the occasional unbelievable bargain (public transport, bread, local beer), can be just as expensive as many Western European countries.

For reasons best left to financial analysts, U.S. dollars are the most favored currency in St. Petersburg although rubles are the only currency permitted in transactions. There are a zillion exchange booths (obmen valuti - ) scattered around town who will gladly change your dollars, including late-night exchanges in some of the hotels.

Debit and credit cards are a new phenomenon in St. Petersburg, with automatic teller machines only just beginning to be installed around the city (see below). All major hotels and many Western-oriented restaurants and shops accept credit cards, but their use is far from widespread and it would be foolish to arrive in St. Petersburg without at least some cash.

It's also not a good idea to have all your money in large denominations as even banks sometimes have change shortages - this may seem like a minor point now, but on the last day when you need about ten dollars worth of rubles and all you have is one- hundred-dollar bills, you'll know what we mean.

Whenever receiving money by bank transfer, cash advance, or travellers cheque purchase, be sure that you get a razreshenie () form which you should keep together with your customs declaration. This form serves as an addendum to the declaration, increasing the amount of money brought into the country and therefore the amount that can be taken back out again.