I’d Planned a 6 Week Trip Back to Russia
I planned a 6 week trip to Russia from August 22, to September 30th, 2025
Two main reasons
- I thought I had an invitation to the International Buddhist Forum in the Buddhist province Kalmykia in Southern Russia. People there are mostly ethnic Mongolian, so they practice Tibetan Buddhism there, which in any case is closely related to Zen.
- Second, since I planned to go anyway, I thought to get my hernia operation done, which is supposed to be $700 cheaper than the cheapest Thailand private hospital, according to the written estimate I asked for and got in 30 minutes.
Is the Buddhist Forum on or not?
My friend Irina says she applied for and received the invitation. But I didn’t get it in May. I went to the website. They didn’t know me, and said to apply.
Up to now, neither Irina, nor her friend in Kalmykia, nor the Forum organizers know anything. After three months.
The Shifting Narrative about Medical Costs in Russia
I asked Andre, my doctor friend in Volgograd, where I have several friends, to give me a written estimate, for hernia surgery. These are great people, far more interesting to talk with and be with than most people.
I also asked a Russian medical tourism agency for a written estimate of hernia surgery in Volgograd.
Finally after two weeks, the agency said it costs $700 to 800. Verbal not itemized. And they would not even see me for two weeks, which means hotel time and money waiting for an appointment.
Andre told me that the real price is closer to $1400. However, that does not include recovery time in a hotel. Andre’s surgeon friend delayed and finally avoided providing an estimate. And while on my way, I was told that he was ‘away for a month–family matter’. Hmmm.
Back in May, this the same doctor had given me verbal quote, and two hours to decide, in May. I don’t like high pressure, so I declined then. And his refusal to give a written estimate and then be unavailable, is suspicious.
So Andre said he’d look for another doctor and meet me when I arrive in Volgograd. He has been very helpful and interesting…a good guy and a good friend. I had stayed with him at his invitation in May,.for a week. The new plan was for me to arrive in Volgograd. He’d meet me at the airport, and we’d immediately go to a new hospital to discuss with a surgeon there.
For this trip, he found the cheapest place for me to stay. But even in Moscow, there are lower priced hotels, or apartments for month long stay. It’s unclear why such costs are so high in Volgograd, which is a second tier city, not like Moscow or St. Petersburg.
The Long Strange Trip to a Moscow Hotel
But first, I had to get to Moscow, Russia, and on to Volgograd.
I chose the big Russian airline, Aeroflot, which I remember as a comfortable way to go to Russia, based on earlier trips, especially in 2015. This time, the seats seem smaller, the food less appealing, in flight movies vapid, not worth watching. A 9-10 hour trip…Not too bad.
So I arrived In Moscow about 9 pm. As the second rate bete noir novel goes, “It was a dark and stormy night.” Typical temperature in Thailand is 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. 30-40 degrees Celcius. In Moscow, rainy, temperature 55 Fahrenheit, 13 Centigrade. In the morning it got down to below 50 Fahrenheit, 9 Celsius. I dress warmly enough, so it was ok, for walking around.
Because I didn’t have a working phone number, I’d asked the guy on the plane sitting next to me, to call the guest house on his phone, to let the guest house know that I had arrived. After I passed immigration, he would wait for me, and then make the call.
My guest house offered free shuttle and pick up. I just needed to go through immigration and passport control. And then, get my bag. In May, on my leaving Russia, they took my passport away for about 15 minutes. I told my Russian friend on the airplaine I might be a little late.
At passport control, they took my passport, disappeared and told me to wait. 5 others out of hundreds picked out. One, a Russian living in Thailand for 6 years, had not been back until now. Others were from ‘suspect countries’. They kept us all waiting for an hour. Of course, my Russian helper had given up and left.
An Immigration officer finally gave me back my passport, but baggage claim closed. So I found it at Lost and Found.
Then, I needed to call the guest house for the pickup meeting place. But my phone ran out of money. And the airport wifi needs me to verify my phone number, via a phone call. Which I can’t make. I could add money to make the phone call, via contacting my bank on Wifi… However….
No phone…no Wifi. No Wifi, can’t reactivate my phone.
I found kind Russians who called the guest house on their phone. The driver would be at taxi station 87 in 15 minutes. But where is the sign for it? It’s in the building across the busy airport street. Only accessible via overpass. How to get to the overpass? Go through Airport security as if I’m taking another flight.
After about an hour of all that, I finally stepped out of the building and a Central Asian guy with two big gold teeth told me he’s the driver. We walked about 5 minutes to get to the van. It’s dark. It’s raining. He’s driving down dark isolated streets. I’m wondering if I am a candidate for harvesting my heart and liver. As the Indian saying goes, “It’s a good day to die”.
Well, we finally came to a house, down a dark unlit street, and it was in fact the guest house. Probably someone’s converted Russian Dacha, a country home which many Russians have. Their wifi is barely marginal, but I was able reactivate my phone. But in rural areas, internet is spotty. As is phone service.
At least I was able to contact a couple of American friends I have. They both work at RT, the ‘Russian propaganda TV network, banned in the USA and other countries. Gotta protect free speech.
Russian vs US, UK, French, German Media Compared
The thing is, independent verifiable fact checking often proves RT is telling the truth. Unlike the BBC, Voice of America, France 24, Deutche Welle, all government owned media, not to mention CNN, FOX, etc. Various American journalists got kicked off of US media, where their content has to be approved by senior editors. At RT, Americans tell me they have editorial control over their own content.
No Luck Meeting American Friends in Moscow
Anyway, Nicholas was busy with work, and Don is in Turkey on vacation. My good Russian friend Irina, who had invited me to the Buddhist Forum, was busy too. So I was stuck with barely usable phone and internet. No nearby stores or restaurants.
Kirill Saves the Day, But Everything Else Falls Through
I finally got hold of my friend Kirill. Told him the situation. He replied, ‘Yeah, bad location, isolated.. I’ll get you out of there.’
After I got my phone working again, I called Andre, in Volgograd, to let him know I would be arriving. He told me he is at a sailing competition. And would not be back for at least 3 days. And my other friends in Volgograd also are either too busy or don’t have a car. I’d arrive in Volgograd with no where to go and noone to take me there.
And… I still haven’t got confirmation after repeated requests to my friend who invited me in the first place. Or her friend in Kalmykia, who supposedly made the reservation for the Forum, which is still ‘checking’.
Andre my doctor friend informed me that his surgeon friend didn’t provide a written estimate. Plus, he is ‘out of town for a month on a ‘family matter’. He says that the hospitals don’t tell the truth about true costs. Until they present the bill (This seems to be generally true everywhere, my local Thai hospital being a welcome exception).
An independent medical tourism agency said I would have to wait for two weeks. Paying hotel bills, of course, which would wipe out any possible savings. He said it would cost $750. But my Russian doctor friend said, that they alway say something like that, and then I get the bill which of course, I have to pay, whatever it is.
So having paid for the round trip ticket to Volgograd, no one will be there to meet me, and no place to stay. And no clear statement of cost of surgery. At that point, I figured it was time to cut my losses and leave Russia immediately.
- After 3 months, still no confirmation about the Buddhist Forum, which for me implies that it is not well organized
- Confusing experience with the Russian medical system
Fortunately. Kirill spared me another night at the guest house, which I had paid in advance for. The room had one thin quilt, not enough for cold weather. I asked for another blanket. Sorry, I could not have one, but don’t worry, management will turn on the heat. The heat didn’t turn on. So I bundled up fully clothed and made it throught the night. Russians are used to cold weather. I wore 3-4 layers, some Russians walk around in chilly weather in a T-shirt.
Fortunately, the guest house did follow through and get me to the airport, and I arranged with Kirill to pick me up there.
He, his lovely wife, Natasha, her son by previous marriage, and their 4 year old daughter live in a very nice suburban home with nice back yard.
But the main thing about Kirill, is that he is ‘real, authentic person.’
We talked for hours about current world situation, Russian politics, Russian and especially Soviet history.
What I Heard from Kirill
- How the Soviet union did most of the fighting and dying, but the US won, by taking over the British empire’s role.
- Khrushchev, Stalin’s successor undermined the USSR. He hated Stalin because Khrushchev’s son killed someone and was sentenced to death. And Stalin refused to intervene.
But like more and more Russians realize, Kirill told me that Stalin
- Brought Russia, a backward country to be a world leader
- Defeated the invasion of not just Germany, but other countries (Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Finland) in its coalition (not to mention support by US bankers and industrialists, like Henry Ford, Prescott Bush (of Bush family presidents), and future Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles and future CIA founding director, Allen Dulles)
- Russian leadership in space and the weapons which are winning against Nato, with military budget 10x Russia’s, are the result of the infrastructure that Stalin planned.
Kirill is also a great cook.
Here are a few of his ideas.
- Food is the most basic part of life, yet nowadays, few people bother. They prefer to have some nameless wage slave deliver it. Or eat packaged food.
- The money cult, people’s obsession with money debases human society.
- Devotion to critical thinking as antidote to top down social control.
- Control of the population–psychological warfare against their own people– by programs created by organizations such as the Tavistock Institute.
- What is the difference between Absolute Reality and Relative Reality?
- He has some familiarity with Buddhist ideas of Reality
- People’s practice of religion, in this case Russian Orthodoxy, is more for community reasons and networking and not out of deep devotion
Here’s the thing, as a product of the Soviet Union educational system Kirill is a truly educated, deeply thinking person. The kind I like to talk with, and there are so few of.
We talked for several hours and made what is otherwise a fiasco worth it.
A Quick Change of Plan–And More Chaos
With one day notice, I booked a trip on a Russian cut rate airline, S7. I booked the 9 hour flight to Irkutsk, in Siberia. And a then a flight from Irkutsk to Bangkok with a 2 hour, 50 minute layover. What I didn’t realize was that Moscow-Irkutsk was a domestic flight, which required a second check in for the international flight from Irkutsk to Bangkok.
On arrival in Irutsk, I had to get my bag, go from the domestic terminal to the international terminal for a new boarding pass. Plus, there was a 30 minute delay from Moscow. That meant I had barely over 2 hours before an international flight. Usually, 3 hours is advisable.
Two hours to retrieve bag, find the terminal, walk there with my bag, get a new ticket and pass through dreaded passport control.
Meanhwhile, the clock is ticking. I went to the wrong terminal but finally found the right place and got the new ticket.
However, as I feared, they took my passport away from me as well as my boarding pass. Less than 30 minutes to board before the flight leaves.. The officer took me to a small room. Speaking in Russian which I hardly understand. Mostly by guessing.
Me: Isvenitye, Ya govoreet PA Russki ochyen plocho. Ne ponimayu. (Sorry, I speak Russian very badly… Sorry don’t understand.)
The officer: (in Russian).
Why you come to Russia.?
What city you go to?
Where did you come from?
Where do stay, what city?
Where were you born?
Where will you go in Thailand?
I am guessing that nowadays, anyone with an American passport is considered ‘worthy of interest’. The whole thing could have been cleared up if there had been an English speaking person, so I can explain everything.
Finally, they me sent me back to the immigration window, to get my boarding pass and passport. The flight waiting room was empty. The flight boarding attendant is waving… Hurry hurry!!
I was the last person in the last van to take me to the airplane. 5 more minutes, and I may have been stranded in Irkutsk.
Which itself would have been an interesting side trip..
I went to Russia in May but left early for similar reason. Maybe I’m wrong, but the sense I had was that I would experience similar misadventures if I continued. So I came back to Thailand, where I mostly understand how things work.
That was my Kafkaesque trip to Russia. Big difference from previous trips before 2025.