MY TRIP TO MOSCOW, RUSSIA - PART 06

ALOHA EVERYONE!!!

AFTER AN AMAZING AND EPIC CONCERT, I WAS VERY EXHAUSTED AND I WENT STRAIGHT TO MY HOTEL AND SLEPT THE NIGHT AWAY!!!

I WOKE UP THE NEXT DAY AND ATE BREAKFAST DOWNSTAIRS AND PRACTICALLY CHILLED THE REST OF THE DAY AS IT WAS MY LAST DAY AND I WAS NOT TOO EXCITED TO LEAVE MOSCOW SO SOON.

BUT THAT TIME HAS COME AND I PACKED UP ALL MY THINGS AND I EVEN MADE MY BED AND EMPTIED MY TRASH CAN.  I TOOK ONE LAST LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND ENJOYED THE BEAUTIFUL CITY LIGHTS OF MOSCOW, MY EYES BEGAN TO WATERED UP BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY MISSING ALL MY NEW FRIENDS, ESPECIALLY ALEKS.

I HEADED DOWNSTAIRS TO THE LOBBY AND CHECKED OUT, THE STAFF ARE VERY NICE AND INVITING AND HOPED TO SEE ME RETURN SOON.

I ARRANGED AN UBER PICK UP AND HE SHOWED UP PRETTY FAST.

I LOADED UP THE TRUNK AND SAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, THE DRIVER SURPRISINGLY SPOKE ENGLISH PRETTY WELL AND ASKED ME IF I WAS OK.  NOT EVEN REALIZING BOTH MY EYES WERE TEARING AND RUNNING DOWN MY CHEEKS.  I SAID TO HIM THAT I'M SAD TO LEAVE SO SOON BECAUSE I TRULY ENJOYED MY TIME IN MOSCOW.  HE THEN ASKED WHAT TIME MY FLIGHT LEAVES AND I TOLD HIM MY FLIGHT LEAVES IN 5 HOURS AND I WANT TO GO EARLY IN CASE CUSTOMS AND SECURITY TAKES A LONG TIME.  HE SAID THAT I HAVE TIME AND THAT HE'D LOVE TO GIVE A FAREWELL TOUR OF MOSCOW CITY AT NIGHT.  I GRACEFULLY ACCEPTED AND WE PASSED BY ALOT OF OLD BUILDINGS AND STATUES.  MOSCOW IS INDEED A VERY BEAUTIFUL CITY, I CAN IMAGINE WHAT SUMMER MUST LOOKS LIKE.

AS WE WERE CLOSE TO ENDING OUR TOUR, WE STOPPED AT ONE MORE PLACE...

HE NEEDED TO FILL UP HIS CAR WITH GAS, AND GUESS WHAT I DID, I PAID FOR HIS FILL UP...  YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON HIS FACE...  IT WAS PRICELESS AND I FELT GOOD ABOUT IT.

AND TO THE AIRPORT I GO.  WE ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT AND WE UNLOADED MY BAGS AND HE WANTED TO TAKE PICTURE OF US AND I DID THE SAME THING.

I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE GENEROSITY FROM THE PEOPLE OF MOSCOW FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.  I DIDN'T KNOW "ALOHA" EXISTED IN RUSSIA.

ALOHA A HUI HOU E MOSCOW!!!  I WILL RETURN!!!

I FLEW BACK TO RIGA, LATVIA AND THEN TO AMSTERDAM AND THEN TO MINNEAPOLIS.

U.S. CUSTOM WAS PRETTY SIMPLE AND FAST.  AFTER PASSING THRU, I WAS GREETED BY MY FAVORITE DOG...

SNOOPY!!!

I ALSO PICKED A GREEN TEA FRAP...  YUMMY!!!

FROM MINNEAPOLIS I FLEW TO SEATTLE AND THEN TO ANCHORAGE AND FINALLY BACK TO BETHEL, ALASKA.

IT WAS DEFINITELY ONE OF MY BEST TRIP I EVER MADE SINCE CHINA 1995.

I'D LIKE TO PERSONALLY THANK A DEAR FRIEND WHO LIVES IN LONDON WHO MADE MY TRIP TO MOSCOW A DREAM COME TRUE BY ASKING HER FATHER TO SPONSOR ME.  I WILL NEVER EVER FORGET THIS MOMENT IN MY LIFE.  ALEKS, YOU ARE FOREVER IN MY HEART AND THOUGHTS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE MEETINGS IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.  AND I ALSO WILL NOT FORGET MY NEW FRIENDS I MADE AT "SPIELBEERG BAR" TOO!!!

FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND I AM FOREVER BLESSED AND GRATEFUL!!!

I ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE AMAZING AIRLINES...

ALASKA, DELTA, AND AIR BALTIC FOR GETTING ME TO MOSCOW AND BACK SAFELY!!!

THE WONDERFUL HOTEL STAFFS AND THE HEARTWARMING UBER GENTLEMAN AND THE ANOTHER MAN WHO BOTH GAVE ME FREE TOURS OF MOSCOW BY CAR. 

HERE'S A SHORT VIDEO OF MY ENTIRE TRIP IN JUST UNDER 4 MINUTES!!!

ENJOY!!!

AND ONE MORE LAST SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT...



MOSCOW...  HERE I COME AGAIN...  SOONER THAN I EXPECTED!!!

GET READY PEOPLE, WAIPA IS GOING TO MAKE HISTORY!!!

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

MY TRIP TO MOSCOW, RUSSIA - PART 05

ALOHA EVERYONE!!!

AFTER AN AMAZING 2 DAYS OF TOURING MOSCOW WITH MY WONDERFUL FRIEND, ALEKS, I WAS SO EXHAUSTED FROM ALL THE WALKING WE DID, SOAKING UP ALL THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE. 

AND AFTER AN EMOTIONAL FAREWELL TO MY FRIEND, I NEEDED TO CHANGE UP MY MOODS AND YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT IS NEXT ON THE AGENDA LIST...

I'M HEADING TO THE DEPECHE MODE CONCERT!!!

SO I WAS TELLING MYSELF...  IT'S -20 OUTSIDE AND IF I WEAR MY HEAVY SWEATER I WOULD BE WARM ENOUGH TO GET THERE SINCE ITS A WALK DOWN THE STREET FROM MY HOTEL.  BUT ONCE I GET INSIDE ITS GOING TO BE HOT AS HELL AND THEN WHAT DO I DO WITH MY SWEATER???  I SURE AS HELL DON'T WANNA EAR IT OR HOLD ON TO IT.  SO WHAT SHOULD I DO???

YUP...  NO SWEATER FOR ME, JUST MY PLAIN OLD BUTTON UP SHORT SLEEVE DRESS SHIRT I BOUGHT FROM JC PENNY IN ANCHORAGE, ALASKA FOR $20.00!!!

MAN YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN THE PEOPLE AROUND ME JUST LOOKING AT ME IN SHOCK!!!  I COULD HEAR THEM SPEAKING IN THEIR BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE HOPING THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW COOL I AM...  LOL!!!

THAT IS THE LINE IN FRONT OF ME...  LOL!!!  JUST REALIZED ALL THEIR HEAVY DUTY COATS AND POOR OLD ME IN A BUTTON UP SHIRT FROM JC PENNY...  LOL!!!

THE REAL QUESTION IS HOW WAS I FEELING ABOUT ALL THIS.  TO BE VERY HONEST, I WAS SO HIGH ON ADRENALINE, MY BODY TEMPERATURE WAS ACTUALLY KEEPING ME WARM AND IT WAS ONLY THE WIND THAT WAS GETTING TO ME.  A LOVELY AND BEAUTIFUL LADY NEXT TO ME WAS PURPOSELY STANDING CLOSE TO ME TRYING TO BLOCK THE WINDCHILL FROM ME, NOW HOW VERY THOUGHTFUL OF HER, SHE KEPT LOOKING AT ME WITH THAT LOOK, "ARE YOU CRAZY???"

BUT ALL I DID WAS SMILE BACK UNTIL WE GOT INSIDE, I WAS IN LINE FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES SO IT WASN'T TOO BAD AT ALL.

SO GETTING WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY COOL, METAL DETECTOR DOOR, THEN A WAND SCAN AND PHYSICAL PAT DOWN AND I WAS IN!!!  I GOT THE V.I.P. FAN TICKET AND I WAS LOST IN TRANSLATION BECAUSE MY TICKET WAS IN RUSSIAN...  SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!

AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED...  THE STAFF AND SECURITY GUARDS WERE VERY HELPFUL AND ESCORTED ME DOWN TO WHERE I NEEDED TO GO!!!



 AND NOW WE WAIT FOR THE EPIC PERFORMANCE TO START SOON!!!



AS SOON AS THEY CAME ON STAGE, IT WAS NON-STOP FUN AND DANCING FOR EVERYONE!!!  THE CROWD WAS JUST RUNNING WILD AND THE PEOPLE OF MOSCOW DEFINITELY KNOWS HOW ARE HAVE A GOOD TIME!!!  AS USUAL I MADE MORE NEW FRIENDS EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE UNLESS THEY WERE SINGING TO THE LYRICS, OUR UNIVERSAL SMILE WAS ENOUGH!!!  I'VE BEEN TO MANY CONCERTS IN UNITED STATES BUT THIS HAS BY FAR BEEN THE BEST FANS I'VE BEEN SURROUNDED BY.  THEY ARE THE BEST!!!

THEY STARTED THE CONCERT WITH A SONG FROM THEIR NEWEST SPIRIT ALBUM, "GOING BACKWARDS" AND THAT IS ALL IT TOOK TO GET EVERYONE RAGING!!!  AND TOWARDS THE END, WE DEMANDED THEM TO SING MORE AND THEY GAVE US 5 MORE SONGS ENDING IT WITH "PERSONAL JESUS".  YOU CAN'T GET BETTER THAN THAT!!!

DEPECHE MODE IS EPIC AND AWESOME!!!

35000+ STRONG FANS CAME TO PARTY AND RAGE TO ENJOY THIS EPIC CONCERT!!!

BY THE WAY, THIS IS A PIC FROM INSTAGRAM, I WAS NEAR THE STAGE WHERE ALL THAT SMOKE IS AT.  I DEFINITELY HAD A GOOD SPOT, I COULD'VE GOT CLOSER IF I ARRIVED EARLIER BUT I WAS HAPPY WHERE I WAS AT!!!

THANK YOU DEPECHE MODE AND MOSCOW, RUSSIA FOR ALLOWING ME TO ENJOY THIS AMAZING CONCERT.  THE LAST TIME I SAY DEPECHE MODE PERFORM WAS IN 1990, PHOENIX, ARIZONA!!!

BY THE WAY, THEY HAD COAT CHECK IN SERVICES...  FML!!!

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

MY TRIP TO MOSCOW, RUSSIA - PART 04

ALOHA EVERYONE!!!

AFTER AN AMAZING DAY WITH ALEKS, I WENT BACK TO MY HOTEL AND CALLED AN EARLY NIGHT BECAUSE THE NEXT DAY IS ANOTHER FULL DAY OF TOURING FUN WITH ALEKS AND LATER ON THAT EVENING IS THE DEPECHE MODE CONCERT.

SO THE NEXT DAY I WOKE UP EARLY AND ATE A LIGHT BREAKFAST AND I HEADED OVER TO THE METRO NEAR PROSPEKT MIRA AND MET ALEKS.  THIS TIME HE WENT AND SHOWED ME THE BEAUTY OF THE MOSCOW METRO SUBWAY.

WORDS CANNOT EVEN COME CLOSE TO DESCRIBING WHAT I SAW, THE SHINY MARBLE TILES, THE CHANDELIERS, THE STAINED GLASS, THE METAL ARTWORKS, THE SCULPTURES...  I WAS IN TOTAL AWE AND I COULD LITERALLY SPEND THE ENTIRE DAY AND NIGHT JUST RIDING THE METRO AND CHECKOUT EVERY STOP JUST TO SEE THE BEAUTIFUL WORK OF ARTS.  IMAGINE THE HARD WORK PUT INTO THIS AND TO MAINTAIN ITS BEAUTY.  I'LL BE FOREVER IN LOVE WITH THE MOSCOW METRO!!! 



LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL CEILING AND PILLARS!!!

I'M SPEECHLESS!!!

AMAZING AND CREATIVE ARCHITECTS!!!

I LOVE STAINED GLASS ARTS.

I MUST ASK, DOESN'T HE LOOK LIKE TOM HARDY???

AFTER A GOOD 2 HOURS OF JOY RIDING IN THE METRO, WE HEADED OVER TO "MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CENTER" AND STOPPED AT "SMOTRICITY" MALL.

MY FIRST RUSSIAN SODA, IT WAS REALLY YUMMY!!!

SMOTRICITY IS BEAUTIFUL TO WALK AROUND AND RELAX.

NOT TOO FAR FROM THE MALL WE HEADED OVER TO "MOSCOW SITI TSENTR", SUPPOSEDLY AND CURRENTLY THE HIGHEST BUILDING IN MOSCOW.

WE WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE THESE BEAUTIFUL VIEWS OF MOSCOW...

THE "EVOLUTION TOWER" ON THE LEFT AND THE "IMPERIAL TOWER" ON THE RIGHT.

THE NABEREZHNAYA TOWER.

THE CITY OF CAPITALS

THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING ARCHITECTS I'VE EVER SEEN IN PERSON.  THE VIEW FROM HERE IS ASTONISHING...  AND TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE STILL BUILDING MORE!!!

NEXT STOP...

WE NOW WILL BE BOARDING  ON THIS COOL DOUBLE DECKER BUS TO GO SIGHT SEEING AROUND THE CITY OF MOSCOW!!!

I LOVE THIS VIEW.

  

AFTER A FUN 2 HOURS BUS RIDE, THIS IS WHERE WE ENDED OUR RIDE.

WE BOTH HEADED BACK TO THE METRO... AND THIS IS WHERE WE SAID OUR FINAL GOODBYES...  AND BELIEVE ME, IT WASN'T EASY FOR ME TO SAY GOODBYE BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE HIM LEAVE.  I WISH I COULD HAVE STAYED LONGER, I WISH WE COULD MEET UP AGAIN, I WISH I COULD SIMPLY HANG OUT AND TALK STORY AND GET TO KNOW THIS FINE GENTLEMAN BETTER.  AND WHEN WE PARTED, I CRIED SO HARD AND WHEN WE WE'RE ABOUT TO PART WAYS, I LEANED FORWARD AND HUGGED THIS MAN WITH ALL MY HEART BECAUSE I COULD FEEL THIS MAN'S GENTLE SOUL AND I WILL NEVER EVER FORGET MY DEAR FRIEND ALEKS FOR BEING AN AMAZING AND LOVING FREIND WHO SHOWED ME THE BEAUTY AND SOUL OF MOSCOW AND THE ITS BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.

FAREWELL MY DEAR FRIEND, I WILL RETURN SOON AND WE WILL CONTINUE RIGHT WERE LEFT OFF FROM.

TOO BE CONTINUED...

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA