TESTIMONIALS AND FEEDBACK
More in Business Services.
Also see The Notice Board - all new ones should be added there
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Dear Paul and Olesya:
Here is the letter as promised:
Imagine being in Moscow, alone, in a Russian snow storm with a freshly broken arm .That was my situation in early February in 2004. After an accident in the Urals, I had made my way to Moscow where I could theoretically change my plane arrangements and get to the U.S. for surgery. As I had no hotel reservation, do not speak Russian and knew I had to accomplish some things quickly, I searched the internet and found Uncle Pasha's website. One phone call to Olesya brought immediate response. They arranged for a driver to bring me to their home, found me a hotel room and pain medication and then working to change my airlines tickets. Although the airlines were not coopcerative, they managed to make the proper arrangements with minimal involvement from me. During this period of time, they also contacted my friends near Moscow and met her at the train station and brought her over to see me. Finally, my early morning departure was expedited by the timely appearance of Pasha who not only took me to the airport and managed to see me and my bags all the way to the gate.
I relate this story as an appreciative endorsement of the services for the services offered by Paul and Olesya at unclepasha.com and at russiangirlfriday@com
Their attutude was great, their abilities are varied and theri fees are very reasonable. I look back at my experience in Moscow and know that they changed what could have been a scary experience into one which was pleasant as could be under the circumstances. I heartily recommend this service to any travler in Moscow needing professional and varied assistance. They can interpret, act as city guides, and mosti importantly assist with all the other aspects of your Russia experience.
Your satisfied client,
Ben Jones
Let me note a couple of things. Firstly, I was unsure which of your two business names to emphasis. Since you both assisted me at separate times, I chose to refer to you accordingly. Should you want me to put this in a different way, please let me know.
Secondly, if their are other changes that would make the letter more useful for you, please let me know.
Now to another matter. You both met Zina from Dubna. I plan on returning to Moscow (probably in May) for the purpose of seeing Zina. Although we will not be completing the fiance visa process until after that visit, we are starting it now. The problem, in short, is the mail. Sending mail to and from Dubna will not be satisfactory. I have found that federal express will guarantee delivery to and from Moscow in 8 days at a reasonable cost. What I want to do therefore is to utilize you as a mail drop-where I can send you items for Zina and she can drop off items for federal express. If you know a way to handle this process than what I suggest, then by all means, let me know. If you are agreeable to this, please let me know how much your services will cost. An hourly charge will be okay if you want to handle the time records. I will, of course, need your address for purposes of federal express. If you are agreeable to this, I will send you instructions for preparing documents for federal express and to contact them for pickup.
I am sorry it took so long to provide the endorsement letter. My wrist was shattered and so the surger and recovery are both lenghty and painful. In fact, a friend is typing this for me for obvious reasons.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
BenA12Be2 [at] cs [dot] com
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These are testimonials from our travel guests only. Business clients are somewhere in the Business Services section, where we invite you to go if you are in Moscow on business. Notes are added as received. Here we print ALL feedback, good, bad or in-between. No, we are not for everyone. I admit to having an attitude problem, can't do nothing about it but to warn you. Soon bad feedback will be copied to the Misery Tourism section, where you will also find my FOAD replies to obnoxious would be guests. Promises to be fun. The plan is to make this part of the site you are in at the moment "nice".
Enjoy.
Pasha
PS. Most of the people listed below can be contacted. I've removed their e-mails to protect them from spam but in most cases I have permissions to provide them to my potential clients on request.
>You're the first
>person who has been able to give me clear answers to most of my questions.
>Thanks again - Cheers Andrea (Andrea Batstone, BC, Canada)
>You sound like a frustrated, bigotted, >intolerant bully. There is no need to write >in such a non-constructive, confrontational >style. - haymanjulie@hotmail.com
An ugly letter about my not honouring a reservation request.
From my Notice Board
Posted on January 2, 2004 at 08:51:33 PM by George
(gbuckl1 @ pride. hofstra. edu - remove spaces if contacting them)
My wife and I recently adopted a little boy from Moscow region. My wife is ever the nervous traveler, and Russia did not disappoint. Smoothing the way was Pasha, who saved us twice on our second trip.
First, we got ridiculously short notice of our trip - less than one week. Our adoption agency was unable to set us up with a homestay (our preferred type of accommodation). Pasha set us up quickly with a great family in a perfect location. It couldn't have been a better situation.
Pasha also provided our airport transportation. True to form, he gave me shit for not using his other services. When we were departing Moscow, he stayed with us and checked the flight. He immediately sensed that the delay was not going to be OK; we were going to miss our connection. Pasha coached us on how to approach the airline people. He made all of the phone calls necessary, resulting in the airline reluctantly booking us seats on another airline (they wanted to put us in a hotel for 3 days). He literally saved Christmas for our 2 daughters at home.
Russia is a pain in the ass of a country... [everything] can and will turn into a
misadventure. Avoid Russia if you can. Hire "Uncle Pasha" or his charming
wife Olesya as your advisors and guardians if you cannot....be warned of his Eastern despot's manner of doing things... He sits in front of his ancient laptop, wearing an Uzbek coat and sipping his Turkish coffee, patiently waiting for you to really sink into trouble. Then, with a sadistic smirk, he will proceed with that peculiar lazy Asiatic efficiency to rescue you... And his fees - he prefers calling them "contributions" - are more than reasonable given the headache he rids you off. I only wish there were people like him in other cities, and especially in Vladivostok, where I spend three days in the state of frustrated disorientation trying to change tickets while knowing that the "Uncle Pasha way" solution is perhaps just a phone call away.
By the way, write to me if you need advice on the Seul-Moscow-Vladivostok-Victoria, BC-Seul travel loop.
Robert Proudlove
Victoria, BC (presently teaching in Korea)
proudlove@hotmail.com
Hello Pasha,
I wanted to take a second to give a written recommendation for your
services.
Thank you for arranging apartment accommodations this last July while I
visited Moscow. The studio was comfortable and less than a ten minute walk
from the middle of Red Square. As promised, the arranged meeting at the
airport and car service into Moscow accrued with no problems (and with
personalized guide services provided gratis). During my visit you were sure
to stay in contact in case I required support of any sort. A personal guide
was arranged for a tour of the nearby art gallery and a car service was
arranged for my final trip to the airport. In addition, since my return you
have been most help in securing the shipment of purchases, including the
Ministry of Culture permits. Again, I'd like to thank you for your
professional services and personal insights concerning the Russian culture.
Michael Smith
Washington DC
>Uncle Pasha & Auntie Olesya!
>
>I cannot say enough about your overwhelming hospitality, efficiency and business acumen!
>
>Right after the airport customs, meeting you for the first time, I knew that a solid person had come to my aid, in Russia.
>
>I enjoyed most of all the pedestrian tours of old Moscow, loaded with information of an historical and contemporary nature!
>
>I am most impressed with your efforts to prepare Russian citizens for what awaits them in their applications to emigrate to Canada and the US. You are doing a great service, beyond any pecuniary compensation.
>
>I can only look forward to a time when I can participate in your Country Tours experience, when it gets warm. In the meantime, I will agitate for greater participation in your numerous offerings by my fellow Americans, from here.
>
>Many thanks for pointers in where and how to eat vegetarian, while in Russia. Without your help, this would have been no easy undertaking.
>
>My time spent with you in your apartment loft will be among the most memorable of my life. I look forward to a redux in this, too! Your central location in Moscow can only help others who want to become acquainted with this fabulous, old city.
>
>I wish you every success and my deepest thanks for all that you are doing in Moscow!
>
>Sincerely,
>K. E. Rasberry
>Florence, Alabama
i have red thr rules to rent your Loft or sudio...ohhhh com on is it a millitary camp or what ..all what i can say..hill with u and your rent...even no tv in the appt...and all these fucking rules....fuck uuuuuuuuuuuuu
Dr.Adel Aly <adelusa2000@hotmail.com>
Feb. 15, 2002
> I am not one let good deeds go unnoticed, but for anyone who is looking for the "sqaure deal" and integrity, I will be more than happy to recommend your services. I wish I had met you on my previous trips as you certainly made smooth sailing of any incident that arose. I look forward to recommending you to all of my friends who have been uncertain about travel to Moscow.
>
> It is a cosmopolitan city full of beautiful women, historic sites, and with a day trip to St. Petersburg by rail, give one access to the world's most incredible art at the Hermitage and Russian Museum. I guarentee the most memorabile vacation of a life time. Forget about the Cyrillic alphabet as a problem. Forget about the busy metro. Forget about the difference of language. If they have you in their corner and the ability to distiquish colors (working one's way through the subway by following the colors and a Moscow Metro book), then I say relax and enjoy one of the most fun cities in the world!
>.
> Dosvidanya, Ed Mattson, Wings of Hope Cancer Foundation, Indianapolis, IN
>I first met Paul in 1994 when I was looking for a place to live. Paul
>helped me find an apartment near the Kremlin at a very reasonable price. I
>quickly realized that knowing Paul would be very useful and maintained
>contact. In 1996 I returned to Russia to finish research on my thesis.
>Paul proved indispensable in helping to gather and translate some needed
>information, as well as helping with accommodations. I literally could not
>have found some much needed information without Paul's assistance. As a
>corporate attorney now practicing in New York, I maintain contact with Paul
>because I like him and because if I ever need anything in Russia there is no
>one I trust more to get the job done more efficiently than Paul. I highly
>recommend Uncle Pasha.
>
>
>Feel free to edit this as you wish (I am unsure how you prefer your name--so
>switch it around if you want.)
>
>Peace,
>Adam
>
>
Received Feb. 21, 2001
>....Really enjoyed staying >at your place and in Russia in general. The location of your apartment is
>particularly beneficial, so we got to visit everything from unknown art
>galleries, to strange night bars in the company of well-known local rock
>stars, great restaurants and had a lot of interesting debate. We had three
>diners as guests at people's apartments, so savoured a lot of local
>character on all socio-economic levels. Made some good conections with some
>like-minded people like the owner of the Muzey Sverevski and the writer &
>art critic, Ludmila Aleksandrovna Ostanina. We actually had a fabulous time
>and as you know the weather was surprisingly mild most of the time. Although
>St Petersburg is amazing from a historical and architectual perspective, it
>is clear that Moscow is getting the investments and is really on the rise,
>particularly in terms of infrastructure and facade restoration. I suppose,
>it comes with the territory of being the capital. At least i got to speak
>Russian for a couple of weeks, which keeps me in shape. Say Hi to Olesya. I
>hope things are going well at the Dascha.
>Best regards
>Derek & Charla
-----Исходное сообщение-----
От: owl <deleted to protect privacy>
Кому: inbox at unclepasha dot com
Дата: 1 mars 2002 р. 05:46
Тема: BoardRoom: pasha>
>Time: Fri, 01-Mar-2002 02:45:27 GMT IP: 205.128.215.120
>
> hey look folks,
> uncle pasha is a very polite gentleman,helpfull as best as
>he can, and even extends himself for your well being.
>he may seem a little odd in the photo's, but he is helpfull
>and considerate to all that do business with him.
> he hasnt lead me wrong yet,and actually even straightens out
>my misgiving about moscow.
> i will be there 18/03/02.
>
> hope all have as much faith in there visit to russia as
> i have grown to have.
> besides aint pasha cute!
>
To whom it may concern.
I recently visited Russia for the first time and used the
services of Paul and Alesya for my week long stay in Moscow.
I highly recommend Paul and Alesya's services for anyone
requiring personal, business, logistical or communications
support services while travelling or staying in the Moscow
area. Paul has a great understanding of both Western and
Russian culture and is wonderful at bridging the cultural and
language gaps when travelling to Russia for the first time or
for anyone needing help with complex or difficult
communications in both English and Russian. Paul and Alesya
are both very resourcful and attentive to the needs of their
clients. Paul is an experienced interpreter and has a great
knowledge of Moscow current affairs, geography, history and
landmarks. He makes good on his promise of keeping one "out-
of-trouble" while staying or travelling in Russia. Alesya is
well connected and a marvel at obtaining tickets for just
about any event you would want to attend. If you are
contemplating a trip to Russia and are looking for an honest
and reliable interpreter, translator, guide, or
communications facilitator, you will not be dissapointed with
Paul and Alesya's services.
Chris Phillips
To Whom it may concern,
I needed some fast help in Russia and by chance found Pasha web site. Not only did he provide me with immediate assistance, his follow up and professionalism were impressive. Anyone who ever has done business in Russia gets used to hearing the term "that's impossible" or to hear on how you can not get things done, Pasha does not give excuses he knows Moscow and knows how to get the job done. I recommend him highly
D. Gath
At the bottom of this page, Pasha proclaims:
"THANK ME, RECOMMEND ME, GET BACK AT ME, WARN
OTHERS..."
With the exception of getting back at him, I'd
like to do all of the above.
I'll start by warning others: if you think Pasha
is most likely a kind, considerate, thoughtful
human being who's cleverly manufactured a harsh,
brusque and cynical cyber-demeanor, then this
probably won't be the last miscalculation you'll
make while in Russia. If you need the banter of a
friendly tour guide, better avail yourself of
Olesya's services.
Now for the thanks and recommendations. Due to a
lack of adequate planning time for this trip,
Pasha proceeded to perform two near-miracles on
my behalf. After outwitting Sheremetyevo's
notorious customs officials in a caper that
could've come straight outta Hollywood, he then
put me in touch with a family eight time zones
away who ended up being absolutely instrumental
to my documentary film. So if you're looking for
brains and connections, Pasha could well be your
man... if you can just keep all those annoying
unnecessary comments to yourself!
M.S. from the US.
Thanks to Uncle Pasha for helping me arrange several
things on my trip to Moscow. Through his cajoling and
gentle pressure on the taciturn security guards, he
was able to extract the information needed to gain
admittance to the fabled "KGB tour." Then, as a
fellow vegetarian, he provided excellent advice on
good restaurants, where to pick up hard-to-find
staples, such as chick peas, tofu and tahini (plus
cardamom and lavash bread) - and even drove me around
to several shops as I accompanied him on an afternoon
of errands.
A word of warning to those who meet Pasha in the
flesh: talkative Americans drive him batty. We got
along quite well, since I'm comfortable with long
periods of silence and am not opposed to buying the
benefactor a nice cold beer and sparing a few
cigarettes. With those in hand, I even got Pasha to
smile for a few moments!
Best of luck to fellow travelers. Pasha will
definitely give you the straight answer to vexing
problems, and expound upon his great love of humanity
if you allow him to. (ha ha)Steve Kaufman,
Washington
WE POST THEM ALL.
THANK ME, RECOMMEND ME, GET BACK AT ME, WARN OTHERS...From now on please use the Guestbook: www.unclepasha.com/guestbook.htm
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