Privet!

That's 'hello' in Russian! After five days of sailing, the MV Explorer finally docked on it first port of call: Russia!! Or to be more accurate, Российская Федерация (Russian Federation)! 

Jessica and I woke up around 7 this morning and immediately saw how close we were to the land outside our window. After five days of seeing just the ocean in all its glory, the sight of land so nearby was exciting! We headed up to breakfast around 8 where a lot of the other students were already positioned outside the deck, wrapped in sweaters to combat the chilly Russian breeze, and armed with their cameras to capture our first entry into the Russian port. 

Our view of the city from the ship deck! Port of St. Petersburg, Russia 

 

Sadly, though, I won't be able to actually get off the ship and visit St. Petersburg!! :( I didn't have enough time to obtain a Russian visa when I was back home in Manila because I prioritized the other visas I absolutely needed in order to even sail, as recommended by SAS. With Russia, I can sail even without a visa, but I would just have to detained on board. See below:

FALL 2013 VOYAGE VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR PHILIPPINE PASSPORT HOLDERS

Absolutely Required to Sail:

UK, Schengen (European Union States), Ireland, South Africa, Argentina, USA

Required (but can sail without and be detained on board):

Russia

Required (but can be obtained upon arrival in country):

Ghana

Not Required:

Morocco, Brazil

So although I am very sad that I'm technically already in Russia but can't actually go out and explore the country (so near yet so far!!), I'm still thankful that I was able to get the six absolutely required visas. Otherwise, I won't even be able to sail! Had I tried to apply for a Russian visa, I wouldn't have had time to complete the six more important ones, which would have led me to being denied boarding to sail. I would rather miss out on Russia, than miss out on the whole SAS journey! I try not to be too sad because I've got all these other countries to go to, and such exciting activities lined up for each of them! That is optimism for you. 

And since we don't have classes while in port, I have  the next 3 days to catch up on sleep, get ahead with some schoolwork (yes, I've already got homework), and create art pieces for my photography and art classes. I'm taking this opportunity to sort of just wind myself down after almost a week of adjusting to the jive of things which was pretty exciting but tiring at the same time. 

After this weekend, we head off to Germany! I am now doubly excited for that!