Geocaching In Russia

[+srpnt]

Ok, I guess I am going to Russia next week, to Moscow to be exact. I know that GPSrs are illegal (unless you have a permit, but I guess that can be forgotten) and thus I cannot risk the whole trip by taking one with me. Secondly I know there aren't too many caches listed in www.geocaching.com, but there should be plenty in www.geocaching.ru, but heck, I cannot do russian.

So I am eager to get Russia on my list, but what would be the most easiest way:

1) smuggle in a GPS

2) go after those two caches in Moscow (both hidden in parks, may not be a good idea if going solo)

3) translate the pages of the .ru site and try to figure out the most easiest caches from the city (maybe there's a one in the Red Square?)

4) To get someone more experienced to list some caches that are somewhere in a nice neighborhood with easy enough hints that the caches can be found with a help of a tourist map

 

I would guess I am not the only one having this problem, any ideas?

[+Jyrki&Sari]

I would most likely ask for help in the Russian forum: http://www.geocaching.ru/phorum/list.php?f=1

 

На главную страницу | Вернуться к списку тем | Новая тема | Поиск | Вход

To the main page | To return to the list by the fact | new theme | search | the entrance

 

- Choose the entrance and there choose

 

Хотите зарегистрироваться?

Do you want to be registered?

 

Fill in the form, the last question means how do you like the pages.

 

After that it's pretty easy to post a question in the forum.

 

Sari

[santtu]

Ote kolmiomittauspisteitä koskeneen keskustelun sivujuonteesta:

"Venäjällä on GPS-vermeitä ihan julkisesti kaupassa myynnissä. Yksityishenkilöllä GPS vaatii periaatteessa luvan, mutta sitä ei kenelläkään liene. Lähellä sotilaallisesti tärkeitä paikkoja yms ei kannata näyttäytyä laitteen kanssa. Venäläiset itse varoittavat esittelemästä laitetta tullissa tai poliisille, koska nämä voivat rahastaa luvan puuttumisella."

GPS-laitteen ainakin itse aion ottaa mukaani seuraavalla kerralla (kätköilyn alottamisen jälkeen ei ole tullut siellä käytyä) ...

[Jusu]

3) translate the pages of the .ru site and try to figure out the most easiest caches from the city (maybe there's a one in the Red Square?)

Maybe you already knew this, but Babel Fish produces mostly understandable translations from Russian to English. Also pages behind links get translated automatically. However, map links in geocaching.ru don't seem to work when Babel Fish tries to translate the page behind a link. I used IE.

 

Click Moscow on this map. For some reason there doesn't seem to be too many caches near the center. I didn't study this so much, though.

[Jusu]

I took a quick look at the Rules section of geocaching.ru.

Babelfish translates:

4. In the game it is forbidden:

    ...

    o To create hiding-places in the territory of capital it is municipal and provincial it is center.

    ...

So that's why there aren't caches in the center of Moscow.

[+Tervas]

From http://www.geocaching.ru - Foreign visitors:

Formally, a GPS owner must obtain permission from authorities to use his/her device. This rule seems to be obsolete and almost no one follows it in real life.

 

We suggest that people who use GPS for geocaching purposes in Russia follow two major "dont's":

 

  1. Don't show your GPS receiver to police or any local authorities who can extort money from you under the pretence that you have no permission.

  2. Don't use GPS near military objects.

 

Taking into account these conditions, Russian geocaching community avoids placing caches in urban areas.

 

Babelfished list of caches in Russia

Edited November 25, 2005 by Erwast

[jarwis]

I've been caching in St. Petersburg and in Moscow and no one has ever asked me for any permits for the GPS device. Ever the customs officer didn't mind about it when he found it from my backpack.

 

My experiences only, do not rely on these as a general guideline.