Considering the posts in the past few days, and I admit I was part and parcel. Of course there's Mustang Ranches there, like everywhere else in the world. If you travel halfway around the world on a sex trip then you get what you deserve. It's insane.

Here's all I was trying to say.

If you want a vacation go, just be aware of the scamming trade that operates under the umbrella of marriage agency. Be also aware that there's not a Motel 6 on every corner.

Not all people in the FSU are scammers and not all people are Mafia (economic or otherwise(the economic ones are an annoyance the other ones are not!!!)).

If you go, do not act like some "john". If that's what you are that's what you will get.

See the history, see the culture, see the architecture and go with a travel agency that operates externally to the country, the locals will still get their fair share of currency, just like everywhere else. Surely there's a travel agency in your city or close by.

There's nicely built western coaches that travel under western levels of comfort that go everywhere, if your so inclined. Why land in Kiev or Lvov and have taxi drivers all over you and if you don't speak the language your even more at risk of being duped. That's the case in lots of parts of the world.

There's lots of nice pretty HONEST girls (as my Russian friend observed, they're like leaves falling off of trees in the fall) that would truly love to get out of a bad situation (or maybe they are really interested in living in a foreign land and an have the "right stuff" to handle it).

If you want to get to know the nice ones, then you will have to spend some time there. You won't get enough experience in a few weeks, by lining them up one by one and then expecting a test drive 24/7. (think that's a joke, it's not, saw it myself). Try that in your own country and see what your prospects will tell you.

You won't find them (nice, honest women) with scammer marriage agencies. Sure there are nice ones in the marriage agencies but your chances are slim as the pro's will make sure that they get first chance.

If you took a sampling of the general population of lets say 100 people (male and female) from your country and lined them up in comparison to 100 from the FSU, guess what?, no difference. Looks sell and the marriage agencies know that all to well. Pictures do not a person make.

That said, one thing that I am certain of is that no matter how much is printed here, there'll always be a group of people who will say "It can never happen to me". To those people I say "If things by chance work out, great for you and may you go in peace and happiness", if they don't "Take your licking and be a man". There is certainly enough information from a lot of people here and one hell of a lot more information on scamming than in the early 1990's from a lot of people.

To the mafia, scamming marriage agency owners, promoters, web site DBA's, photographers and general con artists you do you own country a big dis-service and leave people so mad that you'll get so much negative publicity that no one will want there.

Nuff said!!!!!!!

Yes! Yes! and Yes!

At last a few people here agree on something.

Russians (or people living in FSU) can only be understood through their culture and history. Knowing Russian language is also a big plus.

Don't expect to hook up with a russian girl w/out doing your homework (read, learn, hire a tutor). And if she does like you despite your being a complete ignoramus in terms of russian culture, if she tells you she loves you in 3rd e-mail, or if she gets you laid even after 2-3 weeks of knowing, make no mistake about it: you got yourself either a scammer, a hooker who works for a scammer, or a player.