Cheboksary Chuvashia

[cuzwuz]

Can anyone tell me anything about Cheboksary , Chuvashia. I plan to visit there in December and am trying with great difficulty to learn if American Express travelers checks are axcepted at the banks. And is American Money Available in Cheboksary..............Ron

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[Dr_Woland]

I went to Cheboksary once, in 1995. It's not a pretty city. The area roundabout is nice though.

FORGET Traveller's Cheques, completely, in Russia!! You can't even change them easily in Moscow or Petersburg. Take CASH, US$ in the cleanest, newest banknotes you can get, ideally you want fresh-released. Any other way of taking money is doomed to failure. This is a cash economy, believe me, I live there. Sure, that is risky, but TC's are NOT the solution, they will be like a millstone around your neck. If you fear to bring large amounts of cash, bring your VISA credit card (no others are widely accepted in Russia - Mastercard a little, Amex won't do nicely at all). You can get a cash advance against your VISA card in some banks, although it's not an easy or quick process - take your passport, and a book, and be ready for a long wait.

Be ready for a country which does not have an effective banking system, basically! Beyond Moscow and St Petersburg, things get very basic. Unless Cheboksary got a lot better quickly, I doubt you'll get much help. That doesn't mean that you'll have a bad time - the people are really nice. Just that there's no infrastructure you can rely on.

Dr W.
(a Brit who lives in Moscow)

[Dr_Woland]

PS - American money? What would you do with it? Everything in Russia is for roubles now, there's no trading in the US$, that's all long gone! Maybe you could get a few dollars at a Bureau-de-Change, but for roubles - not for traveller's cheques!

Dr W.

[cuzwuz]

Thanks .doc-- There must be a bank in Moscow that will exchange my money. I think the Belgrade hotel has a money exchange. Some friends were in Moscow two years ago and most of the banks they went to, took the Amex. travelers checks and gave them the choice of rubels or dollars.

[Dr_Woland]

Sure, in Moscow you have a wide choice of places, including Amex themselves!

Good luck in the wilds of Chuvashia :-)

Dr W.