Other Passport Problems

I have visited various parts of Russia four times and have never had any trouble, but on each trip someone had a problem. A serious one is the loss of your currency declaration. Upon entering Russia every tourist is required to state how much currency of every kind he is carrying. You are not allowed to take rubles in or bring them out. The declaration must be produced when you leave Russia, check back any remaining rubles and account with sales slips for the difference. If you say you have lost the declaration, Russian law reads that all your funds can be confiscated.

My border formalities on the last trip were very much eased and speeded up by something I had done inadvertently. I was carrying in my shoulder bag a copy of “The Life of Lenin” that I purchased on Red Square. As soon as that book appeared, a smile came over the faces of the customs people and they passed my suitcase through without even opening it. I guess that they thought that I “belonged to the club.”

IVA V. ADKINS

Los Angeles