Skeptic

A friend in a US embassy in one of the former Soviet bloc countries says there has been a noticeable upsurge in travel to the area, even after 9/11 and even in countries no one has heard of. He said that people have found the singles/dating websites on the net and are trolling (the proper use of the word) for Americans, either to attract them to come into the area for various reasons or more often in hopes of finding a way out of the dead-end economies there. <BR><BR>Some are reasonably choosy and careful about the people they strike up email romances with and are genuine. But some are not.<BR><BR>Do you know anyone traveling to the area to meet an email-sweetie for the first time?

Marc David Miller

I wouldn't trust advice from someone in an American embassy who doesn't know the countries in his assigned region.

L.M.

I think anyone paying good money to fly to meet someone they met on the Net probably deserves whatever happens to them.<BR><BR>What is Marc driving at? Are their countries where this happens more than other's? No country seems to be named by Skeptic.

Christina

Any one traveling to Russia to meet an internet romance is after one thing and it's hardly a new business. There have been Russian bride businesses for some time for American men who can't find women to date they can actually talk to. That is not a slur at Russian women, who have a tough life and are perfectly fine, but I've known a couple of these guys who do this and don't think much of them or their values or motives or why they are doing it.

Karl

I disagree. Of course, there are shady businesses in this line of work. However, there are also very professional services. You just need to do your homework. Most eveything said here is stereotypical and true only a small percentage of the time.<BR>For the record, I married a Russian lady five years ago through a very professional service. She had an excellent job in Moscow and was living a very cosmopolitan life. She says often that she married me because she loves me, otherwise she really had no ambition to come to the USA. She much prefers Europe anyway. We will celebrate our 5th anniversarry in April. Believe me, that stereotype about some sort of sex slave is ridiculous. Most of these ladies are better educated than most Americans. By the way, I have had plenty of American girlfriends in my life. And the trip to Russia had nothing to do with any anti-American silliness. I love to travel and loved to meet women from other countries. So I did. Happily ever after!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

Pina

I think what Marc was driving at, and this struck me strongly as well, is the part of the statement about increased travel "... even in countries no one has heard of." How can there be a country that no one has heard of? The list of independent countries that exist in the world, along with their their locations and borders, is a matter of public record. There are several relatively new countries in E Europe, but newly independent countries must be recognised by the international community. It's simply not possible for there to be a country that "no one has heard of". Thereore, it sounds like the US embassy staffer is the one who hasn't heard of these countries ... a very bad sign if s/he works out of an embassy in the region.

Ben Haines

I enjoyed and admire Karl?s rock-solid reply. <BR><BR>The opening post is slippery. Others have made good points: I add that I wonder what 11.9 has to do with it. Does atrocious action by a set of deluded so-called Moslems (Salaam means Peace) mean that all foreigners are suspect ? Perhaps Skeptic sees these women as carrying bombs or anthrax in their petticoats ?<BR><BR>I think and hope that Skeptic?s embassy friend said only that the countries of the Soviet Union had been unknown to most Americans twenty years ago. America picks bright young people to be diplomats, and generally they know their stuff. I suspect Skeptic of trying to bring their authority to add weight to his own point of view.<BR><BR>Anyway, this is a travel group. So let me come right back to our agenda by saying that the buildings of Tallinn, Krakow, Torun, Prague, Lviv, Sibiu, and Plovdiv are in general older and more beautiful than those of London or Paris. I can send you website references for any of them, and I encourage you to go there, to see what you opened for us all when you brought the Cold War to an end. If your travel agent can?t find them, please change your travel agent.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR><BR>

Marc David Miller

Thank you, Pina

Amy

Hey Ben....don't forget Riga!! We have old and beautiful buildings here too!

Ben Haines

Sorry, Amy. Slip of the pen. But I'll be there in June, and see the progress since I saw it in 1981. A good year, 1981.<BR><BR>Ben Haines

Ben Haines

Sorry, Amy. Slip of the pen. But I'll be there in June, and see the progress since I saw it in 1981. A good year, 1981.<BR><BR>Ben Haines

elina

Of course they are trying to find the way out of the dead-end economies. They are not even trying to deny it. But they are also genuinely trying to find good husbands. It is not just Americans, all "western" men are a way out. But they are not trying to troll, there are many agencies that are reliable. And for heavens sake, not all the women are willing to move. <BR><BR>I actually saw a TV-program just two days ago about this. Israeli men were looking for Ukranian women for wives. When they were askes WHY, they said that Israeli women are too occupied with their careers, and don´t "please" the men any more. So, they went to Ukraina to meet these girls they had found from marriege agencies catalogues. The men were 40 sometihing and the girls 18-28 years old.<BR><BR>When the girls were interviewed, they said honestly that they wanted a husband who could offer them better living than they found at home. But what was really, really funny, was the fact that the most important thing for those girls was to be able to have great careers, higher level university studies and so on. They were law students, corporate management students, medical students and so on. And exactly – if not more – career ambitious as Israeli women. But when those men heard about the girls ambitions they just smiled stupidly and obviously just saw a pretty young face and did not hear a word.<BR><BR>Then they picked girls they fancied. But the girls said NO. And when they were asked what was wrong, one said:"Well, he seems like a nice man, but GOD, he is too old. He could be my father."<BR><BR>So, those girls wanted out, but they also wanted men that they found attractive. Not just any man will do.

hooked on love

Here in Washington, a man was just convicted of murdering his restless Russian mail-order bride. The middle-aged man and his tenant choked the beautiful young blonde to death, then threw her body into a shallow grave, where the 300-pound husband jumped up and down to pack her down (according to testimony from the accomplice). Of course, each of the two pointed the finger at the other. <BR>It was his second mail-order marriage. His lawyer tried to portray both young wives as hard-hearted manipulators of this lonely, romantic man. (Obviously they didn't fall in love with his charm and sex appeal.) Jury didn't buy it.