His two friends felt the same way and bought themselves $ 3500 one way tickets home. Nena suggested Ray settle down in Moscow and she'd see what she could do.

For about 10 days he busied himself by showing visiting Baha'is around the Kremlin. We thought "Kremlin Tour Guide" might look pretty snazzy on his resume and besides it was fun, he says. 

Then Nena found a $ 300 one way (charter) flight from Frankfurt to Vancouver. For another $ 100 bucks, he took the train from Moscow, through Belarus and Poland, to Germany.

Here's the totality of his German experience: after four months of travel in Russia, paying roubles (think pennies) for hotel rooms, a dollar or two to travel thousands of miles by train, and kopeks for food, he wanted a real cup of coffee. How much? US $ 6. a cup.

He said that's when he realized money "isn't real". He's got a point: just 16 years later, Russia is one of the most expensive countries on the planet to travel or live in.