How it works:
- Version 1: you may encounter people dressed in costumes (e.g. as Catherine and Peter at St. Isaac’s Cathedral) who pose with you seemingly for free or jump into your shots. A fee is then asked.
- Version 2: there are also people who carry exotic birds and place them on you (e.g. at Sparrow Hills in Moscow) and egg you to take a photo. A fee is of course charged.
- Version 3: at Sochi there was even a man who offered tourists a chance to pose with a panda cub, but it was actually a Chow Chowpuppy dyed to look like a panda!
- Version 4: note that some of these dressed up characters also act as pickpockets.
Places to beware:
- Moscow: Sparrow Hills
- St. Petersburg: Palace Square (DvortsovayaPloshchad), St. Isaac’s Cathedral
- Sochi
What to do:
- Decline. If you wish to, negotiate a price first.
