When Michael Scott Moore flew to Somalia to write a book about the piracy that's rampant in the Horn of Africa, he didn't expect to become the center of the story.

I knew Somali pirates tended not

ideological hostage takers

ideological hostage takers.

They're just criminal, they just want the money.

What I didn't expect was that they were going to demand

20 million dollars, which was a total shock to me.

Coming up, we hear all Michael survived being held 20 million dollars which is a total shock to me.

Coming up we hear all Michael survived being held hostage for nearly three years by Somali

pirates. We'll also look at the reasons people avoid visiting Russia and what they're

missing out on.

For a little historical fun, travel writer Robert Reed

suggests a visit to Moscow's Cosmonaut Museum.

You see all these old Cosmonaut Outfits

and the dogs they send up to space,

they're actually there there the stuffed dogs.

Plus guides from London share tips for enjoying their expensive city on a budget.

Oh gosh where we've got 250 museums and art galleries in London and almost all of them are free.

It's all just ahead on Travel with Rick Steves.

Americans' chilly attitude toward Russia is an outdated holdover from the Cold War era.

At least that's what travel writer Robert Reed believes.

He tells us what keeps taking him back to Russia in just a bit.

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