У Карпатах

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In the Carpathians... Ever since arriving in Ukraine last week, I've been having bad flashbacks to my year and a half studying the grammatically diabolical Russian language. To me, Ukrainian and Russian are similar enough yet also different enough that I'm never quite sure if I should: a) attempt to communicate in Ukrainian; b) make a marginally better attempt in Russian; c) just give up and go straight to English. With b), I never know how Ukrainians will feel about being addressed in Russian so I've been hoping that I'm being perceived as a well-intentioned tourist trying to speak unintelligible Ukrainian.

Currently in L'viv, beautiful city with a fascinating history. Will spend 3 days and nights here before continuing to Kyiv, Odesa, and Moldova... one frenetic week for all 3.

До побачення, товариші!

$US ≈ 24.5 Ukraine hryvnia (UAH)

Mt Hoverla

Before the trip I had booked a train ticket from Užhorod to Vorokhta (one of the staging towns for Hoverla) with a change in L'viv. It was overnight to L'viv then switching to a ~5 hour ride from there to Vorokhta with a nerve wracking, scheduled 37 minute layover which ended up being about 15 minutes. Both tickets were 3^rd class but very quiet and comfortable and I was able to sleep really well. There is a shorter way from Užhorod by bus to Rakhiv then train to Vorokhta but it would have burned an entire day and cost more than the 2 train rides combined, not to mention my accommodation on the train too.

After L'viv, there was a long stop in Ivano-Frankivsk (a.k.a., IF, about halfway to Vorokhta) which would have been just enough to hit the really good cafeteria in the train station had I been paying attention. Settled for a tea (10 UAH) from the carriage attendant then used the glass to brew my own coffee with the super critical hot water from the samovar conveniently present on all trains I've ever taken in the former USSR.

While preparing the coffee I met Andriy from L'viv and his friends who were doing an overnight near Hoverla but were starting from a different trail than I was. He introduced me to some local kids who were going to hike Hoverla then return to L'viv same day. This was muy importante since I had no idea how I was going to get from Vorokhta to the start of the hike ~20 kms away without shelling out 400 UAH for my own taxi. At the train station, 12:00 or so by this time, the 10 students arranged a van to the start of the hike at Zaroslyak for 100 UAH each and they were happy to take me. I would have to figure out how to get back on my own because they were not going back to Vorokhta until 20:00 and I knew with 100% certainty that I would not need 7 hours for the hike.

At the park boundary checkpoint we all had to get out of the van, register with the officials, and pay the 30 UAH entry fee. When I slid over a 100 UAH note to the woman to pay she pushed it back saying, "mini present," and would take absolutely no money. After receiving my present we cruised along as fast as we could on the deteriorating road arriving at Zaroslyak just before 13:00. It took me a few minutes to wander down to the bathroom/shower building (5/50 UAH) where I left my luagge with the attendant for 50 UAH.

The hike was straightforward except that I did not heed the advice of the park official who suggested going up the green marked trail and down the blue (3 kms to the summit and 1 km shorter than green but pretty steep for a stretch). I took blue both ways because I was naively holding out hope that I could catch the 17:00 train north to IF. The trail was very crowded presumably because it was the weekend but it only took me 1½ hours to get to the freezing summit at 14:45 where, per the norm, I did not dawdle.

Back at Zaroslyak by 15:55 I inhaled a bowl of scalding hot yushka (mushroom soup with noodles) as I had barely eaten anything the whole day save for a Clif bar on the trail and a cutlet roll on the train that my compartment co-traveler had graciously offered me for breakfast over tea. After retrieving my bag I wandered around the parking lot asking about a lift back to the train station. I actually met someone from Minnesota living in Kiev and his Ukrainian girlfriend who were also looking for a ride. It took a while before the other passengers were rustled up but we passed the time doing shots of nalivka (strong berry wine) for 20 UAH each. Blackberry was my favorite. The ride back (also 100 UAH pp) was much slower than the way up and I just missed the 17:42 bus to IF. Hit the local pizzeria for a healthy sized margherita and a pint of Czech beer for 96 UAH. The next bus, marshrutka actually, rolled through ~19:00 and it was a quick 2 hour trip to IF for 85 UAH dropped right at the train station about a block from the hostel.

For the whole trip, I left Užgorod just before midnight Friday night, tagged the summit the following day, and got to my next destination 21 hours later making for one of my most intensely packed travel experiences ever.

Transport The train from Užgorod to L'viv departed 23:48 scheduled to arrive 05:58 but was ~20 minutes late. The next train departed Saturday morning on time at 06:35 and arrived Vorokhta more or less on time at 12:00. Cost for each leg in platskart was ~127 UAH, so ~$10 for the entire trip.

Užgorod

Good entry point into Ukraine coming from Czech Republic or Slovakia. Logistically, it worked for me as I was heading straight to the mountains from here via L'viv. Aside from L'viv, Užgorod itself is not really well connected by train to other parts of Ukraine which may partially explain why there were so few tourists. Not much to draw the traveler here but not a bad place. If I'd had more motivation I could have taken an hour bus ride to Mukachevo to check out the purportedly impressive castle.

Accommodation and food Had reserved Freedom Hostel for one night because they would let me check in early after the long trip from Brno. The hostel was still a major work in progress but more importantly there was no one staffing the place. As such, I headed down the road to central Alina Hostel at Rio Plaza and took a bed in a 3 person dorm (only one other person) for 150 UAH. Super clean, good WiFi. Couldn't check in til 15:00 so dumped the bag and hit the stolovaya (Russian term for cafeteria, not sure that word is used here but it's understood) 2 floors down. There are a TON of cafés in Užgorod, close by was Palermo, 30 UAH for a cappuccino or a Ukrainian latte (for a US style latte flat white is better), 20 UAH for a shot of espresso. Good WiFi, can chillax there no pressure.

Transport The adjacent train and long distance bus stations are about a 30 min walk south of the center. City buses also make the run.

Ivano-Frankivsk

IF was a quasi-planned stop after Hoverla since I did not know how far I'd be able to get after the hike. It was only 2 hours by bus from Vorokhta, another 3 hours to L'viv which would have involved getting to a different bus station on the far side of town. Seeing as it was late and there was still space on a late afternoon train to L'viv the next day, I opted to crash there for the night and see the sights before catching the train.

Turned out to be a really nice, small city and the weather, unlike on Hoverla, was perfect. Since it was Sunday, the market area around city hall was buzzing with food stalls, booze, and crafts. The city hall tourist office has an English map for 2 self guided walking tours (maybe an hour for each one) and there is actually an app for the tours too.

Accommodation and food A block from the train and southern bus station, Transit Hostel admirably served its purpose. I reserved it thru booking.com as I waited for the receptionist to come down to unlock the door (good security). It was 170 UAH in a 6 pp dorm, good WiFi, amazing showers, and they let me leave my bag for free after the 12:00 checkout (often not the case).

Wandering around early in the morning there was not much open except for some cafés and the grill on the market square. Close to the market Delikates has great coffees and pastries. Grabbed a good sized bowl of sausage, mushrooms, and eggplant for 120 UAH at the grill. By the time I was in the middle of the first walking tour the market was in full gear and as it was still a bit nippy out I had a cup of mulled wine, kind of like nalivka just as strong but hot, for 20 UAH. The train station has a great cafeteria, OK place to hang while waiting to depart. Luggage storage at the station 25 UAH/bag for 24 hours.

Transport Many marshrutkiy throughout the day to L'viv. Faster and much more comfortable are one of the frequent trains. I caught one departing IF at 16:58, arriving L'viv just before 20:00, 147 UAH in platskart.

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Photos

Socked in Cold High Point of Ukraine
2,061m (6,762') and absolutely no visibility.

Souvenir Stand, Many Bottles of Nalivka
She's holding a bottle made from some kind of fermented nut, didn't love it. But all the other fruit and honey based drinks were very muy bueno.

Town Hall and Market Square
Ivano-Frankivsk

Childrens Library
Ivano-Frankivsk

Cathedral
Ivano-Frankivsk

Armenian Church
Ivano-Frankivsk

Market Square Grill, Ivano-Frankivsk
Watch out for the liver sausage unless that's your thing.

Comments

[Heidi Cusworth]

Sunny or cloudy
Hi,. See that first picture of you in the clouds on top of the highest mountian made me wonder if you know how often you've had a view or been socked in amongst the clouds?

[povertyjetset]

Most hikes have had really good visibility. The weather here has been unseasonably cold until recently so that's usually not good for summits.

[Wendy Prohl]

Way to go Jon !
Great reading, chock full of interesting facts and personal experiences ! Jon is a consummate off-the-beaten-path travel warrior, makes traveling seem easy-peasy, but in fact it takes a lot of mojo and self-confidence to do this kind of stuff.