Ukraine and Moldova July 2008.

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Last July 2008 decided to travel back to Ukraine and maybe make my return by train through some of the neighboring countries. So, I departed out of Houston, my then base, with Continental Airlines and then connected in Amsterdam with Ukranian Air.
Arrived into Kyiv at night, late and took my shuttle from Boristopol Airport to the Train Station near downtown, and walked looking for a hotel, finding one near the Sports Arena and it was relatively cheap, about $35.00 US, so, I stayed the night. Someone, one day told me that it was not recommended to walk the streets of Kyiv at night, this was going to be my fourth time doing just that, and there's no danger, or it can be compared as to walk in any city in any country in the world .....
The next morning I hooked up with my friend Polina, a police officer from Kyiv P.D. and spent the next day or so walking the streets of Kyiv, having a cup of coffee here and a meal in another place, we when to the beach, at the other side of the Dneper, and took a skinny dip in the cold, cold waters. It was the weekend, so, my friend was able to spend it with me, monday AM, she had to go back to work most of the day.
I rented an apartment near the train station from a "babushka" and it was in a 23 floor of a soviet era building. My friend Polina lives near by.
As the weekend wore down, I started making plans; a friend a co-worker, Aaron was visiting his wife in a city south of Kyiv , Mikholaiv, and I was supposed to go and see them, but I have another friend, Tanja, in Vinitsya, and I decided to go to this last place by train monday AM.
Summer time the sun comes out early and my apartment was facing exactly the sunrise, so by 0500 hrs. I was awaken by this bright light in my face ! ...... got up, shower, got my backpack and left my apartment to the hauptbanhof ..... bought my ticket to Vinitsya and went out for a walk, had plenty of time.
When I retrned, with plenty of time, still, I couldn't find the gate ! . I asked everyone I could and was sent one place after another.
As a novice, I broke one of the first rules of travel, never bring on a trip a brand new pair of shoes, they will kill you. Well, I bought a pair of flip-flops for this trip, only that. No tenis shoes, no confort shoes of any kind, only my "flying uniform" with my pair of dress shoes and my "flippas" ..... at this point, looking for my gate to depart to Vinitsya, I am already walking bare foot, so, I finally find the gate; it was a remote terminal, and seems like nobody knew about it, or it was in the back of their mind, and nobody could direct me right to it. Well, I missed my train, now I had to go and hustle my money back and or get a ticket for the next trip.
Back at the terminal I find myself on line for returns. Sharing my story people in the line for refunds tell me that it;s almost impossible to get my money back, but I insist and stay in line. Finally after a long long time, I get to the window and amazingly for everyone present, I got my money back ! ..... a girl offers me to translate for me and I buy my ticket for a seat next to hers, so we can talk on the trip to Vinitsya, she's from there and studies in Kyiv, she's going home for vacations.
Anna, the girl that is going to be "my neighbor" in the train and I go right accross the avenue to a McDonald because she wants breakfast there.
Train departs and here we are aboard for the 4 + hr. trip through the countryside of Ukraina ! ..... the fields are yellowish and the blue, blue sky is intense ..... the colors of the Ukranian flag ! ...... flat, flat country great for farming and agriculture, not for nothing Hitler was looking at this place as the farm of his Reich ! .....
We talked about music, Anna's amazed that an older dude knows, or likes the same groups she does from Alternative to rock, to some russian and ukranian music ! ..... Anna goes to sleep and I decided to go to the bar car and on my way I see this gorgeous model-like chick ! ..... but she's not interested, so I go and get my piva and come back to my seat and continue enjoying the scenery, and the people that surrounds me, while listening to my i-pod.
Later on, this gorgeous chick passes by, and again, and again. She trips on a piece of luggage and complains about how dirty and bad the train looks and is, she's even complaining about Ukraine !. I offer my help and she accepts and she continues to complain about the country, to what I ask where is ahe from. Vinitsya, but I am coming back from Germany and was flying Lufthansa and the Lufthansa airplane was spotless, and this train is sooooo filty. Wow !, what a comparison, I said, you can't compare both systems of transportation ! ..... I invite her a piva at the bar car and we go there for our beers. Her name is Tatiana and we streak a conversation.
As we approach Vinitsya Anna comes to the bar looking for me and I say goodbye to Tatiana and go back with my train companion to our seats.
The soviet train stops at the station and everything becomes a rush and sudden movement of people everywhere ...... I deplane, or detrain, and start walking ..... at a distance I recognice my dear friend (call her sister) Tanja ...... Jorgy !, she exclaims ...... and we run to each other encounter and embrace with a warm hug !!! .... soo happy to be there in her hometown ! .
We exit the station and took a city bus, one of those vans with crouded seats for 6 but has 10 people ! ..... of course, I'm the only foreigner, maybe in the whole Vinitsya ! .....
Tanja tells me that her house is under some contruction and her mom told her to excuse me for not housing me there, but she will get me the best place in town. We get off in downtown and start walking looking for a hotel. We go into one. Full. Another and another and they are exither, way to expensive, or full and we get to the intersection of two central avenues, right accross the river and there's this tall building, a hotel with the name of the river ! ..... of course I don't remember the name.
We go in, as Tanja's telling me she used to work there. At the reception I check in, pay, about US $ 40.00 and go up to the 7 floor. Got out of the elevator and stop by the "babushka" to check in, she gives me my keys, towels, toilet paper, and soap and she directs us to my room. As we go in, the room, nothing special, or fancy, has a big bed, color TV and everything, hot water, air conditioning ...... nothing out of the ordinary, so I settle in, we talk and later on Tanja leaves home.
As Tanja leaves, I walked her to her bus and when I come back I noticed the club. Went in to check it out and it's dead, so I go to sleep my night ......
The next morning as I wait for Tanja having a cup of coffee, notice from the outside how most floors at the hotel look different ! ...... only two floors look like they have aluminum windows, the rest are wood ..... mmmmh ! .
When Tanja arrives I tell her and her response is yes, you are in one of those two floors, those floors are the only two for foreigners ! ...... wow ! . Well, I don't want to be there, is there a way to move to a "locals floor" ? ..... yes, responds. And we go to the reception, Tanja tells the lady there, she looks sorprised, looking at me and asking Tanja something like "are you sure he wants to move there ???" ... yes. Well, I got what I asked for, a local room, in the 4 floor. So, I move my stuff and when the elevator door opens, I am in a completrelly different hotel ! ...... yellowish walls, full of cracks, chunks of concrete from the ceiling are missing and you can see the rusty reebar ! ..... the carpet is completelly worn ! ..... it is dark, there are doors that maybe, have ver being opened ..... we are laughing hard ! ..... we check in with the babushka and she's mean ! ..... she kind of throws my stuff in my hands and shuts her door hushing us away ! .
We walk the darkish corridor and finally see my room. The door opens into a room soo dark. I turn on the lights by uniting two wires ! ..... go into the bathroom and it's amazing ! .... the toilet has no seat, there's missing tiles everywhere, floor, walls and of course, a big ass chunk of ceiling is gone, courtesy of a water leak that is still leaking, maybe since 1966 ! ...... the sink's water faucets are there, but one is the shower head ! ... and, no space for showering, you have to accomodate yourself in between the toilet and the sink ! ...... the room is similar ..... carpet completelly worn and the furniture is hugly and doesn't convine with anything ! .....
I leave my stuff there and we leaveto a park about 4 hrs. away. This is a famous park built by a very rich polish man in the late 1800's in honor of his wife. There are gardens, waterfalls, little lakes and houses, palacial houses there, a very nice park, but, I can't remember it's name ! .
On the way we stopped in a couple of little towns and I was admiring the cars from the soviet era, the buses with their big tanks of LP gas in the top, in rows of cylinders, as I told Tanja, everything is so ugly that is soo beautiful !, I love it all ! .
Saw the whole park, met a cousing of Tanja and later on we returned home, to Vinitsya. The shuttle was soo crowded ! ..... and soo small ! . As we got back went for diner to this ukranian fine restaurant in town and ate like kings ! .
My plans were to go fro Vinitsya to Mikholaiv, but as the night grew into night, Tanja and I went for some pivas and started talking, where do you want to go, Jorgy, she asked me ..... mmmmh ! . I have to choose in between Mikholaiv or a place that has been in my mind for a long time; Lviv ! , and I decided for Lviv, so we go to the train station and purchased our tickets; two round trips to Lviv and back, in couch with beds for about US $ 20.00 for both ! ..... can't beat it !. So, we leave at midnight exactly. Tanja goes home, gets a change of clothes and an umbrella and comes back, we meet by the train station and go forr diner and a beer.
On the way we met a pair of russian workers Vitalik and another name I can't recall ...... they approach us and want to know everything. The tall guy I can't recall his name is after Tanja, so, Tanja is translating for him, "Jorgy, he's asking what are we ? ...", well, tell him you're my sister. The guy stears at me, theat her, then Tanja says, he doesn't believe it. Well, tell him is figurative .... ok, he's got it. Now he's asking me if I care if he screws Tanja, so, my response is if Tanja wants, I can't care less ..... so, he wants to invite us some vodka. I tell Tanja, if we start drinking, we're not going to make our trip, or at least in one piece .... who knows who this dudes are and/or what do they want.
We ended up having a table at the station's restaurant and drinking with them. Nice guys after all, but after we ate, the vodka started to flow, courtesy of our friends .... and more vodka and more ! ..... yeah, we got drunk !!! . Those guys started to sing and we had a very fun time with them, but ....... midnite came and almost went, when I realized that it is time for us to go. Where's our train, I can't read this tickets !!! ... Tanja, which gate is our train departing from ??? ...... there !, the train that is starting to move, the one that is going !!! ...... see you guys later and, Tanja ! .... RUN !!!.
And here are we, running after the train ! ...... we hopped on and after the crew checking our tickets they directed us to our car ..... so, here we are passing through each car, with lights off, making all this noise, pissing off people that is already sleeping because who knows from where this train is coming from ! ..... we got our car and find our bunk beds and we jump in, Tanja on top and I got the bottom bunk. All our neighbors are sushing us to be quiet ! ...... we made it, but we are very drunk ! . We slept like babies, drunk babies ! .....
The morning comes and with it all the noise of everybody getting up, making their beds into seats, turning the bed clothes to the babushkas or babushkos (that's not heir name, can't remember the male's name), and go to the end and get some tea or coffee ! ......
We get to Lviv and got off the train. We got only today, because tonight we're returning to Vinitsya ! . My feet, by now, are killing me !, got cuts in between my toes and cracks at the heals, so I can't walk with my flippas, and almost without them either ! ...... we go into a farmacy and Tanja, very maternal, cures my wounds ! ..... we depart the station and jump on the tram to downtown. It's a long way.
We get off at the old town Lviv and as Tanja asks in a kiosk for a map, the lady tells her to go, NOW, to this church, the oldest, because every morning, at this hour, there's mass with the organ ! ... so, we hurry and go in. It was sooo beautiful ! . This old catholic church from the XVI Century adorned with all kinds of gold regalia and ornaments, saints, altars and the big big organ playing just for us and about other ten people total ! ...... very nice welcoming into Lviv ! . Unforgetable ! .
After the church, Tanja and I walked up and down the streets, had a coffee in a place, jumped in and out of stores and places to see, and travel the tram system, went over to the old and famous cemetery, which name I can't recall, and the Soviet WW II Memorial, to the fallen ..... up a hill and into a medieval recreation town, which I thought to be a bit cheese, and after the visit, Tanja did too ..... and then looked for the house of the most famous poet of the whole Ukraine .... since I didn't take any notes, I can't recall either his name. By the early evening my feet were in such a bad shape that we went again into an apotek and Tanja bought some medications on her own. Outside this old church she attended me and cured my wounds again.
Lviv is a polish city inside the Ukraine and people goes by ukranian more than russian language when talking in any place. There's only, I heard, one Ortodox Church, and most are Catholic. The city architecture is grandiose and beautiful, very very polish-like ! . Food and everything is good and a bit different than in the other parts of Ukraine I being to.
After a while, we runned out of places and ended up in the market, checking out the food, the fruits, the beer ! .... we tasted food and bought some for the return in the train. By the train station we visited a flea market tended there, walked up and down the isles and then at our time, we went straight into our train for the ride back home, to Vinitsya. This time, sober.
The train station is nice, old and, again, different than the other ones in Ukranian territory. Our train is ready and we boarded. They give you this pack consisting of a blanket, the sheets, soap, a towel, and a little bag with some little papers, all in russian letters with a little pic of a train. Before I realice, Tanja is making my bed ..... so, I just stand there looking at her with a "thanx a lot face". So, the trip back began and the nice track music started to makes fall asleep .... slowly, slowly ! ...... and we go into the darkness .....
The morning comes and with it all the noise of all the people getting up, getting dressed, because lots of them just strip to go to sleep, and the line for the toilet, the washroom ..... come back with some tea and Tanja's got the bunkbeds ready, all folded and ready for babushka to pick up the packages of bed clothes.
Roll into the Vinitsya gate and that's the end of the trip, I got to say goodbye to my sister and depart to ..... Chisinau, Moldova ! .
Out of all places I picked Chisinau, why ? ...... Nastja's mom's from there and I just wanted to see where all that beauty came from !!! .
Got my ticket for Chisinau and I depart as soon as I deplane, or detrain from Lviv ! ...... seems like I am the only foreigner on board. I got me a bed again, but the trip is from 0900 hrs. to about 1230 hrs. arriving at Chisinau. I'm by myself in the little compartment, and we start to roll ...... we leave Vinistya, again. The fields are extended as far as the horizon ..... all yellowish ..... with that beautiful blue blue sky above ! .....
We stop over by little stations along the way and the people approaches the cars selling us beer, fried fish from the rivers, and all kinds of food ! ..... malina, which is the name of the respberries, amazingly cheap ! .... I think I got me a whole kilo for around a buck ! .... cherries, also very cheap. I got me a bottle of whole, real milk ! .... tasted sooo different, but sooo good ! .
The train gets into the border, and it slows down without stop. There are guards with their german shepperd dogs walking along the train, sniffing, checking at close the train as is passes, crowling ..... some of the guards get on board and start checking every passenger ..... I heard them approach, I give them my passport. Amerikanski ? ..... yes. They get off, the train continues it's trip. We slow down again, and, again the same thing, gards walking along the train, crowling, german shepper dogs ..... boarding and checking our passports, get off and the train continues. This time the uniforms were different, so, that was the entrance to Moldova ? .... do not know. One third time the train stops. I check my map, it looks like we're finally there ? ... not. Another checking in, we're still at the border. This time I notice the movement, in and out, accumulation of guards, and then all come into my compartment. Passport. Here. Have money, cash ? ... no. Pulled my wallet and I have a ten euro bill on it, and one of the guards pulls it out ! .... for piva, he says. Piva ?, how about my piva ?. I decided to play dumb and let it happen, fifteen bucks, not worthed ...... fuck it.
Everybody gets off and the train continues again and all the way to Chisinau. We get there as announced, at around 1230 hrs. I get off the train and walk out of the terminal into a park ..... asked one person, downtown ? ... centrum ??? .... nobody seems to understand .... so, I start walking, there's an avenue at the end of the park, look left, it goes into something like a hill and there are no more big buildings in that direction .... look at my right and the avenue seems to go somewhere like downtown. At the bus stop I see a couple and ask them again and they respond, you're in downtown, but to the left you'll see all the nice things, take bus #4 and it will take you there. So, I do. Once on board I seem to understand the language ! ...... pay attention and yes, it sounds latin based ! .... it is roma. So now, with some italian, latin, spanish I can get by easier than with english here ! .....
The city is nice, lots of cafes, clubs, very very young city. I heard bad things about it in Ukraine, but seems, ate least the capital, very outgoing ..... bimmers, Mercedes ..... even Porsches ! .... beautiful girls everywhere ! .... go into the supermarket and they have good food. I get me a Chisinau piva and when I pay for it, they cannot open it there for me .... the law. Well, outside I go to a payphone and with the ear piece I get it open ! ..... nasdarobia Chisinau ! . Made my country # 80 ! ......
Got me a hotel and right away, this dude wants to help me with my backpack ... it's a backpack, dude ! .... so, he insists and gets with me to the elevator. Want women ?, cheap, beautiful ! .... no, thanx dude. Well, if you decide, come to me. Yep, thanx.
Went to the marjket to check it out ! .... lots and lots of food ! .... got me a whole kilo of malina and another one of Rainier cherries ! ..... and eat them right there, walking and checking the market ! .... nice, nice people all around. At night I go out to check the restaurants, the crouds, the cafes, and have some nice meal. I don't have much time, got to leave at midnite ! ..... as always, airline business keeps you busy and the free time's not much ! .
Once at the train station I throw myself into the floor with my backpack behind, tune on my i-pod and relax waiting for my train. Have just done that when a guard appears from nowhere and starts giving me shit ! .... so, easy I tell him I don't understand him, just go away ... leave me alone. He insists and comes back with a boss and he speaks english. It is forbiden to sit in the floor ! .... and they point to the plastic firm chairs ..... oh, well ..... there goes relaxation. Forbiden to sit on the floor. Never heard of such a stupidity ! .....
Early morning I arrived into Kyiv Train Station and right away I go out looking for a babushka to rent an apartment. Found one and got me a nice nice place. While walking with her .... no english spoken, we are talking .... and she kinds of asks if I know anyone there. Yes, my friend Polina, and she's a cop ! ..... so, she asks for her number and she calls her. Later on Polina tells me that the babushka told her "do you know this crazy man, walking the streets of Kyiv bare foot, he says he's your friend ? ...", she affirms and then she asks me where I am from ..... to what I responded "amerikaninski" and she gets a kick out of it and starts to laugh ! ..... repeating amerikaninski ! ...... later on, Polina tells me laughing, it is amerikanski ! .
I gave up on my flippas (vietnamski) and I 've been walking bare foot for days and days all over, everywhere ! ......
I meet with Polina again, it is the weekend, so, we got it for us ! ..... piva, food at my favorite place in Kyiv, a place called something about stomach, right in downtown, behind the Arena and the market ! .... great ukranian food and at a good price ! ......
We went to the beach again ..... drank and had fun and then my time came to an end ...... time to return to the US ! .
polly came early AM to say goodbye ..... again, sun up ar around 0500 hrs. another hot day ! ..... say goodbye to Polly, and walk accross the avenue to the train station and get my shuttle to Boristopol Airport, and my flight back to Amsterdam with KLM ..... sice I got in with Ukranian, and CO has no deals with it, I think it was just a nice mistake ! .......

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Photos

Ukraine
my bathroom

Ukraine
my hotel in Vinitsya

Ukraine
my room in Vinitsya

Ukraine
my room

Ukraine
Vitalik the other guys and me at the Vinitsya Train Station

Lviv, Ukraine
in the early AM, the streets of downtown Lviv

Lviv, Ukraine
An old WW II Memorial at the most famous cemetery in Lviv. Notice the state of abandon of the memorial after the Soviet Union fall .....

Ukraine
some art and a view of part of downtown Lviv .....

Ukraine
another view of Lviv .....

Ukraine
street power lines and lights ..... Lviv

Ukraine
the streets of Lviv .... reflection.

Lviv, Ukraine
View from an old church into the neighborhood ....., Lviv.

Lviv, Ukraine
the train station ......

Lviv, Ukraine
a staircase ...... Lviv

Lviv, Ukraine
I swear, this frescoe scared the hell out of us, when we entered this old church. Notice the dude stearing at us on it !!!.

Lviv, Ukraine
My dear friend/sister Tanja.....

Lviv, Ukraine
I swear, this frescoe scared the crap out of us when we entered this old, old church in Lviv ...... look at the way that dude is stearing at us !!! .....

Lviv, Ukraine
the Lviv Train Station

Chisinau, Moldova
my hotel room in Chisinau, Moldova ......

Chisinau, Moldova
a multifamily building from the soviet era......

Chisinau, Moldova
just a street caption with a funny sign .....

in the train
my backpack, my passport and my ass going from Moldova back to Ukraine ! ......

Vinitsya
Airforce Building with it's Mig as monument

Vinitsya
A pic I named "The Babushka Express" .....