Ukraine Travelogue EN
Kiev, Ukraine - visited in April 2007
I take the night train from Minsk in Belarus (link to travelogue in Belarus) to Ukraine. I can find my wagon and my compartment easily enough thanks to Milla and Natasha who both lend me their Byelorussian eyes and voices to move on. I also asked them to write a few words in Russian and Belarusian for me, in order to get through the border more easily: 'I loved to be a lot tourist in your country'; 'I will come back for sure!'; 'I am lucky, I don't need a visa for Ukraine as a Belgian citizen'; 'Would you like a cigarette�'; 'I only have personal stuff and clothes�'. These few sentences proved very useful at the border.
I share my compartment with a small Ukrainian guy of about 200 kg, traveling to Prague. We tried to make a small deaf-dialogue during the journey but without any success. Hands and feet have limited vocabulary for both of us. However, together we sort of manage to get rid of another drunken Ukrainian that used to pay regular visits to our compartment offering us cheap vodka. However, he still managed to end up collapsing on the seats in front of us, which was rather disastrous for the rest of our journey. Half of his vodka bottle fell to our feet and he begun to throw up a couple of cm from us... I will not describe the sickening smell perfuming our teeny tiny compartment for the rest of the journey. When I eventually managed to sleep, the border nightmare started. With soviet fashion clothing and a good African-corrupted-cop look, two huge officers asked for my papers. Being the only stranger on the train, I am a godsend for them and I can see a greedy look flashing in their eyes. They chat on how much they will be able to extort from me. Fortunately I have my small sentence papers and I start to show them one by one. They look amused. It looks like one has a shy smile between his dry lips. The other tells him something in Belarusian. That must be a something like 'let him alone, he is friendly' or most probably 'let's go from here, it has a disgusting smell�' I got my visa stamp, I am safe!
In a polar-cold night, I try to get back to my dreams. I have 2 thick sweaters and one blanket to warm me up, but it is not enough. I add 4 t-shirts one over the other, and finally half of me got asleep. The other half must keep an eye open to avoid waking up in Poland! I arrive at 5h23 at the station of Lvov in Ukraine. I take shelter in the open coffee house of the station and get intimate with the heater. I am lucky... The station has a 24h bank and exchange bureau - it is not in Belgium that it would happen! - I get a little change� enough to buy myself a cup of tea and I can wait peacefully in the warmth for the sun to rise�
It's a good thing my visit to the school was delayed to tomorrow, because today I would have looked like a zombie in the class room. A small day of rest and delights will make me feel much better.
Ukrainians eat caviar like Americans eat hotdog sandwiches. I got tempted by a local sandwich - mmmm - what a delight !! I was even offered Chilean wine by a... Chilean restaurant owner who got married to an Ukrainian girl a couple of years ago. They came to live happily in Lvov and opened a small restaurant of seafood... what a delight to speak some Spanish rather than speaking Russian with my hands� He tells me a little about his life and I talk about mine, tasting an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon. ... A happy day after all ;-). I will always remember his giggle when I greeted him in Chilean slang.
My visit to the school was also a little jewel. Kids were as creative as their Belarusian friends. They loved to take photographs themselves and made some stunning compositions. The school remained open in spite of the small blue revolution that started a couple of weeks ago in Kiev.
Walking back to the streets, I sought asylum a in pizza fast food junk Cili Pica. A small angel opened the door to me under beating rain. The streets are clashing political slogans and unrest ... Thousands of creatures fully dressed in blue confront other orange competitors. Far away from the former 2004 orange revolution, the blue one looks like a pathetic organized circus. Each team - blue and orange - pay their supporters a couple of bottles of cheap vodka. As such, they are ready to face their opponent in the best way. Many actors don't hesitate to change camps when a vodka bottle is finished if they are offered a new or better brand! This has been the sad daily life for two weeks... The news of free vodka and bread is spreading quickly in the rest of the country, the other 45 millions inhabitants flow as ants to the capital. Train spaces are expensive, scarce and dangerous�.
I wonder how long this circus is going to last? Until stocks are empty... hmmmm... that could last forever ...
Back to the train... Moldova is my next destination� I like to lull to the gentle pace of the train... My travel companions along this journey of 16 hours, are a beautiful berth, a mini mattress, a thick pillow and a 40 year old Moldavian women with reddish eyes of sadness. I admire the landscape parading through my eyes. One hour of joy before getting to the next border. A non-existing border, making the link to a non-existing country. I feel a bit stressed, because the border is commonly known as the 'border of all terrors'. It lies between Ukraine and the non recognized country of Transnistrea, a tiny enclave in Moldova. Fortunately, I could negotiate my passage with good negotiations, full of my African borders experience. This time too, I had my small papers with safety-sentences written in Russian. It was tougher this time and it almost took me 4 hours to get through it with less than 1 usd left to them in 'passage fees'. But I couldn't receive any stamp on my passport... which means more trouble when leaving the 'country'. Here the Unicef cap doesn't work, because they will not recognize their country. However, this no man's land, twice the size of Luxemburg has it its own president - kind of dictator - , its currency, its post office, its constitution, legislation, police and about 650,000 inhabitants... a true open air museum of the 'beautiful soviet time'. Moldovan kids are already waiting for me and I can.t visit it.
I share my compartment with a small Ukrainian guy of about 200 kg, traveling to Prague. We tried to make a small deaf-dialogue during the journey but without any success. Hands and feet have limited vocabulary for both of us. However, together we sort of manage to get rid of another drunken Ukrainian that used to pay regular visits to our compartment offering us cheap vodka. However, he still managed to end up collapsing on the seats in front of us, which was rather disastrous for the rest of our journey. Half of his vodka bottle fell to our feet and he begun to throw up a couple of cm from us... I will not describe the sickening smell perfuming our teeny tiny compartment for the rest of the journey. When I eventually managed to sleep, the border nightmare started. With soviet fashion clothing and a good African-corrupted-cop look, two huge officers asked for my papers. Being the only stranger on the train, I am a godsend for them and I can see a greedy look flashing in their eyes. They chat on how much they will be able to extort from me. Fortunately I have my small sentence papers and I start to show them one by one. They look amused. It looks like one has a shy smile between his dry lips. The other tells him something in Belarusian. That must be a something like 'let him alone, he is friendly' or most probably 'let's go from here, it has a disgusting smell�' I got my visa stamp, I am safe!
In a polar-cold night, I try to get back to my dreams. I have 2 thick sweaters and one blanket to warm me up, but it is not enough. I add 4 t-shirts one over the other, and finally half of me got asleep. The other half must keep an eye open to avoid waking up in Poland! I arrive at 5h23 at the station of Lvov in Ukraine. I take shelter in the open coffee house of the station and get intimate with the heater. I am lucky... The station has a 24h bank and exchange bureau - it is not in Belgium that it would happen! - I get a little change� enough to buy myself a cup of tea and I can wait peacefully in the warmth for the sun to rise�
It's a good thing my visit to the school was delayed to tomorrow, because today I would have looked like a zombie in the class room. A small day of rest and delights will make me feel much better.
Ukrainians eat caviar like Americans eat hotdog sandwiches. I got tempted by a local sandwich - mmmm - what a delight !! I was even offered Chilean wine by a... Chilean restaurant owner who got married to an Ukrainian girl a couple of years ago. They came to live happily in Lvov and opened a small restaurant of seafood... what a delight to speak some Spanish rather than speaking Russian with my hands� He tells me a little about his life and I talk about mine, tasting an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon. ... A happy day after all ;-). I will always remember his giggle when I greeted him in Chilean slang.
My visit to the school was also a little jewel. Kids were as creative as their Belarusian friends. They loved to take photographs themselves and made some stunning compositions. The school remained open in spite of the small blue revolution that started a couple of weeks ago in Kiev.
Walking back to the streets, I sought asylum a in pizza fast food junk Cili Pica. A small angel opened the door to me under beating rain. The streets are clashing political slogans and unrest ... Thousands of creatures fully dressed in blue confront other orange competitors. Far away from the former 2004 orange revolution, the blue one looks like a pathetic organized circus. Each team - blue and orange - pay their supporters a couple of bottles of cheap vodka. As such, they are ready to face their opponent in the best way. Many actors don't hesitate to change camps when a vodka bottle is finished if they are offered a new or better brand! This has been the sad daily life for two weeks... The news of free vodka and bread is spreading quickly in the rest of the country, the other 45 millions inhabitants flow as ants to the capital. Train spaces are expensive, scarce and dangerous�.
I wonder how long this circus is going to last? Until stocks are empty... hmmmm... that could last forever ...
Back to the train... Moldova is my next destination� I like to lull to the gentle pace of the train... My travel companions along this journey of 16 hours, are a beautiful berth, a mini mattress, a thick pillow and a 40 year old Moldavian women with reddish eyes of sadness. I admire the landscape parading through my eyes. One hour of joy before getting to the next border. A non-existing border, making the link to a non-existing country. I feel a bit stressed, because the border is commonly known as the 'border of all terrors'. It lies between Ukraine and the non recognized country of Transnistrea, a tiny enclave in Moldova. Fortunately, I could negotiate my passage with good negotiations, full of my African borders experience. This time too, I had my small papers with safety-sentences written in Russian. It was tougher this time and it almost took me 4 hours to get through it with less than 1 usd left to them in 'passage fees'. But I couldn't receive any stamp on my passport... which means more trouble when leaving the 'country'. Here the Unicef cap doesn't work, because they will not recognize their country. However, this no man's land, twice the size of Luxemburg has it its own president - kind of dictator - , its currency, its post office, its constitution, legislation, police and about 650,000 inhabitants... a true open air museum of the 'beautiful soviet time'. Moldovan kids are already waiting for me and I can.t visit it.
Anthony
Moldova, 23rd April 2007
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