Travelling
My Trip to Ukraine
A few people here were interested in hearing about what I thought during my recent trip to Ukraine. I apologize it has taken me so long to write but life and work has kept me busy since I've returned. I apologize for some weird formatting; I'm having some troubles with the editor here.
I was in Kiev from August 31 - September 16. My original plan was to spend a few days in Kiev, go to Lviv, then spend a few more days in Kiev before I left. I ended up spending the entire trip in Kiev for a few reasons.
1. I really liked Kiev and there was much more to do and see than I anticipated.
2. Due to the language barrier, I wasn't sure I would be able to figure out the train to Lviv and I did not want to end up in France or something. 
I must admit that I was nervous about this trip. I have traveled to many countries but this was the first time I'd be in Europe, let alone Eastern Europe. I spent many, many hours reading everything I could about Ukrainian culture so that I would not accidentally offend somebody or cause trouble. I also studied and memorized the Cyrillic alphabet. After my first day in Kiev, though, all my fears went away.
It was an exhaustingly long flight but once I found myself in Boryspil, I was extremely happy/excited. I could not believe I was actually in Ukraine!
I'll condense my trip, otherwise this post will be the size of a short novel.
As a Westerner, here are some of my observations and experiences during my first trip to Ukraine (in no particular order):
- I can not tell the difference between Russian and Ukrainian language. I would have to spend quite a bit more time in the country, I think, to be able to hear the differences. Also, listening to people speak to each other, I was amazed at how fast the language sounds. It appeared to me that Russian/Ukrainian is spoken at no less than 500 km/h. 
- I was surprised by how much foliage there is throughout Kiev. Many days I just went and sat in a park and people watched while enjoying the nice weather.
- The traffic is crazy. If I tried to drive in Kiev I would be in an accident within 5 minutes. It also amazes me that more people are not run over. I found it amusing that cars drive and park on the sidewalks but it made sense after seeing how narrow some streets are.
- I have never seen so many expensive cars in my life! Everywhere I looked there were BMW's, Mercedes, Porsche, and a few Ferrari's and Lamborghinis. I was really surprised to see so many high end cars.
- I really liked the architecture. It seemed like an interesting mix of Soviet and European. Cobblestone roads, round top cathedrals, etc. Beautiful.
- Ukraine, or I'm guessing mostly just Kiev, is more expensive than I thought it would be as far as lodging and eating out. Of course eating at restaurants and cafes is more expensive than cooking at home but making food at home was not really an option for me.
- Public transportation, however, was cheap. Especially the metro. Speaking of the metro, I have never seen such long escalators!
- Ukrainian food. Ok I was nervous about this. I am NOT an adventurous eater. I usually just stick to what I like here in the USA. I was determined to try various Ukrainian dishes though.
Borsch is delicious. I rarely ever eat soup in the USA but I REALLY like borsch! 
Akroschka was also really good.
Shuba was a bit more....exotic to me. It was good but the fish taste was a bit too strong.
Salo. I was warned by a few Western men about salo who really don't like it but I did not think it was too bad. A bit salty for my taste but not bad at all.
Kvass was something else I was warned about. From the description of what Kvass is, it did not sound appealing to me at all but I actually really liked it!
I also tried various Western food to see how it compared with what I was used to. McDonalds (I'm so ashamed to admit I went there) tastes the same.
- It was very surreal to be walking around Maidan after seeing what took place there not that long ago.
- I was NOT expecting there to be giant shopping areas when you go down the underground street crossings. I became lost SO many times just trying to cross to the other side of the street. 
- I could not believe how well the women in high heels can walk in some of those areas without breaking their foot.
- People in Kiev apparently like sushi. There were a few times I was trying to find a Ukrainian restaurant and all I could find was Asian or Italian food.
- The cathedrals are really beautiful. Absolutely amazing.
There is a stereotype in the West that Eastern Europeans and especially Russians (probably just because you hear much more about Russia in the USA than you do the other countries around Eastern Europe), are somewhat "cold" and stern in their manner. I think this mostly comes down to simple cultural differences.
However, I found the Ukrainian people that I met to be extremely nice, friendly, and warm.
The number one thing I wanted to do in Ukraine was meet and speak with people but I wasn't sure that would happen due to the language barrier. I was told that many people in Kiev can speak some English but I was not sure how to find these people. 
My wish came true though and I met some wonderful Ukrainians. Probably the most notable was a young couple named Eduard and Sasha. They both speak excellent English and were very curious about my trip to Ukraine. Ed offered to take me around Kiev on his day off work (Sasha had to work) and I greatly accepted. We walked all around the Andriyivskyy Descent area as well as a few parks and other places. Seeing the sites of Kiev, answering Ed's questions about the USA, and him answering my questions about Ukraine was one of the best days during my trip.
I believe I have a few new friends in Kiev now and that made the entire trip worth it.
There were a number of times that random people came up to me and started talking in Russian or Ukrainian. I believe they were asking for directions or help finding something. This happened once when I was with Ed and after he told the stranger that I was from the USA, he explained to me that they thought I was from Eastern Russia or somewhere. I thought that was funny because the LAST thing I thought I would be mistaken for is a Russian or Ukrainian. 
Almost everyone I met asked me what I thought of Ukrainian girls, which I also found amusing. I said I thought they were lovely; I only wish I could communicate with them! 
I could write so much more but I'll stop here as this post is so long already. I really, really had a great time in Ukraine. I will definitely visit again and this time I think I'll be comfortable enough to head towards Lviv or elsewhere.
I have also applied for a 3 year Russian visa so my next report may be about my first trip to Russia!
Thank you to the members of this forum/website that helped answer questions I had before my trip and sent me messages offering advice and guidance!
Thank you, Tim, for the interesting story. I was Uraine often as a child in the city of Zhdanov (now Moreupol), my grandfather has there brothers and sisters.
I want to tell you about the lard. It had to be you try winter after two hours of skiing in the winter forest. Rye bread, preferably Borodino and thin slices of bacon on top mmmmm super!
Hi Tim,
Great observations about Kiev! Just one suggestion about the title of your topic. Make it "My trip to Kiev", not a "trip to Ukraine". It will make more sense because you only visited a capital of Ukraine and Kiev represents a real Ukraine as much as New York or LA represent real USA . Just move at least 300 km away from Kiev and you will find yourself in a completely different place on earth, and you will be surprised... If you really want to know about Ukraine, then forget about Kiev and instead visit small cities, or even villages, that are not in a Kiev district. This will be the real country
Ekaterina - other than being salty, I did not mind the salo. If you fried it, it would be just like a thick piece of bacon that we eat in the USA. In the winter and on some bread, as you said, I'm sure it would be great. I wish I would have tried more Ukrainian or Russian food but I was alone most of the trip and I was not adventurous enough to just blindly choose something from the menu. The local food that I did try was either suggested to me by the people I met or I knew about it before my trip and I asked for it.
Irina - Ah yes, you are correct. I do not believe I can edit the title now though, or at least, I do not know how. The Ukrainians I met told me the same as you, though. Most suggested I visit Lviv or some of the smaller towns. I will absolutely visit Lviv in the future. I'm not sure how well I would do in smaller towns or villages though, at least if I'm alone. I'm guessing there is not as much English spoken in the villages? I might need to save that trip for a time when I have local friends (or girlfriend/wife! 
) that can travel with me.
Galina - Certainly! There are so many places around your part of the Earth that I would love to visit. Those photos are beautiful!
Tatiana - Thank you! I hope my Russian visa is approved...
Tatiana - I really debated about staying in Kiev or going to and staying in Kharkov. Ultimately I decided to stay in Kiev for the same reason I decided not to go to Lviv; I was not sure I could buy the correct train ticket by myself. I did have an English speaking contact that helped me when I arrived that I could have asked to help me buy a ticket but I figured I would "get my feet wet" and stay in Kiev this trip. Thank you very much for your offer and if/when I go to Kharkov, you will know!
Yuliya - Thank you! If my visa is approved, the difficult part will be decided where in Russia to go for my first trip. Russia is so LARGE!
Тим! Очень приятно было прочитать Ваш отзыв о Киеве. Все,что Вы описали-соответствует действительности! Вы-очень наблюдательный молодой человек! И дорогих машин более,чем достаточно ,и рестораны. -дорогие, и храмы-уникальны. Одно обидно-почему Вы не обратились за помощью к девушкам нашего сайта? Многие с удовольствием показали бы наш прекрасный город, в качестве гида. И поддержка была бы языковая. И много интересной информации....и билет до Львова помогли бы купить Надеюсь,что в следующий раз, Вы не допустите такой ошибки! Желаю Вам успехов в Вашем освоении материка "Евразия". Думаю, что впереди Вас ждут незабываемые впечатления. Обращайтесь за помощью в любое время!
Вообще то девушки приходят на сайт для знакомства с определенной целью,а не чтоб их в качестве гидов использовали.
Julia, thank you for your comment. There were several members here that offered their assistance to me before I left. A few were not even in Kiev but said that I could call them if I needed help with translations or anything. I thought that was very nice and thoughtful; the women here are terrific.
In the end I decided to just wonder around on my own. Partly because I am adventurous and partly because I did not want to bother anyone. Also, I did have a contact that I used; he helped to pick me up from the airport, buy a local sim card, change my money, etc. So I could have reached out to him for help as well.
I will say that it would have been nice to meet some of the forum members that live in Kiev for coffee or tea. Meeting and speaking with locals was the best part of the trip. Maybe next time.
Я совершенно не против, показать умному, молодому мужчине города, поэтому я согласна, с Юлией, будете планировать посещение каких то определенных городов, дайте знать, организуем экскурсии по достопримечательностям с удовольствием! В очередной раз, убеждаюсь, что Тим, очень хороший мужчина, который решил не утруждать никого. Но уверена, что зря, потому что, есть желающие, которые с удовольствием, помогли бы организовать все нюансы путешествия! Например, если при путешествии в Россию, Вы Тим, решите посмотреть Екатеринбург, Тобольск, Тюмень, обращайтесь, буду рада оказать помощь!
Well,Doug,i saw complaints from women in black lists,because women, telling she will show the city,meant it had to bre still romantic meeting which had to lead to marriage,man meant just touristic reasons,and vice versa.It`s like when women agree to be friends with men who not attracte her,discover with great surprise,that he meant something different .After that people can become ennemies.
Thank you, Yuliya! I just received an email today that my Russian visa was granted! So now I am doing my research on the different areas but Russia is so LARGE that it is a bit overwhelming. I will look at the cities you mentioned, though, I suppose most first time tourists go to Moscow or St. Petersburg. Thankfully, my visa is the 3 year, multi-entry visa so I'll have time to make multiple trips and visit multiple cities.
That makes sense, Yana, especially if the two people are meeting from a dating site versus something like a tourism website. There might be underlying expectations that one or the other does not share.
Still, I would gladly take the opportunity to actually meet and speak with anyone from the forum. After spending time here and reading everyone's thoughts, you start to feel like you "know" the person behind the profile photo/words. It would be more like having coffee with a friend I think.
Яна,Вы ,наверное, не поняли. Речь шла об обычной помощи человеку, который приехал в чужую страну. Тим сам знает, какая девушка ему нужна для брака. И девушки, котрые здесь с той целью, о которой Вы написали-не будут предлагать себя в качестве гидов. А я человек непредвзятый и мне совершенно не трудно помочь в данной кокретной ситуации. Не всем, и не каждому. А именно Тиму, зная его по форуму, как честного и порядочного мч. С уважением.
Тим, очевидно,что Вы правильно поступили. Единственное,что хотелось бы уменьшить Ваши риски, находясь в стране без переводчика .Аферистов и мошенников хватает в люблй стране мира
Thank you, Julia! I actually felt very safe walking around Kiev (even late at night) but I appreciate your concern!
Тим,я не рискнула бы гулять одна ночью в незнакомом городе. Но я уважаю Вашу смелость,Ваш риск,если, конечно, он оправдан...Где-то в Гонгкоке мне было бы некомфортно в 3 часа ночи....в одиночку.....Смелый парень
There was only one night that I tried to minimize my exposure to people. A football game had ended and I was walking to my apartment, which was not far from the stadium, while trying to avoid the large groups of obviously drunk men.
I still did not feel uncomfortable but groups of young, drunk men are best to avoid in any country I think.
Тим, я тоже однажды ехала в метро после футбольного матча Незабываемые ощущения! Теперь иногда смотрю на график футбольных встреч
Tim if you ever need a trip buddy let me know. I don't meet many adventurous type people now that I'm a civilian again.
Will do, Kyle! I also do not have many friends that are adventurous or that want to take the time and money to travel internationally. I love it though.
Hugh
Hey Tim. I hope all is well south of the border. I am travelling to Ukraine next week and am curious as to how hard it is to get a sim card, exchange money, language barriers etc? I am visiting Odessa, Cherkassy and Kiev. Also if you could give me a head's up on good excursion/tour companies that you used I would greatly appreciate it.
Cheers,
Hugh
Hey Hugh! All is well here, just cold!
I actually used an English speaking contact for the first day to pick me up from the airport and help me get a SIM card.
I would give you a link but I don't think that is permitted here and I don't think men can message each other either.
I would suggest having somebody waiting to pick you up at the airport if possible. Many hotels and apartments offer such service. There are a LOT of taxis at the airport but I was told they will charge you quite a bit more than usual.
I changed my SIM at a large shopping center and it was pretty easy though one of the guys that were working there spoke decent English. I just showed them my phone, explained I was from the USA, and they understood what I wanted. I didn't even need my guide. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the mall but there are plenty of big ones. They'll probably figure out what you're asking for.
Money exchange is very easy as there are exchange booths and banks everywhere. My visa and MasterCard also worked at most ATMs. You'll get better exchange rates in town versus the airport. Maybe change enough at the airport to cover your ride then change the rest in the city.
The language barrier was hit and miss though there were many more people that could speak at least some English than I thought there would be. I never had any issues at places like restaurants or the touristy places (cathedrals and whatnot). I had to resort to "point and gesture" a few times but it wasn't too bad. I also downloaded a few translation apps to my phone and memorized "do you speak English?" in Russian. The vast majority of people were nice and patient with me.
Speaking of apps, there's one you can download that has a map of the metro in Kiev that's very helpful.
I actually didn't use any professional tour companies. I just basically Googled "things to see in Kiev" and wandered around on my own. I was in contact with a company to take a trip to Chernobyl but ended up not going.
I hope that helped some. I wish I could be more specific and give you links but that's against the rules apparently.
I will actually be in Kiev again on the 18th (week from today). Maybe we'll bump into each other.
Elena
Тем не менее используют, и с обеих сторон процесс. Как говорится, полезное с приятным. Цели у каждого могут быть разные и приходят они с ними куда угодно.
Salvador
Tim, I recommend visit Russia. I was very lucky to meet my great friend Elza who I meet by this site. We talked a lot using my smart phone translator but in both language Italian and Spanish. I left my heart there and I want to return back soon, to continue my interrupted tourism guide with my dear business partner I made there.
Even I found Russians are so nice and friendly, talking in English and everywhere. I really was amazed of the beauty and kind heart of them. Even at the hostel I was I made great friends even an adopted son of 38 years old who listened to my advice.
I am learning Russian and want to continue in business exploring. I am sure you will find very interesting persons there.
Moscow is marvelous and I ride alone the subway only reading Cyrillic
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