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When We Do This Again, We'll Do It The Same Way

Dear Igor, 
 

Well, we made it back home. 

I just wanted to take a little time to tell you about the trip, etc., in the "aftermath". Here's a short summary of my comments. 

The Travel Arrangements

The travel arrangements were flawless. We never once had to question any of the coordinators you had listed. Everyone was on time, and we simply did not have one single problem with the arrangements. My complements to your rather sound network of travel associates in Ukraine. You work with a good group of contacts. I would not hesitate to recommend your travel planning services to anyone else, and when we go back to Ukraine or Russia, we will certainly use your services. 

Two of the three drivers were the most honorable people I have ever met. Leonid in Kyiv was a true gentleman who would have gone as far out of his way as required to make our experience satisfactory. He was more than a tour guide, he truly cared about his job. 

The driver "Mikhaylo" didn't make it to us; he got sick. In his place was a gentleman named "Bohdan". I cannot say enough about this man and what he did for us. 

He fast-tracked us though customs on the way out (they actually treated us like royalty as Canadians - we twice bypassed lines of about 50 cars!!), and they didn't take one look at the bags. He spoke Polish, and handled some rather difficult customs officers at the Polish crossing, which would have otherwise been very difficult for us. He was incredibly patient. He went out of his way to let us see the sights along the way, and he waited patiently when we visited our relatives. He put up with my quick "zupenitsya toot, proshu" (Ukrainian for "please, stop here"- I.P.) every few miles when we saw a must-take picture (we actually took 26 rolls of 36 exposure film on this trip - you do the calculation!!). 

I cannot say enough about this guy. I can swear to you, I will demand him as our driver the next time we go (he promised his wife would cook us a home-cooked meal!). 

The driver we had within L'viv was rather nonchalant. He got us to where we needed to go, but looked like he could use a little "loosening up". 

Thoughts on Travel in Ukraine

a) The police there are simply out of control. Tourism will simply not flourish in Ukraine as long as the they are allowed to keep their "military" checkpoints throughout the country. 

Our driver had to make a couple of bribes at checkpoints, they detained us for taking photographs in front of them (they obviously did not get the memo that communism died a few years ago), and they are fully aware that they scare people. If we hadn't had the exceptional driver in the country who new the "techniques" of handling this system (or complete lack thereof), we would surely have been in big trouble. 

In short, they remind me of an anarchy, completely without control from above. The cops in the city seem to have got the message, but the guys in the country are not yet interested in actively promoting tourism. On the good side, they have impressive automatic weapons! 

b) I would not want to drive in Ukraine. I have seen New York drivers, even the renowned drivers of Quebec, but I have never witnessed the display of driving mayhem as in Ukraine. It's a darn good thing we had a driver there. 

It's no wonder that their accident rate is so high there. They take chances that scare the hell out of me. 

Road signs are poorly marked or non-existent. Ukrainians have created a mysterious "third lane" on a two lane highway for passing, even directly into oncoming traffic. I'm sure glad our drivers had experience. No driver in North America is ready for such a driving experience, I'm quite positive. 

c) Ukrainian is a must in Ukraine (or even better Russian), as 99.9% of the people there did not speak a word of English. My rudimentary knowledge of Ukrainian was not only warmly appreciated by the people there, it made the whole thing possible. I would not recommend travel by anyone or group who did not have at least one person who spoke Ukrainian, even with the drivers there (they spoke absolutely no English). 

By the way, the Intourist hotel operators also spoke zero English, although sometimes I wondered. 

d) The "Intourist" hotels are nothing to brag about. The accommodations were adequate in most cases, but I would not recommend a single Intourist restaurant to anyone traveling to Ukraine. This is true for the Kyivskiy (one of the top-end hotel in Kyiv - I.P.), the Cheremosh (the only adequate hotel in Chernivtsi - I.P.) and the Dnister (one of top-end hotels in Lviv - I.P.). We actually got sick once from obviously tainted food at the Cheremosh. Out of the whole trip, I only used 1 free breakfast, and it made me ill. 

Unfortunately, most private restaurants were not much better. The best we found were the Grand Hotel in L'viv, a fascinating restaurant in Chernivtsi ("Café Maestro"), and the "Knyazhiy Hrad" in Kyiv. Ukraine has a severe shortage of good restaurants. 

In fact, it is fair to say that the best food we had the whole time was when we went to the corner "teestechka" in L'viv and bought good old "kovbasa" (in the US better known under the Polish name "kielbasa" - I.P.) and bread, and had a feast on the trip to Warsaw. 

Someone also has to tell Intourist personnel that Russian is no longer the official language of Ukraine. They were probably the only people in L'viv who dared to speak Russian. 

At the Cheremosh, they had no heat for their restaurant and lobby. Only the rooms were heated. They actually had hot water hours (7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.), and even these hours could not guarantee hot water. 

Thoughts on Ukraine

a) The land is simply beautiful. If the Ukrainian government only would advertise their tourism "industry" (although there sure as hell isn't one right now!) to the western world, there would be a flock of millions of tourists to see the natural wonders of Ukraine. 

Photographs alone will not do justice to Kamyanets-Podilskiy, Yaremcha, Zalishchyky. 

I am absolutely positive that Kamyanets-Podilskiy should be declared the eighth wonder of the world. If Walt Disney ever finds out about it, they'll buy it and start charging $50 per person to get in (:-) - I.P.). Ukraine has to be the last country in the world where you can still roam freely about such a marvel. 

Yaremcha is also beautiful. This comes from a Canadian who has been to the marvelous Canadian Rockies, to Banff in Alberta. Yaremcha is a must-see. 

I would also recommend a visit to L'viv to anyone. There is just so much to see and do there, we couldn't accomplish it in 3 days!! 

By the way, the road conditions across Ukraine, and even the "off-roads" to Senkiw, were actually in better condition than most roads in Canada. 

b) The people (other than cops) are among the most friendly in the world. I was overwhelmed by the sense of generosity towards strangers. Every household we entered, we were treated to a complete meal, home made and delicious. We were also treated (actually forced) to participate in the ritual called "tyoot-tyoot" (from Russian "choot'-choot'" meaning "just a little" - I.P.), where you drink a "ceremonial" shot of Ukrainian horilka at every household, followed by a few more (this is actually another reason I would recommend going with a driver!). 

c) The economy has come to a complete halt, especially in the Central and Eastern Ukraine. This is painfully obvious, especially in talking to relatives. I am sure that this is the lowest a country can sink, economically speaking. It can only get better. 

Some of the cities we drove through, namely Kyiv, Zhitomir and Khmelnitsky, are among the poorest I have ever seen. I simply cannot believe that these people can actually live in these conditions. One thing immediately obvious is that the communists didn't have much of a flair for decorating. The apartments look like they were painted exactly once in their lives (when they were built), and almost everything in sight is rusting. 

Funny enough, the further west you travel, the "richer" the cities appear. People in Bukovina, the old Halychyna, and L'viv seem to have more money. There are numerous massive private housing developments coming up on the outskirts of these cities, and it looks really promising for the future. 

Also, people there seem to give more "of a damn". They have decorated their houses, they repaint, they seem to care more for their ownership. Have the people in the east simply given up? 

d) The difference between East and West is so obvious, it is surprising that these two "nations" have anything in common. I actually had trouble finding people who spoke Ukrainian in Kyiv. At the bazaar on Khreshchatik, most merchants were actually unable to speak any Ukrainian at all. I don't think I saw one person who spoke Ukrainian "naturally" in Kyiv. It's like they have forgotten that they're Ukrainian. 

It's the exact opposite in L'viv. They have preserved the culture, the language, the traditions. Now what they've got to do is go out east and retrain the easterners how to be Ukrainian. Every driver we were with expressed this same sentiment. 

Everything we as Canadians know as "Ukrainian" comes from west of the Zbruch. 

e) The markets and bazaars are fun. Prices for handicrafts are unbelievably low, and you can haggle them down even lower. The selection is amazing (you may see some samples in the EuroScope Gallery of Hutsul Folk Art - I.P.), and we came back with full suitcases. 

f) I learned one more thing - the hotel bars are not places to pick up nice Ukrainian women; all the women there are on "business", and that's the same in every city we were in. 

On the whole, Igor (actually in Ukrainian, it should be "Ihor"), your services were greatly appreciated, and I will offer to be a reference for your services. After having gone on this trip as we did, I would say we did it right. We would not have wanted to use any form of public transportation (buses and trains are like sardine tins), and a driver is essential. 

Maybe if you just go to one city (in and out), then it could be more simple. However, if you want to venture out into the country, a driver and a vehicle are essential. When we do this again, we'll do it the same way. 

For the record, 
- we didn't get shot at the airport (although Boryspil needs a complete makeover!) 
- we weren't robbed by the floor lady or the maids (actually, we didn't even have a floor lady) 
- L'viv was actually exciting to walk downtown at night (so many people, but rather unreliable street lights) 
- the only highway thugs we met who tried to rob us were the police themselves. 
So, most of my fears were unfounded. However, I'm sure it paid for us to be cautious. 

Well, until next time, thanks for all your help, and you're sure to hear from us again. 

Thanks. 

Jim Kohut 
10-March-1997