This is my 7th trip to Ukraine. Instead of flying out of my local airport, I flew
out of Dulles Airport near Washington, D. C. I stayed at the Hampton Inn in
Sterling, Virginia which is near the airport and they have a free shuttle to the
airport. I have been told that you can leave your car in their parking lot for
free, but they charge $7 per day. The parking at the airport was $10-$20 per
day.
I am a Delta frequent flyer, but my flight is on KLM which has always been a
good experience. I fly to Schiphol in Amsterdam and after a 2 hour layover
fly into Boryspil near Kiev. At passport control, I did not have to fill out the
piece of paper which they would tear in half and you had to give back when
you leave the country. They did not ask the purpose of my visit. I follow the
green line for nothing to declare, but since I am a suspicious looking foreigner,
I have my baggage put through the X-ray machine. The customs official asks
if I have any gifts and how much cash I am carrying. On this trip, I bring the
usual cookies and candies, but I am bringing an iPhone 5 at the request of my
interpreter. He asks to see it and asks how much it costs. I purchased it on
Amazon for $279 and I hope that the duty, if any, is no more than 100%. I
am quite relieved that he sends me on my way without any duty taxes.
Once in the terminal, I exchange some dollars for grivna. The rate is 22.50 per
dollar. I purchase a SIM card for my phone and I ask the lady about a bus to
the train station. She tells me to take Skybus 322 to the train station. I have
a large suitcase and the compartment for large bags fills up quickly and I have
to wait for the next bus. The bus fare to the train station is 60 grivna. I have
a train ticket that was purchased online before my trip. The fare from Kiev to
Odessa is 800 grivna. I have tried to purchase tickets at the train station before
and it was such a problem that I usually ask the concierge of the hotel to take
care of it for me.
My train does not leave until 10 PM, so I have about 6 hours to kill. There is a
Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut near the train station. I go
to the Kentucky Fried Chicken store for lunch. The menu is in Ukrainian and it
is more difficult for me to figure it out. I order one of their small meals and it
not much different from the U. S. I asked a Ukrainian friend who lives in my
city if she wanted anything from Ukraine and she asked for Goshen chocolate.
There is a Goshen chocolate store near the train station with an incredible
assortment of various chocolates. There is limited seating in the train station
and I read for awhile, but give up my chair for a woman who is looking for a
seat. There are lockers in the basement of the train station. They require a
token which is 22 grivna. I find out that my large bag will not fit in the locker
and there is a place in the basement where they will store your baggage for
25 grivna. The bathrooms in the train station are old, but acceptable. The
bathrooms at the McDonald's are more modern and much cleaner. I spend
some time sitting outside the train station and there is a gathering of people.
There is a young man in military camouflage uniform surrounded by presumably
family and friends. There are smiles and laughter, but there are also tears that
are being wiped away. I think that these are moments that can be universally
appreciated, especially for anyone who has sent a loved one off to war.
About 30 minutes prior to departure, the track for my train is listed and I head
toward the platform. There is a number of stairs to get to the platform. I am
starting to have regrets about bringing a large suitcase on this trip. I was offered
help by many people in the terminal and it might have been easier to pay for
someone to help me. I manage to get my large suitcase on the train and I am
sharing a compartment with a very nice older gentleman. I know enough Russian
to greet and introduce myself and where I am from, but it gets a little more difficult
after that. He expresses interest in the correct pronunciation of some English words.
I think that he is being polite and I appreciate his kindness. The train trip is 9 hours
and manage to get some sleep on the train. We arrive in the early morning in Odessa.
I take a taxi from the train station to the Duke Hotel. I think that this hotel must be
relatively new. It is located behind the Odessa Opera House. They tell me my room
will be ready at 1300. I leave my large suitcase at the hotel and go to Deribasovskaya
to have breakfast at McDonald's. I go to the shopping mall nearby. I like to feed the
cats when I am in Odessa so I pick up some cat food and disposable plastic plates. I
have lunch at Lasunka and then go to Mick O'Neills to drink some bottled water and
watch a pool tournament on TV while I wait for my room. My room is very nice and
clean. When I booked the room, a tub was advertised, but there is only a shower stall.
I noticed that the thermostat is locked at 25 C which is too warm for me. I ask the
people at the front desk to lower the temperature and they turn it down to 24.5 C. I
was going to turn the air conditioner off and open the window, but the maid does this
before I get to this and my problem is solved. I have had this experience before when
my room is too warm and it is cooler in the hall outside the room. I think that if I return
to Odessa, I will stay at the Bristol Hotel. The weather in Odessa is perfect for me with
highs of 25 C and in the evening slightly cool.
I ask the women that I will meet to have their interpreter call the hotel and leave a
contact number. I receive a call from the interpreter of the woman that I will meet
on the first day. She says that she called and left a message, but the receptionist at
the hotel said that she forgot to give me the message. The second time she asked
them to ring my room. The interpreter says that this is not uncommon. I told her
on my first trip, an interpreter called for me and they said that I was not checked in
the hotel. We agree to meet at the Odessa Opera House. I meet the interpreter and
she tells me the woman is running late. She is wearing a red dress with matching
red tennis shoes. I am wearing a suit and tie. We go to a restaurant off Deribasovskaya
and she orders sushi. I have borsch and sushi. The woman and her interpreter are
intelligent women and we talk about Ukrainian economics and politics. The interpreter
says that there is a great disparity of wealth distribution with very wealthy and very
poor. She says that there is not much of a middle class. She says that a person can
live very comfortably in Odessa for $1,000 per month. I get the impression that she
would like Russia and Europe to leave them alone. We talk about Greece and she
says that Greece was fine before they entered the EU. I tell her that if Greece wanted
to be left alone, they would not be able to sustain their pensions and people would not
be able to retire at age 50. If you accept money from others, there are always conditions.
We do agree that life is very difficult for older people in Ukraine. I enjoyed the conversation,
but feel that these women do not have any concept how things work in the real world.
At the end of the meeting, the interpreter asks if we can meet again and I told her that
I am going to see someone the following evening and I will be leaving the following day.
She says to call her if things change. She asks if I can give the woman 200 grivna for
taxi fare. I have not heard from the other woman's interpreter, so I am not sure if we are
meeting the following day. My impression is that this women is a pro dater. She did not
express any interest in my life other than my occupation. I do not think that there is any
possible relationship here, but it was an interesting evening.
The following morning, I get the message front the other woman's interpreter. She says
that we can meet at the Odessa Opera House in the evening. I meet them and this girl
is attractive and well dressed. Her interpreter has a car. We go to a very nice restaurant
which I think is called Alexandrovsky. While we are at the restaurant, the women recognize
the governor of Odessa. I have heard that he was the former Georgian president and I
have heard of him, but would not recognize him. He seemed to tower over the men with him.
The waiter says that he eats there every evening. The woman and I order, but I am surprised
that the interpreter does not order anything, but shares an appetizer. There are numerous cats
walking around the restaurant and I am happy to share some of my food with them. The woman
has told me in a previous communication that her mother passed away last summer. I told her
that I was sorry to hear this. She has no brothers or sisters, but her father is still alive and living
with his mother. I wonder if she would be able to leave Ukraine and she says that she will if she
finds the right man. She would like to have 2 or 3 children. I have told her that I live 25 km from
the Atlantic Ocean, but I plan to move to Hawaii and build a house and retire there in a few years.
This woman is attractive and very well-mannered and I ask for her contact information. Her
interpreter asks for my e-mail address and she will send her e-mail by text. She asks me to send
her interpreter a message when I arrive at the hotel so that they know that I made it back safely.
I thought that was a very nice thought, but I told her not to worry. I do not know if this woman is
serious, but I would be happy to meet her again.
Today I will be taking the train to Kharkov and meeting women over the next 4 days. I have 2 days
after this that I will leave open to meet with some of these women or just rest. The fare from Odessa
to Kharkov is 700 grivna. It is a 14 hour trip. I look forward to spending some time in one place. I
prefer Odessa to Kharkov, but I look forward to seeing my interpreter in Kharkov. I will be staying at
the Superior Golf Club and Spa. It is the nicest place that I have stayed in Ukraine.
