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Author Topic: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane  (Read 50301 times)

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Offline calmissile

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Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« on: September 01, 2012, 01:41:01 PM »
After several months of delay, I finally got my trip booked for my next Ukraine trip.  I was originally going for 3 months, but due to pressing business matters it was delayed and now shortened to 6 weeks.  I will be departing next week from LAX.

My last romance/engagement did not result in a success and this trip is going to be different.  Rather than a WOVO trip,  I am going to take a relaxing vacation and try to assimilate more into the culture and do my best to meet many friends and perhaps network with them to meet others.
From last year I have a family that I am good friends with and they have invited me to stay with them for about 1 week out of the 6 total.  I had a blast last year, not only with a little night life, but also going out any staying at their dacha in the forest and picking mushrooms and eating out of their summer garden.

There is a long list of ladies that want to meet that I have been Skyping with,  so will try and juggle my schedule to go and visit some of them.  If a love connection happens so be it, but I am going to focus on having a good time and making friends.  Nearly all of the women I have chosen to communicate with speak at least some English, so that should make it a lot easier than before.

For those interested in current travel costs, here is the breakdown for my AAA arranged itinerary.

Round trip  LAX - Paris - Kiev  Air France
Base Rate   799.00
Taxes          681.10
Total         $1480.10

AAA processing fee  $35

Medical Insurance 6 weeks  $101.00


Doug (Calmissile)

Offline ML

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2012, 02:35:14 PM »
From last year I have a family that I am good friends with and they have invited me to stay with them for about 1 week out of the 6 total.  I had a blast last year, not only with a little night life, but also going out any staying at their dacha in the forest and picking mushrooms and eating out of their summer garden.

Doug, there are some positives in this, particularly if you look at it from a life experiences perspective.

But, on the other hand, this  can be a waste of time with respect to finding a life time partner . . . unless this family has lined up a few prospects for you.

Yes, it is fun to spend time with friends in different cultures, but I wouldn't do it at the expense of missing out on the opportunity to meet some additional eligible women.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline calmissile

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2012, 03:38:15 PM »
Doug, there are some positives in this, particularly if you look at it from a life experiences perspective.

But, on the other hand, this  can be a waste of time with respect to finding a life time partner . . . unless this family has lined up a few prospects for you.

Yes, it is fun to spend time with friends in different cultures, but I wouldn't do it at the expense of missing out on the opportunity to meet some additional eligible women.

Thanks ML for the comments.

There are about 15 gals on the short list that I am on Skype with regularily.  They all seem serious but I do not want to create any false hopes.  I am going to visit them as well as enjoy the local culture and make new friends.  I won't consider it a waste of time if I do not find someone to get serious about.  I never traveled abroad prior to my trips to Ukraine (except my business trips to Japan).  As I am aging, I figure it's about time to just enjoy the travel and the lifestyle of Ukrainians.  We don't have the time or money to visit the whole world and my previous trips to Ukriane were very rewarding and I sort of developed a love and respect for the people.  It probably could have occured in many countries, but I am already familiar with Ukraine and want to explore more of it.

Also, the Military History Channels have had so many documentaries about the Eastern Front during WWII and I recognize many of the cities in Ukriane where the tank battles took place,  etc.  Also, there is an ICMB Soviet missile site I want to tour for personal reasons.  I wish I had recorded all those documentaries so that I could watch them again before leaving.

My ex fiance has been Skyping me, so might drop in and vistit with her and the kids.
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Offline calmissile

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2012, 02:59:29 PM »
Arrived in Kiev this evening via Air Chance (Air France) by way of Paris from L.A.  It seems that every trip has some challenges along the way.  Last time my luggage ended up in Moscow.  This time, we have no idea where it is, but it was not on the plane.

Since I plan on doing some networking this time, that might have got off to a good start.  In Paris I sat down deside a beautiful blonde and started chatting with her.  I told her I was  coming on vacation and wanted to make many new friends.  She said good, I have a beautiful girlfriend that you can call, she would like to meet you.  Maybe tomorrow.  LOL

Upon arrival, it was pouring down cats and dogs.  I got rescued by Val at the airport and he brought me to my apartment and got me settled.  No umbrella, no jacket, no clothes.  Second time to go through this exercise.  At least the apartment is only a couple blocks from Independence Square.

As if things are not bad enough, I just got a text from my house sitter stating that her purse was stolen last night in a restraunt with one of my debit cards in it.  If it isn't one thing it's another.  At this point I am not going to let ANYTHING spoil my vacation.  LOL

I am butt naked in the apartment while my only clothes are washing.  Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day.  The image of the sexy gals walking below my apartment at least puts me in a good mood.   LOL

Also got a  Skype call from a gal from Huston, TX that is in Ukraine that wants to meet up.  We have Skyped in the past.  She wants to meet up.

More tomorrow........
Doug (Calmissile)

Offline Vinnvinny

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2012, 03:04:56 PM »

Upon arrival, it was pouring down cats and dogs.  I got rescued by Val at the airport and he brought me to my apartment and got me settled.  No umbrella, no jacket, no clothes.  Second time to go through this exercise.  At least the apartment is only a couple blocks from Independence Square.

Have you noticed the new water fountains inside the square yet Doug?

Offline calmissile

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #5 on: September 06, 2012, 03:12:13 PM »
Not sure Vinny.  Is it the one over a glass dome.  It was raining so hard, I was dodging the puddles in my tennis shoes.   LOL
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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #6 on: September 06, 2012, 03:14:00 PM »
Not sure Vinny.  Is it the one over a glass dome.  It was raining so hard, I was dodging the puddles in my tennis shoes.   LOL


Yes, around the dome. They have installed new fountains with fancy lights. Quite a nice job I thought.

Offline calmissile

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #7 on: September 06, 2012, 03:26:07 PM »
It is night and the rain makes it all fuzzy.   I will check it out tomorrow.  I am supposed to change apartments tomorrow.   Val is really a saviour.   I would recommend him to anyone coming to Ukraine.

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #8 on: September 06, 2012, 06:11:02 PM »
Hey Doug! Glad you made to Kiev safely. Sorry about about the luggage. I can't say I have ever been in your shoes in this regard. I guess I have always been lucky. LOL


Have fun and remember to stay away from the Kiev cops in Independence square. Especially when walking underground!!!
every ship can be a minesweeper at least once...

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2012, 06:25:08 AM »
I never had any lost luggage, but I know it happens all the time. Some airlines are worse than others. You should always include a paper in large type face INSIDE all luggaage with your name, address where you are going, phones numbers, etc. in case the tag on the outside of the luggage gets torn off.  It is also a good idea to have a carry on bag with a few changes of clothes.
 
On an international flight, most airlines will only pay a certain maximum amount for lost luggage. This amount is usually much less than a domestic flight in USA. You can pay an extra fee to bring that amount on the international flight up to about $5000. You would probably need receipts for any lost items valued at more than $200 for one item.

Offline calmissile

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2012, 04:08:54 PM »
This trip to Ukraine started out from Los Angeles and flew to Paris then on to Kiev on Air France.  I had never flown via Air France and probably will not do so again.  More on that later.
To begin with  I tried for several days to get a seat assignment on the LAX to Paris flight and was unable to do so.  I was told the seats were locked and no seat assignments are given until check in at the gate.
Upon arrival at LAX the French lady at the ticket counter said that there were no seat assignments allowed.  She also said that everyone was already boarded the plane (this was 2 hours before boarding time).  I asked "You mean to tell me that the passengers are already boarding the plane".  She said yes, we have been boarding since this morning.  At this point I decided to not pursue the question any further and would sit wherever they had me assigned even though she could not tell me where it was.

As it turns out it was a middle seat and I had 10 hours to look forward to enjoying a middle seat.  Once on the plane I noticed that a man a wife had two aisle seats with the wife sitting beside me.  As they were chatting across the back of her seat I motioned to her husband that we could switch seats and he could sit by his wife.  He was very happy to switch, so that issue now solved.

I noticed that the flight attendants were not particularly friendly and the service was very poor.  They served the meal, picked up the trays and then disappeared for the rest of the flight.  I really wanted something to drink and well into the flight I got hungry again.  While stretching my legs one of the guys sitting behind me asked if I knew about the extra food.   I said no, and he told me a little secret about Air France.  It was an airbus A380 double decker and at the rear of the aisle there is a stairway going up to the upper flight.  He took me up there and it enters into the galley for the upper deck.  Sure as hell, there were baskets of sandwiches and sodas sitting on the galley counters.  Problem #2 solved.

Switched planes in Paris with barely an hour between flights and headed off to Kiev.  Customs was a snap and there were no questions.  Since one of my earlier trips ended up with my bags ending up in Moscow, I was very diligent to get my luggage off the conveyor as soon as possible.    Guess what?  No bag on the conveyor.  In fact there were about 25-30 passengers with no baggage.  After waiting in line for about 1/2 hour I finally got to the Lost and Found desk.  The woman (this time) was reasonably friendly and we filled out the paperwork.  She said she would call by 9 a.m. the next morning.  As Val later told me, this is a Ukrainian promise. It means it will never happen.   He was right!  I must have made 10-15 calls and Val made a bunch of calls also.  Finally Lost and Found called the next day and told me that Air France found the bag and it would be put in a van and delivered to my apartment.  NOT!!  So Thurs and Fri night was wash the clothes and dry them over the stove.  Also since I was told multiple times that the bags are en-route to the apartment, I was afraid to leave the apartment for fear of not being there when they arrived.  Who knows what happens if your not there when they try to deliver.

I had been chatting with a few Kiev gals that wanted to meet me and I told them the story and we would have to delay our meeting until my bags arrived.  Finally on Saturday (mid day) one of the gals asked me for the details of the Lost and Found report, etc. and said that she would try to help me.  The other gals I just put on hold and said I would contact them when I got the problem ironed out.  I did not hear from L all day and wondered if she blew me off because of my issues.  Finally about 1600 she messaged me that she had gone to the airport, raised hell, and my bags would be delivered by courier in 45 minutes.  What came to mind was  "Yea, another Ukrainian promise".  She then messaged me again and said that she was on the phone with the driver and he had the wrong address, the wrong apartment number and did not know how to find it.  She had him on his cell phone and directed him step by step to my address.  This was somewhat incredible since neither Val or I could even get the phone number for Air France.  We had to always talk to Lost and Found at the airport and they just kept repeating the same info that the bags were on the way.  At any rate they showed up exactly when she said they would.  She even messaged me the color, make, model of the car and the license plate of the courier.  No SHIT!  Someone needs to hire this gal.  She is a problem solver!

She called immediately after the courier left and confirmed I got the luggage and then asked what I was going to do in the evening.  I told her that I would love to take her out and really appreciated the assistance with the luggage issue.  She said she preferred to meet at a coffee shop and she was not hungry anyway.  She also refused my offer to take her to sushi and said that she prefers to make it herself.  I can't beat that for an answer since I love sushi.
She ended up at the front of my apartment and called me to let me know she was here (15 minutes early).  I am not used to a women being on time, let alone early.  LOL

She said she drove her car, but we walked about 1 KM to the coffee shop she picked out.  Fortunately the coffee shop had Wi-Fi because I discovered that the translator programs I installed on my tablet do not work without an internet connection.  We must have chatted for about 1.5 hours.  Her English was many years ago in school and she had never used it.  It was amazing that she started remembering words and could use some sentences in English after a while.  The translator worked really pretty well.  Only a few things that had to be rephrased to make sense.  Turns out she is separated and her husband promised a divorce in October.  She had taken the kids from him.  She indicated that her husband was more interested in hanging out with his friends rather than be with the family and also developed a drinking problem.  L then asked me what I was doing tomorrow.  I told her that my schedule was open if she wanted to see me.  She called her mom to see if she would babysit.  Mon said maybe, she would let her know later.

We left the cafe and started walking.   I had no idea where we were going. We finally arrived at her car. I am glad I buckled up the seat belt.  This little gal drives like the rest of the nuts on the Kiev streets.  Stick transmission, darts in and out of traffic, etc.  I didn't piss my pants but sure was paying attention!  She dropped me off by the apartment and said she would call me in the morning.  Also indicated that if mom won't babysit then we will have her little daughter to go on a walk with us.  A little peck on the cheek and that was the first date.

Since it was only 9 p.m. I decided to go out and see what Kiev looks like at night.  My current apartment is about 1 KM from Independence Square so I headed that direction.  Since I was always engaged on my previous visits I had never seen Kiev at night.  What a sight!  The streets are all lit up and it is beautiful.  There was a concert at the Square and must have been tens of thousands of people.  Some kind of large group dancing and very well choreographed.  The women walking on the streets were something to see.  Even though at night and a little chilly, the sights were worth seeing  Long legs, nice boobs, and very high heels.  I hope Ukrainian women never lose the desire to be feminine!!

I have delayed my next venture to friends in Cherkasy in order to meet several other women that I had to put off because of the luggage fiasco.  As I indicated in an earlier post, this trip is for a vacation and making new friends.  If romance happens, it happens, if not I am going to have a good time anyway.  LOL

Doug (Calmissile)

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2012, 04:48:07 PM »
This trip to Ukraine started out from Los Angeles and flew to Paris then on to Kiev on Air France.  I had never flown via Air France and probably will not do so again.  More on that later.
To begin with  I tried for several days to get a seat assignment on the LAX to Paris flight and was unable to do so.  I was told the seats were locked and no seat assignments are given until check in at the gate.
Upon arrival at LAX the French lady at the ticket counter said that there were no seat assignments allowed.  She also said that everyone was already boarded the plane (this was 2 hours before boarding time).  I asked "You mean to tell me that the passengers are already boarding the plane".  She said yes, we have been boarding since this morning.  At this point I decided to not pursue the question any further and would sit wherever they had me assigned even though she could not tell me where it was.

As it turns out it was a middle seat and I had 10 hours to look forward to enjoying a middle seat.  Once on the plane I noticed that a man a wife had two aisle seats with the wife sitting beside me.  As they were chatting across the back of her seat I motioned to her husband that we could switch seats and he could sit by his wife.  He was very happy to switch, so that issue now solved.

I noticed that the flight attendants were not particularly friendly and the service was very poor.  They served the meal, picked up the trays and then disappeared for the rest of the flight.  I really wanted something to drink and well into the flight I got hungry again.  While stretching my legs one of the guys sitting behind me asked if I knew about the extra food.   I said no, and he told me a little secret about Air France.  It was an airbus A380 double decker and at the rear of the aisle there is a stairway going up to the upper flight.  He took me up there and it enters into the galley for the upper deck.  Sure as hell, there were baskets of sandwiches and sodas sitting on the galley counters.  Problem #2 solved.

Switched planes in Paris with barely an hour between flights and headed off to Kiev.  Customs was a snap and there were no questions.  Since one of my earlier trips ended up with my bags ending up in Moscow, I was very diligent to get my luggage off the conveyor as soon as possible.    Guess what?  No bag on the conveyor.  In fact there were about 25-30 passengers with no baggage.  After waiting in line for about 1/2 hour I finally got to the Lost and Found desk.  The woman (this time) was reasonably friendly and we filled out the paperwork.  She said she would call by 9 a.m. the next morning.  As Val later told me, this is a Ukrainian promise. It means it will never happen.   He was right!  I must have made 10-15 calls and Val made a bunch of calls also.  Finally Lost and Found called the next day and told me that Air France found the bag and it would be put in a van and delivered to my apartment.  NOT!!  So Thurs and Fri night was wash the clothes and dry them over the stove.  Also since I was told multiple times that the bags are en-route to the apartment, I was afraid to leave the apartment for fear of not being there when they arrived.  Who knows what happens if your not there when they try to deliver.

I had been chatting with a few Kiev gals that wanted to meet me and I told them the story and we would have to delay our meeting until my bags arrived.  Finally on Saturday (mid day) one of the gals asked me for the details of the Lost and Found report, etc. and said that she would try to help me.  The other gals I just put on hold and said I would contact them when I got the problem ironed out.  I did not hear from L all day and wondered if she blew me off because of my issues.  Finally about 1600 she messaged me that she had gone to the airport, raised hell, and my bags would be delivered by courier in 45 minutes.  What came to mind was  "Yea, another Ukrainian promise".  She then messaged me again and said that she was on the phone with the driver and he had the wrong address, the wrong apartment number and did not know how to find it.  She had him on his cell phone and directed him step by step to my address.  This was somewhat incredible since neither Val or I could even get the phone number for Air France.  We had to always talk to Lost and Found at the airport and they just kept repeating the same info that the bags were on the way.  At any rate they showed up exactly when she said they would.  She even messaged me the color, make, model of the car and the license plate of the courier.  No SHIT!  Someone needs to hire this gal.  She is a problem solver!

She called immediately after the courier left and confirmed I got the luggage and then asked what I was going to do in the evening.  I told her that I would love to take her out and really appreciated the assistance with the luggage issue.  She said she preferred to meet at a coffee shop and she was not hungry anyway.  She also refused my offer to take her to sushi and said that she prefers to make it herself.  I can't beat that for an answer since I love sushi.
She ended up at the front of my apartment and called me to let me know she was here (15 minutes early).  I am not used to a women being on time, let alone early.  LOL

She said she drove her car, but we walked about 1 KM to the coffee shop she picked out.  Fortunately the coffee shop had Wi-Fi because I discovered that the translator programs I installed on my tablet do not work without an internet connection.  We must have chatted for about 1.5 hours.  Her English was many years ago in school and she had never used it.  It was amazing that she started remembering words and could use some sentences in English after a while.  The translator worked really pretty well.  Only a few things that had to be rephrased to make sense.  Turns out she is separated and her husband promised a divorce in October.  She had taken the kids from him.  She indicated that her husband was more interested in hanging out with his friends rather than be with the family and also developed a drinking problem.  L then asked me what I was doing tomorrow.  I told her that my schedule was open if she wanted to see me.  She called her mom to see if she would babysit.  Mon said maybe, she would let her know later.

We left the cafe and started walking.   I had no idea where we were going. We finally arrived at her car. I am glad I buckled up the seat belt.  This little gal drives like the rest of the nuts on the Kiev streets.  Stick transmission, darts in and out of traffic, etc.  I didn't piss my pants but sure was paying attention!  She dropped me off by the apartment and said she would call me in the morning.  Also indicated that if mom won't babysit then we will have her little daughter to go on a walk with us.  A little peck on the cheek and that was the first date.

Since it was only 9 p.m. I decided to go out and see what Kiev looks like at night.  My current apartment is about 1 KM from Independence Square so I headed that direction.  Since I was always engaged on my previous visits I had never seen Kiev at night.  What a sight!  The streets are all lit up and it is beautiful.  There was a concert at the Square and must have been tens of thousands of people.  Some kind of large group dancing and very well choreographed.  The women walking on the streets were something to see.  Even though at night and a little chilly, the sights were worth seeing  Long legs, nice boobs, and very high heels.  I hope Ukrainian women never lose the desire to be feminine!!

I have delayed my next venture to friends in Cherkasy in order to meet several other women that I had to put off because of the luggage fiasco.  As I indicated in an earlier post, this trip is for a vacation and making new friends.  If romance happens, it happens, if not I am going to have a good time anyway.  LOL

Make nice with the stewardesses on any long international flight. They'll let you hang out in the back of the plane and chat them up. Free coffee and food, and they often enjoy the companionship on long flights. That was my experience with two gals from Texas, at least.
 
L sounds like a keeper! The kindness of strangers is phenomenal sometimes.
 
Tell Val Scott says hey, and when is he gonna get to Alaska? Enjoy your trip, buddy.
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Offline The Natural

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #12 on: September 08, 2012, 11:52:44 PM »
Good to see that you finally got your luggage and can focus on your mission in Ukraine. Thanks for the report, it's always very interesting to read what people experience while travelling. Keep it up and best of luck.

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #13 on: September 09, 2012, 04:51:55 PM »
Very nice report.  Thanks.
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Offline calmissile

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #14 on: September 09, 2012, 11:53:18 PM »
The past couple of days has been intersting and a learning experience.
L did not call me until about 5 p.m. so I had waited around all day to hear from her and go on a walk together.  Since there were about 10 other women in Kiev I had 'put on hold' I was a little annoyed that I wasted most of the day waiting for a phone call and could have met up with one of the others.  Perhaps was a communication misunderstanding.

One lesson learned (I think) for a WMVM trip.....  Do not sit around waiting for a woman to call you and tell you when she is available.  Instead, tell her when you are available and if she can't make time..... move on to the next one.
Another thing to think about is that most women work during the week and the only real opportunity to spend much time together is on the weekend.  It would seem that this can seriously limit the time you can be together.

I forgot to mention a couple of things that happened on the way back from the concert the other night.  There was a large crowd on the sidewalk and I went over to see what was going on.  There was a guy with a tilted board and a champagne bottle that you are supposed to stand upright using a stick with a hoop on the bottom.  The guy charges 10 grivna per try.  The prize if you are successful is a bottle of champagne.  The crowd was cheering everyone on.  He had demonstrated many times that it can be done and it did not look that hard.  LOL    I never saw anyone win, but got sucked in for 3 tries myself.  Got very close on one try but.... no champagne for Doug.  LOL

Also saw a gal get pissed at her boyfriend and threw down a bouquet of flowers at his feet.  They had a few words and she stormed off.  A real beauty!

From my apartment on the 3rd floor I can look down on the parking lot and observe people below.  I have always been a people watcher and enjoy watching peoples behavior.  A babushka in a wheelchair was sitting in the courtyard and her very obviously drunk husband was staggering around near her.  They were arguing and raising hell in a very loud manner.  No one around them seemed to care and just ignored them.  I saw this behavior on an earlier trip and it seems you do not want to be on the receiving end of a pissed off UA woman.

The hand brooms they use in Ukraine are rather interesting.  They look rather crude and hand made and have very short handles.  There is a young woman that cleans the courtyard every morning. It is rather large and I would think would take a while to sweep by hand.  Not so!  This gal has the whole thing done in a few minutes and she has swept up every leaf, cigarette butt, and misc papers. Uses only a dustpan and the little broom.  Can't see her face as she is wearing a baseball cap but she is certainly built well!

I asked Val about all these guys on the street in orange jackets and seem to be parking attendant's for the parking on the sidewalks.  Val said that they assist in parking in order to get more cars squeezed into the available space. He also indicated that the governor cancelled all the jobs but the guys still show up and expect tips for their work.

Another item related to parking.  You will find small metal horseshoe like frames all over the sidewalks and in some of the courtyards.  It took a while observing them to figure out what they are for.  Some of them have a mechanism for adding a padlock to keep them in an upright position.  It is obvious that you would not want to smash your oil pan on the car by trying to drive over one of them.  On the side walks, some of them are flat against the ground and some are upright.  It turns out that they are used to keep people from parking in certain spots.  Since the folks seem to park anywhere including sidewalks,  these devices are used by the shop owners and apartment owners to prevent others from parking in 'their' space.

After a few hours I ventured out and discovered the underground malls and markets.  It it truly amazing.  You use the underground entrances (much like a subway entrance from the sidewalk) in order to cross the street to the other side.  You would NOT want to try and cross the street with the traffic the way it is.  The underground passageways to the other side of street are connected to huge underground malls. Thousands of stores.  The underground network is so large that I have not explored it entirely.  The fear of getting lost means take it a little further each day. It is obvious that the underground network goes on for many blocks with intersections going all over the place.  Since the underground network is so huge and at street level there are older, huge building on top; I am curious about the history of how long the tunnels/stores have been there and how it was constructed.  The foundations for the huge buildings must have been something to consider when developing the tunnels.  I am wondering if it might have been a similar story to Seattle where the city was built on top of the old burned out business district.  I would also have guessed that the tunnels might have been used in WWII if they existed at the time.

As I had indicated earlier, I had planned to extend my stay in Kiev in order to have time to meet several other women that want to meet up.  I received an IM from the daughter of my friends in Cherkasy and the father indicated that he now got called in to work next weekend (Ukraine Border Patrol) and desired that I arrive in Cherkasy on Tuesday.  Thanks to Val, my apartment rental was easily changed once again.  I plan to take the bus to Cherkasy as it is only 2 hours. My train rides will have to wait until I go to Crimea later in the month.  The ladies in Kiev are willing to wait until I return, so no problem there.  I was told that my friend in Cherkasy has a dacha near his that I might be interested in purchasing.  Unfortunately the one next door to him was already sold.  I sort of had my heart set on it last year but did not act quickly enough.  At any rate, we will see what the other one looks like.

There are a few women in Cherkasy that have indicated that they would like to meet, so I will see how that goes.  I don't know where I will be staying in Cherkasy but it would not be likely I can date while staying at my friends, since it is on a military base and requires a pass to get in.  Perhaps I will get an apartment later in my stay.  We really had a great time at his dacha last summer.  It is in the forest and about 15 miles south of Cherkasy.  We ate from the summer garden and picked mushrooms in the forest.  The ladies made very tasty meals.  It was sort of like camping out and having a small house at the same  time.

That's about it for the current situation.  Since I am leaving Kiev tomorrow morning I am going to spend the day getting ready for departure and finally get the files organized on all the women I have been chatting with.  It's embarrassing to not remember what was said to who in earlier correspondence.  LOL.

Next report is probably going to be from Cherkasy.  If we are at the dacha, there will be no internet or phone so reports are likely to be erratic.
Doug (Calmissile)

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #15 on: September 10, 2012, 12:29:17 AM »
I had some false hopes last night.  About 2100 hours there was a knock on my apartment door.  I thought it must have been L coming over to go over our communication misunderstanding.  When I opened the door there was a beautiful blond standing there.

My natural instincts told me that this must be one of the 'working girls' that find out where foreign visitors are staying.  She asked for "Fire".  I was wondering if there was a fire in the building or what the hell was she talking about.  She then gestured striking a match.  I pulled out my lighter and cigarettes and gestured is this what she wanted.  My inquisitive mind was now thinking that this must be like the "borrowing a cup of sugar" as an excuse to meet someone.

She indicated that she only wanted to borrow the lighter and wanted to eat.  She gestured that she was in the apartment above me.  She said in near perfect English that she would bring the lighter back.  My mind was spinning wondering how to handle this situation.

Later there was a knock on the door and she handed me back my lighter and said thank you.  At this point I asked her if she had a husband.  She laughed and said yes, and she has two babies also.  So much for what our minds can do for us when we picture something else.   LOL

Looking down in the courtyard, I see many people out with their bags.  I assume they are all of the thousands that were in Kiev for the Herbalife convention/meeting.

On this trip I decided to pay more attention to how the men dress and how best to blend in.  My observation is that most local men dress very casual.  Blue jeans and shirts that are worn out, rather than tucked in.  In almost every case they are wearing tennis shoes although most of them are black rather than white.  I never saw any man dressed in a suit that was with a woman.  In the evening the men wore black pants and a casual shirt, still not tucked in.  Black sneakers or in some few cases hard soled shoes.

I did not go to any night clubs yet, so can't say if the dress was more formal at these places.  However, on the street the men walking with women were still dressed casually.  The only men in suits I saw were during the day and they looked like businessmen. These are just my observations, but might be helpful to newbies that are coming to Ukraine.  I really did not want to have to pack a suit if it was not necessary and did not do so.  For one thing, I did not want to dress in attire that I am not comfortable in.  Nor do I find it necessary to dress in a manner that is only intended to impress someone when it is not the real me.  California dress is casual except for some occasions.  Even the bars are casual.

I guess I passed the test of blending in.  LOL!  I think I was asked for directions about 10 times a day when I was out.  Herbalife visitors I assume.  I said "sorry only English" and they understood and looked for a Russian speaking native.

Doug (Calmissile)

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #16 on: September 10, 2012, 10:21:50 AM »

One lesson learned (I think) for a WMVM trip.....  Do not sit around waiting for a woman to call you and tell you when she is available.  Instead, tell her when you are available and if she can't make time..... move on to the next one.
Another thing to think about is that most women work during the week and the only real opportunity to spend much time together is on the weekend.  It would seem that this can seriously limit the time you can be together.

It might be a little late for you . . . but when I am setting up my WMVM visits . . . I  tell the gals that they MUST meet me during middle of a week day rather than on weekends . . . because of X Y Z.

Only one out of ten or so have refused to do this.

Without these daytime weekday meetings . . . there is going to be a ton of wasted time.
« Last Edit: September 10, 2012, 11:24:04 AM by ML »
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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #17 on: September 10, 2012, 11:20:59 AM »

Yes, around the dome. They have installed new fountains with fancy lights. Quite a nice job I thought.

I love the one outside  "Maidan" (Independence Square) - the fountain named  "Khreschatyk". Its history dates back to 1979 when the first Kyiv's fountain with colored lights was officially opened. 
In April 2012 the fountain was re-opened.  Evening performances of this musical fountain dancing today to the tune of classic music while producing many color mixes are gorgeous .


« Last Edit: September 10, 2012, 11:29:29 AM by ghost of moon goddess »
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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #18 on: September 10, 2012, 12:36:21 PM »
It might be a little late for you . . . but when I am setting up my WMVM visits . . . I  tell the gals that they MUST meet me during middle of a week day rather than on weekends . . . because of X Y Z.

Only one out of ten or so have refused to do this.

Without these daytime weekday meetings . . . there is going to be a ton of wasted time.

I have to agree with you about having the wasted time, but also have a question.
How do these gals get off work during the weekday to meet you?
If you like one of them, did they also have to take time off work to see you or did you then shift it to weekend dating them?
Doug (Calmissile)

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #19 on: September 10, 2012, 12:43:52 PM »
I have to agree with you about having the wasted time, but also have a question.
How do these gals get off work during the weekday to meet you?
If you like one of them, did they also have to take time off work to see you or did you then shift it to weekend dating them?

I myself made it a point to make sure the lady was going to take some time off work. At least a week to spend actual time getting to know each other. My first trip was wasted waiting til evening to do anything with the lady. I decided that wasn't going to happen anymore. Its worked out great for me since.
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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #20 on: September 10, 2012, 02:23:10 PM »
I have to agree with you about having the wasted time, but also have a question.
How do these gals get off work during the weekday to meet you?
If you like one of them, did they also have to take time off work to see you or did you then shift it to weekend dating them?

As I said, I told them we could only have initial meetings during working hours weekdays.  Most everyone in any job can take time off if they really want to meet someone.  Yes, it is a burden on them, but you are the one who has traveled thousands of miles and living out of a suitcase, so you have still put more effort into it than they will.

And yes, after the weekday meetings, when the screening starts narrowing it down, then I spend weekends with those ladies.  But no weekdays . . . then no weekends either.

Don't lose sight of fact that we are the ones in short supply; not them.
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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #21 on: September 10, 2012, 04:36:16 PM »


One lesson learned (I think) for a WMVM trip.....  Do not sit around waiting for a woman to call you and tell you when she is available.  Instead, tell her when you are available and if she can't make time..... move on to the next one.

Yes, that is consistent with the RW mentality that real men take charge.  However, one must still be smooth about asking for time, especially in making them feel that they are special.  If not special, why are you calling them?
 
 
Quote
Another thing to think about is that most women work during the week and the only real opportunity to spend much time together is on the weekend.  It would seem that this can seriously limit the time you can be together.


 
 
Initial meetings can occur during lunch or coffee breaks (15-45 minutes).  As ML says, most can arrange for more time if the first meeting went well.
 
Each evening is a golden opportunity for a real date.  Volunteer to pay for their taxi and babysitter so they can meet you sooner (public transport can take a long time, and in the late evening the public transport options diminish).
 
The only problem of the weekend is that if a woman likes you, she will want you to spend all of her available time with you.  If you see a woman for just a couple of hours, it rubs her nose in the fact that you are seeing many women. 

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #22 on: September 10, 2012, 07:15:42 PM »
Enjoying the tr. The parking attendants are widespread in quite a few cities.Police will back them up-- you can guess why ! Where it is usefull is that they will keep a spot if you look after them--nice to park outside where you are going!
   The underground tunnells are present in quite a few cities-- think of the winter and it makes sense.Generally the cheapest retail in Ukraine-- good place to buy flowers if you are having problem finding somewhere ,and also cheap toys,cd's,dvds.etc
    I agree with Gator comment above-- very.very important I think.
« Last Edit: September 10, 2012, 07:17:43 PM by JayH »
SLAVA UKRAYINI  ! HEROYAM SLAVA!!!!
Слава Украине! Слава героям слава!Слава Україні! Слава героям!
 translated as: Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!!!  is a Ukrainian greeting slogan being used now all over Ukraine to signify support for a free independent Ukraine

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #23 on: September 10, 2012, 11:26:42 PM »
ML/Gator/JahH  thanks for all the tips.  This is my first WMVM trip and your advice will definitely make the trip more efficient.

I will be temporarily be leaving Kiev in a few hours to go to friends in Cherkasy for about a week.  Since I have a little time before I leave, I thought I would provide an update.

Yesterday afternoon I got a surprise SMS from L.  She said that she wanted to see me before I left.  I was busy trying to sort out all the profiles and correspondence with women that I had not done before leaving the US.
In this case I gave her a time to meet instead of asking her.  I told her I would be available at 1730 hrs if she wanted to see me.  She confirmed the time.  Since I was a little annoyed with her from the day before, I decided to try this on my terms!

L. said that her car went into the shop for service and she would arrive in front of my apartment at 1730.  She showed up exactly on time.  I had no idea where we were going and it was apparent that she did not know either.  I grabbed my Galaxy Tablet and suggested the we get some dinner at a great buffet up the street.  We had used the Galaxy 2 Tablet in the past to communicate via a translation program, and we were getting pretty good at using it.  We had a great meal and afterward she pointed to the tablet gesturing that it was time to chat.  We discovered immediately that there was no Wi-Fi that was unsecure so the translation program could not work at this location.

As we left the buffet, she asked where we were to go now. I told her the supermarket.  There is a huge underground supermarket across the street so we went there.  My idea was to pick up a bottle of wine as well as refill my diet-pepsi stock and go to the apartment.  I had no idea if she would be willing, but what the hell might as well give it a try.  In the supermarket we made it to the wine area and I suggested that she pick out a bottle of wine she liked.  She gestured that she did not want to drink this evening. I said OK and we got the pepsi and headed back to street level.  I was expecting her to make a recommendation where to go or what to do and it was clear that she going to make me take charge.  She asked where are we going and I pointed to the apartment.  She initially became nervous and did not seem comfortable in going there.  I was able to convince her it would be OK and she reluctantly agreed.

Upon arrival at the apartment I got the tablet and translator working.  We then moved over to the laptop and I showed her hundreds of photos of my family and vacations taken in the US.  She seemed to enjoy it a great deal.  I then had the idea of calling one of our Russian speaking members on Skype and let them chat.  That was a real treat.  Here she was sitting on my lap and the two women chatted in Russian.  In addition several questions were asked by each of us and my member friend became a translator for us.  After the Skype call we moved back to the kitchen and resumed our chatting on the tablet.  In trying to describe her family we got into the usual confusion about sisters, cousins, brothers, etc.  We eventually used a quad tablet and made a family tree on paper.  LOL.  I also learned that her son, brother, and mother spoke very good English.  I said "sometime I should talk to your mother in English".  L picked up her cell phone and immediately called her mother.  He mom and I chatted a few minutes and she does in fact have very good English skills.  We joked and laughed a lot and it was a pleasant surprise.

Eventually she indicated it was time for her to go and reminded me that her 4 year old daughter had the flu and she needed to be home.  She suggested that we should continue our correspondence via email.  She gave me her email address which looked like a business name.  She saw my response and then told me that she had owned a large beauty shop in Kiev several years ago and gave it up to move to Yalta and have her baby.  The email address was the name of her business and all made sense.  The fact that she wants to continue to correspond was encouraging.

I walked her to the street and looked for a taxi.  We could not find one parked on the street or the sidewalk so was not much help to her.  She then surprised me by standing by the side of street and started waving a cab down like I have seen in the movies in NY for example.  Personally I had never done this and thought it amusing to see her take charge and be assertive about hailing a cab.  I gave her cab fare and off she went.  A few minutes later she called me on my cell and in English said "I am home.  Thank you".

All in all, I feel that this was a successful platonic date.  My intent was to come on vacation and enjoy the culture without any expectations of marriage.  L. is a very friendly personality.  She is so much different than my  previous experiences with older women.  She is only 38 and much to young for me for marriage, but a real pleasant person to be with.  No rude remarks, very polite, smiles a lot, and seems to be happy.  If only I can find that in women in their 40's and 50's.  LOL
Upon her departure she indicated that when I return to Kiev her daughter will be well by then and in kindergarten and she will have more time to spend with me.  Now I will need to figure out how to see the other Kiev women that have been on "hold".

Since my previous experience was with only one UA woman and was engaged for nearly a year, this was a chance to meet someone else and compare the personalities as well as evaluate how to go about making friends and dating someone else.  Since L. did not blow me off, I guess I have a little more self confidence and also am learning more every day about how to interact with UA women.

Off to Cherkasy in a couple hours.  More to follow later.
Doug (Calmissile)

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Re: Summer/Fall trip to Ukriane
« Reply #24 on: September 11, 2012, 07:35:03 AM »
Doug,
 
L seems like a winner.  She is a problem solver (your luggage), is organized, introduced you to her family albeit by phone, trusts you as much as anyone can at this stage, is tolerant of your VM trip and thus respects your decision, wants to see you upon your return, etc.
 
Is there some initial chemistry?   Being friends is better in my mind than hormonal attraction yet both are mutually necessary.
 
38 is indeed young for you; however, it is still a possibility.  My guideline - the younger they are the more dating time is necessary.  One key is whether you want to be a daddy to a 4-yo girl.  To determine this you need to spend time with L to understand her expectations and dreams, and if that advances then meet the little girl.    Being a daddy is a much greater responsibility than being a stepfather to a 19-yo woman preparing to leave the nest.  And at your age the commitment through university education and beyond must continue for the rest of your life.  Do you want that?   

 

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