Happy New Years from Kiev!

[Jack]

Weather is wonderful, must be over 200,000 people on Khershaytk.

Excuse quality of photo, to get wide view had to shoot with no flash.

[Jack]

Independence Square

[Jack]

Spending New Years with my Helen from Lugansk. Were having a party with about 20 other couples and will take photos of party asd well as more photos of celebration on Khershaytk and try to post tomorrow.

Happy New Years everyone!

[Vaughn]

Nice of you to think of us on the "other side"
of the Atlantic, Jack, and a very happy and prosperous
New Year to you!

Vaughn

[viking]

Hey Jack and Helen

Happy
New
Year

No matter where you are.

Viking

[Jack]

Thanks Vaughn and Viking for the well wishes.


In this photo I try to show the sea of people. If I use my flash you will see nice clear photos of the people close to me but nothing beyond 18 meters. By not using a flash the photo will include images of people 200 meters and more. For such a photo to be much more clear it should be taken with a tripod which I did not want to be carrying through the crowd. So again excuse the quality of the photo in an attempt to show the masses of people.

[Jack]

New Years Eve Kiev

[Jack]

In the past have paid about $150 a person to go to New Year Eve parties in the center, and this price is after getting discounted pricing by buying lot's of tickets.  This year we got a good price quoted of $120 a person from a hotel on Independence Square we have done business with in the past. I am not so crazy about the way Ukraine's have their New Year's Eve parties, many are 6-7 course feast. Last years party at the Hotel Rus they started serving food at 10pm and the last course was served at 3am.

So this year I thought of and tried something different. Rented a good size flat on Independence Square and we had our own New Years Eve party. In addition to several couples we also invited some single ladies, such as these two dancing, and some single foreign guys in the city who did not have dates.

A lessoned learned. Will never have New Year Eve parties in Hotels, Club's, Restaurants again, from now on we have our own private New Year's Eve parties.   What an evening.

[Jack]

taking photos

[Jack]

nice to watch the dancing

[Jack]

Lady named Ludmila

[Jack]

Just having fun,...I think.

[Jack]

Here is photo of Natalia.  (I actually wrote more than this but for some reason that I can't explain Dan deleted)

[Jack]

Helen and I on January 3rd. Have no idea what happened to January 1 or 2.

It has been a really nice and mild winter so far in Kiev.  Almost every day it is at least +2 c . No snow, no rain to speak of only a little wind on the 30th with the wind chill factor made the day a little cold.

Some people have to go back to work for a few days. January 2nd was an official holiday. Some companies are letting their employees off until after Christmas (January 7th) but some people are having to work the 3rd and 4th.  I think beginning the 5th the second round of partying will begin.

Some of the clubs raise their entry fee prices during this time because so many people in town wanting to party. The Caribbean Club was packed, Arena Club, Avalon, 112. The Moda Bar is no more, same place but new club, new owners, it get's going after midnight.

Some interesting and educational things happened on this trip and hope to be able to have a few hours time over the next few days to do some type of a trip report.

[viking]

And I thought NY had good parties!. Gee Jack maybe I should hop on a plane.

[Son of Clyde]

Jack, are you and DaKnack related?
It must be the hairstyle, goutee and and cap.
You both are guys I would want to have on my side.
I have a feeling no one messes with you.
Have a Happy New Year.

[Jack]

Well SOC, have gotten stopped twice by police on this trip. First time no problem, second time I was forced to raise a little hell (which I would ONLY do if I had my documents on me, which I did). Hope to be able to go over some of this in a trip report as I think it will help guys in knowing what they can do, what their rights are, etc.

[stlouis777]

Where's all your pictures at Jack...  Gotta have more than this.

When you gonna update your website ?  Now, a good time to talk with the folks that do it.

[Jack]

St. Louie I guess all photographers are different. I just don't get off on shooting photos of what I think are ladies in those long heavy coats, big hats, scarfs, gloves and boot's. 6 months dressed like this I think you can see why these ladies dream for that fourth week in April, to get into those short, sheer, sensuous exciting spring outfit's. As such St. Louie won't have many more public photos of this winter trip to be posted.

With regards to the website you are correct and just left a meeting only two hours ago with people in Kiev as well meeting with individuals from Ukraine and Russia over the last few weeks. Hopefully in the next month you will see two new websites, Firstdream Kiev marriage agency (lot's of new Kiev ladies, flats in the center, and any and all services one could ask for) and Firstdream FSU, both hosted in Ukraine and Ukraine owned thus allowing American guys to buy lot's of addresses of ladies in Ukraine, Russia and the FSU.  And another feature of Firstdream FSU will be a Ukraine or Russian person who will buy the address of any lady from any American owned site who interest you and to be able to send to you.

[wxman]

Jack,

Just curious, how much was rent for flat over New Years? I have been to Kiev several times, generally during the off season, and rent was reasonable.  I'll count my blessings. In the 10 trips I have made to Ukraine, I have not had one run in with the police, much less even speaking to one.

[Jack]

wxman for the guys who were staying for like two or three weeks the average price was $75 a night for a nice two room flat on or within 5 minutes walk to Khershaytk.  For guys who stayed like 12 days or less they had to pay an extra $20-$30 for the nights of dec. 30, 31sty and Jan. 1.  Such a high demand for flats in the center on these days, like no other time of the year, flat owners traditionally raise their price for these two or three days because they know they can get it.

I think if you are quite, do not speak loud, not out at 3-4-5am with nice looking ladies, then it is easy to not get stopped by the police. Almost everytime I have been stopped someone was speaking English loudly (I encourage guys to talk softly, not so loudly when walking late at night), when we were out late or out late with some nice looking ladies.

It's real simple for us guys, if we have our passport with us, if we keep our little immigration card that we get from customs at the airport with us in our passport, we American's, Brit's, most foreigners, are not going to have any problem with police,... period.  So once were ok the police look at the ladies passports, ahh, we have a problem as the officer said the other night at 4:45am.  What was problem I asked.  Not you sir, the lady has a problem. I got out my pen and a piece of paper and said I have known this lady for over a year, I have flown her in from Lugansk to spend New Years with me, please officer, tell me what is the problem.  I must have began to talk loudly as one officer asked me to speak softer, people were trying to sleep. So again in a very soft voice I ask what is the problem.  They knew I was about to write something down on this piece of paper and by Ukraine law if any foreigner or Ukraine national ask for a policeman's name or badge number they have to give this information to you. 

The officer then gave Helen her passport back and said their was no problem.  As we walked away Helen told me they were just hoping to get some money but could see it wasn't going to work.

However let me say that if I am ever in the wrong, or don't have my documents on me, or a friend has a problem, I have NO problem in paying the officer's for the little problem to be corrected and have several times in the past, especially in Moscow. Usually $10 will cover most problems, $20 for sure. Big problems, will that might take $50 or more.