Teaching moment, learn from another's missteps Part 1

[Taz]

I knew somebody would get it. 

[Taz]

It’s just a short drive from SK’s flat. We all pile in the Focus and drive down. Parking is a challenge here. That is quite often true everywhere in the FSU. I attribute to the fact that car parking was never a priority as most people didn’t have cars and were forced to use public transit. I park across the road in sort of a muddy field. We are directly across from a secured area and the night security’s dog wants to come over. He is an aggressive looking german shepherd.

Given my track record with animals in the FSU (I was almost killed by a horse, I was bitten by a rabid dog, etc.) I am understandably cautious. The security guard comes over to investigate. He says we can’t park there. I reply we are going into the nightclub. That appears to appease him and off we go.

Walking up it is obviously a pretty nice place. The grounds are well-groomed and everything is in good repair. That can only mean one thing in the FSU; EXPENSIVE! In Moscow this type of club would cost us easily $100 a head for a fun night. Since we are in Mari it won’t be quite as bad but I am sure it won’t be free.

As we enter the club it is sort of an airport motif. As you walk the security checkpoint you are greeted by the bar along the right side and lit signs pointing to the different boarding areas. All in all it is pretty well finished. All the hot looking waitresses are dressed in stewardess costumes. You know the 70’s style that said “Fly Me!”  Perhaps it would be more appropriate if they said “Coffee, tea or me?” Make mine a double shot please!

SK at this point is just along for the ride. I try to keep him in the loop but our “stewardess” is spewing out her Russian in a machine gun like staccato that wouldn’t be out of place for a Spitfire shooting down a Messerschmitt in the Battle over Britain. It is all I can do to keep up with the nuances and details coming at me rapid fire. I don’t have much time to translate for SK. The devil is in the details here and I don’t want us to get screwed.

Of course the girls are looking out for us too but there is still a lot of info to digest. Finally I think I have a handle on the details. Spend $20 and you get a topless waitress. Spend $50 and you get unlimited lap dances too. Drop a hunner and you get a back room with one of them for an hour. Good ol’ MD is really missing out here. This is going to be fun!

Nah, just kidding but had you going there for a sec. MD and SK were probably reading this and thinking; WTF! Why didn’t Taz tell us about this before! The rest of you were probably thinking it’s the FSU, anything is possible and I’ve heard stranger stuff.

Anyway, to bypass the cover charge, I commit to us buying about $80 worth of food and beverages. We go through the menu and pick out some sushi for SK and his woman Zhanna. I pick out some tasty stuff for Lana. I end up with some fajitas and we all end up with a bunch of olives and fruit. We leave a deposit of 200 griven and arrange a time when we’ll come back later that night.

Of course we enquired about entertainment for the night. There was a stripper from Donetsk the night before. The ladies seem a little let down that we missed it. I know I am! I think SK would second my thoughts as well. Tonight there will be a VJ (video DJ) and dancers to accompany the songs. This wouldn’t be my first choice but the thought of watching Lana and Zhana dance brings a stirring to my loins. It will be like watching a panther and a cheetah on the stage. I shiver with anticipation. SK really has no idea what is yet in store for us. I do and the anticipation is killing me. Damn time seems to stand still…

[Taz]

So off we go back to SK’s “sin bin”. We crowd around the cool little bar area and have a few drinks. SK has brought nacho cheese in a can. I have some pretty good alcohol and we have some beef jerky and other munchies. We sit around and have a great time just killing time waiting for the main event. SK has brought some good whiskey and Zhanna seems to like it.

I am sitting next to Lana and Zhana is across from me. SK is next to Zhanna and across for Lana. I can’t help but notice what a magnificent pair Zhanna has. SK has hit the mother lode. SK says something that gets Zhana excited. She starts bouncing up and down on her stool. The “Man Show” immediately comes to mind. You know the part where women bounce on trampolines. Well let’s just say she was bouncing very nicely. I was sort of mesmerized. SK couldn’t help but look. It as though magnets were drawing our eyes to a very energetic area. Then I realized it was the danger zone.

Zhana has this school girl giddishness to here that is very engaging. She is still fairly young, but not too young. Her enthusiasm is quite evident most of the time. Most guys would find this very enticing. Lana on the other hand is more reserved and a bit more difficult to read. There would be many more times I would witness Zhana bouncing up and down in glee. What a sight to see! I know SK loved every minute of it. Damn it's good to be a man!

[KenC]

Holadei'tzis something that my MIL always seems delighted to serve me and I am just as delighted to turn down.  Chunks of meat in rubberized snot just doesn't appeal to my palate.  The dried fish is another thing I still can't get into.  I tell my wife it looks like something that has been laying on the beach for three days and smells roughly the same.  She just laughs, takes a big bite and blows breath in my direction.

I guess Holadei'tzis is an acquired taste.  I used to watch mt Dad make the stuff from pigs feet and ears.  Burning the hair off of the ears was a bit gross but I enjoyed the finished product with vinegar on it, of course.  We also ate a lot of smoked fish but not the salty fish.
KenC

[Taz]

Finally it is time to head back to the club and I stop by my place and put on something better. The girls want to change too. I can hardly wait. Zhana invites Lana to come to her place to get ready. They are about the same size and rather than driving all the way back to Lana’s place, Zhana invites Lana to wear something nice. Apparently Zhana has a nice Versace dress Lana could wear but Lana already has something along to wear. After about 30 minutes the women are ready and looking pretty damn good.

As Emeril would say “They kicked it up a notch!” Once our tongues are back in our mouths we continue on to the club. I don’t know who is the luckier guy tonight but we are both pretty damn lucky at this moment. I’ll call it a draw. They are both very attractive women and now they’ve definitely put on some nice looking clothes. Nothing like a hot looking woman with a good personality. SK can definitely sense he is in for a treat. I know I am!

We arrive at the club and get our old parking place back. The dog is aggressive again but the guard calls him off very quickly this time. I don’t want our nice clothes ruined by the dog jumping on anyone. We make it on into the club with no more issues. We’ve brought cameras but they apparently aren’t allowed.

Our table is waiting for us. Most of the things we ordered are already in place. We are just waiting for the hot entrees. It truly is an inviting display. The food appears to be pretty high quality if the apperance is any indication. We also have what I would consider to be the second best place to sit in the entire place. The best place is reserved for a party of 8 it appears.

We ask if we can take a few pictures even though it is obviously verboten. Signs are posted everywhere indicating no photos are allowed. Our hot stewardess says it is ok to take a few but make sure we don’t do it while the program is in session. It will start soon. So of course we take a few photos and get settled in. The girls pose a few times. Zhana really likes posing for the camera. It will become a recurring theme I think.

Our first taste of food definitely isn’t a disappointment. The night is starting well and I think it will only get better! But what do I know? I am just an eternal optimist. I look over at SK and he is grinning like a Cheshire cat. Both Zhana and Lana look about as happy. Ahhh yes, this night has potential. I hope it lives up to my rapidly climbing expectations. I can't help but think that MD should be here with us. Poor SOB, he had a grueling day of meetings. The women probably worked him over and hung him out to dry. I had called him earlier but he was on a date and didn't think he could get her to come out. I pity him at this moment.

[Simoni]

there are a  few of my wifes favorites that i really just dont "get" LOL
holadei'tz , salted/dried fish ,  and kvass top that list.


 

AJ-- at the Black Sea last summer Marina pigged out on holadei'tz and then insisted on kissing me! YUK!!! LOL

Taz-- great TR; thanks for sharing.

[Taz]

Lana and I take a quick walk around. There is what appears to be a replica cockpit of a 747 on final approach to Paris. I am no stranger to cockpits and want to take a closer look. I am no stranger to cockpits so it is fun for me. They’ve done a pretty cool job of replicating a cockpit with a speedo from a Volga, a tachometer from a Lada and miscellaneous parts from other cars, trucks, etc.

They do have a real altimeter there and it is in Russian. Lana thinks it is pretty interesting and enjoys my explanation of the various devices. She says she’d really like to fly somewhere. I’d definitely like to fly somewhere wither her and I try to push the thoughts of the “Mile high club” out of my mind at that moment. I can definitely envision myself flying somewhere with her to some interesting place like Thailand or Turkey. We stare deeply into each other’s eyes at that moment and I know we are on the same page. The moment ends and we return to our table.

SK and Zhana are trying their best to communicate in my absence. Zhana understand very little English but is definitely trying. SK is obviously digging her. I can see why. We all start a group conversation. We talk about plans for the next week as well a wide variety of topic.s Every so often Zhana and Lana will break off into their own little conversation about girl talk. SK and I talk about whatever comes to mind which is usually the women. So far the evening is going spectacularly well!

[Taz]

Finally the night’s entertainment is underway. Music isn’t too loud but not exactly to my or Lana’s taste. A little too techno but not bad. After a few minutes the girls start getting into it a bit and decide to dance. As the girls start dancing all I can think of is what Austin Powers would say…“Groovy baby!”

SK and I just sit and stare, enraptured by the sight before us. Okay, maybe we drooled a little too. Two tall, beautiful women dancing for what appears to be our sole pleasure. This night was already in the top 100 of my life and it now is streaking up the chart with a bullet! Life doesn’t get much better than this. On vacation in an happening club, eating good food and sipping something smooth while watching two beautiful women dance for us. Damn again it’s good to be a man! Strike that; it’s GREAT to be a man!

Finally the women return to the table. All I can think of is “rode hard and put away wet!” If you’ve ever had a horse you’ll know what I mean. My thoughts start to drift but Lana brings me back to the “here and now”. She asks me if I enjoyed her dancing. These women were working it on the dance floor. The only possible answer was I loved it. I think I mumbled something similar to that since I was still reeling from the show she just put on for me. Her smile beams her approval of my answer. Rarely in my life have I witnessed more sensual dancing that wasn’t overtly sexual. Lana definitely understands her body and moves with the lithe grace of a panther stalking its prey. Am I her prey? If so, what a way to go!!!

Once the women have cooled off a bit which I speed up for Lana by running an ice cube along her neck and … SK and I start to discuss the upcoming plans for Crimea. My plan is to leave tomorrow (Monday) and drive to Crimea. SK and MD both want to go and of course Lana is going. Or at least I hope she is going. We still have to sort out what to do about her work.

SK and I talk for a bit and I suggest that SK invite Zhana. He is definitely interested in doing that. I need to find out the status of MD and if he is coming or not. I call him up and he is on a date. That boy isn't getting any rest now is he? I invite him to come out to the club. He says he doesn’t know if his date would be interested and he is a little tired. Little tired my rectum, he is likely dead on his feet. He's been "dating" non-stop for almost 2 days now. Anyway his date will be wrapping up soon. I think he’ll really regret not coming out even if he was tired. He could just sit and watch the magnificent show that we were blessed with tonight but it is his choice. I'm sure SK will likely want to fill him in on what all he missed. I try to live my life without regrets. If we hadn't done tonight as planned I know I would have regretted it.

[Taz]

After a little discussion SK, is definitely up for asking Zhana to go to Crimea. I’ve been SK’s wingman all night and now IS not the time to fail him if I can help it. I ask Zhana if she would be interested in coming to Crimea with all of us. She thinks about it for quite a while and then declines the offer. SK isn’t a little bummed but I press the issue. She says she’d really like to but her work schedule precludes it. She is also taking driving classes after work each day and doesn’t want to miss them either because she spent a lot of money for them. She has class each night from about 6-9PM. The main issue is her work though.

I speak with Lana. We offer up suggestions and continue to work on her. Her resolve is weakening but it hasn’t broken yet. I think it’s a matter of time but I don’t let SK know what is going on. I don’t want him to get his hopes up. At this moment SK is truly blessed, he doesn’t have just a wingman any more, he has wingpeople! Lana and I are both working Zhana on his behalf.

I throw out another option. He could possibly stay in Mari and spend the time after work and class with Zhana if she would be agreeable. He is so into this chick that I think he will go for it. This isn’t my true goal though. I want to pointedly show Zhana when “he suggests” this that he is VERY interested in her. I figure this will help break down her reluctance a bit more. So I offer up “his” idea to her. She is struck by his desire to even spend a few fleeting hours after work and her class. She is definitely touched by this and I see the barriers erode further.

She says she would gladly promise to see him after her work and driving class, for as late as is reasonably possible. They scoot a little closer to each other and the night continues. The girls go off to dance again and then I dance a few songs with Lana. A semi-slow dance comes on and we dance closer together. I dance a few more fast songs and then there is another slow song. This night has now definitely broken into my top 50 and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon! I keep trying to get SK to come out on the floor and dance but something is holding him back. All the other guys are drawn to our women and are attempting to dance with them, he should at least try it himself!

[Taz]

I speak to MD again. I try to entice him again but the women must have really worked him over. It sounds like he has just gone a 12 round boxing match and is down for the count. I’ll let him be. It sounds like he needs some rest but I need to cover the topic of if he is going to Crimea or not in the morning. I had told him the same thing I told SK, if you got something good working in Mari, don’t leave it to go to Crimea. Sure you’ll lose the deposit already paid for the apartment but you could gain something better. You could always come back and visit Crimea with your new found love!

It seems like MD has been more like Rico Suave’. Apparently he has a few irons in the fire that are burning pretty hot. He definitely has a cornucopia of women he wouldn’t mind seeing again. OK, maybe not that many but enough that it is worth bailing out of Crimea for. I am very happy for him. I knew that little stud-muffin could do it. Dude has more game than he realizes. Good women are a sucker for a sincere guy and he is that at the very least. Intelligent, witty, enthusiastic yet shy are just a few other things that come to mind as well about MD. All in all he will be a great catch for the appropriate RW/UW. He just hasn’t realized it yet himself but it is slowly coming to his mind.

At this point it looks like it might just be Lana and I. I definitely won’t complain if that is the case. Stuck in Crimea again, whatever will I do?  I am sure I can think of something. How ‘bout you?

[Taz]

It is the end of the evening at last. Zhana has to work in the morning. Potentially so does Lana. It is late and SK is trying to work out his plans with Lana. I think the lyrics by the Clash come to mind “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” SK has to decide whether he will go on to Crimea without Zhana or stay and take what time he can get with her. His wingpeople have been working overtime to try and help him out.

As they say no good deed goes unpunished. I am soon to be punished for trying to help SK out it seems. We drop SK and Zhana off. I am ready to hit the hay. I am ready to head back to my apartment. It is close by and no mama if you catch my drift. Who should call but mama right at that instant.

Who the heck did I PO in the giant cosmic karma pool? It goes from bad to worse. She isn’t just checking up on Lana, I can understand and respect that. Oh no, it gets better than that. She is making sure she is coming home tonight. Even better she has invited me to stay the evening there and has a room all prepared for me since it is so late. I appreciate her concern but she is really cramping my style.

As the Don would say “She made me an offer I couldn’t refuse”. I have been put in a corner and I have no option but take Lana home and spend the night there. Not exactly what I had in mind after a night of dancing and a few slow dances thrown in for good measure. Lana and I are feeling pretty close and she isn’t exactly thrilled at going back home either but we know we have to.

So off we go. We still have things to resolve regarding Crimea. Lana couldn’t get any vacation time off so she is going to try and take sick leave. This is sort of a convoluted process that she can’t actually put into play until Monday morning. Heck Monday morning, it is ALREADY Monday morning technically as it 2:30AM and we still have a long drive to mama’s. Lana has to get up at 6AM to go to take care of the paperwork and there are no guarantees we’ll be successful. Who knows, I could be going alone to Crime if Lana can’t go and MD and SK decide to stay behind.

By the time we get back it is close to 3:15 early Monday morning. I didn’t really want the drive back out there but I had no choice. We get back and of course mama isn’t asleep. Neither is the cat. He’s glad to see me. Appears I am now his best buddy after Lana. It is obvious my luggage hasn’t arrived either. Not exactly looking forward to going to Crimea with basically no clothes but I don’t have much of a choice.

[Taz]

Of course I am in a separate room from Lana. Who would have ever guessed? Mama thought of everything I see. Even put in a GD room where there are beads strung in the doorway. They are almost like little wind chimes. Just going in our out makes enough noise to alert even the neighbors. Better than an alarm system I see and equally as effective as one. Even the cat come in my room silently nor am I likely to leave it silently either.

I can’t complain though about the bed though. It is comfy from what I can tell. I start to get ready for bed. All the food I’ve eaten decides that it is time to be recycled. I go into the toilet to relieve myself of what appears to be the mother lode. I haven’t eaten this much in years it seems. I was burning up a lot of energy dancing so I wasn’t to concerned about the calories I'd consumed. I try to be discrete with the gaseous emissions to keep the noise to a minimum. Finally I’ve done my business. If it was my son and he was still around the age of five, he probably would have called me over with pride to show me what a fine job he had done. As impressive as it might be, there is one little problem, I can’t seem to flush the evidence down the drain.

Damn toilet has no water. I walk into the room where the sink and tub are located. No water there either. I check the kitchen, no water there either. I am damn tempted to walk down the stairs to the car and get my bottled water out there. Last thing I want is mommy to get up in the morning and walk into the toilet and see that prize. Unfortunately the stench is starting to creep out of the toilet room as well. I quickly shut the door and hunt down Lana. I explain to her that the toilet has no water. I get a “really” and a surprised look like that has never happened before. There is absolutely no water anywhere that I’ve seen. She tells me to check under the sink as there might be a bucket full of water there.

Sure enough there is. It isn’t much there but if I am carefully it might be enough for a good flush. I can only hope at this point that it is. I started slowly pouring the water in the toilet to make it flush. In case you don’t know Russian toilets are designed different than US ones. There is a little platform where the stuff sits and then the drain. I am pouring on the platform to make it slide into the drain. All seems to be going well until the handle on the bucket breaks...hilarity ensues. It would have ensued it if wasn't happening to me!

[Jet]

I feel for ya man! Nothing quite as memorable as totally embarrassing yourself in front of people you're trying to leave a good impression upon - been there, done that 

[Taz]

Just my freakin’ luck. It is only one side but the immediate effect is to dump almost all the contents of the bucket into the toilet. This as I knew beforehand would be a very bad move. The full force of the water hits the recycled bits and the platform it is on. Ever saran wrap a toilet? Sort of the same effect. Feces go flying everywhere and it is all I can do to get out of the way of the impending tidal wave of sh!t.

Sure enough the tsunami of turds comes streaking toward with the speed of sound it seems. Just as it crests I fall back out through the toilet room door and barely escaped being soaked in poo. Considering I have no clean clothes here it would have been a major problem.

Now I have a major disaster on my hands. Poo everywhere and almost no water to clean it up. I think it is time to head to the car and get a wee bit more water. I think I am going to need it now. Ever try to clean crap with sparkling, highly carbonated, mineral water? I’d like to think that nobody else in the world has EVER had this experience! I never could have envisioned such a thing as foaming sh!t in my life and never could have imagined what it would look like but now I have. That isn’t going on the ol’ resume anytime soon!!! I should have had that guy from “Dirty Jobs” show up in a hazmat suit! I thought cleaning up after the kids barfed in the bathroom was bad but this is worse.

About 30 minutes later I am just getting it finally all cleaned up and Lana comes to see what happened to me. All the evidence of the turd tsunami is gone. I’ve found some air freshener and nothing appears amiss to her. It is now 4AM and we have to wake up in 2 hours so what is the point of sleep.

Half an hour ago I wanted someone to just shoot me and put me out of my misery. Sleep is the furthest thing from my mind. Lana came to check on me in a very attractive negligee only loosely covered by a robe and I have to keep reminding myself that mama is home.

I go to my room and she hers. In about 5 minutes though she comes back. She misses me and wants to snuggle a bit. Who am I to argue? I enjoy the time that we have and then off to sleep if we can. I sure as hell can’t sleep. Yet another day with almost no sleep. How long can I keep this up? Sleep isn’t exactly on my mind.

6AM rolls around pretty quickly. I don’t think I’ve slept for more than 30 minutes as the sun comes up in my room well before that. Lana’s room is on the dark side of the building. Mine gets the early morning sun. I am very light sensitive and it is driving me crazy. I can’t sleep but it appears I might have finally gotten a break.

[LiveFromUkraine]

Just my freakin’ luck. It is only one side but the immediate effect is to dump almost all the contents of the bucket into the toilet. This as I knew beforehand would be a very bad move. The full force of the water hits the recycled bits and the platform it is on. Ever saran wrap a toilet? Sort of the same effect. Feces go flying everywhere and it is all I can do to get out of the way of the impending tidal wave of sh!t.

Sure enough the tsunami of turds comes streaking toward with the speed of sound it seems. Just as it crests I fall back out through the toilet room door and barely escaped being soaked in poo. Considering I have no clean clothes here it would have been a major problem.

Now I have a major disaster on my hands. Poo everywhere and almost no water to clean it up. I think it is time to head to the car and get a wee bit more water. I think I am going to need it now. Ever try to clean crap with sparkling, highly carbonated, mineral water? I’d like to think that nobody else in the world has EVER had this experience! I never could have envisioned such a thing as foaming sh!t in my life and never could have imagined what it would look like but now I have. That isn’t going on the ol’ resume anytime soon!!! I should have had that guy from “Dirty Jobs” show up in a hazmat suit! I thought cleaning up after the kids barfed in the bathroom was bad but this is worse.

About 30 minutes later I am just getting it finally all cleaned up and Lana comes to see what happened to me. All the evidence of the turd tsunami is gone. I’ve found some air freshener and nothing appears amiss to her. It is now 4AM and we have to wake up in 2 hours so what is the point of sleep.

Half an hour ago I wanted someone to just shoot me and put me out of my misery. Sleep is the furthest thing from my mind. Lana came to check on me in a very attractive negligee only loosely covered by a robe and I have to keep reminding myself that mama is home.

I go to my room and she hers. In about 5 minutes though she comes back. She misses me and wants to snuggle a bit. Who am I to argue? I enjoy the time that we have and then off to sleep if we can. I sure as hell can’t sleep. Yet another day with almost no sleep. How long can I keep this up? Sleep isn’t exactly on my mind.

6AM rolls around pretty quickly. I don’t think I’ve slept for more than 30 minutes as the sun comes up in my room well before that. Lana’s room is on the dark side of the building. Mine gets the early morning sun. I am very light sensitive and it is driving me crazy. I can’t sleep but it appears I might have finally gotten a break.

Friggin hilarious.  I just went through something like this (not nearly as bad) just last night.  Electric is out as well as the cold water.  The bathroom is in complete darkness.  No cold water at all which is connected to the toilet.  We are staying at my father in laws flat waiting for Sveta's visa.  The day hits me like a ton of bricks.  Luckily I have a pen light and realized the the water is on.  I am already married so no worries there.   

Bucket of water, pen light and I am all set.  Oh nooo, the cat decided to hit the bathroom before me.  So now it is bucket of water, pen light and little cat bombs to worry about.  Luckily there was no frenzy like Taz experienced. 

Lesson for newbies and reminder for veterans.  ALWAYS CHECK THE WATER BEFORE GOING TO THE TOILET.   



Thomas

[START2]

Hey, Taz-man
   Been enjoying this tag-team TR.
   Have a few questions about your car rental if you don't care to expound. Might consider it myself this summer when we head out. Are you using your US lisence? Did you take extra coverage? Any reason you chose Avis over the others? Did you get your US insurer to help cover you? Will they? Any other info you can think of that might help?

[Taz]

Glad you are enjoying the posts. I'll answer your questions best I can.

My US license was sufficient. My insurance company which would normally cover me while living in Europe will not insure me in Ukraine or almost any other FSU country. I went with the additional coverage to cover my butt as the risk of an accident or issue is high.

I wouldn't use Avis again. I had better luck with Hertz before. I only went with Avis this time because they had the type of wagon I wanted and nobody else did.

I would HIGHLY suggest getting a GPS with Ukrainian maps!!!! Unlike the US, not all cities are going to have the addresses in the GPS maps. For example if you want to find address 105a Prospekt Lenina in Mariupol it won't show up in the maps. In Kyiv you can find it and likely Kharkiv as well. Unless it is one of the top 10 cities OR a very popular vacation destination you won't get door to door address listings. POI's are a little (actually very) weak in most places but still come in useful.

While I knew many of the main roads the GPS came in very handy just to remind me or help me compute ETA and ETE information. It also came in handy finding the car sometimes when I had to park in a less than ideal place. Some streets don't have names on them and it was a challenge to sometimes find the car later.

Driving is obviously a challenge there. Knowing the language is definitely a plus.  Understanding the psyche of the cops is equally valuable. I did try and effectively communicate the template I used for dealing with the local police. I think that is your biggest challenge and the unwritten rules of the road. People will pass anywhere it seems so you must be prepared.

Enjoy the drive!

[START2]

Taz,
  Thanks for the info. This will be trip number 9 for me. I know the main roads where I travel, but never behind the wheel except my friends in Odessa and Chernihiv have snuck me behind the wheel a few times. This trip will require a few trips back to Kyiv and Poltava and Kharkov. I don't want to have to rely on my friends good nature for all the extra travel this time although they are always willing and able. The wife will be with me most of the time so maybe she can handle what I can't. I have had a few instances in the past dealing with militsia(no big deal) I feel pretty confident to drive and get by. We have a close friend that's a cop and he's always offered me tips.
  I have been thinking about buying a car and leaving it in our garage when we're not there. Let babush use it when we're not there is ok too. That might be for another time.
 I checked out the Boryspol site for rentals and it doesn't seem to bad. 16 days, about $600-800 for a compact. I also saw that if you rent in town it's more than a $100 less.They also will add a GPS system for $5/day. What do ya think? Am I correct in thinking you took along you're own GPS?
 

[Taz]

I took my own GPS. In fact I took 2 GPS for the car (1 as a backup) and 2 other handeld ones. If you are going to do it more than once I think it is likely worth bringing one along. I like to mark my favorie places to return to later. Renting one is of course an option but then you can't easily save where you went for later use when you return.

I also download my trip logs to my PC and can retrace everywhere I went in addition to saving specific points. It has come in really handy when traveling where there aren't any roads according to the GPS. That can be pretty often!

When I first rented a car in Kyiv years ago it was $100/day base rate (no insurance) for a compact (really tiny) car. Prices have dropped enough where it is a viable option to do it more often now. Enjoy your trip. You could also share your militsia tips with others on the board. I've shared a lot of mine so far. 

[Taz]

Lana’s mom is going to try and take care of the sick leave on Lana's behalf. It will give us maybe a few more hours to sleep since Lana isn't going in person but she must be ready to go to work if it isn’t successful. So we’ll wait for mama's call. I am a bit nervous at this point because it is all up to mama. She could totally shaft me if she wants to and not even try to get the sick but claim she couldn’t get it done.

I am just starting to doze off again when the phone rings. Lana says it is for me. It is her mama and she won’t tell Lana anything. She asks for me instead. Fully expecting her to tell me that Lana can’t go, Lana's mom starts jabbering a mile a minute. I am pretty tired and my ears aren't quite yet tuned into Russian at this but I am alert enough to hear the wonderful news that she is has gotten the sick leave taken care of. Lana has no idea and is perplexed why her mom wanted to talk to me and not her. Maybe I’ve actually started to win mama over. Lana can't really read my reaction as I am dead tired somewhat devoid of emotions. She thinks it is bad news and I can see the thought cross her face.

I walk up behind, take her in my arms and gently whisper in her ear that her sick leave is approved. She is relieved and excited at the same time. That is the same sentiment I am feeling too. We can now get ready to pack. I suggest that she call Zhana in a bit and keep up the pressure on her. We are still working to help SK out here.

Mama comes home about 9AM and appears to be proud of herself. I am pretty happy about it all that is for sure. About 10AM Lana calls Zhana. They talk for a bit and I listen in best I can. It appears that Zhana is definitely succumbing to the pressure a bit and is going to try and take sick leave. She says for us to call back in an hour. I don’t let SK know anything because I don’t want him to be disappointed if it falls through so I keep silent for the moment on this topic.

[Taz]

I call SK up anyway and we talk. He says he has thought about it and if Zhana can definitely spend the time with him after her class and work then he’ll stay in Mari rather than go to Crimea. Good for him! I speak with MD and it appears he is staying too but I’ll let him delve into that on his own. I admire their dedication and I would have stayed if Lana couldn’t go as well.

I tell the guys I’ll see and speak with them later. I have to come back into town in a bit and I need to pack the car for the trip. Lana gets her stuff ready and we head back into town to my apartment. I need to “check out” as well. I about have the car loaded up when Lana’s mama calls. Apparently the airline has called and they are still trying to get my bag to me. I’ll likely never see it until the day before I leave. It is such a sensitive topic for me I don’t even want to think about it. Most of my gifts are in that bag and I want them now! Actually I wanted them several days ago but I can’t do much about it.

A few minutes later Zhana calls. This is either going to be a great or a terrible call is my hunch. Actually it was kinda both. Zhana can come which is wonderful but she can’t leave until after work which is terrible. We have a long drive ahead of us and we won’t get there until the next morning if we do that. I explain to her the dilemma. I can’t really wait until after work to leave. It will be an extremely long day and we’ve had no sleep. She says she’ll call back. We are ready to go now. I still don’t call SK quite yet.

Zhana calls us about 20 minutes later. She says come pick her up at 2PM. I say that is better…but not quite good enough. We’ll still get in there pretty late at night assuming we have no issues and don’t stop to eat anywhere on the way. Any encounters with the militsia could easily add to that time too. Fuel prices go up a lot in Crimea so I don’t want to hammer it there anyway so economy cruise is in order once we are in that oblast.

I of course know I am leaning on Zhana bit. The departure time is important and I don’t want to have to rush to get there. I’d rather spend the extra time in Crimea than Mari. I am still not ready to call SK yet. Zhana doesn’t k now it but we’ll likely wait for her if we have to as long as she can definitely leave at 2PM. In reality if she leaves work at 2PM, she won’t be ready until after 3PM so I am not being unreasonable. Earlier is better and SK will get to spend more time with her!

[Taz]

She calls back 10 minutes later a little exasperated. She says she’ll leave NOW! Bingo! Just what I’ve been waiting for. I call SK and drop the bomb on him. He is just dumbfounded for a few minutes and doesn’t really know what to say. I’ve never seen SK speechless in the limited time I’ve known him so this is a first. He is definitely stunned by the news. He wants to know how I did it. I tell him I’ll explain later but he needs to get his stuff ready ASAP. Zhana will be heading over as soon as she can.

I call the owner of his apartment to let them know SK will be gone. I arrange for us to get the flat again for the night before we leave. I call MD and checkup on him and let him know we will all be leaving. I hate to leave him alone but he is in a great location and has his Xootr so he should be good to go for a few days. I’ll call often of course and check on him.

I have to scurry to get everything on my end wrapped and meet with the apartment owner of where I am living and turn in the key. As luck would have it there are on the other end of town and I have to drive there. Things are going pretty smoothly and I hope my luck will hold out.

About the time I was thinking that who should call but JD. What the heck does he want? He has incredibly bad timing at times. Apparently he has taken the train as planned to Crimea and is in Simf. He wants me to know that he has a new SIM card so he has a new number. He doesn’t want any more contact with the woman in Zap but he wanted me to have his new number. A reasonable phone call rather than a crisis to resolve, it works for me!

We all meet at SK’s apartment. Zhana has to use the bathroom and gets locked in again. I had forgotten to mention that she got locked in the first time the night we were going to the club. I don’t know if she believed me at the agency when I explained the reason for our tardiness but I am sure she does now. 

[steviej]

Taz ... what a mensch !! (not sure I spelled that right)

If I was still looking I would definitely want to be on the Taz cattle drive at least once!

[Taz]

The cattle drive is definitely a fun experience, more for the guys than for me I think. Tough to balance my relationship while helping others. It's much easier if I'm not involved with anyone at the time I am herding the guys. Ok, sometimes it felt like trying to herd cats but it's all good! SwissKid and myrddin are pretty good guys and I think now they are well on their way to being successful but it is still early. They definitely found some good women from what I've seen so far.

[steviej]

The cattle drive is definitely a fun experience, more for the guys than for me I think. \

They are fortunate to have a friend like you.