Kiev disaster - Sept. 4-Sept. 15, 2008

[bill12920]

After many months of reading the forums, studying, learning from the mistakes and experiences of others, I decided to take the plunge. I figured I had done sufficient research to guarantee my success and a happy ending. I joined KievConnections in March of this year and really liked the profile of one woman in particular - we'll call her Tatyana, age 39 (I'm 41). So I wrote a letter. It seemed there would be no response but after 2 weeks a response did come! And I wrote again. Another two weeks passed and she responded again. And so it went. A few times her delay was even longer and I assumed she had just stopped writing. I decided to expand my search to the EM site (where I noticed Tatyana also had a profile and was active on it every day. Hmmmm, she can be online every day but delay responding to my letters by as much as 20 days? The first red flag. My letters to her were always positive, happy, entertaining - telling her about life in Florida, hobbies, interests, etc. I sent her many pictures from around here but received no comments about them. She would write that she was often in depression due to loneliness, how she lives with a mean old mother and has to spend all her money on mom's healthcare, how she has back pain, doesn't like her job, her boring lifestyle, etc. This should have been my clue to run for the hills, but being the typical guy, I figured I would be able to fly in there, fix everything and make her very happy!

After about 4 months, her interest level seemed to increase and she started responding in a more timely fashion. I started discussing the possibilities of a visit to Kiev with her. I was busy in July and she was busy in August so we set the trip for Sept 4. Exactly 6 months from the date of my first letter. It could have been sooner had she responded to my letters in a timely fashion and shown some interest! While we were waiting for the magic day to arrive, we talked every weekend using Skype. As a general rule, she only told me negative things - weather was bad, had to cancel her vacation to pay for mom's cataract surgery, mom yells at her all the time, belittles her, is ungrateful, etc. She was more than ready to leave her country and her mom behind. Naturally, I thought a nice man like myself could make this lonely woman very happy!

By the way, the pictures she posts on KC and EM are very old or very air brushed. She sent me a recent one via skype and it looked nothing like the others. (I was glad she sent it though because I may not have recognized her in person without it). As the weeks passed, we discussed our meeting, making the necessary arangements, etc. Tatyana generously suggested that she would meet me at the airport and that she could reserve an apartment for me, etc. It seemed like the most convenient thing so I accepted her offer. I suggested she reserve the apartment in a location near her own home so that it would be convenient for her to move between home, the old mother, time with me, etc. She lives in the suburb of ..... well, she told me 10 times but I still cannot pronounce it. The first letter is their 'D' letter, followed by their letters OPO....(forgot the middle letters) and ending in the letters 41.

The big day finally arrived and my worried dad drove me to the airport and grilled me the entire time about why in the hell I would be going to Kiev for a vacation! I just told him I had heard that was where all the beautiful women are! I flew Sarasota->Atlanta->Frankfurt->Kiev. Lufthansa was the model of efficiency in Frankfurt - only 1 hour between connections and they somehow got us all off the first plane, onto busses, all the way to the other side of the airport, back thru security again, onto more busses, and onto the Kiev flight, and it still left on time. Unfortunately this left no time to get a bite to eat so I was living on power bars for the past 8 hours!

Arrived in Kiev and holy crap! I cannot believe I am actually here! The immigration area at Boryspol was an absolute mess. Thousands of people in line before me and very slow moving lines. I needed to take a huge dunp after all of those power bars and saw the immigration line was not going to clear out anytime soon so fortunately there was a bathroom at the left side of the room. Pleasant surprise - real toilets when I had been expecting the hole in the floor variety. By the time I got out of there, the immigration room had cleared out and I sailed through. I was hoping to see my waiting Tatyana but no such luck. Maybe it is like the USA where only ticketed passengers can get beyond a certain point. Then onto the baggage claim area. While filing out the customs form, I was approached by 2 separate people offering to 'help' me. I declined all offers, found my luggage, sailed thru customs, and then the sea of people parted and there she was!! Yay, first mission accomplished! Many of the stories here say "she was even more beautiful in person" blah, blah, blah. Well, I cannot say that. As I mentioned previously, her online pictures are at least 5 years old and maybe as much as 8 years old. And air brushed. Nevertheless, she was still reasonably attractive and good enough for me. She tried to carry my briefcase, but of course, I couldn't let her; It was HEAVY!! She led me outside and found a mini bus for us to board. We sat down and she held my hand and said she was glad to finally see me! So far, so good. We sat in the mini bus for a good 30 minutes waiting for it to fill. The temperature was about 97 that day so it was a rather sweaty wait. We finally departed and rode this mini bus on to points unknown. I was surprised to see a police officer standing about every 500 yards on each side of the road along our route. The bus dropped us at a metro station and we descended underground and rode a train for another long while. Then we got off at the DOPO...41 station and ascended up to ground level on the biggest escalator I have ever seen. Then we walked through a tunnel under the street -me dragging my luggage which had lost a wheel on this journey- and Tatyana seemingly annoyed with all the noise it was making. We crossed a field amidst some apartment buildings, down a path, up a hill, past some dumpsters, around a corner, and voila, my building. The huge metal door was covered in grafiti and opened into a very dark, dirty hallway. From there, we got into a tiny elevator that barely held the two of us with luggage and we went to the 6th floor. From there, we had to unlock another heavy metal door that protected a hallway. Tatyana locked the door behind us. Once inside the hallway, mine was the first door on the left. The apartment door opened into a small entry area with a small bathroom and small kitchen on the left side and a bigger room on the right. The apartment had been repainted and the appliances were all new. In the main room, a single bulb hung from a wire in the middle of the ceiling. The wires were just twisted together by hand, no electrical tape around them. I remembered it was probably 220V and no ground wire in sight!! Mental note not to touch any of that! In the main room, there was only a bed. No TV, no telephone, no other furniture. I was completely happy there though, all I needed was a bed/shower/toilet. I did start thinking about what life must be like for those that actually have to live in a place like this. There were no closets in the apartment so the main room would have to contain EVERYTHING. Bed, couch, dresser, table, clothes, TV, etc. etc. The back wall of the apartment was all windows - old, creaky wooden framed windows that did not seal up tightly. This place must be hell in winter time! And the view was actually not bad. It was of a tree-lined courtyard between apartment buildings. There were some rickety looking porches on some of the apartments and everything needed painting and freshening up but I have certainly been in places much, much worse over the years. Asia is much worse. The Carribean is much worse. I was happy to be in Kiev. I gave Tatyana the $660 for 11 nights rent and she left to pay the landlord.

First order of business after 20+ hours of travel was a nice shower. Oops, no towels in the apartment so I used my dirty t-shirt and felt refreshed and wonderful. Tatyana returned an hour later with some towels! Second order of business was eating a BIG meal. We left the apartment - locking the apartment door in 2 places, unlocking the hall door, re-locking the hall door, down the tiny elevator, into the dark hallway, and outside. Kids were in the street kicking a soccer ball, dogs were running free everywhere. We walked down the hill, past the dumpsters, under the tunnel, back down the biggest escalator in the world, into a train, and to the city center. Third order of business - change money. $100 bill after $100 bill was rejected by the changer as being counterfit. Finally they liked 3 of the bills I presented and gave me grevnyas. Then we walked and walked and walked. I was starving and ready to pick up a pigeon, twist off its head, and eat it right then and there. Finally we arrived at a cafeteria style restaurant on Kreschatyk, near Freedom Square. Tatyana selected a bunch of different things for me to try. I'm adventurous and definitely not in love with American cuisine so I ate everything and loved it all. Then we walked further and ended at the riverfront park with the huge arch. We bought ice cream and sat on a bench and talked. We held hands. Then 2 of the hottest women I have ever seen walked by in the shortest skirts I have ever seen. Tatyana voiced her displeasure of the short skirts. Damn! I was hoping she would be wearing hers tomorrow! The sun was setting and we were both tired, me from a long journey and her from a stressful 2 hour wait at the airport wondering if I would show, etc. So we decided to call it a night. Back to the metro station, holding hands during the train ride back to the DOPO...41 station, up the giant escalator, under the tunnel, up the hill, past the garbage, to the apartment, past metal door #1, up the tiny elevator, past the double-locked metal door guarding the hallway, into the double-locked apartment door which she opened for me and all I could do was say goodnight and head for the bed and collapse.

Now I'm an early riser and when the sun comes up, I automatically wake and am ready to go. This happened at 7:00 and Tatyana wasn't arriving until 10:00. This gave me 3 hours to start thinking of all sorts of bad things. In my hasteful and groggy state the night before, I had neglected to notice that the apartment door could only be opened with a key (even from the inside). Tatyana had the key! I couldn't open the door even if I had to. Lets see.... I don't know where I am. Nobody else in the whole world, except Tatyana, a complete stranger, knows where I am. My cell phone doesn't work. There is no phone in the apartment. There is no TV in the apartment. There is no food in the fridge. What if Tatyana never returns? What if there is a fire? My only option is to leave via the 6th floor window. The facade of the building doesn't lend itself to climbing. I'll have to make a rope with the only 2 sheets and 2 towels and maybe a few pairs of jeans and get as far down as possible and then fall the remainder of the way. Oh, I could toss out the mattress to make a landing pad. I can't stay here very long without food so I'll give her until noon before I have to panic and implement my plan. 10:00 comes and goes and I start to get really nervous. FORTUNATELY she does appear at 10:15 and I breathe a sigh of relief. We talk for a bit and then walk down the hill, under the tunnel, I notice an under the street market where I can buy some groceries, we pop out to street level and there is a beautiful park spread out in front of us. It is a Friday morning and the weather is perfect and it seems a school field trip must be underway as there are many children and teachers in the park. There are vendors selling everything from honey to chainsaws. I'm not making this up! The center of the wide boulevard in the park has been decorated with flower topiaries and everyone is taking pictures next to the various creations. The trees are beautiful, the people are beautiful, the park is beautiful, the weather is beautiful but Tatyana points to all the litter laying around and tells me the park is dirty. I really was happy just being there with her and hadn't noticed anything bad. We see a 4X4 Lada in olive drab and I want a picture next to that instead of the topiaries. Tatyana takes the picture but thinks I am strange for wanting to pose with this ugly car. Hey, I'm a car guy and this is an exotic one for me!

After an hour or so, we leave the park and ride the metro into the city again. She never tells me where we are going, I just follow. She takes me back to the same cafeteria we visited last night. We have lunch. The place certainly is cheap and the food decent. Then we find a phone card vendor and buy a card so I can call my sister. We walk to another park ajacent to the river. It too is beautiful and I'm surprised to see people milling about drinking beers! We call my sister who would be sitting in Atlanta morning rush hour traffic at this time and I tell her about the beautiful park and to get over here as soon as possible because beer is everywhere (sister likes beer). We continue to walk and walk and walk. We pass the opera house and the cruise ship terminal. Tatyana wants ice cream again!! I go for just a bottle of water. We spend some time walking around some of the shopping areas on Kreschatyk. Around 18:00, Tatyana leads me back to the SAME cafeteria for dinner. I tell her we can go to any restaurant and she tells me she likes this one because it is healthy Ukraine food. After dinner, we go back to the metro station, back to her stop, up the giant escalator, back to the apartment (behind 3 security doors), etc. We lay around on the bed talking for a while (it is the only piece of furniture in the room, remember?). We discuss how amazing it is to go from e-mailing to an actual in-person meeting. A few hours later, she decides to go home. I offer to walk with her but she says it is dangerous out there for me but nobody will harass an old woman like her. She has the keys in hand and is just about to lock me into the apartment for the night (again!) and I tell her that I need to keep the keys. All of the happiness left her face at this time (never to return again as I would soon discover). She tells me I cannot leave the apartment because Ukraine people are very bad and will take my money or will kill me if I go out alone. I tell her not to worry, I have worked in 10 different countries during my career. She asks why I need to go out. I say I need to go to the market in the morning because I wake up early and am very hungry. She says I cannot go to the market because I don't speak Russian. I tell her not to worry, the numbers are the same and speaking is not required. I'll select what I want, look at the number on the cash register, and pay it. She says Ukraine people are very bad and they will charge me too much. I say don't worry, now hand over the keys please. She says again that I cannot go to the market, she will bring food to me at 7:00. I say don't be ridiculous, it is Saturday and you shouldn't have to wake at 6:00 or before on Saturday just to bring food to me. If I have the keys, I can go to the market early and she can arrive whenever she likes. I told her I have done this before in Korea, Japan, Philippines, Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Trinidad, etc. and never had a problem. She says Ukraine is different, very bad people here. Then she says she won't be able to come into the building to meet me without the keys. I tell her not to worry, I'll be waiting for her downstairs but that we should also get another set of keys so that we both have a set. She says this is not possible, there is only 1 set. I tell her we will get another set made, I will pay for it. She says this is not possible. I tell her everything is possible. We will find a way to make another set tomorrow. She hands over the keys (angrily) and she stomps away.. In the morning, I awoke, dressed, went to the market, secured breakfast without incident and returned to the saftey of the apartment without incident.

Tatyana kept me waiting at the front door for more than 30 minutes arriving at 12:30 instead of 12:00 and she was clearly still very angry. I tried to ignore it and be my cheerful self. We went upstairs and she asked if I went to the market. I said yes. She goes to the kitchen to see what I bought. One item was like a sweet roll - some bread filled with apples and raisins. She told me that was a sweet and NOT a breakfast food. Her basic tone was that I was an idiot for buying this item. Then she picked up a small box of Tide I had purchased and told me I really got ripped off because that market wasn't the right place to buy soap. Then she looked in the fridge and told me I bought the wrong water because I couldn't read the label and the water has gas (carbonation). I told her don't worry, I will shake it until the gas is gone. Then she told me I don't need her; If I can go to the market alone, I don't need her. (Oh great, just what I've always dreamed of -a drama queen!). I told her it is better to WANT someone than to NEED someone and that I wanted her. It fell on deaf ears and I got nothing but attitude from her. I suggested we go to lunch and she started walking. The entire trip down the hill, thru the tunnel, down the escalator, into the metro, out on Kreschatyk, etc. she walked just a few paces faster than me, kept ahead of me, never looked back to see if I was still behind her, no further hand holding, etc. She led me back to the SAME cafeteria once again. This time she didn't even ask what I wanted to eat but instead just filled a tray and handed to to me. Hey, at least she wouldn't let me starve to death! I tried to talk to her during the meal but she was ignoring me. I assumed I must have committed some cultural faux pas but I can't imagine that any man from any country would allow himself to be locked into a flat every night. I told her I was very sorry about this misunderstanding but that I'm not willing to be locked into the flat every night. She told me that I don't trust her so the relationship won't be successful. I told her this has nothing at all to do with trust. I asked her what I should do if there were a fire in the building -should I  jump out the window and fall 60 feet and break my legs? She said there wouldn't be any fires and that I simply don't trust her. Then she ignored me for the rest of the lunch. After we finished eating, she got up and started walking again and I followed. She would point out some church or historic building and tell me to take a picture of it and then she would speed off to the next place. After some time, we ended up sitting in the courtyard of a church and she told me it was very bad that I didn't have a religion (she had previously said that was acceptable to her in our letters!). Then she complained about her back pain. We walked some more and came to another park and sat on separate benches. We layed down and took short naps on the benches since we weren't talking anyway. The next time I looked at her, she said again that I don't trust her. I told her she was wrong and I tried to find some words in her dictionary. I found 'self-reliance', 'self-sufficiency', 'independence' and told her these were American core values instilled into us from birth; That it was counter to our culture to be locked into a room and have to depend 100% on a caretaker to come and take us out for the day. It was the wrong thing to say. She said if I want independence, then I am free to go and do whatever I want to do. I have the keys to the flat, I can go to the market, I don't need her, I can go meet many women. It is about 18:00 in the evening by this time and I'm just about fed up with her giving me the attitude ALL day long. I can't see myself getting married (for the next 40 years) to a woman who manages her anger like this so I tell her once again that I'm very sorry we've had this problem, that I travelled a very long way to be with her (AND ONLY HER!!) and that I want to continue to be with her but if she feels it is time to part, then just say the word and we will finish and say goodbye right here, right now. She thinks about this for a while and then says we will go eat dinner. She leads me back to the SAME cafeteria again and then we went back to the apartment and talked for a while. She gave me a hug (no kiss), and never said she was sorry about anything. I had said it, one would think she could meet me halfway. As we were saying goodnight, I told her we will start fresh in the morning and we will have happy, fun days from tomorrow onward. After she left, I layed on the bed and breathed a deep sigh of relief. It had truly been a long and miserable day. So counter productive and not at all like the 10 days of fun and joy I had envisioned.

I will post much more but it will take me a few days of writing between posts......

[sideskraft]

Excellent post Bill (esp for newbie) . . . . . looking forward to hearing more!!

[Shadow]

Keep it coming, good to see that you at least understood some things after being batted on the head. 

[docetae]

If you went by metro, your appartment was not in a suburb but near center of Kiev (10 minutes). The only station I can see is dorogozuchny (not sure of spelling). There is a big park near the metro station and a big TV transmission antenna near . You have been definitely scammed for the appartment rental... this place is very good to stay, close to everything and there are very good apartment near. My wife lives in one building close to the metro station and there is absolutely no security problem.... except perhaps your "girlfriend"

[GoodOlBoy]

1. "Then 2 of the hottest women I have ever seen walked by in the shortest skirts I have ever seen. Tatyana voiced her displeasure of the short skirts."

2. She said: "I have the keys to the flat, I can go to the market, I don't need her, I can go meet many women."

Hello Bill12920,

     Welcome back home. Congratulations on making your first trip.

     I had a similar situation happen to me in Russia. My personal opinion about this behavior is insecurity and jealousy (her).

     For me, this is a Red Flag (no trust).

[Jack]

Hello Bill, wonderful, wonderful trip report. You are nicely writing a report very similar to what a LOT of men have also experienced.

I look forward to reading the next chapter.

[groovlstk]

It is about 18:00 in the evening by this time and I'm just about fed up with her giving me the attitude ALL day long.

Man, if this control freak of a woman gave you such grief over wanting the keys to your own apartment, I can't wait to read what else she pulled during your time together 

At least you had the backbone not to cave into her demands, there are plenty who would have let her keep the keys and attributed her behavior to the ol' "cultural differences" excuse.

[AnastassiaAsh]

Locking you in the apartment and saying it's impossible to have another set of keys done - is the craziest and most absurd thing i have ever heard in my life! Good for you that you stuck to your American freedoms.  Insecurity and fear of loosing you or making a mistake is written all over her behavior. Hope this story will continue with some new and good changes...

[Kuna]

Man, if this control freak of a woman gave you such grief over wanting the keys to your own apartment, I can't wait to read what else she pulled during your time together 

At least you had the backbone not to cave into her demands, there are plenty who would have let her keep the keys and attributed her behavior to the ol' "cultural differences" excuse.

Groov,

I don't know... I think you're being a bit harsh.  I don't think the OP should assume she's a control freak just because she wants to lock him in the apartment every night.  I really hope he gives her a second chance and doesn't rush to any conclusions. 

Now that I've got that off my chest let me say to the OP - PLEASE, PLEASE TELL ME YOU NEVER SAW THIS WOMAN AGAIN!   



I find it very sad that any person could be so insecure that they felt the need to control a person to such an extent.  Obviously she is NOT marriage material, but a woman with a fear of abandonment is a very sad thing to witness.

Fantastic TR so far.  No pressure on the poster but be aware that hundreds of us are sitting here hanging on your every word!   

[Gator]

Hi Bill,

Interesting report. 

My Moscow wife once locked me in her apartment, and I felt crazy thoughts (and I had a TV and phone and food).  Your situation would have made me feel as if I were buried alive.  My wife routinely locked her children that way too, so it could be a RW thing.

Maybe it was Tatyana's desire to feel needed and to take care of you.  At least she was punctual (to a RW, 30 minutes late is on time).

39-yo women are different from those around 30-yo.  Many are not highly motivated about the MOB venture, most are set in their ways, and some are indeed wacky.  They rarely receive the attention of younger studs such as yourself, typically having to consent to meet old goats like me.

What were your criteria for selecting Tatyana (e. g., no children, conversant in English, educated, etc.)?

Not to be critical, but please use shorter paragraphs.  Sentence construction is superb, so good that I managed to read your wall of words. 

[tim 360]

Nice report Bill.  Please continue.  This woman might very possibly have some issues and I hope you are getting ready to do some running...soon. 

[Misha]

Tatyana kept me waiting at the front door for more than 30 minutes arriving at 12:30 instead of 12:00 and she was clearly still very angry.  ...

After she left, I layed on the bed and breathed a deep sigh of relief. It had truly been a long and miserable day. So counter productive and not at all like the 10 days of fun and joy I had envisioned.

She certainly has anger issues and control issues. I could not imagine dating, let alone living, with someone who would get angry over something so trivial, and then seek to "punish" me for not doing exactly what she wanted.

[dispozo]

Excellent post...

It was so well written, I had all the visuals in my head!!!

Then the cliff hanger..... Does she come back????

You got me hooked and wanting more!!!

[Frenchdude]

Hi Bill,

Sorry to have to tell you this pal but you have violated some of the “Ten Commandments” prominently spelled out on this very website.

First of all, do NOT under any circumstances travel 7000 miles just to meet only one woman, no matter how attractive she looks on the pictures she sent you or how much you may have hit it off in your exchange of letters. Chances are (better than 90% IMHO) that either of you will not like the other (and the good ol' cultural differences may not even be to blamed). Then what do you do next stranded in an uncharted territory?
Always have a plan B. In your particular case this would have meant writing to at least 3 or 4 women living in the same area and probably securing a second fall back solution in the form of a marriage agency setting you up with a couple of other RWs during your stay there.

Second, this woman ripped you off BIG TIME with the apartment rent. Because this lodging was obviously rather seedy and not located in downtown Kiev, you probably should not have paid more than $20 a night, instead of the $60 you shelled out without a second thought  (I have been to the FSU many times and to Kiev once).
In whose pocket do you think the difference has gone?
Let me remind you that $660 is over twice the average MONTHLY salary in Ukraine. Whereas you have wasted your time and money on this trip she has probably made the most money in the least time in her whole life out of you while giving you a heck of a time.

On the other hand, if you are 41 (and not a moronic foul-breathed SHREK look-alike) why the heck did you go for an average looking 39-year-old RW? This is insane my friend. Is there a problem of self-confidence with you or something? If I were to spend thousands of dollars as well as 10 days of my precious time, I would want to make it really BIG and not just the run-of-the-mill experience I could probably get even in the US by spending the same amount of money.

My final piece of advice: don’t waste your time writing to and fro for months. The volume of correspondence you will have exchanged will have very little to do with whether you will hit it off or not.

I wish you the best of luck in your next endeavor (provided you are not yet completely jaded with the whole FSU experience).

[Sculpto]

everyone needs to calm down on our writer.. he has only given us the first chapter.

[dispozo]

My final piece of advice: don’t waste your time writing to and fro for months. The volume of correspondence you will have exchanged will have very little to do with whether you will hit it off or not.

I disagree...

If you read the first paragraphs you already have a feel for this lady. Then there the delay in letters. Any lady that is really interested in you will write you as often as she can. I think his gut was telling him no, but........

[kievstar]

I wonder if this guy will continue writing.  People have been pretty hard on him.  He is not claiming to be an expert on dating RW.  Lets give him a break. 

[msmoby_ru]

Not to be critical, but please use shorter paragraphs.  Sentence construction is superb, so good that I managed to read your wall of words. 

Phil, for Gawd's sake this guy is new here....

Carry on Bill

[msmoby_ru]

I wonder if this guy will continue writing.  People have been pretty hard on him.  He is not claiming to be an expert on dating RW.  Lets give him a break. 

Hi Kievstar

We all hope Bill carries on..but I don't *think* anyone's been "hard" on him... a bit shocked may be...

When you're ready Bill..

[Ade]

I'm shocked and amazed that anyone would travel so far to meet a woman that didn't seem that interested or that interesting to start with.

[Gator]

I'm shocked and amazed that anyone would travel so far to meet a woman that didn't seem that interested or that interesting to start with.

Some of us are more adventurous, if that is the correct word.  And I think such an adventurous spirit is almost a necessity to navigate the RW waters.

[Gator]

Phil, for Gawd's sake this guy is new here....

Point taken.  I should have sent it in a PM.  My apology Bill.  Do as you wish - its your thread, your story.

[Gator]

I wonder if this guy will continue writing.  People have been pretty hard on him.  He is not claiming to be an expert on dating RW.  Lets give him a break. 

I guess people are letting the title of the thread prompt an early conclusion.  Who knows what will happen?  Only Bill.

[Sculpto]

I think he has been scared off.  Can't say I blame him.  If you are readng Bill I certainly want to hear the rest of your story.

[Pike]

I think he has been scared off.  Can't say I blame him.  If you are readng Bill I certainly want to hear the rest of your story.

Yes, the posts here demonstrate exactly why there is a good need for the Trip Report section that allows for no posts except from the person writing the Trip Report.