During my time in the FSU, I've been associated with an attempted bribe, a bride I didn't have to pay since it wasn't my fault I rented an apartment in view of the Presidential palace(apartment manager paid), a robbery where my ex-fiancee's phone was stolen on the metro(subway), and most recently an attempted robbery/scam on my last visit in Kiev.
As I was walking across the street from TGI Fridays, a man walks up to me and says something. I say I don't understand and only speak English. He spoke English and welcomed me to Ukraine. He then walked a faster pace than me and a plastic wallet insert probably for photos dropped out of the bag he was carrying. I pick it up and run up to give it back to him. He thanks me and puts it in his bag but said something else is missing. He asked me to help find the other thing that dropped out of the bag. Then a guy in civilian clothes stops by, flashes a badge and asked what's going on. I knew this couldn't be good and the conversation went like this:
Cop: What's going on?
Ukrianian man: You don't have uniform. You secret police?
Cop: Yes
UM: This man help me find my money but I lost other money.
Cop: How do you know this man did not steal your other money?
UM: No, he good man.
Cop: (Turns to me) I need to see your wallet.
Me: No, you're not going to see my wallet.
Cop: If you don't let me see your wallet, I have to take you to the police station.
Me: Let's go. (I then put my finger in his face so he gets the idea that this can get physical) You're not a real cop are you? Cops don't ask for money this way.
UM: This man a good man. He don't take my money.(said in a very nervous tone)
Cop: (looking at me) I'm not asking for your money, I only need to see what is in your wallet (He then flashes his badge again)
Me: Okay, is that all? ( I pull out my wallet and quickly flash the contents of my wallet to them and they both take a good look inside and after putting it away I ask the UM what are the serial numbers.)
UM: s..ss..seven.......uh uh uh
Me: You don't know the numbers do you?( saying this with my “I'm having a very bad day” look)
Cop: Okay, you can go.
If the cop got a hold of my wallet, he may have ran off or ask the UM for a serial number of a bill and given signals to the UM to say the correct numbers and then the cop would have the right to clean my wallet out for the UM and a bribe for him so he wouldn't arrest me. I really wanted to smash their faces in to put them into early retirement. I feel sorry for the scared tourists they did scam.
Some other interesting things I seen while in Kiev on my last 3 visits:
Every early morning around 3 AM the cleaning crew sweeps the sidewalk of all the beer bottles. Massive amount of noise when they do that. One lady on a date says the other parts of town don't get cleaned as does the tourist areas and the center of Kiev and bottles pile up.
Sometimes I'd sit on a bench about 7 AM in the morning with nothing to do but watch people going to work and the bums or the poor clean up the garbage cans of any beer bottles in there. I seen one lady pull out a bottle half full from a garbage can. She downed the rest beer and then put the bottle in her bag.
I seen a few cops poking their batons pretty hard at a guy sleeping on a bench during a city center festival. He finally woke up after getting rolled onto the ground. He must have been still drunk or have mental problems based on the way he was disoriented. He walked 100 ft and laid down on the sidewalk and went back to sleep.
I was in a cafe and two teenagers about 15 years old each were french kissing non stop for 5 minutes at the table across from mine. Later I notice the boy's face was turning red and he was feeling a little uncomfortable. I look under the table and I see why. The girl was massaging his package way too hard. She has some learning to do. Later she was making some strange facial expressions and I look under the table and he had his hands down her pants. Obviously they thought the table covered up their activities from everyone's view.
Hookers come out walking the sidewalks about 11 PM. One was so hot in her fishnet stockings that she had 7 guys following her. She finally sat down on a bench near mine and I watched these guys one by one talk to her. I watched her wave off young and old UM. I suspect she's holding out for the rich man/tourist who can afford her. She did give out her number to some men who probably promised to use her services when they have the money. Messing around with hookers is very risky business. I wouldn't recommend it. In the link below is a good looking whore. She's also into heavy drugs, still young and full of life. She's honest and you'll know what kind of hooker you're getting. Read the last line in her profile.
http://singles.ru/elena22_1984/&s_l=F&s_i=M&s_f=26&s_t=26&s_tg=marriage&s_c=9908_10354_10367&s_m=0&s_p=checked&s_w=&s_ty=All&s_vf=&s_vw=&s_vip=&s_v=&search_mode=Base&anketaId=336308204&gid=105012185&offset=36I've seen a few street fights and a few honorable acts such as a youngster giving up her seat for a pregnant woman. There's more nutty stuff that currently slips my mind but I didn't take notes and I don't feel like digging in my memory bank at the moment.
