Time For My Summer Trip!

[Przemolog]

Originally Posted by Effendi

There are no 3G networks at all, while there's a CDMA network but no one seems to know it and there are no official commercials, just some phone shop has some stickers with the "CDMA" word and no commercial names.

I think it's this one: http://www.cdmaua.com/ua and its commmercial name is just "CDMA Ukraina"

As far as I can understand this text:
http://www.cdmaua.com/ua/standard/ad...direct_numbers
this operator is rather a landline one - it uses landline numbering ranges and dialling rules. I think it's someting like Sferia CDMA http://www.sferia.pl/ network in Poland (however, Sferia has no entry on celluar-news.com whereas CDMA Ukraina does http://www.cellular-news.com/coverage/ukraine.php )

BTW, Ukraine closes its NMT-450 network on 31st Aug: http://www.cellular-news.com/story/18901.php

[Effendi]

Originally Posted by Przemolog

I don't understand "no train"? I checked a timetable at poezda.net and I found 3 direct trains a day from Odessa to Lviv. Do you mean that all the trains were 100% booked?

Exactly, that's the problem (also with buses, but a bit less): all "inter-city" trains are 100% booked much in advance in Ukraine and it's impossible to buy them in advance if you are not in Ukraine. Also you cannot buy a ticket from Odessa to Lviv if you are not in Odessa! A friend of mine could book us the Kyiv-Simferopol train 1 month before we arrived and we were already in 4 different "kupe", but she couldn't book the other trains.

Also cars for rent shoud exist, Hertz and Europcar have their offices there, as well as Sixt and Avis (not everywhere), but they had no cars for weeks!
It's really hard to move in Ukraine, expecially in Summer and by the sea (but also in Kyiv we got the very last car from Sixt).

[Asick]

Oh, what a detailed report! Thanks a lot! I see you are still being impressed by this trip. Don't have much to ask since you've already told almost everything. Anyway, I'll just write some info from almost this side of border.

You know, I find 15 Euros to a cop to be too much, I guess a local could have corrupted him with 3 or 4 Euros, but I'm probably wrong. Anyway, this is 'normal' both in Russia and Ukraine, that's why drivers are not afraid to get penalty. Also, some funny tricks allow to avoid a penalty ticket or another cop corruption, such as long range headlight flashing. Flashing a few times in 1-2 seconds from a car going on the opposite side means cops are near in front of you and behind the car that flashes that has already seen them, so you should decrease your speed. :P This used in the whole exUSSR, AFAIK, so keep in mind.

It's a surprise for me there's no crossing between Ukraine and Romania to the south of Moldova, I'll keep it in mind. I thought there could be a bridge or ferries... Well, I guess you should have not tried entering Transnistria since it's quite strange separatist region using old Soviet time ideology, so I'm afraid you would have been sent back or even got arrested for a while. I don't really know which visas they need to allow entrance. I may find this info if you need it again, though.

You are right about the poverty and small pensions... They are smaller in Ukraine than here, which is making old women to act this way. Too bad. You easily figured out the difference in Ukrainian regions, and the difference in their local ideologies. Yes, Lviv (here we call it L'vov in Russian, may be you heard this variant too) is the most Western city in Ukraine, which is quite expected (it was in Poland till the World War II and used to be under the 'western' influence). Kiev (sorry, Kyiv ) is the capital, which is getting quite modern and developed, but the province... It's the oasises of Soviet time standing still both here and Ukraine. It's like different countries. Additionally to that Crimea is more 'Russian oriented' (they don't want to study Ukrainian, there are more Russians etc.) that is in fact old time nostalgia too, that's why they keep soviet names. JFYI, in big Russian cities communist street names are mostly replaced with 'tsarist' ones except of the names given to the places built during the Soviet time. However, they are still remaining in the provincial regions. Something similar, right?

Well, don't forget about the Lenin & you pics!

[Asick]

Originally Posted by Effendi

P.S. In Ukraine they seem to be really crazy about mobile phones and there are shops everywhere, really MUCH more than in Italy (where I thought we were the craziest in this subject).

The same as here. Now you understand why I used to answer the questions like "I'm going to Russia, how can I buy a SIM there?" with something like "Just go to a nearest dealer shop and buy whatever you want!". However, here are some problems with buying a SIM for a foreigner (registration stuff, you need to show them a stamped migration card), while there are no such problems in Ukraine, right?

Trains are full during summertime, you are right. Many Ukrainians and Russians going on their vacations to Crimea by train, that's why Crimea direction is 100% booked. You need to order a ticked a month before your trip. It's quite easy to book a ticket online here in Russia, including trains going from Russia to Ukraine, so may be it's possible to book a ticket on the same train within Ukraine (something like from Kyiv to Crimea on the train going to Crimea from Moscow through Kyiv, but I'm not sure). Anyway, they won't deliver you a ticket abroad. Here I booked a ticket from St.Petersburg to Lviv (in fact there was a separate single ticket from Lviv to St.Petersburg, not return ticket!) with no problems 3 weeks before departure (I'll go to Croatia though Lviv and Budapest in September), but there were just a few places remaining free, though. And... 4 tickets in 4 different 'kupe's - this is crazy!

[Effendi]

About soviet names of streets they are still present in Crimea only (which is an "independent Republic" inside Ukraine), while in Odessa (which is Russian speaking as well, but not autonomous) they have tsarist names everywhere (but all signs are in Ukrainian only).

For prepaid sim-cards you don't need any registration, you can buy them everywhere, just pay!

About the fine+corruption I think I payed "a lot" and the cop knew that since I was a foreigner and used to very high fines (if I were in Italy I would have payed at least more than 300 euros plus suspension of the license for some months...), that's why he wanted me to decide how much to pay. Anyway 15 euros for me were more than fine and for him too! About the flashing I perfectly knew that, it's the same in Italy, but in that street there was no traffic at all, that's why I was driving faster and no one could flash me about the cops!

About the Urakianian/Russian names I know, L'viv and L'vov, Kyiv and Kiev, Odessa and Odesa (really big difference! ) and so on... it's the easiest way to understand if you are speaking with an Ukrainian or a Russian! Anyway there are quite big differences betweene the 2 languages, Ukrainian seems to be more similar to Czech and Polish, after 1 week I could "hear" the difference between the 2 quite easily.

Train tickets were sold out in any direction, not only Crimea. Also going to Lviv was impossible. We only found a ticket to Kiev with 2 days in advance, but we needed it 1 day before, so at last we took a terrible night-bus.

Anyway, waiting to see Effendi with the Father of the Country, you can enjoy most of my pictures HERE.

With a little but important preview!

[Effendi]

Here it's me with "father" Владимир Ильич!

[powerlifter]

Looking at those pics you had from Odessa Brings back memories.l I was there last year,as well as being in Kiev. I noticed you had some ladies in your pics. you can't help ,but notice how pretty they are. I had to go back and look at my pictures , and try to get another trip to the Ukarine.

[Effendi]

Oh, I didn't publish the pics with me and my female friends! Anyway Ukrainian and Russian girls are incredibly beautiful, lucky Asick! :P

[Asick]

Originally Posted by Effendi

Oh, I didn't publish the pics with me and my female friends! Anyway Ukrainian and Russian girls are incredibly beautiful, lucky Asick! :P

Oh, yes... :P By the way, I wonder what Lenin holds in his hands there. Is it a mobile phone?

[Effendi]

Yeah, it's rather big, it should be an analog phone!