My name is Jacob and I'm working as a tourist guide in Rio de Janeiro. I like to trAvel to Ukraine in the beginnig of june. I like to know information about the cities of Maripol, Dnepropestoust and Karakov. I like to know night life there, discos and if there are some coffee shops at the day time. And beside Kiev I like to know if is another that I can visit to enjoy myself andto look for serious girls. Thank you for the information, I will be to receive any information about Ukraine's cities.
Jacob:
My lady is Ukranian and is here with me in the UK and often comments on various posts and on seeing advice to visit Odessa,she would add by all means go there,preferably with a tour if possible,but with caution as Odessa can be quite dodgy for the uninitiated.
I went with a tour. And agree that that is the best way to start. But I'm telling you - based on only two my two week experience there - Odessa is my favorite place, on Earth.
Looking forward to hearing about it all Jet.
and in answer to the words of caution about Odessa,I had no wish to cast it in a bad light,but my lady informed me that being a busy port it can be bit more daunting than a lot of other cities.
Glad: It's interesting, the information your lady mentioned regarding Odessa. A Russian lady I had been dating (long story) actually from Lithuania warned me a little about Odessa similarly before i went.
I recall we sat in the car and watched a not-so-obvious "lady of the evening" stroll down the city street that we were in (in America) and she pointed the woman out to me. She admonished me, telling me that Odessa was a city filled with prostitutes and drugs. And, as there was still something going on between us at the time (again, long story as to why I went to Odessa anyway) she really didn't want me to go.
She mentioned that Odessa, being a port city, was not like other Ukrainian cites. She said that in Lithuania there was a similar city that one should be similarly wary of.
I'm sure that if I had gone looking for trouble in that city, it would have been easy to find. Fortunately, I didn't go looking, and trouble didn't come looking for me, so things went well.
But I aprreciated her advice, and your lady's advice as well.
There is trouble in any city or any country in the world, the trick is either knowing how to avoid it or knowing somone who can tell you were it is so that you can avoid it, either way works for me !!
Thanks for the heads up (not that Im planning to go to either city mentioned, but there are many who will go and Im sure they will be safer for the knowledge)
You talk about trouble in various cities, what's St Peterburg nowadays? Been there twice but that was ten year ago, then I did not notice anything dodgy. But then me and my mates
were mainly in the Nevsky prospect area, or in the bar called the "Seagull" just off Nevsky.
And when we were noot in there we had our own limo to get around to the various sights.
Hopefully I'll be going there for the Easter weekeend.
Jet:
seems you were given almost indentical advice,and as you know it's always wise to listen to those who know,hence your trouble free stay.
There are many cities around the FSU that seem to have a bad reputation,(Riga,Lugansk,Yoshkar-Ola etc etc),but there does seem to be a broad experience in the forum regarding these cities,for example Tim's contacts in Lugansk that can smooth the way,for other's.
The common sense rule always applies,but hopefully the little warnings posted here from time to time will help those who wish to get a first hand opinion.
Nisse:
I think you might find that Thunderdome is the best person to enquire about SPB,as I recall reading that he has visited several times.
Lugansk isnt a trouble city as such, its biggest headache is the number of scam women and agencies there mate, once you go there its pretty much as safe as any other city in the world, just be careful and dont go talking to any starnge men and you will be fine :o))
But if anyone has a query about a girl there or an agency let me know and I will have my adopted Ukrainian (Lugansk resident) Sister use her contacts with her X KGB friend ( I shit you not !!) and find out what she can for anyone who needs it :o)) But please dont lets snow the poor girl in with requests !! She is working on one for one of our group who asked me last week, at the moment which should be sorted early next week
Agencies are easier for her to check out than individual girls because they have to be registered and as far as possible legit, if an agency is not one of these then you take your wallet in your hands if you deal with them, certainly in Lugansk there are Many dodgy illegal agencies, thats one of the biggest headaches about Lugansk girls.
Many register with an agency there but never write a single letter, the "dodgy" agency writes to the men, and the girl gets a % of the money gained and of the translation fees etc, if the man goes to meet her she will usually meet him and Very occasionally this has had a happy ending, even though she really wasn't that interested in anything but the money, it has been known for a meeting to result in a happy ending, But not often.
Tim:
as I said I'm the very last person to condemn a place because of rumour,and I realise that Lugansk has had a very poor reputation precisely because of what you say about the phoney agencies and scammers there.
That's why I mentioned your friend.I have many contacts too,Kharkov,Dnipropetrovsk,Kiev,and a few others too,and as previously posted (some while ago now),I am happy to help anyone who needs a little background info.
Unfortunately the examples I gave happened to include Lugansk,but that could just as easily have read Kharkov etc etc.
Broke out into a very large grin reading about the ExKGB guy too......:)).Some of my friends in Ukraine are in the militia,and as you probably know they do have a very direct way of dealing with things!!!!
Still it seems the information database is expanding reasonably well....:))
If this "type in" box was bigger it would be easier to read through before hitting send !!
If I am making a big post I do it in a text editor and paste it here (thats why my bigger posts are with less errors, if any !!) but for one liners I dont have the time to feck about ! :o))
Ah well, maybe one day Olga will hear my plea`s !!!!!
I know you were not having a dig Tim...:)and I know that there are always 2 sides to every story too,it just seems easier to "clrify" some remarks......:))))