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	Create New Topic   My Posts   My forum buddies   Invite friends   Private messages Russian brides > Main Forum > Ukraine Trip Report Dec 2014-Jan2015 Author Post btb754 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/24/2014 10:55:41 AM   Thought I would share my experiences on this trip. Naturally, for my fist trip abroad in a decade I get a nasty cold three days in advance. I got it from my ballroom dance instructor. Probably as punishment for booking all of the low cost lessons in Nikolaev. Flew from DC-Philadelphia-London-Kiev. Hanging out at KBP waiting for the hop to Odessa. My little interpreter friend and her mom are meeting me at Odessa. They have already checked in to the Park Hotel where we are staying. We are communicating using Voxer. I converted some dollars at Heathrow and got a terrible exchange rates. $340 for 4 000 UAH. Cannot find a money exchange in KBP. I did bring one preloaded debit card - not with the international chip. it was rejected at the first ATM I tried. I was assured there would be no issues using it here. I brought two credit cards with the international chip in them but do not plan to do a cash advance against a credit card. There is some old information on the Internet on customs at Kiev. There were no forms and no lines. Customs was laid back for the green line (nothing to declare). This confused looking American wondered through and was not stopped by any of the agents. I think they were doing random verbal checks. I did not see anyone's bag get checked for the very brief period it took me to transit customs. You can bring 10,000 Euros in and out without declaration. The weather is warm-in the 40s with no snow on the ground. I've been tracking Nikolaev and so far, Washington DC weather seems to have been worse this winter. People have been very nice. lonelyranger1701 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/25/2014 1:32:04 PM   Both A and B at KBP have/had money exchange. Not sure about F? Sounds like you are having a good time. RodanTsunami Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/25/2014 3:02:04 PM   When in Ukraine. it is the best place to exchange money. The service charges in the west are crazy high. If you need to convert dollars, pounds, euros or anything, get it there, not Europe or America. You can exchange for any currency, not just hyrivnas. dcguy Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/25/2014 6:41:07 PM   Based on current exchange rates, it is about $13K in USD. Traveler's checks are no longer popular. I have heard of the VISA "travel money card" and MasterCard also has a similar product which works similar to traveler's checks. Are these accepted in the FSU region? And it is easy to file a loss claim? btb754 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/25/2014 6:46:45 PM   I was in terminal D. I finally found the money exchange on the baggage level near the escalator. There was a line so I did not wait to see if there was a fee on top of the posted exchange rate. The posted rate was a quantum leap better than London. Lesson: don't change money in London. I'll keep a couple of hundred Hrvnia between trips. The domestic flight section of Terminal D comes alive at 17:00 as peaple start assembling for the flights that leave starting at 19:40. No problems with my non-existant Ukrainian and Russian. I had intended to practice on the flight, but I was physically miserable. They start boarding my 19:40 departure at 19:10. The flight was full and there is no way they were goingto hit the departure time, but nobody seems to care. Boarding consists of getting on a bus and driving out to the plane where we boarded in the drizzle. It was a 737-800 and it looked like a newer vintage. So we depart at about 30 minutes after the scheduled departure. I fell slightly in lust with every one of the stewardness. UIA is clearly old school in the stewardess department. It is actually an interesting idea for a Ukrainian girl wanting to meet a foreigner (though I do not know if it happens much). You get to see who the jerks are before they hit on you. My mind of course was on higher things, so the one I immediately wanted to marry had no idea of my unrequited lust for her. One dynamic is boarding was completley unorganized. It seemed to work OK. One thing I liked is on both BA and UIA. The cabin staff worked hard to fit all of the bags in. On US Air in the states, they don't even try and gate check bags in a second.Deplaning in Odessa was similar, both ends of the plane unloaded to waiting buses for the 200 meter drive to the terminal. Aaaacckkk. At least at KBP, it was a nice long drive to where the plane was parked. So then we all debus at roughly the same time to squeeze into the terminal through a single door. It was only one of four that was open and I could see no reason why the other doors were not open. In the United States, this indifference to passenger needs would likely lead to a class action lawsuit in a matter of weeks. With that experience to guide us, the baggage approach was no surprise. It all came up at once after a long delay. In the US, I think it comes up in two groups. A short walk to the waiting area and my waiting ladies. Mum was even hotter in person than I expected from her pictures. True 40 something trophy wife material.My goal to not get into an entangling foreign alliance on my first trip to Ukraine my crash and burn here. MartinPC Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/25/2014 7:36:56 PM   NEVER buy money at a UK airport! More recently I would order my foreign currency online with www.travelex.com and collect it from their exchange bureau at the airport, even their staff would remark of what a good deal I had got compared to exchanging it with them. Rick4girl Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/25/2014 9:22:58 PM   wow!!! btb754, you already scammed!!! at london airport you should receive more than 5100UAH for $340 and at street level exchange, such as grocery store you can even get 5387 or more. Do not make this mistake again!!! If you have issues at ATM getting local currency then you can take debit card into bank to receive money. My preferred banks are Privat bank and Bank AVAL (Raiffeisen Bank)as they do not charge fees themselves. Today the official exchange rate is 15.84 but some places will offer 16.25 in Odesa. NEVER EVER USE the foreign based exchange companies. they will rape you without any lube nor a kiss. VISA or MASTERCARD branded cards are easy to use in Ukraine. If you have issues it is most likely due to an issue in your home country's bank One thing you will discover about Ukraine is that lines are meaningless. people push, shove and cut in line on routine basis. If you would like, PM me and I will send numbers of Odesa people who can help you if you need outside help or have an emergency MartinPC Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/25/2014 10:09:06 PM   You didn't convert US dollars to hrivnas in London ... You converted US dollars to pounds sterling and then you converted pounds sterling to hrivnas. One gets ripped off at airports anyway but you got ripped off twice and that's why you ended up with so few hrivnas for your US dollars. If one is exchanging money from one currency to another then at least do it in a country of one of those two currencies, i.e. either USA or Ukraine. lonelyranger1701 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/26/2014 12:29:03 AM   I never had a problem exchanging money in Ukraine. I always checked the rates the night before I left,,,,, and don’t recall a change of more than a tenth or 2 tenths during the trip. The rates then weren’t changing as fast as they are now. Perhaps the only problem,,,, was getting spammed by the ATM or exchange,,,, 3 inches thick of little bills can be a problem if there are a lot of people watching. Don’t use one in a crowd! I only had to exchange one time at the airport, and it was only to have enough for taxi and hotel. Since that time, I always have a little carry over from the trip before. I currently have 1,810UAH One thing that is good to remember,,, is the condition of your US money. Russia makes a big stink over this,,, and demands only pristine US bills. No tears, no lines from folding, no stains, no stamps, or marks from verifying! Since then,,, they have changed the 100US bill twice. Not sure how that would go over now? Instead of just grabbing money from home, I now go to the bank here, and ask for fresh currency,,,, with the paper bands still on! Rick says “Privat bank” was a good one, but I had nothing but problems it. I prefer the Swiss bank ATMs, big bills, good locations, success on the first try, and I don’t remember any huge fees! Btb,,,, don’t forget to keep an eye on your belongings over there,,,, keep your wallet hidden and secure. MartinPC Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/26/2014 12:52:20 AM   "keep your wallet hidden and secure" Or better still keep your (empty/decoy) wallet in your back pocket and keep all your money in a side or knee pocket or wherever. btb754 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/26/2014 5:41:39 AM   Re: Exchange rate. Street level exchange is not up to 1820. The lesson at London cost me almost $100. I will not make that mistake again. So far, I like it here. The Gypsy kids in Odessa are just as aggressive as in Rome 30 years ago. Just a lot fewer of them. There is an interesting article floating around on the Internet discussing the Roma as one of the last hunter-gatherer races. svenden Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/26/2014 6:44:17 AM   do they have thieves there? bowhunter Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/26/2014 7:57:41 AM   seems like a nice adventure so far. btb754 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/26/2014 10:40:25 AM   The Geneva Park hotel is one of a chain of three Geneva series hotels all clustered around downtown Odessa. We walked from the city center back to the hotel. I worry about two things in a non-premium hotel: the comfort of the beds and the presence of bedbugs. Geneva Park passed on both. The bed was really nice. The receptions spoke perfect English and apparently lives on premise. A continental breakfast is included in the room rate. http://hotel-geneva.com.ua/hotel/park/ The rooms are walk-up: no lift. Odessa has an amazing shopping complex near the airport. I cannot remember the name, but the largest such complex I had been in before was in Seoul Korea. The Korean one was in a series of loosely connected structures. This one was entirely made up of shipping containers stacked two high. I never discovered what was in the top container. Not a flea market that I could see, but I may have missed the crafts section. All manufactured goods. The complex is huge. The girls had a strong reaction when I actually bought them stuff even though this was a planned shopping trip. The disparity in incomes is so great, what I could purchase with a day's take home pay are items they can only dream about. I don't quite understand the strong reaction since this was a completely planned shopping trip down to what we buy and how much I would spend. Driving by taxi from Odessa to Nikolaev was a hoot. Ivan was our crazed but competent driver. We could have been driving through the mid west. Plowed feels lying fallow stretching to the horizon. Mum was tense and rediscovering her Orthodox upbringing. Actually Ivan was careful even as he got up to 140 KMH on occasion. I have taken bigger risks getting past motor homes in the Rocky Mountains. Rick4girl Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/26/2014 12:28:42 PM   the large shopping complex is called 7KM mall. people come from many kilometers away to buy products to sell in their town or village.... It is open from 7am until 3pm. there are many Chinese here selling items directly from containers as well as some Turkish and some Indian. Most are coming to buy in bulk, everything from toilet paper to coats, shoes and more. You can also buy individual items in a couple sections. You should NEVER go there without local speaker and when there refrain from speaking English. Yes, our roads suck but there is even worse roads you have not seen yet. especially road from Nikolaev to Kirovohrad. stay safe and ave fun! sammy Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/27/2014 6:04:56 AM   sounds great,keep us updated btb754 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/27/2014 10:04:47 AM   Ivan gets us to the apartment alive and well. This is it: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4370607?euid=300eebd0-896a-1b4d-bbff-183665 fa9097 A little expensive, but the jet tub is wonderful. What is not clear from the ad is it is a 4th flour walk-up. I come to Ukraine to live healthier and my wish is immediately granted! These are true luxury apartments. One balcony over the secure courtyard and one looking out over Pot'omkins'ka St just down from Radyans'ka St. The girls were impressed once they saw it. They were concerned I was paying too much before they saw it. Since I was so sick, mum decides she is going to stay with me to make sure I am OK and nurse me back to health. Since we arrived on the Western Christmas day, she goes out to get some personal items, food and a bottle of wine. Not thinking things through, she took the key, thereby locking me in. So when she gets back, she hooves it up the four flights with about 15 kilos of stuff. I started to like this girl a lot. I'll talk about her cooking in a later post. It is superlative. I already mentioned that mum looked better than her pictures. A lot better. She dresses conservatively. In private she can really turn on the heat. However, we are both determined to not give her my cold and we spent a fun evening of flirting and tingling anticipation. She seems to like my quirky sense of humor. Shopping for the girls in the morning in Odessa; lunch in the square; fun ride with Ivan; romantic evening with mum; this was one of my better Christmas days. And we have Orthodox Christmas in a couple of weeks. btb754 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/27/2014 10:35:46 AM   I mentioned mum is a great cook. Her day job is as a cook. I also mentioned she was much more attractive than I expected. I'm trying hard to stay cool and keep my hands off of her and limit the drool coming out of my mouth. So we are sitting in the girl's room in Geneva Park and I casually explain that my travel to the Ukraine will largely be managed by my boss. Given my recent health issues, he is particularly interested in my getting and staying healthy. In fact, my only performance goal for this year is to lose weight. So if I am to come back, I need to lose weight on this trip. Mum obviously wants me to come back because she immediately takes control of my diet. When we went out, she quizzes the waiter about ingredients and recommends healthy dishes. In Nikolaev, we eat in (so far). I can almost feel the cholesterol dissipating from my arteries. She made borscht last night. Wow! I think it gets a bad rap. My Russian teacher says every women has her own recipe. btb754 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/27/2014 12:48:30 PM   Well, turns out that my on-site work commitment has been pushed out at least a couple of weeks, so I am extending here for two weeks. Like an idiot, I forgot to set PINs on the credit cards I brought with me. These both have international chips. Fortunately, it appears I can use Western Union online to send money to myself. I brought a loaded T-Mobile money card. I called to confirm it would work in the Ukraine and was assured it would. I asked the agent to double check. After it got rejected a couple of times I called again and was assured it will not work in Ukraine. Aaarrrggghhhh. Rick4girl Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 12/27/2014 7:10:38 PM   I would have told you to get magic jack app on your mobile before leaving however if you have an android based phone and even if are are now using a local SIM card, the google play store may stiff allow you to download it because your phone will have a US based EIN on wifi you can call free to USA and ask for pins for your phone. My Capone card I forgot to get a pin before I came in september and was able to get by phone. regarding t-mobile card, although it may not work in ATMs ( My Green dot cards stopped working last year in ATMs) it may still work for purchase transactions and getting money from bank teller as they swipe it as a purchase transaction. If all else fails, use t-mobile card to pay your bills at home to free up more cash in Ukraine from other sources. Lastly, moneygram to Ukraine is half the cost of western union. 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