Here is my perspective based on my understanding of other cultures that doesn't include the FSU. Its not just about the girl. It also about going beyond that. It about understanding and experiencing her culture, her poverty, her people, her food, her way of life, her thought process and the ways things are done in her country. So when you go to her country you should make an effort to see things from her perspective otherwise you will miss on who she truly is. Its lot of work but its worth it. Why? Because when she moves to your country she will be putting 10x more effort to learn about your culture, country , people, adapt to your lifestyle and try to see things from your perspective . If she is willing to leave her country and her people to come to you , shouldn't you be open and willing to put your share of the effort when you are with her in her country.
the thing about that old lady doing the runner that pissed me off was she worked in a shop, the easy life of making a buck.
outside of the shop was another old lady sitting with her sack of sunflower seeds dressed a little poorly, doing it hard in the weather(well weather was nice but you know what i mean) to me if anyone deserved something extra it was her outside, living in hope.
i think of all the old ladys i felt for was the crippled one competing in the green beer-bottle collecting in kiev square i think at that same time.
she saw from some distances my bottle was a third to go(fantastic eye site)
she timed herself to meet with that bottle when empty by the time it took her to drag herself and sack full of bottles 20-25 meters to me.
wow the strangest pressure i have ever had(with pressure we tend to drink a little faster yeah)
so to be conscious not to drink it to quickly so it didnt go to another old walking lady was interesting.
how lucky i feel i live in a country where old peoples dignity is upheld a lot better then this.
Lonelyranger1701: You wrote: "On my last trip, my reg hotel in Kiev was shut down. I came down in the elevator, the doors opened and there were 5 -6 guys in military type clothing standing in front of the doors. I kept the puzzled WTF look on the inside,,, then went down to the front desk to ask what was going on. The lobby was full of police and other military personal"
I can give you further details.
The Hotel you are refering to is the Hotel Slavutich - and its one I like tto. And its one I like too. What happened was that they had a "hostile takeover" Ukraine-style in January 2012.
Armed and hooded men in camouflage uniforms stormed the place for one of the local crime families according to the report I read. The people in charge of the hotel were taken out and beaten. One guest was shot during the melee. That is simply the way that business is done in Ukraine.
The same group that took over the hotel reportedly took over the Hotel Rus at some other time. Other hotels have beefed up their security and installed baricades to guard against similar changed of control.
Of course the raiders who took over the hotel - got the ptoperty but not the old website. It is still up with the words "We are raided." writen across it.
Instead there is a new website up - that is fully functional and of course the hotel is back in business. I stayed there in September.
I added this link in my post,,, but it was either removed,, or it didn’t get pasted with the rest of the story.
I only stayed there for that one extra night,, then they said I had to move,,, and it was to the Rus!! The Rus is a 4-star hotel, the lobby is really fancy,, but the rest of the hotel isn’t much better than the Slavutich,,,, double the price though.
All of the soldiers were armed,,,,, they always are,,, but I didn’t see any hoods, and I didn’t hear any shots!
If I check my receipts, I could tell you the exact day it happened.
The guys in the black uniforms were all young, and all about the same height,,, I kind of joked to myself,,, that they were all clones!! Lol But most of the men in the lobby had Ukrainian patches on the shoulders of their uniforms,,, some were regular police,,, so this take over was okayed by the authorities! Ukrainian style!?
The Rus hotel has a fence and gate with security men patrolling 24/7!!
If anyone wishes to see the original Hotel Slavutich website, here is the URL (edit out any spaces):
http://hotel-slavutich.com/index_en.php
Practically any property in the FSU can be stolen by gangsters -- but internet domain registration is handled in the west.
paulx, please take note of this example. I understand that you want to learn your way around. Grotesque lawlessness without any punishment is the norm.
Personally I think that you are going a bit overboard here although I do understand your rationel. Tom Shea (above) calls it right. Listen guys, I am now 46 years old and my Russian wife is now 26 and she's from St Petersburg. We first met on the internet here:http://tinyurl.com/legitimate-girls 5 years ago and now we are happily married and have been for the past 3 years. She is an amazing girl, slim, beautiful, intelligent, full of energy and ambition and she also has a better work ethic than me! She has been working here in the UK for 2 years in a bank. so they're not all lazy scammers as some point out...
My point is (in a round about way) Don't go through an agency, why would you? Contact the girl that interests you and if she is receptive then strike up a relationship with her. Talk to her on Skype and you will soon discover if she is genuine or not. If she can't make a Skype call and/ or you suspect something fishy then don't waste your time.
The site I mentioned earlier does have some scammers who couls actually be men posing as women but the administrators are pretty good at finding them out and deleting their profiles.
There's really no need for detectives and all that stuff, just use common sense. Never, ever send money (at least until you are engaged). If anyone needs any advice from a seasoned "pro" feel free to hit me up.
Still a good hotel though. I paid about $50 a night to stay there in September. Included in that was a pretty decent breakfast - though not as good as at the HotelRus by a long shot.
But HotelRus costs around $110 per night - and the breakfast isn't THAT much better.
how bazaar,, one would think its in Ossetia or Chechnya
I think the reason why the girls are cold, calculating and corrupt is because of the influence of the west.
in a sense yes but really no.
that calculating is part of these particular persons makeup, the western influence isnt the root of the problem.
they see an opportunity that is all.
the place is full of interesting calculating people period.
the common denominator is money,, and do they love money,,,, this is the ugly side of the FSU.
these girls just see a avenues to make a dollar, very small time compared to their counterparts over there which is a normal days work.
you need to realize that that world there in a lot of ways is still dog eat dog mentality.
for example they have had a rise in siblings killing each other over up and coming deceased estates for the reason of pure greed.
big business affairs and very scary people is common place.
reality is been successful over there means big bank accounts and it really doesn't matter how.
another example when i was checking out ww2 battlefields next to the Blacksea.
a Ukrainian told me a story of Germany doing big digs down there to lay there old soldiers to rest.
it was a massive project, anyhow German bones were put to one side and russian another.
when the excavations were over, the cost was enormous, Germany gave Ukraine local government the same amount again it cost them to do this adventure so they could do something with their bones.
today no one knows where this moneys has gone, but its gone,,,, you are talking serious millions,, well they do but..
out of all the rips and scams, this one is still small comparing to others, but i have to think these particular persons have to be pure scum.
when Communism disappeared in this land and the mayhem that took over, the most wanted persons at that time in this world were ex western soldiers for body guard work, for westerners have a code of honour(well more so) russians have a code of you can be bought..
with these girls like some of their men are just born ugly.
the huge scams i have come across over there is mind boggling, it makes these girls look rather pitiful in money gains but all need to survive i guess, yes
its not worth getting pulled to deep into this side of the FSU, but you will see over time that world has its own rules when it comes to wealth.
just dump the time wasters, file it for future reference and get onto the next, there is a lot of great people there, more then the ugly by far.
@Durak . Thanks for making me cautious. I think i am left with three options. (1) Buying my protection from the hoodlums (2) Dating the local gangsters daughter (3) Buying few Khalisinovs in the open market and hoping I wont have to ever use them. Just kidding. I have been to few underdeveloped countries so i have a feel of it. How helpful is the American embassy in keiv? I think its always good to have local contacts. I am sure there are few people on this forum who are local to FSU countries.
Kiwinorth thanks for your comments. I like your adventurous stories. Lets look from pure economics standpoint. Lets say an escort charges $400 an hour in FSU and the average median salary of a person is Ukraine is $400 per month. Who do you think is paying for the escorts.. local people or foreigners. Any business is based on economics of demand and supply. For business to flourish it has to have enough demand. The opportunity you mention is called demand. When demand is there the supply kicks in in form of businesses whether it prostitution, escorts, dating agencies, etc. If there is no demand there is no supply and there is no business. Every trade has worked on the same principle for over thousand years. Like most third world countries their is bound to be corruption, bureaucracy, politics and all other drama.
I like to follow my intuition so it doesn't bother me to take a flight and just go and walk the streets and hire my own interpreter for a week or two and feel the place.
For a bit of of humor, I got an email from girl from FSU . She said I am studying economics and I have plenty of ideas for everything. To steal an idea from one person is Plagiarism and to steal form many is research . What she said is funny but is also true and has lot of depth.
smart a: When are you going to get it through your head that I go to Ukraine because I LOVE it and the women. Regardless of the danger. I would go ten times a year if I could get away.
I'm not a scared little mouse still crying about a bad lady from four years agao, like you are.
@ peterjohnston. Thanks for your positive comments and yep its always good to have advice from pros. Lets say I am a golfer and I am a double digit handicapper but before I go and play 18 rounds in unknown territory such as FSU, I would like to be a single handicapper. So any suggestions are welcome.
I am an optimist so positive comments make me feel I can do a few birdies or maybe pull a hole in one. Negative comments make me holy cow they are waiting to rip me off at the course. Hell, l may even get killed before I complete my game or I may even loose my golf set and my golf balls will be stolen. Then I tell myself what the heck, just make sure you have a great caddy ( localite or interpreter) who understands the terrain. For holes that have dangerous terrain , use old balls . Don’t take designer clubs to the course , play with an old set. Its like game of golf . If I do a hole in one I get to come back home with a girl. If I don't, I get to come back home with few great memories. I am a winner both ways. The game ain't fun if you have nothing to loose. Little challenge is always good and I prefer to play against good players who are better than me. If anyone wants to go with me to play this game of golf you are welcome to join me at the course. Who wants to go Golfing in FSU this summer?
Paulx: Thats why I recommend a Romance Social for the first trip. If you are a "full tour" person (I am Socials Only ) they watch over you like a mother hen. Always giving you advice, even on their impressions of the women you have met.
The women assistants are like den mothers. I keep reminding them that I am "Socials Only" and don't need any help. But their intentions are certainly good.
paulx: Seriously body guards are more common over there than you would imagine.
I have a friend who kept a full time driver/body guard who traveled with him around Ukraine. He felt it was worth it as he was safe and always had a way to travel anywhere without wasting time aranging travel (and that does eat up a lot of time).
No, that's not true jetmba,
You go to Ukraine to live out your fantasies of being with a model wife that is 20-30 years younger then you.
You don't choose not to be married, you have no say in it.
You're a very good example of what your doing is a complete waste of time and money.
If you like Ukraine that much, then you haven't spent much time out of your swamp, right?
Ukraine is a 3rd World country.
But you feel wealthy in Ukraine because you can afford to take a 20 something year old to a restaurant.
You have probably spent more money pursuing your 'dream' then Martin Colman, whom that we know has spent 35,000 dollars.
I think AFA call desperate old men like you, 'repeat offenders' ( laughing )
If you were an employee of AFA, after 10 years, they would have given you a Gold watch.( laughing again )
Gentlemen, jetmba is a good example of how desperation, is a waste of time and money.
Gee Smart? A-H,,, here you are again,,, telling people what to do, about something you know nothing about!!
Are you calling Jet a “sex-tourist”?? Are you saying he is wasting his time?? Jet raised his children, he did his part as a husband and father. He,,, and the girl he is dating are working towards marriage,,,, slowly. It’s not just for fun and games. Could it all be for nothing and just a waste of time and money,,,,,, sure,,, but it’s his time and his money!!
Most of us are wasting a lot more time and money than is generally known!! I think of the whole process to be a total waste of time and money, for the Majority of us,,,, me included!! If I was to make a guess of how much I’ve spent during my 5 or so years,,, I think it would top 50,000?? That includes everything,,,, letters, membership, gifts, airfare, hotel, etc. I would have spent about that much on my winter vacations anyway,,,, but I would have had some relaxation out of it.
I might chance wasting more money this coming winter. I could find myself on some beach in the Seychelles or Mexico with an ex,,,,, just to see what she is REALLY like in REAL life! I’m looking at 4,000USD for airfare,,,, just to satisfy my curiosity?? I hate unanswered questions!!
Will I find myself closer to marriage after that trip??? Maybe,,, but probably not. I do this with eyes open and fingers crossed!
Desperate??? We’re all here aren’t we??? We still keep looking through website after website,,,, pawing over the same stack of women’s profiles,,,, even though we know the vast majority of women are not even interested in marriage and moving to another country!! We’re all still here,,,,,, why?
Whether I am working toward marriage - or just playing around - is really noblody else's business.
What IS sad is when people get scammed and then cry about it for years. That has "dummy" written on it twice. Once for letting it happen. And the second time for not getting over it.
This is a forum for people to relay their experiences and advice. I've got some of both to offer. All "smart a" has is pure jealousy.