Hello guys! It is New Year soon which means that you should travel around. Where to go and how to spend your vacation? Or, if you don't work, what fun can you do this winter?
I strongly suggest you to visit Ukraine. I will post here the reasons why should you go there. I was Ukraine in winter 2014-2015, in Crimea in summer 2014, in Russia (all my life :DD) so I know what I am talking about. Pro-tips on how to visit Chernobyl (or to be more precisely Pripyat, a place where a nuclear accident happened in 1986) and how to get a Ukrainian gf included below.
You can also go to this website to read some more: http://ua-travelling.com/en/
And remember to always check https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Main_Page and http://wikitravel.org/en/Main_Page for each particular city if you go there, for example: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Odessa
Ukraine promo! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZMMJo7jOTQ
Here are 7 reasons why you should go to Ukraine now/this summer/this autumn/this winter:
1) Ukraine is cheap.
All post soviet countries are cheap, that is no surprise. Russia is cheap too (however, some big cities like Moscow or Saint-Petersburg are overpriced though). But Ukraine is cheap everywhere, even in Kyev. You can see yourself:
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Russia&country2=Ukraine&city1=Moscow&city2=Kiev
Consumer Prices in Kiev are 43.58% lower than in Moscow
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Kiev are 55.10% lower than in Moscow
Rent Prices in Kiev are 70.47% lower than in Moscow
Restaurant Prices in Kiev are 57.58% lower than in Moscow
Groceries Prices in Kiev are 38.37% lower than in Moscow
This difference is even WAY higher if you come from Germany/Sweden/France etc.
You can get a fucking cheap ticket from Lviv to Kiev by train, it will take 1 night for the trip and cost you 100-200 UAH which is 7 EUR. Just fucking 7 EUR for a fucking train trip which will take 7-8 hours.
Renting an apartment? 300 UAH/day for a center nice and cozy apartment in Lviv with double bed. Fucking 12 EUR a day! One night in hostel is just 4-5 EUR in Lviv. Kyiv is slightly more expencive but this is still amazingly cheap. Don't forget to use websites like https://www.airbnb.com/ and https://www.booking.com/ where you can find anything: from a shitty room in a commieblock to a whole house (just 40 EUR a day) or a very nice apartment.
Pizza delivery in Kiev - 150 UAH, 1350 grams. Fucking 5 euro for more than 1 kilo of pizza. "You gotta be kiddin me, Russiaball" you think. Nope, I am not.
2) Ukraine is a friendly country.
I am serious now. Generally, slavs are friendly to all the foreigners. However, in Russia you will have a better attitude if you look like you have money.
In Ukraine people care less about money (because they're not spoiled with money and are not used to buy a new iPhone every year). Despite me being Russian and talking Russian in Kiev and Lviv literally EVERYONE was super friendly.
3) Ukraine is diverse.
It has an average-tier slav places like Kyiv with commieblocks. A student town with loads of young people (and grills too) like Kharkiv. It has e/b/in Lviv which I personally just love (IT IS AMAZING DURING WINTER AND NY THERE), it looks very European and cozy, it has loads of restaurants, beerplaces, bars etc. There are other smaller places like Uzhgorod where you can see some old castles. There is also Odessa where you can swim in the sea during the summer (that is what I will do this summer, I will go to Odessa or a place around it). You can also do camping and bring your own tent. Many people do that and you will also meet some very friendly people there. You can pretty much find anything you want. There was also an IWO recently of a guy from Slovenia(?) who went to rural parts and it looked also nice.
Look at this video of Kiev https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBGHdqXuD0E looks e/b/in and 10/10.
And Lviv https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqgoOpfyE84
Or take a look at Bukovel which has mountains (in winter many people go there for mountain skiing) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAXW6NVx6Po
4) Ukraine has relatively nice beer and a good food. Of course, Ukrainian beer is not as good as Belgian or British. But it is way better than Russian. It is also cheap, about 0.80 euro per bottle in a shop.
Food tastes like an average slav food (which I personally find nice). And it is also cheap.
5) West Ukraine is 100% safe. All those "bandera" places always had much lower murder or rape rates compared to Crimea and Downbuss.
Of course you have to follow all the general safety rules, however places like Lviv are super safe even at night. Even considering the current happenings in Ukraine, it is still fucking safe.
6) You will be able to help Ukrainians by doing some currency exchange :DD Gibe your euros or dollars, they need it now X--DD
I spent 1000 USD in Ukraine during the winter and I don't regret it at all.
7) Ukraine has good looking girls who are also not spoiled with money. Cutes picrelated (my personal selection).
Now, [b]I want you to go to Ukraine and meet a girl there[/b]. I am not kidding.
Ukrainian girls are much more extraverts and emotional (somewhat similar to Spanish type) than Russians. They're much more friendly and easy going. And you don't have to put a lot of assburger effort for a conversation. Just meet a Ukrainian girl online, help her with English in skype a couple of times, and then you meet her in real life and she shows you around (and you don't have to say much, just say "yes that's pretty"). Eventually you will build up a conversation.
Where do you meet Ukrainian girls? [b]It's fucking Interpals[/b]. Ukrainian girls are super-friendly there. They will gladly accept your help with English/German/whatever and will gladly show you around their city. Stop being an assburger retard, Spede, and meet your Ukrainian QT today!
Additional information on castles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khotyn_Fortress
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamianets-Podilskyi_Castle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzhhorod_Castle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubart%27s_Castle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanok_Castle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olesko_Castle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svirzh_Castle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (huge hastle and very nice)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_in_Ukraine
http://ua-travelling.com/en/article/10-best-castles-of-ukraine
10 places to go in Kiev http://calvertjournal.com/features/show/4938/kiev-now-insiders-guide-to-Ukraines-capital
Another list:
Kitaevo — some old strange ponds near a monastery. Easily accessible by bus nr. 20, marshrutka 470 and minimal walking. No entry fee unless you decide to visit the caves (cheap, not much interesting inside, but may be nice in the hot summer).
Feofania park — entry fee (around 0.75 USD) required. Just a park. Some ponds, some spring water. Accessible from different sides by marshrutka 548 and trolleybus 11.
Pirohiv museum — a big skansen. Around 30 UAH entry fee. Rather big area with rural houses claimed to be representative of parts of Ukraine. Some windmills, some huts. Some HARMFUL food sold by locals as ukrainian kitchen, two or three times more expensive than in the city. Mind the summer heat since the area is mostly open to the sun.
National expocenter — easily accessible by subway, trolleybuses and marshrutkas. Worth serious visiting due to seasoned soviet buildings. Currently it can be regarded as a park more than as an expocenter. No entry fee.
Expocenter, Feofania and Pyrohiv are close, and can be visited in a row if you are a sporty human who doesn't get scared of 20+ km made by the end of the day.
Botanical garden — for a quick peek. There is a place with a view on Dnieper and bridges. Some little entry fee. Easily accessible.
Old tunnel on the Zhukiv island — not too easily accessible strange thing attributed to Stalin-era attempt to build an underwater railway tunnel. Just a nicely seasoned concrete tube rising from the water level to 4 meters among the woods and water. Nice place to take some food and eat it on the roof.
Motherland monument — Despite I'm an outskirts kind of guy, I'm still recommending this soviet museum of world war 2 and the view from the top of the statue (that costs around 10 USD and may be closed some days) Pricing info on the official site (english)
Aviation museum with a bunch of aircraft standing open-airedly near the Kyiv Zhulyany airport. Not comparable to US aviation museums but worth visiting for a special feeling of sadness for the rusty machines, some of which are open for entry but with all the intestines taken away and replaced with wood. Entry fee around 1.5 USD all inclusive. Make it 3 USD to be sure. Accessible by marshrutka 220 but it is hard to catch. It is easy to catch it when going back from the museum, it has its final stop there.
I recommend you take a map app like Osmand free (android) and download the Ukraine map for offline use. Kyiv is mapped pretty well, down to dirt paths in parks and forests. If you have money, go by taxi to save time for visiting places. Ask locals (hostel folks) for phone calls to taxi, it is cheaper this way than simply on the street. For Kyiv is pretty big, what is «close» here can embrace some towns. Subway is faster when there is traffic. Trolleybuses and trams are slow. Or take a fukkin bicycle as I do and — tee-hee — you own the city.
Chernobyl
https://www.chernobyl-tour.com/english/?action_skin_change=yes&skin_name=eng
I paid 80$ for the tour, the one with an English speaking guide is more expensive, though.
It has many stuff to see since it used to be a top secret place during USSR, for example you can find huge radars which could track ICBMs that were launched in America. Some old abandoned buildings, command rooms and the whole place is like still in around 1980s as if time stopped there since no one leaves in that place anymore (apart from some people who live around illegally).
You can check out this IWO of some guys who illegally went there (consists of 3 parts, this is the first one) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0s2YIbxKBg
This is what Pripyat used to be during USSR, unique footage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l21xb5cg7v8
Chernobyl.
>tfw going to Ukraine this summer
>>1060104
We had a couple of people going there in the previous thread. Where are you going exactly?
guise, you're nazis
you know any places to spend a New Year's Eve there? I mean like clubs with young people with a good party
>>1060199
As soon as you get into Lviv you will find lot's of bars and stuff like that. Kiev has much more night clubs, trip advisor will help you here.
And remember everything will be very cheap.
>>1060203
>As soon as you get into Lviv you will find lot's of bars and stuff like that. Kiev has much more night clubs, trip advisor will help you here.
I mean places in Kiev. The things is that there is not a lot about nighlfie on tripadvisor, so I need an advice from a local or somebody who has been there
>>1060206
I don't think there is lot's of Ukrainians here who can assist you. Try /int/, talk to someone on interpals who is from Ukraine, or try other places like reddit, or just google "best clubs kiev".
How safe is Ukraine?
You mentioned interpals for meeting people, but Googling shows that to be a site full of creepy dudes:
http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.interpals.net
>>1060227
Lviv is close to Polish border, with lot's of tourists from Poland, Germany and so on. It is very much safe, even at night. I would say that all Western Ukraine is super safe.
Kiev might be less safer at night. Just follow all the mandatory safety rules: don't walk alone in the dark, don't show that you're rich foreigner with five iPhones and don't carry 30000$ in your pocket.
The safety is similar to Moscow or Saint-Petersburg. Normally the center location in any big city is safe.
>>1060229
I have never ever had any problems with people there. I can confirm that interpals has lot's of nice people, girls from Russia or Ukraine are 100% real, there is just a few fakes. Just speak to people, invite them to skype, have a conversation (you can ask video too) and you will see if these people are good or not.
I personally met very nice people on interpals, there is also a thread about interpals on /int/
Bump.
Question: Why would i go to Ukraine over Russia? (Or Poland/Romania)
I might have the choice over this winter, im going to Europe and get 10 days of independent travel. Is Ukraine a country for someone that has already been elsewhere or can it live up to the sights of Russia?
>>1060461
It depends on what you like.
Russia is nice to spend all your money you have, going to some expensive and posh clubs and nightlife. Or you can visit Hermitage and other famous museums. It will be probably colder, and darker, the weather is not fun here, especially Saint-Petersburg is always gray with no sun. If you like all this you can visit Russia.
Ukraine is nice because it is pretty much same, like all the other slavic countries, you can find nice clubs and museums, but everything will be much cheaper. Also the winter will probably be less cold and more sunny if you care about that. Another thing is that Lviv during Christmas is epic win, very nicely decorated, with nice beer and coffee. Ukrainian beer is actually better than Russian piss, also cheap.
Picrelated Russian Chrismas tree (no jokes).
>>1060489
Forgot the tree.
I want to visit Ukraine if work plans come up and prevent me from saving up for a longer vacation, but I'm wondering where exactly I could go to see war damage but not actually die.
Of course I don't want to do anything illegal, like avoiding border patrol, but I'd like to see shelled buildings. One day I want to see the airport, but I know that's probably out of the question any time soon. What would I have to do, and where would I have to go to be an edgy war photographer?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG8oez2q_ZQ
>>1060868
You can try vising those cities that were actually shelled during the war, like Kramatorsk, Slaviansk, Mariupol. These cities were liberated by Ukrainians during the war, and now they are safe, but used to be shelled in the past (not that much heavy as the airport though). There is also Shirokino which is somewhat safe now but shit happens there too.
You can also try visiting DPR via Russia and go to the airport from their side, I guess it will be somewhat safer this way.
>>1059960
You make me want to go to Ukraine really badly. I wish I was done with school already and could travel and escape this boring life.
>>1060976
Flights from Western Europe to Kyiv are dirt cheap at the moment. Accommodation and entertainment there ditto.
OP looks like a shill but can confirm Ukraine is very good and is definitely worthy of visiting.
Pros:
- Great food & beer
- Good architecture. Kiev is very eclectic.
- People are very outgoing.
- Opportunity to have ebin slavic adventure and experience ebin slavic retardation if you want to, can be easily avoided if you're not into it.
- Had an awesome time travelling from Uzhgorod to Lviv without any prior planning, hiked through the mountains, bought food from illiterate locals (hutsuls), Lviv in particular is a great place to visit at least once due to a metric shitton of crazy pubs/cafes (in one place if you let waiters pour hot wax on you/lash you in front of everyone you get a discount or somesuch)
- Overall the atmosphere is very fun and lively, or at least used to be before the war. Now the mood is a bit more somber. Kinda feels like having drunk sex on a funeral.
Cons:
- People can be really negligent there. On one hand, it means you can often get on a train/bus without buying a ticket first - just pay the driver on the spot or something. On the other hand, I never book any apartments there because the owners always were like OH YOU BOOKED IT? WELL SORRY IT'S TAKEN NOW SORRY BYE BYE. Also got glass in my steak at a fastfood chain there.
- SHIT SHIT SHIT roads and transportation. Travel via train or a plane if you can. Roads are utterly abysmal. I guarantee you won't see worse roads anywhere.
what about krakau to lviv?
somehow from there i want to back to moscow so i can make my way to vilnius
also, OP forgot that no visas for eu
Also desu I liked ukie beer better than czech/german beer.
>>1061030
I know that you can get to Lvov from Przemysl.
Przemysl -> bus to Ukrainian border -> cross border -> bus to Lvov. Not sure about the schedule though.
>>1061030
Also Lvov/Lviv has an airport. So you could take a plane to Moscow, if there are flights. Or go through Kiev and get a train to Moscow. Russian customs officials might try to trick/intimidate you into giving them a bribe. Don't.
If you have a Belarusian visa or somesuch, you could take a plane to Minsk from Lvov and get a bus/train/plane to Moscow from there. It'll be expensive but faster.
If I am asian, will they murder me there? I've heard slavs are very racist.
>>1061040
Oh I should also have added - if you are white there is no need for you to respond. I'm looking for an answer from someone with experience.
>>1061038
Plausible, will probably take like a day and a half total time spent on the road. I think it'll take ten hours at least to get from Lviv to Warsaw via a bus, and fifteen hours to get from Warsaw to Vilnius.
>>1061040
Nah, worst case scenario is you look like a turkish sex tourist and flirt with girls in a seedy bar/club. Then you might potentially have problems with drunk locals. Even then it's a long shot. Ukrainians are friendly.
Street crime is low, Ukrainian crime is mostly centered on drug/contraband trafficking, corruption and white collar crime AFAIK.
>>1061041
Welp. Didn't see that. Yeah I'm white.
>>1061028
I am not a shill, I am just Russian who loves Ukraine and restores political and economic ties.
>>1061028
>On the other hand, I never book any apartments there because the owners always were like OH YOU BOOKED IT? WELL SORRY IT'S TAKEN NOW SORRY BYE BYE.
Depends on how you book, booking.com or airbnb work perfectly, and you can always read the reviews.
>>1061028
>- SHIT SHIT SHIT roads and transportation.
Yes roads aren't good, it's a slav thing. On the other hand taxi is cheap. Trains between cities are cheap too. Buses are cheap.
>>1061040
>If I am asian, will they murder me there? I've heard slavs are very racist.
I am white, but I saw black and asians people in Ukraine, there is a lot of them and they never get killed.
>>1060461
Ukraine has a more fairytale (esp. Lviv, Uzhgorod), magical, CHILL feel than Russia. Russia is more like, bling bling, glamour glamour. At least St. Pete and Moscow.
Correct me if I'm wrong, haven't been to Russia for like ten years.
Thanks for this thread, OP.
I'm traveling to Ukraine (Kyiv) to visit my Internet girlfriend for the first time. We're also going to visit Lviv, and hopefully some other cities. I would really like to go to the mountains in Zakarpattya.
>>1060877
So how exactly do the roadblocks in the east work, anyway? I was under the impression that every road leading into the Donetsk Oblast was either heavily guarded or marked, and going through would be a serious crime. But in other places I've heard that it's possible to speak with the border guards and go through, and you can even reach the DNR capital that way.
And if I were to head to a place like Shirokino, would I be questioned for a long time so that it's basically impractical to even want to go? Would they let me photograph the border guard, or would that be a big deal?
>>1060461
Ukraine is the cheapest of those countries but there is still lots of stuff to do. You could visit Kyiv, Lviv (the best city), the Carpathian mountains, an ocean resort at Odesa...and it would all be very cheap and a great experience.
You can also combine a trip to Poland and Ukraine if you just want to see Lviv or something like that.
>>1061095
Just read up on it, I think Mariopol and Shirokino would be cool for the beaches, but actually going to Donetsk isn't something I'd want to do. I'd probably just go to Chernobyl, though.
I'm going to be visting Ukraine in a few weeks. I'm wanting to get a train from Warsaw to Keiv, its listing as being 140eu one way. Is there a cheaper way of doing it?
>>1061134
>140eu one way
That seems really expensive but I am not Ukrainian nor Polish so I don't know for sure.
I'll ask my Ukrainian friend or maybe you can find Polish/Ukrainian people on /int/ or when they come into this thread.
>>1061080
Good luck and post a report about the trip! Ukrainian girls are very nice and pretty (but be aware that some of them like any other girls might want just money).
I really want to learn the Russian language, would Ukraine be a good country to do that in. I only ask because I know Russia can be a little expensive, and Ukraine seems cheap. Do you know of any good language schools/cities/universities etc?
>>1061242
>would Ukraine be a good country to do that in.
Yes, you should do it in Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv.
>>1061242
I recommend you to
1) Go to interpals and find a girl (Russian or Ukrainian) who can practice Russian with you, thats going to be for free.
2) Watch Russian films and tv series with subtitles, that will be for free too.
3) Talk to yourself in Russian, learn basic grammar and alphabet.
Do that all for about 6 months until you can say something.
4) Visit Ukraine, find a cute girl, maybe who is into linguistics if you lucky enough (on interpals or somewhere else) who will be teaching you Russian 5 times a week, 5 hours a day for a whole month. Pay her 200 EUR/month (that is about 5100 UAH) and not more, divide that into hours and pay for each day in cash, euros or dollars, thats about 10 euros per day. This might sound cheap but trust me, they will earn much less working as a waiter or cashier (2500 UAH), and the average Ukrainian salary is about 160 EUR/4000 UAH, so you will be already paying her what is higher than average and is enough to survive.
As soon as you don't like her lessons just change the girl (that's why you pay her everyday and not in advance). You should probably have 2-3 girls in your mind for that.
You will also spend about 200-300 EUR/mo for housing (assuming it is Kiev) and 200-300 EUR/mo for food (assuming it is Kiev). Which means that it will be something like 700 EUR per month for you to live and educate yourself in Kiev. Kharkiv and Odesa might be cheaper.
>>1061322
That's a really good idea.
It's also possible to get a legit tutor with a professional certification from Italki.com who might do the same thing, but it would be better to find a cute girl from Interpals who would be more than a teacher.
>>1061095
>So how exactly do the roadblocks in the east work, anyway? I was under the impression that every road leading into the Donetsk Oblast was either heavily guarded or marked, and going through would be a serious crime. But in other places I've heard that it's possible to speak with the border guards and go through, and you can even reach the DNR capital that way.
You can go through, many people do that, it is legal to cross the border. However you need some documents and permissions, I don't know much about that. A much safer way would probably be to visit Ukrainian cities while visiting Ukraine, and then go to Russia and travel to DPR/LPR via Russia. But still you need a reason for visit. You can meet a girl online and then say that you are visiting her.
Another thing is that in Ukraine you are safe, but in DPR they can do whatever they want with you, there is no American/EU embassy there, they can just lock you up and beat every day if they want.
Try to avoid taking pictures in DPR at all, don't carry lot's of cash, you better not having any foreign currency because it's suspicious, just carry rubles.
When visiting DPR I would just take old phone with no camera, no laptop or computer, just clothes, some food and rubles, and the address of your so called gf that you are visiting. Avoid all the politics discussions. If you are American or European just say that you are not much into politics and that you don't support your government.
>>1061095
>And if I were to head to a place like Shirokino, would I be questioned for a long time so that it's basically impractical to even want to go? Would they let me photograph the border guard, or would that be a big deal?
You probably can go to Shirokino, but you are not allowed to take pictures of roadblocks/military personnel/tanks/anything else. You can take any pictures you want in Ukraine, but not near the borders.
In DPR you better never ever take random pictures on the street. If you want to take pictures of destroyed buildings - you better have a reason why you are doing this. Never take pictures of any people wearing uniform, they might be total chavs and just approach you like "why are you doing this? give us your camera".
>>1061134
Try to find a ticket on Ukrainian railroads, not the Polish ones.
You better ask a Ukrainian about that actually.
>>1061385
Whew lad, I think I should wait on DNR until it goes quiet like Transnistria. No way I'm doing something this retarded.
>>1061428
Well it depends on what you want.
If you know Simon Ostrovsky from Vice News - he visited Ukraine and DPR a lot of times and he is still alive. But yeah I would probably not go there.
I went to Ukraine and can confirm that it is safe.
>>1061439
>If you know Simon Ostrovsky from Vice News - he visited Ukraine and DPR a lot of times and he is still alive.
He also got kidnapped by rebels in 2014. I'm assuming the only reason he got released somewhat quickly (or at all) is because Vice was able to make it into a big news story.
>>1061445
That is true. Well okay I was just trying to be helpful for those who want to visit DPR too. But yeah the thread is about Ukraine.
Ukraine in one minute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAC4EC33GSM
I wanna do Lviv -> Kiev -> Rostov (Russia)
But yeah I don't know about travelling through DPR. If I just go straight through by some long-distance bus until the Russian border without stepping out once to take a piss, will it increase chances of survival? How often does this dubious shit happen as described ITT? Just wanna pass by in peace bros
>>1059960
Will there be any trouble in going to Russia from Ukraine?
>>1061718
>travelling through DPR.
Don't do that
>>1061744
No.
But you need all the documents, like Russian visa etc.
How much would a bus or train cost from Kiev to Mariupol? Haven't traveled too much independently without a tour, will there be enough English speakers so that I could get by?
I'm starting to really want to see the coast, after walking around Kiev for a few days maybe.
>>1061885
>Train
Maybe around $8 if you convert from uah
>>1061885
You can buy tickets here https://gd.tickets.ua/en/ it will cost 168 UAH. I'm from Ukraine. Ask your question, if you want.
>>1061746
and why not? should be fine
>>1061885
>will there be enough English speakers so that I could get by?
Check out http://www.ef.edu/epi/
Looks like Ukrainians know English better than Russians or French.
>>1059960
I'm Australian and I've been thinking of moving to Russia or the Ukraine. I can't stand the heat of Australia which is why I want to move North towards a colder climate.
I'm thinking of moving to Russia because I want to live in a conservative traditionalist Christian nation, find a conservative Christian wife, settle down and have a bunch of kids. How right-wing is Russia? Also are there many Muslims in Russia?
>>1062066
Russia is much more multicultural than Ukraine, in fact about 14% of Russian population are Muslims. For example Germany (hurr durr Turks everywhere) has just about 6%, France (hurr durr Syrian immigrants) just 8%.
You can find conservative traditionalist girls both in Ukraine and in Russia. However you should understand that at least in Russia traditionalism is a hypocrisy. Here in Saint-Petersburg lot's of people claim to be religious, yet they never go to church. Russia might seem very traditionalist but we have huge numbers of abortion. In some areas there are 5 births and 5 abortions out of 10 pregnancies. Also Russia has 1 million of HIV infected people right now, both because of spread of drugs and lot's of unprotected sex.
At the same time Ukraine, especially Western Ukraine looks to be actually traditionalist. They visit churches, their HIV amount of cases is similar to European level, they prefer having more children in their families and so on.
Just check out all the statistics about abortion, drugs and HIV and you'll see that Western Ukraine is much better for what you want. You can also go to World Values Survey website and do some analysis there, just find the questions you need and compare the two countries.
Russia is not right-wing. Russia is imperialist. If TV tells Russians to love Chinese people Russians start loving them because muh China Russian friend. If TV says that gays are bad Russians start hating gay people. Just yesterday Turkey was our friend, today it's our enemy because muh plane. People claim that they don't like prostitution but here in Saint-Petersburg we have sex workers ads everywhere, they paint telephone numbers on the streets and post stickers around. So yeah Russia might look like a right-wing but in fact it is not. Russians are just very much insecure.
>>1062097
>Here in Saint-Petersburg lot's of people claim to be religious, yet they never go to church. Russia might seem very traditionalist but we have huge numbers of abortion. In some areas there are 5 births and 5 abortions out of 10 pregnancies. Also Russia has 1 million of HIV infected people right now, both because of spread of drugs and lot's of unprotected sex.
Christ. Is nowhere safe from moral degeneracy?
Thanks for your post. I intend to perform a great deal of research before deciding where to move. I've always hated people who move to Australia and aren't able to speak English, or who don't adopt our culture which is why I fully intend to learn the language of Ukraine, its history, its culture and everything about it before I go. I want to be a cultural chameleon and totally integrate into the country, just in order to practice what I preach, and because its basic courtesy.
I'm not a Christian myself (I'm a Pagan) but I'm looking at things from a strategic point of view. Clearly Traditionalist Christian women are more fertility and make for more stable marriages. Clearly a more conservative Christian nation like the Ukraine is better than a degenerate Hell hole like the United States or parts of Europe. Ukraine seems like my best bet. Besides, I've always liked Eastern European languages and Russia films.
>>1062102
>I'm not a Christian myself (I'm a Pagan)
>>1062127
Sometimes I'm glad 4chan is anonymous.
I'm planning to teach in Lviv for a year this spring, I'm looking for some cool places to visit while I'm there. Any advice?
>>1062146
There is plenty bars and restaurants in Lviv, try them all.
Also castles, lot's of them around Lviv.
What are you into btw?
>>1062146
What will you teach desu
>>1062102
>Christ. Is nowhere safe from moral degeneracy?
As a Russian I don't want to be so negative about Russia, but dude what do you expect from a nation which suffered though all those GULAGs and WW2, heavy communist and atheist propaganda, then USSR collapsed and people literally got fucked into their brain (how come our glorious USSR does not exist anymore? ;_; ), years of misery and poverty, now Russia has oligarchs who just fuck Russians again and abuse propaganda so Russians are better manipulated. Russian history was rewritten lot's of times in the last decades, people have no historical memory nor roots, just constant surviving through poverty. Of course no one cares about morality, people just want a piece of bread or some heavy drug that takes away them from reality.
Of course Ukraine is somewhat in a similar position, but at least they got the balls to actually write their history and choose their destiny. They do have some hope to become a prosperous nation.
By the way why not places like Texas? Or for example South Korea or Japan? They might look like USA shills but in fact they're very traditional, conservative and homogeneous.
>>1062170
That sounds terrible. I feel bad for Russia.
>By the way why not places like Texas? Or for example South Korea or Japan? They might look like USA shills but in fact they're very traditional, conservative and homogeneous.
As I said I'm looking for a colder climate, and I want to marry a white woman and have white children which rules out Japan and South Korea. I suppose there are probably nice places in the north of the US.
>>1062163
History? Lviv and places around have lot's of history. I am not a historian but I guess you can just open any book on history of Lviv or something like that, and you'll find plenty of places. Also castles as i said.
Ukraine has nice beer. It is not as good as Belgian or English, but it is way better than Russian piss. Ukraine has some nice variety of beers.
Ukraine also has lot's of churches, some are really old made of wood (I saw it in an IWO once).
It is not going to be bad for you being an English teacher. Just make sure your salary is enough so you can rent an apartment in a place around center, and that you also have enough money to eat at restaurants and travel. I don't really know how much teachers like you earn, but I would want at least something around 6000-7000 UAH/per month. Although 4000-5000 will be also enough but will give you less freedom while choosing place to rent and you'll probably have to cook as well.
>>1062172
The thing is US is actually pretty much conservative and religious compared to Europe. US is the only first world country that keeps being religious according to statistics.
Again check out World Values Survey, they have online analysis so you don't have to download all those datasets. Check it out there if you want to have a somewhat scientific approach without listening to some prejudices. There is also a book written on that, Modernization by Inglehart.
Here you go the map based on the data, it's from the book, it might help you.
>>1062174
Thanks. I'll check these out.
>>1062174
As you can see Ireland also looks religious and traditional. Plus it's white and a first world country.
Then there are countries like Argentina if it is white for you. Poland also does not look bad.
>>1062173
Wow thanks for the comprehensive answer! I'm so looking forward to this
>>1062215
What is your salary going to be? Do you have to be a native speaker for that?
>>1062306
Well it looks like it's going to be 13,000 a month if I get the exact position I want.
>>1062306
Oh sorry and while you can get a job if you are highly fluent but not native you won't get the best positions or best pay.
>>1062374
13000 UAH per month? That is very nice! You can rent a very nice central apartment and visit pubs every day and you will still have lot's of money left.
Good luck!
>>1062377
Thanks! I'll start a thread just before I head over to see if I can be meet anyone in Ukraine so don't forget about me!
>>1062378
Just find a girl in interpals. You give her English practice, and she can meet you and show around. Literally this is the best way.
>>1060104
you should try kvas, it's kinda lika a soda they sell it on every street corner
>>1062382
Grade A advice. I just made my account and I'm already chatting with some Ukie qts
>>1062374
Can I ask what your background is? University degree and CELTA?
>>1062508
I actually just have my CELTA. College (for various reasons) isn't really an option for me right now, I'm doing this as much to get away from where I live as to go there.
In Ukraine they celebrate Christmas on 7th of January. This means that you can celebrate Christmas twice! Enjoy comfy atmosphere in Lviv.
Bump!
Yay this thread! I saved this Ukrainian QT from the big Ukraine thread from last spring! :D
>>1063365
http://www.interpals.net/AnnaChu
Sadly she left the site.
>>1063367
>>1063365
Here's another cute girl
>>1061628
:') no longer available...
Are you a Russian propaganda agent?
Are there any places in Ukraine where there is wilderness to explore?
I'm not much of a city person and would love to hike up some summits or stuff like that.
I'm no Bear Grylls though so I would need at least SOME facilities in the vicinity.
>>1064306
>Are there any places in Ukraine where there is wilderness to explore?
Yes, you can go to the Carpathian mountains.
Check out the Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattya oblasts.
>>1064306
indeed the Carpathians, and if you're into skiing check out bukovel
Bump.
what is the cheapest way for an american to fly to Kiev?
I live in Detroit, and I'd like to visit in May, but I can't find anything even close to reasonable.
>>1064908
Try skyscanner.
I found lot's of tickets (May) for about 850-900 USD, two way. It is always around that if you buy in advance.
>>1064917
>>1064908
I live in Boston and right now a roundtrip ticket in June/July is around $900.
If you get a travel credit card, you can knock that price down a little bit. For example, look at the bonus on a Capital One Venture One. It will basically take $200 off your flight (that is what I am going to do).
You could also try to fly somewhere like Dublin for cheaper and then try to make your way across Europe and see if it costs less than what a flight would cost.
I really wanted to see it for all the old Polish monuments that are there but after what went down not so long ago I was scared away. Price is by far less important for me than the feeling of safety. Maybe at some point though.
>>1064962
i might be wrong here, but i'm pretty sure the polish monuments are in western ukraine and that's as safe as anywhere else. i went as far east as dnipropetrovsk last summer and winter and it still was totally safe. the war is taking place in eastern ukraine and is completely contained to donbas. places like lviv really feel like western-central europe kinda like prague or poland, quaint and beautiful.
>>1059960
thanks for posting anon
I'm going to be doing some digital nomading from August onwards, moving through Europe. May stay for a month or so, do the grills know much English there?
kek i thought advertising on board is banned
how do you get around in Ukraine?
How cold is it in March? Still winter-like? If so, I will go :DDD
>>1065050
This is more a suggestion than advert because there isn't a direct service or item being sold by any entity. It's just a faggot telling you what to do with your money
>>1065040
it depends, in bigger cities in northern and western ukraine you might find a decent amount of young girls who can speak english good enough. in eastern and southern ukraine and in small towns your chances will go down drastically, i feel like it'd be like finding a needle in a haystack.
>>1065053
getting around by train is by far the favorite method of transportation by the ukrainian people, riding trains it's so common there it's like part of their culture. there's an extensive railway network in ukraine connecting both big cities and small settlements, problem is it's all been built in the old soviet days and basically hasn't been touched since, so it's pretty outdated and needs lots of upgrading. so except for a few intercity trains that have been put in place for the european soccer championship in 2012 linking the main cities (kyiv-lviv, kyiv-dnipropetrovsk and if i remember correctly kyiv kharkiv), most train are old and slow, though worth riding once if you wanna live the full ukrainian experience, especially if you're in company it can be kinda fun.
>>1064962
Western Ukraine is totally safe now, trust me, I am a Russian who went to Lviv and still I felt super safe.
Not only Western Ukraine is safe, the whole Ukraine is safe now apart from that tiny piece of Donbass. Just don't go there and you're safe. In fact Ukraine is so big compared to other European countries that the whole Donbass conflict is not an issue in other parts of Ukraine.
>>1065059
Not cold at all, no snow, it's full spring.
>>1065090
Yes, trains are maybe old and slow, but super cheap.
How much does the fuel cost now?
Also, is there 95 octane available and how is the diesel quality?
>>1065203
I am not into cars so I don't know anything about fuel quality in Ukraine, nor I am a Ukrainian.
But here http://vseazs.com/ and here http://index.minfin.com.ua/fuel/detail/ I found that 95 costs about 20 UAH per liter, which is 0.76 EUR per liter, or 3.13 USD per gallon (gallon is 3.7 liters right?).
picture is Ukraine
>>1065335
Thanks for the input
how would a 19 year old with 3.5k usd survive in ukraine?
australian
>>1065395
>how would a 19 year old with 3.5k usd survive in ukraine?
Like a king. You better ask for how long you can survive like a king with that. Well, at least 6 months like a king, or 12 months like an average (actually somewhat better than the average) Ukrainian.
>>1065399
Not the same anon but say I pulled up with maybe 1,200 USD for a week, am I good for money in Kyiv?
>>1065413
You can get by with a lot less than that but it depends on what you want to do.
It would be extremely cheap to stay in a hostel and I can't think of many expensive things around Kyiv unless you want to go out and live extravagantly.
>>1065413
It is way more than enough. Again depends on what you wanna do, but you have to understand the following.
1200 USD is 30000 UAH.
Average Ukrainian salary is 4000 UAH. Good salary is 10000 UAH.
Renting an apartment is 5000 UAH/mo. Food is also 5000 UAH/mo. Pizza is 100 UAH. So you can pretty much live a whole month for just about 10000 UAH and go out often.
1200 USD for a week is a lot. You can live like a king for the whole month with this money, and travel to other city like Lviv too.
>>1065463
>Average Ukrainian salary is 4000 UAH. Good salary is 10000 UAH.
Per month, forgot to mention.
>>1065395
you could easily afford going to the high end ski resort in bukovel for a week with plenty of money to spare
>>1065413
i remember paying somewhere between 20-30 euros per night for a stay with my gf in a suite with a hot tub. granted it was in ivano frankivsk but still that should give you an idea of how cheap everything is in ukraine
>>1062375
How does an english speaker go about getting into the line of teaching in another country?
>>1065568
>Go to Google.com
>Literally search "Teach English in ______ jobs"
>>1059960
>I strongly suggest you to visit Ukraine
I would rather visit once Russistan gets kicked out thanks.
I love the Ukrainian people but I will not visit a place currently being occupied by anyone as the chance of me going off on someone or just outright dying goes up significantly
>>1065665
>I will not visit a place currently being occupied by anyone as the chance of me going off on someone or just outright dying goes up significantly
It's only dangerous if you visit Crimea or the Donbas region currently occupied by Russian backed terrorists.
>>1065463
Holy fuck why isn't crime more rife if they get paid fuck all
You mention 6 months + etc but it seems for a brit like me you can only stay 90 days in a period of 180 days.
>>1065742
>Holy fuck why isn't crime more rife if they get paid fuck all
Because they don't want to go to a forced labor camp with these guys as their new friends.
There's a low cost of living. Even if you only make $10 a day, you just live with your family or roommates. It's not like their used to having new Iphones every year. 80 years ago millions died from cold and starvation.
And how could they make much money from crime? Nobody has much to steal.
>>1065749
Foreigners will have plenty, thought they'd take advantage of that
I guess if you get into any relationships the girls are gonna be all about the green
>>1065665
You are silly, there is tons of tourists in Lviv (Poles and Germans literally everywhere) and Kiev too, I saw them there a year ago, and now situation is even safer now.
>>1065742
>You mention 6 months + etc but it seems for a brit like me you can only stay 90 days in a period of 180 days.
Find an easy job like English teacher, get a working visa.
>>1065767
say if i stayed for 6 months for would a average day be like?
>>1065787
3500 USD for 6 months?
This will be 14000 UAH per month. This is enough to rent a good center apartment, never cook food and always eat in a restaurant/bar, plus drink loads of alcohol and ask girls out. Plus you can easily travel around Ukraine, train tickets are very cheap.
Suppose you rent an apartment for 5000 UAH/month, and then you get 300 UAH per day which is enough to eat outside every day.
However I would suggest to cook sometimes, so you can travel more, and go out to a places that are more expensive. Plus you can stay in Lviv for 3 months, and cheaper life there will save you money too (you can pay 3000-4000 UAH/mo for a nice apartment and have a lunch for just 50-60 UAH in Lviv).
To sum up you can live in a cozy apartment and eat outside in a cheaper city (like Lviv) for 3 months, then you go to Kiev and live there for 3 months and rent a cozy apartment and eat outside everyday too.
There might be lot's of other combinations. I would probably live in some other even more cheaper cities like Vinnitsa and Ivano-Frankivsk a little, then Kiev and Lviv, then travel to Chernobyl, go to mountain-skiing in Bukovel (or you can go to Odessa for swimming if you travel in summer), it all depends on what are you into. You can also always visit Ukraine and live there for a month maybe in Lviv, get used to the prices and your needs, meet locals/friends/girls on interpals, and then calculate what you can do and where, make a plan and so on.
>>1065794
damm this sounds like the best trip ever, I wish i could do this soon.
btw are you Ukrainian?
>>1065797
No, I am Russian, also OP of this thread.
I could have helped you if I was Ukrainian, but you don't really need that, it's easy to meet Ukrainians on interpals. Just register there in advance (3-6 months), make friends and tell them you're traveling to Ukraine, also make sure they're nice people, talk to them in skype from time to time, give them English practice, and they give you free tour in their city instead. It's super simple.
pic is Ukraine
>>1065754
>the girls are gonna be all about the green
yeah I'm curious about this, i met a ukranian girl recently who had been forced out of donetsk, she told me all about the poverty there but she also seemed like one of the least materialistic, sweetest girls I've ever met. Does the culture make girls like that or was she just a fluke?
>>1065828
As I write in the beginning of the thread, I personally think that yes, Ukrainians are less into new iPhone and Chanel clothes (especially compared to Russians), Ukrainians can be stylish with some old phone and cheap clothes. They tend to be less materialistic because they never knew what is being filthy rich. Especially Western Ukraine is according to statistics more religious and traditional, than materialistic.
You have to understand that this is just my opinion. Besides there are assholes and whores in every country and I bet you can be tricked easily by some smart whore who will pretend to be a pure virgin. So don't imagine Ukraine as some fairytale, people are somewhat similar everywhere.
>>1059960
OP, why make this thread? I like the information a lot, but what's the goal?
>>1065828
my gf is ukrainian and i know very well the tough life she lives there. yet she never asked me for money or for help, actually she gets upset whenever i send her some money to help out.
but i know of very materialistic girls as well, just be smart, if a girl is genuine and sweet it will show, it should also be easy to spot a soulless gold digger
>>1059960
Are the Cold War submarine bunkers in Odessa still open for tourists?
>>1065844
1) I am Russian, I went to Ukraine and I liked it a lot. It's beautiful, people are nice, lot's if things to do and it is cheap.
2) I think you guys from EU and USA just must travel to Ukraine because everything will be even more cheap for you. You just must have this experience of being fucking rich, it's cool. Why not living like a king for a month or two?
So I just think Ukraine is very much underrated, go there now because later it might become not that cheap.
>>1065877
I don't know, I never went to Odessa even though I wanted so badly. Maybe some locals on /int/ might help you.
pic Ukrainian girl wearing traditional clothes
Simple yet fucking stylish.
>>1065767
Been doing TEFL for years and tired of that so focussing all my efforts on online business now, I guess I couldn't get a work visa if I were just doing a part time job 2 days a week right? It's ok though I could probably do Ukraine for a couple months, then hop around various places for a couple months each on rotation to get a feel for them. Ukraine sounds great for long term stay though as it's so low cost - is it worth finding a cheap place to stay locally or airbnb will have the same low prices as you mention? Thanks for the info!
>>1065882
How well could I communicate or travel knowing only a handful of words that aren't English?
>>1065989
Check out http://www.ef.edu/epi/
Looks like Ukrainians know English better than Russians or French.
Besides, you can always install Google translate on your phone and translate everything you want.
Depends on where you travel to. Small towns - might be harder there. Big cities and tourists areas like Bukovel - it will be easy.
do you prefer russian or ukraine girls?
I spent a week in Ukraine in Oct last year.
> Day 1 - land in Kyiv. Miss connecting flight to Odessa, stay in airport hotel
> Day 2 - Get flight to Odessa. Chill out.
> Day 3 - Chill out around the city. Getting bored.
> Day 4 - Train to Kyiv. Chill out around city
> Day 5 - Wander around city. Getting bored.
> Day 6 - Tour of Chernobyl, staying the night in the exclusion zone
> Day 7 - More Chernobyl. Get back pretty late.
> Day 8 - Fly home
I was pretty keen to get out of there, Chernobyl was the only interesting thing I thought. Mind you, I'd been on the road for 6 weeks before that, so was fairly travel fatigued I guess.
>>1066058
In my opinion Ukrainian girls are better in literally everything.
>>1066065
It's just better to be prepared for any trip, you have to organize things you want to do, miracles don't just happen to you, you have to create them yourself. Apart from Chernobyl there are castles, sea, mountains, mountain skiing, camping, horse riding, beautiful Lviv etc.
>>1066065
did you travel alone?
get any mate???
>>1066075
Yep, alone, the missus couldn't go. And no. But the hotel i stayed at in kyiv, hotel lybid, had a strip club in the foyer. At night in the hotel bar, prostitutes would try and get you to take them up to your room, so the opportunity was there.
>>1066050
>>1065989
please those stats are complete bullshit ukrainians can't speak english for shit. most of them couldn't even come up with one english word to save their lives.
if you think you can go to ukraine and rely on your english speaking skills you're plain wrong.
i remember trying to get some info at the train station in kyiv, and literally nobody spoke a single word of english not even the girls in the information booth. the only thing that got me through was my basic knowledge of russian.
the only place in ukraine where i consistently found people who could speak english was at the ski resort in bukovel
Any sites where I could look for long-term rentals in Ukraine? Not the ridiculously expensive ones for tourists... Even a site to find flatshares would be good.
>>1065928
I found information that you can just leave Ukraine for 1 day and come back. No one checks when you left and when you come back.
>>1065928
>is it worth finding a cheap place to stay locally or airbnb will have the same low prices as you mention?
From my experience airbnb is slightly more expensive. booking.com is cheaper. But if you fund a Ukrainian friend he might help you with some local websites in Ukrainian, they might be even more cheap.
But I liked booking.com, although I rented for about 10 days an expensive apartment in Lviv 300 UAH/day, which is 9000 UAH per month. Although it was big, king size bed, warm and very central.
>>1066081
>please those stats are complete bullshit ukrainians can't speak english for shit. most of them couldn't even come up with one english word to save their lives.
Depends on where you are. Again Lviv and Kiev are English-friendly. Especially Lviv. Smaller cities are not like that.
>>1066254
Airbnb and booking.com. Booking is cheaper.
But what I really recommend is: go couchsurfing! Visit 3-5 people, find good people, ask them to help you with long-term rentals. Or find a girl on interpals, make friends, help her with English by talking with her in skype, and then say that you might visit Ukraine and she can help you with an apartment.
>>1066411
sure it depends on where you are, but there's no way in hell ukraine is more english friendly than france or any other country in western europe. btw that incident i was telling you all about happen at the central station of kyiv
>>1066446
Shit happens. Everywhere. That is why I write here all the time: find a girl on interpals, or find some nice people on couchsurfing who might help you.
>>1061718
go if you want
>>1061746
Is the op this whole thread is a bot that has been posting around 4chan for ahwile now, im not going to presume i know exactly what its for but its definitely for some sort of propaganda purposes.
the bot posts the thread and untill someone replies, a person will come and start answering questions, given the predesposition to reply negativly to any russian or DPR posts and only positive to anything promoting western ukraine , AND given the fact they just had a war i would assume this is a spoopy guvment thread started by some interns in ukraine, paid for by ukrainian officials.
>>1066471
you really think ukranian government officials care about what some basement-dwelling beta losers on 4-fucking-chan think of their country? If they wanted to improve their image, they'd go somewhere with a bigger audience. Dude, we're not even /b/ or /pol/, we're motherfucking /trv/.
>>1066471
better put them tin foil hats on
>>1066471
Haha!
I am OP but I did not write this >>1061746
In fact I wrote this >>1061385 and >>1061386 and you can ask mods to confirm the IP, or maybe I can prove it because I guess I can just delete those posts? Although I don't know how this works, I never specified the password or anything like that.
So yeah I wrote those advices and I just wanted to be helpful, I know that some people might want to go to DPR. I am personally Russian but also pro-Ukrainian and I can openly admit that, but I also want to visit DPR because it is just simply an interesting experience.
So yes, put your tinfoil hat on.
>>1066450
dude i love ukraine, as i said my gf is ukranian and i visit her every year, but stop spreading this lie that ukraine knows english, they really don't
>>1066475
This is always the response when shit gets called out.
No , But do you think the ywould focus all of their efforts on one site? Shit like this thread gets posted numerous times and its used to generate interest / lean opinions even if you dont realise it.
Words are very powerful anon and alot of the words being used in these bot posts are handpicked for physiological reasons , NO its not brainwashing but its suggestions
>>1066588
Yes, Ukraine promotes tourism so they can attract more foreigners and kill them in order to sell their organs. Just business anon, nothing personal.
>>1066065
>I was pretty keen to get out of there
It sounds like you hardly did any planning or anything fun and that is your own fault.
>>1066411
Thanks for the info, I'll check out booking before I head over. My budget per month is US1-1.5k so it sounds easily achievable.
>>1066587
First time I visited Ukraine was back in 2005, nobody spoke English then. Compared to that English is virtually everywhere, even small villages and towns will have at least an English speaker or two (as of 2015). When in doubt, use surzhyk of different slavic languages.
t. different ukraine traveller
>>1066684
Yeah the situation is improving each year. Here in Saint-Petersburg we don't have English announcements in subway, but Ukrainians have that in Kiev.
>>1059960
I'm headed there, just learning Russian now, will I be ok if i can only say basic phrases in Russian? How different is Ukranian to Russian?
>>1067825
you'll be golden. literally every one can speak russian there
>>1067825
Yup you'll be fine. Post a report, ask any questions, we're here to help you.
What's the best place in Ukraine to go in order to do mountain hiking? Is there a city somewhat akin to Zakopane, Poland or Interlaken, Switzerland?
>>1068043
Do Hoverla in the Carpathians, Ukraine's highest mountain. Best access to the region is probably from Ivano-Frankivsk.
>>1068043
>Or take a look at Bukovel which has mountains (in winter many people go there for mountain skiing) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAXW6NVx6Po
I will travel to Ukraine in April! Can't wait, I'm really looking forward to it. What's the best way to see as much as possible within a week? I heard Lviv is very nice, but since I'm Central European by birth, I know enough of those "Habsburg"-cities, so no need to go specifically. More interested in post-soviet landscapes in general
>>1068206
And I love visiting churches and eating local food.
>>1068206
>post-soviet landscapes
google dnipropetrovsk, dniprodzrzhynsk, zaporizha, kharkiv, kherson
is this what you have in mind?
>>1068216
haha, i suppose so :-). any city that's particularly interesting architecturally? (in soviet terms). hope you're not taking offense, i know it's a difficult topic. is the ban on soviet imagery very much enforced nowadays?
![darth-vader[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/59koCij.jpg "darth-vader[1].jpg")
>>1068217
>any city that's particularly interesting architecturally? (in soviet terms)
i've only visited dnipropetrovsk and dniprodzerzhinskz so i can't speak about the other cities. i guess the soviet highlight in dnipropetrovsk would be the uncompleted and abandoned highriser parus hotel sitting on the bank of the dnieper river (but i'm not an expert on all things soviet so there might be more interesting things around). i've also seen soviet carnival rides in parks and soviet street workout areas. plus basically every bus tram and train dates back to the soviet era. also the metro stations in kiev were built by the soviets and it shows they kinda look like the ones in moscow except less majestic.
>is the ban on soviet imagery very much enforced nowadays?
pretty much. i think every statue of lenin has been taken down. here's one example in dnipropetrovsk. before the maidan:
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4643471,35.0459255,3a,49.7y,5.22h,98.15t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-4CCRbijcNGA%2FUqXeBVLwq0I%2FAAAAAAAAAxE%2FMlXm0xQG_oo!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2F-4CCRbijcNGA%2FUqXeBVLwq0I%2FAAAAAAAAAxE%2FMlXm0xQG_oo%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8000!8i4000!6m1!1e1
after the maidan:
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4642041,35.0458001,3a,75y,217.34h,105.32t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-i_16V7lpx-k%2FVKwVJ1paszI%2FAAAAAAAAekU%2FCwMYKHoYwBo!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F-i_16V7lpx-k%2FVKwVJ1paszI%2FAAAAAAAAekU%2FCwMYKHoYwBo%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i2508!8i1254!6m1!1e1
then there's this statue of lenin in odessa that's been turned into a statue of darth vader
but i think the statues of dzerzhinsk and petrovsk, who i think were some kind of soviet governors after whom the cities are named, are still standing
>>1068206
>More interested in post-soviet landscapes in general
If you have just a week and you want to be impressed, go to Chernobyl. You'll get lot's of soviet landscapes!
>>1059960
i-army.org?
>Kyiv
>TRUT ME IM RUSSIAN
>Ukraine uis better than Russia
.Kiev is better than Russia
>Kiev is better for tourist
>Kiev have more interesting places
...
nice job, i-army ;)
>>1061322
>200-300 EUR/mo for housing (assuming it is Kiev) and 200-300 EUR/mo for food (assuming it is Kiev
The same could be in St. Petersburg
And the only difference from Moscow is housing prices, which are 40-100% higher than in St. Petersburg/Kiev
>>1068249
>i guess the soviet highlight in dnipropetrovsk
Don't underestimate that city, it has a beautiful swan fountain.
>>1068495
200 EUR in Saint-Petersburg is a shitty small apartment almost outside the city.
300? Yes. But still not center. In Kiev or Lviv that will be much closer to center.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay88MJgXDQQ
Amazing video about nice places in Ukraine to visit.
>>1068625
i was born there.
it's shit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8HqRH5cHPo
Some Belarussian music about Ukraine.
Is it possible to visit Donetsk or Luhansk at the moment? I'm not planning to do so, I'm just curious. I haven't heard a thing about the war there since last summer or so.
>>1073523
>Is it possible to visit Donetsk or Luhansk at the moment?
Yes, but you should probably visit through Russia.
>>1065693
>It's only dangerous if you visit Crimea
Seriously? I was looking forward to going to Crimea this summer. Should I not? Should I ignore you and go anyway?
>>1073527
How would one go about that though? Do you need a separate visa? Dual entry Russian visa for the return trip? Or can you just hop on a bus from Rostov and keep a low profile at the checkpoint?
>>1073540
Crimea is not dangerous, if you don't express any kind of pro-democracy, pro-liberal, pro-American, pro-gay, pro-whatever sentiment. Don't talk about politics, don't argue with locals and you'll be fine. If they say something like "Ukraine is taken over by the evil spirit or devil" just say that you agree with that (I literally had a similar case).
Btw why are you going to Crimea? It is a Soviet-tier shithole with absolutely disgusting service. It's only fun when you just want to see Crimea as if it some sort of zoo and you just want to learn how these animals live in a cage.
t. visited Crimea in summer 2014
>>1073569
Yes, get a Russian visa (this is pain in the ass), that allows you multiple entry to Russia, go to Rostov and find a bus.
Make up a solid reason why you want to visit DPR. I would meet a gf online and visit her.
>>1073540
>>1073570
Crime has risen in Crimea since the occupation by Russian terrorists.
That is a proven fact and it was already bad to begin with because a lot of bad people live there anyways.
I would be most afraid of being mugged or having something stolen because people are very desperate over there right now.
>>1073540
>I was looking forward to going to Crimea this summer. Should I not?
Considering all the power outages and crime, I wouldn't recommend going there anytime soon.
>>1073627
boy that's the dumbest thing i ever heard. please do go to crimea but make sure to wear a tshirt that says USA or UKRAINA and got a bald eagle dropping bombs on russia
>>1073627
>>1073637
Why is it dumb? You're just mad you don't get cool pictures.
Why would it be such a bad thing that you simply I'll get smacked up or something? Political figures go out and see crowds from time to time and people get pictures or video with them. If I am studying Russian and wanted to bullshit someone about liking them to get a quick picture, what's the big problem? If Putin was in a crowd and I could get through maybe he would take a picture with me. If I see poklonskaya looking qt as fuck and she is with a crowd them maybe I could be getting a picture.
>>1073660
I'm not shitposting all day. I'm in a periodic break from studying. I think that's a.perfect time to plan getting.pics with world.figures.
>>1073663
>>1073665
You're not poklonskaya. I know she's sweeter than to make stupid faces at me.
>>1073675
>>1065828
>yeah I'm curious about this, i met a ukranian girl recently who had been forced out of donetsk, she told me all about the poverty there but she also seemed like one of the least materialistic, sweetest girls I've ever met. Does the culture make girls like that or was she just a fluke?
My wife is Ukrainian (well Crimean) and she is so level headed when it comes to money. I often have to convince her to spend a bit more to get quality things and she absolutely hates spending money on fancy restaurants and decent hotels... desu it is quite frustrating sometimes.
I definitely think her upbringing had a lot to do with it. Living standards that I expect as an Australian are completely foreign to her.
>>1073627
>What are the chances of meeting her?
Zero. Don't you know how Russian politicians are too much protected from filthy peasants? They don't give a shit about you. They ride their black Mercedes with police cars around, with bodyguards around etc, they never appear publicly on the street just to talk to locals or visit theater.
>>1073662
>Political figures go out and see crowds from time to time and people get pictures or video with them.
Not in Russia.
>>1066065
>staying the night in the exclusion zone
b-b the lung killing dust and radioactive ghosts!
>>1073591
>Russian terrorists
>terrorists
lol fuk off
>>1073887
>They don't give a shit about you. They ride their black Mercedes with police cars around, with bodyguards around etc
So they're like politicians in America? You can still possibly get pictures with one.
>>1073830
Qtp2t
How much does it cost for a 1 bedroom apartment in the city somewhere (nice place?)
I'm location independent and make about $800 USD per month
>>1059960
I'm a nuclear tourist. I have been to TMI, I was at Fukishima when it blew up (that was fun), went to Idaho, now I need to go to the Zone. How do I go to Chernobyl and complete the sacred task?
>>1074354
What's in idaho?
>>1074354
Sign up for a guided tour. Easy.
>>1074354
>at Fukushima when it blew up
How close were you? Did you expect the plants to blow up in such a spectacular manner?
>>1074346
Try airbnb and booking.com.
Nice place might be around 300$ per month.
>>1074354
Info has been already posted here, plus were photos poster here too.
Chernobyl
https://www.chernobyl-tour.com/english/?action_skin_change=yes&skin_name=eng
I paid 80$ for the tour, the one with an English speaking guide is more expensive, though.
It has many stuff to see since it used to be a top secret place during USSR, for example you can find huge radars which could track ICBMs that were launched in America. Some old abandoned buildings, command rooms and the whole place is like still in around 1980s as if time stopped there since no one leaves in that place anymore (apart from some people who live around illegally).
You can check out this IWO of some guys who illegally went there (consists of 3 parts, this is the first one) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0s2YIbxKBg [Embed]
This is what Pripyat used to be during USSR, unique footage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l21xb5cg7v8 [Embed]
>>1074380
SL-1 accident
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL-1
>>1074354
>I'm a nuclear tourist.
Hey, me too!
I've been in the TMI Unit 2 control room.
I even went to the Semi Test Site in Kazakhstan (see pic) and Atomic Lake.
The best way to see Chernobyl and Pripyat is to pay for the private tour. Worth every penny.
>>1074478
Damn that shits fucked. Pinned to the ceiling from the explosion.
Random Ukrainian girl in a train.
>>1059960
Hey thanks for making this thread! Will be super helpful when my friends and I are in Ukraine for vacation in March.
We just have one problem: One my friends is from Tunisia, which happens to be a shithole, so he needs a visum for going to Ukraine. For that he needs a letter of invitation.
I do have friends in Ukraine but they say they need prove that they have enough liquidity to provide for themselves and their "guest", which none of them seem to be able to.
Does anyone have and tips on an alternative ways to get a hold of a letter of invitation, or an idea how to circumvent the money thing?
>>1075448
I am Russian, so I never needed a Ukrainian visa, and I might not be much helpful. I can just share what I know.
Normally the guest from Tunisia has to show that he has enough money to survive in Ukraine.
I visited Ukraine, I also had an invitation, and I also had the money (you can bring cash or a letter from your bank with proofs).
This is strange that your Ukrainian friends say that they need money too. It should not be like that.
Now, your Tunisian friend should probably do the following thing. Collect some money from friends and parents, put all the money on his bank account, ask the bank for the letter that he has over 9000 money, and thats it. He can give all the money back to friends and family, but now he has that letter from the bank that he can show to Ukrainian officials.
bump for epic thread
How's the scene for backpacking in Ukraine? I'd expect some of the bigger cities to be like Budapest or Prague with a lot of young folks partying.
While I do like that, I'd rather hope to find some smaller, cozy hostels where I can actually meet some people.
>>1076769
The only cities with a large backpacking scene are Lviv and Kyiv, Odessa and Kharkiv to a lesser degree. The hostels I stayed at in Lviv was quite cozy. Couchsurfing also works well in Ukraine, so mainly stuck to that. Apart from that each smaller, interesting city should have a hostel these days.
>>1066066
dubs confirm
So is it similar to Budapest, Prague, stuff like that?
I've never been to eastern europe and I'm a shut in awkward guy from the UK, is it accessible enough to enjoy alone with the same effort as anywhere else?
Thinking about Lviv, at least, and maybe day trips from there
What is the best way to get from Lviv to Krakow or Warsaw?
I think there are trains but I can't find anything that gives a specific price. How would the border crossing work with a train?
Don't the wheels of the trains themselves have to be changed between Ukraine and Poland?
>>1077035
>So is it similar to Budapest, Prague, stuff like that?
Only Western Ukraine, with cities like Lviv. But central Ukraine like Kiev is more like a slav city, which means nice center but ugly commieblocks around it.
Eastern Ukraine like Kharkiv are even more slav/soviet.
>>1077035
>is it accessible enough to enjoy alone with the same effort as anywhere else?
Yeah I guess so. Bear in mind that the trip will be cheap, but still you better plan stuff in advance.
>>1077431
All I got from here http://wikitravel.org/en/Lviv
The easiest way to get to L'viv from Western Europe is through Krakow (or Wroclaw/Katowice) in Poland. From there, you have several options.
Take a train to Przemyśl near the Polish-Ukrainian border. It costs about 40 PLN and takes between 4 and 5 hours. From Przemysl you take a bus to the border ('granitsa' in Polish) for 2.50 PLN, walk through the checkpoint and take another bus (marshrutka) to L'viv. When you exit the final border control, walk straight ahead and you will come out on to a street which cars use to cross back in to Poland. Follow this street up past the shops and money exchanges, and take your first left. About 50 meters down on the left hand side is the new bus terminal where buses run regularly to Lviv for approximately 23 UAH. Get your ticket from the driver.
The total cost for this route is approximately €12 and maybe less if you have a student card. It is around half the price of the next cheapest option.
>>1077431
There is also a direct train from Krakow to L'viv once a day, plus one with a change. This costs 195 PLN as of the 3/3/2009 booking via Polrail Service http://booking.polrail.com/ A sleeper berth is required on the train, as only sleeping cars are carried across the border to Ukraine. The direct service leaves Krakow at ca. 20:20. The direct service arrives in Lviv at 06.00, and crosses the border, with four checks, at around 04.00 Polish time: if you want a good night's sleep, this train will not provide it!
>>1061134
You can get a bus from Warsaw to Lwow for 100zł (25 euro) from Lwow you can get to Kiev with the same price i think, maybe even cheaper
Bump.
>>1078054
>There is also a direct train from Krakow to L'viv once a day, plus one with a change.
Does the same train go from Lviv to Krakow?
Looking for a cheap flight to L'viv.
Found a 600USD flight but it was with STA Travel which no one seems to trust. Any help here?
Should be hitting up Ukraine around mid March to get some teeth fixed in Odessa. I'm hoping to do a triangle between Odessa, Mariupol and Kiev/Chernobyl (also whatever may take my fancy at the time). How much would be a good budget for around 3 weeks/cost per day
>>1079276
>Looking for a cheap flight to L'viv.
Well, where are you coming from?
>>1079430
>Mariupol
Are you going there for war tourism?
Overall, you could easily get by quite comfortably on $30 - 40. Probably even less, especially in a place such as Mariupol.
>>1079496
I found one for 570 USD from NYC to LWO with a stop in Munich.
Now I just need to write up a general itinerary for the 10 days I'll be there.
>>1079516
10 days in Lviv? That's a lot of time there, but maybe you have plans to go to Kyiv and such.
>>1079528
I was contemplating maybe hopping on a train for cheap and going to Krakow or Lublin, don't know yet.
Kiev wasn't really a part of the plan but a tour of Chornobyl is a big possibility.
I just thought that the flights to Lviv were cheaper, and accomodation there is dirt cheap even compared to Kiev.
>>1079531
also to add to that, I wanted to be farther west, just in case of anything, I know the situation has settled tremendously but you never know.
>>1079531
>>1079532
Sounds like a good idea, but you definitely don't have to worry about anything regarding the war unless you're very close to Donetsk, or if the government seems very close to breaking down politically (it would be very apparent...more so than usual).
Lviv is a great place if you want to get an overnight train to Krakow or Warsaw for sure.
>>1079552
Yeah, I still have to decide how long I'm willing to be on a train, maybe I'll go farther than Warsaw into Europe or a neighboring country if it's close enough.
How well would you expect 13,000 UAH to last me for that amount of time? I'd be landing in Ukraine on Monday and leaving on Monday.
>>1079663
>How well would you expect 13,000 UAH to last me for that amount of time?
Do you have that money right now, or are you going to exchange for that much?
Right now that is around $500, but it seems each day the exchange rate makes Ukraine's currency lose a bit more power.
If you are going to travel around Ukraine by train, stay in hostels, and each out at inexpensive places, then $500 would probably cover most, if not everything.
Going to Chernobyl and getting a tour might necessitate more money.
>>1079731
I still have to exchange, because I'm in upstate New York right now at uni, but I may go to the city to exchange a few days before I go
I also plan to spend a day in Krakow possibly, so I may have to throw some Zloty as well as Euros in my exchange trip due to a 22hr layover in Munich.
What's good in Lviv? I can't find much on nightlife or where to meet people my age (18)
>>1079734
Also how hard/easy would it be to cop myself some weed and so on in Lviv? What are the attitudes compared to that of American youth?
>>1079734
You should open up one of these accounts:
http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/banking_lending/checking_account
You can just go to Ukraine, take money out of a ATM, and there won't be any fees except maybe a small conversion fee (something like 0.25%) all around the world.
As far as Lviv, I mostly know about churches. It's a great city to walk around but I don't know much about nightlife.
>>1079738
Being from NY Metropolitan it's just easy as fuck to stop by an Emigration Bank and convert, but I'll look into that.
>>1079742
Check out the fees associated with that because there might be a lot.
>>1079498
I wouldn't put it as war tourism..
But I'm incredibly interested in International Relations/anthropology etc and hope to meet a CS host who was a translator for the military. I prefer seeing things and especially talking to people rather than believe Bias/soft censoring BBC etc
Granted after saying that, I would like to shoot some Kalashnikovs
>>1079782
Can you bring a kalashikov back to the states?
