Ayvazovsky Odessa

... digicam. However, the VERY day when I needed to take the train to Odessa, the airport called me and said my luggage had arrived!<br><br>So I quickly took a taxi to the airport, grabbed my luggage, and then went off to the train station. So I had 2 big suitcases and my huge laptop on my back (FYI my laptop is a 20 incher and weighs a ton!). Kiev train station is huge! And I was immediately lost ...

... every time we asked "nyet cherez Transdniestr" (not through Transdniestr) the lady started chuckling and never answered the question, still we got on the right bus but the border still wasn't plain sailing. The beard issue happened again at the Moldovan border with the guard demanding further ID on top of Ritchie's passport and so it is decided that the time has come to say goodbye to the beard (for now...), much to Jie's delight and Ritchie's chagrin.

Mykolaiv - Bosvonesvsk - Vinnytsia &#1052;&#1080;&#1082;&#1086;&#1083;&#10 72;&#1074; 500,000 I arrived in Mykolaiv, a port town where two rivers meet and flow into the Black Sea. The taxi ride to the hotel (8th floor, overlooking the harbor) let me know that Mykolaiv was not just any city in Ukraine, but a wealthy one indeed. The boulevards were flower and tree lined and the shops reflected much western ...

... Monastery which was again a good 8 hours of solid hiking...phew!! I was very glad to have reached civilization again. That night I splurged and got a hotel room and slept and slept and slept and slept.... I had attempted to arrive in Melnik (apparently the smallest village in Bulgaria) which is famous for its wine (and you know i like my wine!!) But unfortunately the hitch hiking that day didn't bring me all the way there... So the next day I started my long ...

... sushi bar in the basement next to the big food store. Also, for those who like it as i do, an extremely cheap nargille, only 30 grivnas. "kompot" is no need to look for, because it's the first place you bump into when you go walking on the main street. Very nice design, intermediate prices, nice food. Beautiful toilets) "Dacha" is from the same guys who made "Kompot", but more summerly. It's located outside of the city on Frantsuzki boulevard, on the sea coast. Nice design, cute ...

... for the change of what we paid for the accomodation the previous evening. Well, I didn't forget but I wasn't going to argue for a couple of euro after she went out of her way to help us, but I'm sure that it was part of her plan. Very shifty (ochyen hitraya). I'll remember that one for the future. We get on the bus. Laura feels sick (probably from the dodgy supermarket sushi). Our air-hostess is one of the most insolent people we'd ...

... it's popular on a hot summer's day. My plan for sightseeing today was understandably shot by the extended visit at the vokzal, so I can't honestly say I've seen much of Odessa. I have walked around a little here and there though, and it is really quite a beautiful place. Most certainly it's a huge improvement on ho-hum Chisinau. The one thing that's somewhat disconcerting is all the ostentatious displays of wealth, much of it most likely coming from dubious ...

... out. I get bored quickly at beaches, and after I finished the beer I walked back to get a cab back to the hotel. It cost 60 hua to get there. The driver I found said "What do you want to pay?." "What does it cost?" "100." "It cost 60 to get here." "100." I waved and walked away. "Okay, 60." I think that's the first time I ever dickered in my life. Must mean 60 was too high. The ride was the most thrilling yet. This guy operated purely on ...

... t see another option. The cab driver spoke a little English, but was difficult to follow. Traffic was solid for a good two thirds of the way. "People home from day job," he said. Rush hour in Kiev. Is this my first trip to Ukraine? How do I like it? Would you like a girl tonight? Why not? I tell him I have to leave early in the morning which he leaps on, thrusting his phone number over the seat. "You call. I drive you. When is flight?" 10.30. "Okay. I have car in ...

... Better than Ukraina. * Romanian Girls--Get 'em while they are Hot! * Tan Lines? What are Tan Lines? * Thong tha thong thong thong! Ukraine: * Life here is difficult. * Don't confuse the issue...TIME=TIME, MONEY=MONEY, POWER=POWER. * Where are your gold teeth? Everybody has gold teeth! * Yes, we are FREE now...but...where's the money? * Why are you here? NOTE: I am teaching 3 classes tomorrow--at schools of various levels--High School, College, and University!