So frustrated...stuck in Ukraine?
Trip Start
Jul 07, 2006
1
25
42
Trip End
Aug 16, 2006
Lviv,
Ukraine
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
My original plan is: after getting to Lviv (the largest city in Western Ukraine, near Polish border) and stay there for 2 days, I would take train from Lviv into Northeastern Romania. The main stop is Suceava, where there are several (again UNESCO-assigned) medieval painted monasteries in the region. Checking from several European train schedule sites (the most reliable one is the one from German Railway/Deutsch Bahn, www.bahn.de). I knew I might need to change train at Chernivtsi, to transfer to a train traveling from Moscow to Sofia (which traverses eastern part of Romania, including Suceava and Bucharest). What I did not realize was, how hard it is just to inquire train information in Ukraine, let alone buying the ticket I wanted!
No, this is not Poland, or even the Baltics, where many people in hospitality industry speak at least passable English.
many things in Ukraine remain the old Soviet style: confusing and inefficient. First, the advance ticket in Ukraine is not sold in the train station, but in some office rather far away from the station. After I got to the office, I found it was hot and crowded. All the signs are only in Ukrainian, which is in Cyrillic alphabet. I do know most of the alphabet (though I don't speak either Ukrainian or Russian) but it took much longer to figure out which train goes where (the Cyrillic form of Krakow literally transfers into "Krakiv"?). Also, I could not figure out which window to go to either. What about the multi-lingual ticket vending machine? Sorry, this is not Germany. After waiting at Window 8 for 20 minutes, I was told to go to Window 1 for international ticket. This was practically done through the help of a young woman helping to translate because the sale clerk cannot speak any English. Then at Window 1, again I had some communication problems with the sale clerk. Fortunately, a Ukrainian speaking Canadian woman was there helping her friend to buy ticket and helped to translate for me. That was when the bad news came out: all the ticket from Lviv to Chernivtsi was sold out for the next day. Also, due to the limitation of their computer system, even after I make it to Chernivtsi, the ticket clerk cannot find out if there is seat on the train between Chernivtsi and Suceava, Romania. I have to buy that leg of the trip at Chernivtsi station. Sounds complicated, isn't it? And these were all communicated through a interpreter. The sale clerk said I can try to take a bus to Chernivtsi and find if there is seat on the train onward to Suceava. But she seemed very concerned how I can find my way there since I do not understand any Ukrainian or Russian...
Well, Lviv supposed to be the most westernized city and quite educated place in Ukraine. If I cannot even buy a ticket by myself here (have to rely on the kindness of strangers for interpretation), how can I buy a train or bus ticket in Chernivtsi, a town I did not even hear of before this week? Do I expect that there will be some nice English speaking and helpful fellow happens to be in the same queue as me?
That was the moment that I realized I really overestimated my ability to travel alone and independently in a former Eastern Bloc country like Ukraine, where most people do not speak any Western language at all and their alphabet is not even that readable. For a country like Ukraine, I should have joined a package tour group (like the way I traveled to Russia) instead of doing it all by myself.
Now I feel stuck.
Comments
Lviv
Hi, I know how it's annoying but I can say that you don't have to expect everybody speak English. Are any of the UK tickets clerks speaking any Russian or Ukrainian? or even any European language? You just think that the entire world has to speak English? I can give you an advise for next time, do not go anywhere in the world without checking first how everything works there. As an old advertising from HSBC Bank shows that do not underestimate other countries traditions, ok!
Good luck for next time!
Thanks
i symphatize with you
i think it's not a good idea to travel alone if you don't knowthe languageorvice versa. you should at least bought anaudio dictionary thatdoes translations.
they're available now.
so where are you now?
did you hear about the explosions of train cars carrying highly toxic and flammable chemical phosphorus that happened near lviv and poland border?
i hope you're not close to the area. they must have evacuated people around 90 km radius. arethe people there concerned?
Re: so where are you now?
Wow...I did not even know this news until I found out your posting (now I am in Vancouver, Canada). It was horrible....I was in Romania in mid-July, 2007 and did not watch news too often. So I must have missed the news.
I was in Lviv in August, 2006. So it was almost a year ago. That is really a great place and I do encourage people visit it before it gets too touristy. Just remember to bring a phrase book if you travel independently.