Ukraine travel blog
We are never sure what each day will bring on the Polish Ukrainian border. Sometimes the Ukrainians crossing to the safety of Poland come in steady groups, their wheeled suitcases rumbling on the pavers as they make their way past our stall. We call out ‘Chai, kava, kakao (tea, coffee, cocoa)’, and some come over, thankful for a hot drink after a long, cold wait to cross the border. Other days are quiet, with volunteers and NGO staff outnumbering the…
The women, children and elderly leave Ukraine and enter Poland, carrying bags and trailing small, wheeled suitcases. Some have plastic pet transporters containing their cat or small dog. An unjustifiable and unnecessary war has forced them to flee their homes, sometimes leaving behind relatives too old to make the arduous journey to the border. Their fathers, uncles, brothers and sons have stayed behind to defend their country. The refugees arrive with very little, yet they hold themselves with dignity. Some…
It’s been an intense first three weeks here on the Polish Ukrainian border. The charity I have joined is a real unity of nations, with citizens of over 10 countries working together to provide food, drinks and a warm place to sit and rest for those who have left their lives behind in Ukraine. Working shoulder to shoulder for a common purpose with inspiring and interesting people from across the globe is an amazing experience; a grass-roots example of the…
I’ve had a great time in Europe’s second largest nation. It’s a beautiful place with an amazing, complex, and often tragic history. I’ve certainly learnt a lot over the month I have spent traveling around, but it’s time to be leaving Ukraine. I’m heading back to Turkey for some diving off the south coast, so I’ll let you know what I find under the water. ‘Til then, remember the old Ukrainian proverb: ‘Only when you have eaten a cockroach do…
After a short drive we arrived within sight of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and the massive steel shell built over reactor four to trap the remaining radioactive material. The bus pulled up at a permitted viewing area about half a kilometer from the Plant and we piled out for photos. Many of our Geiger counters began beeping to tell us the programmed upper limit of detected radiation had been reached. Although the counters default to a relatively moderate alarm…
‘Dark Tourism’ has become more than a catchphrase; it’s now a bona fide part of the broader tourism industry. There is no shortage of people who want to see first-hand the places where significant historic tragedies, crimes and disasters occcurred. I am one of them. A Dark Tourism destination may attract a general history buff, or perhaps an individual who believes a particular tragedy, its victims and its lessons should not be forgotten. Thrill seekers, drawn by macabre fascination, may…
A few of my mates asked if I had eaten a Chicken Kiev in Kiev, and I was also interested in trying the dish in the city after which it was presumably named. However after delving into the origin of Chicken Kiev, I found out that the name is in fact a misnomer. Like moleskin fabric is not made of moles, and the 100 years’ war went for 116 years, the Chicken Kiev is not from Kiev. In fact, there…
Ukraine’s Highest Peak After my visit to Pervomaisk, I was keen on seeing the Ukrainain high country, and in particular climbing Mt Hoverla. The 2061 metre peak is part of the Carpathian Mountain Ranges, which span eight countries over their 1500 kilometre length. It was a 10 hour drive from Pervomaisk to Vorokhta, my destination near Mt Hoverla, so I decided to take it easy and stop half-way. Having been unable to book any accommodation for my overnight stop online,…
TWO MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, Part II In the midst of paddocks in south-central Ukraine, a tour guide and I were cramped inside an elevator at the Museum of Strategic Missile Forces, descending 30 metres into the earth to visit an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Unified Command Post (UCP). When at the 11th level down inside the UCP, we stepped out into the command room. In this small space were two desks with aircraft-style seats, and an array of panels, switches…
TWO MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, Part I Ukraine is a big place by European standards, second only to Russia in land area. Factor in some serious mountains, major watercourses and a network of secondary roads that are potholed to the shithouse and it can take a long time to get from A to Б. So I figured that hiring a car would be the most efficient way to get around, particularly to the more out-of-the-way places I was keen to explore….