Thread: Travel Blog; CIS/ex-USSR countries (i.e. Russian speaking)

What about Yalta? Has anyone been there, and is it enjoyable?

It's probably worth seeing if you can afford it - money and time-wise. Yalta is not a big city, but it's rather nice. Spring and early autumn are actually the best time to visit, because in summer it's pretty crowded.
Traditional places to see in and around Yalta are: Nikitsky Botanical Garden, little castle "Swallow's Nest", Livadia and Massandta Palaces, Chekhov's museum and others.

Yalta in winter:

PS - more on Trandniestr; check out their official magazine on http://www.pridnestrovie-daily.net/gazeta/default.aspx. The state emblems probably indicate the political orientation of this "country". I have no view on that, but I am trying to find out what the situation with "visa" is. It seems to be down to the individual border guards at the time. Not a re-assuring setup. Frankly I do not wish to be blackmailed by some old time border guard, or subjected to some mini-USSR charade, so if I am not more re-assured that I can cross this "border" without hassle, I might try to circumvent "Transdniestr".

Crossing a border between two hostile states can cause a really big headache. Especially if you are not sure with the visa question. If it is possible it is better to avoid this obstacle.

As far as I heard, things calmed down between Kishinev and Tiraspol since 90es and you can travel there pretty safe. But still, Hanna, it's very funny that you consider Romania and Moldavia more safe contries than Ukraine. Romania and Moldova are full of Gypsies and the chance of getting your wallet stolen there is much bigger than in Ukraine, Belarus or Russia.

Great pic Gromozeka!
I will look into visiting there, would love to! It's a dream of mine to see the Black Sea, actually, and I guess Crimea is the epitome of that.

MORE ON Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica



I investigated Transdniestr a bit more:
They are actually real serious communists of the old style. They have some very relevant views on the world, I think (please note: I am not a communist, but I agree with some of the views of communism.) I am pretty intrigued by this country; now I would like to visit!

And it irritates me to think that I should be treated badly at the border there, just because I am not a CIS citizen. What for!!??

Lots of sites say that no visa is needed. I think the people who've had trouble are Americans and Brits. Maybe the Transdniestrians are giving them a hard time on purpose. But I am not a citizen of a Nato country even (thankfully!) so perhaps they will go easier on me. I think I will set out early in the morning. If they start being funny, I'll just return to Chisinau and take the long way (around Transdniestr) to Odessa.

Now I've got to figure out what to say to the border guards (in Russian) in case they start questioning me on my purpose for visiting; any tips appreciated!

To be continued!

MORE ON MOLDOVA:

I have discovered that Moldova is a bilingual country - Russian is almost as common as Moldovan, and spoken by everyone. There seems to be harmony in the language question here, or at least no major problem.

This is definitely not a place to go for shopping (enough said!) but those things that are available are VERY cheap assuming you are not ripped off on grounds of being a foreigner.
I get the feeling that very little money has been available to spend on maintaining infrastructure and buildings since the Soviet days. Some of the trolleybuses are incredibly scruffy. For better or worse I have not seen any supermarkets, international banks, international food / clothes chains in Chisinau. Most of the shopping seems to go on in underpasses used to cross the streets (very broad boulevards with almost no pedistrian crossings)

Some of the old people have clearly fared very, very poorly in the transition to market economy. I can't stand seeing decent old women selling a few cabbages by the roadside... after working all their lives to build up the country, struggling through the war etc. And in their old age everything is taken from them and they have to resort to working in this way well past retirement age.. It's just awful.

Broadband speed at the "Cosmos" hotel in Chisinau, Moldova:

Originally Posted by Basil77

Hanna, it's very funny that you consider Romania and Moldavia more safe contries than Ukraine. Romania and Moldova are full of Gypsies and the chance of getting your wallet stolen there is much bigger than in Ukraine, Belarus or Russia.

Frankly I don't know much about ANY of these countries!
That is why I decided to travel through this area.
South Eastern Europe is an area I hardly know about. Never been here before and neither have anyone (almost) that I know.

I do know that gypsies are BAD NEWS though, and are to be avoided. There is a HUGE problem with them in Spain and France, they are very "professional" as thieves - pickpocketing, stealing at cashpoints and restaurants. In Sweden the Finnish/Russian gypsy women use their long wide skirts to hide things they have shoplifted.

If I am a bit biased in favour of EU countries as being safer... that's just out of habit.... I just don't know!
The prejudice I had against Romania turned out to be wrong.
Re my lost wallet: I spoke with American Express (I have a platinum card which has no upper spending limit). Any crooked person would have used that IMMEDIATELY for as much money as he could... However, there was no attempt at using the card. I also had a normal Visa Debit card in the wallet, and there was no attempted transaction on that either. Maybe I just dropped the wallet. I'll stop having an Amex card, it's risky and generally useless.

If I don't have any troubles in Ukraine, I'll go onto the Lonely Planet forum and set the record straight! Some of the comments were very harsh and quite likely posted by stupid people.

Russian is almost as common as Moldovan

Молдавский - это, по сути, румынский язык.

Молдавию создали в 1940 году, присоединив часть румынской территории к Приднестровью, которое было вырезано из Украины. То есть Молдавию, как и позднее (в 1956) упразднённую Карело-Финскую ССР, соэдали для расширения Советского Союза. Формально это расширение, как и присоединение Прибалтики, было не аннексией, а вхождением новых республик в СССР.

MOLDOVA - Last Post:

Now I will always remember Moldova as the place where I successfully spoke in Russian with native speakers for the first time.

Actually, Chisinau is nicer than I first thought. I had not seen the nicer part of town.

There is an area with some good looking 19th century neo-gothic, neo-classical buildings and Stalin era public buildings. This part of town has tree lined streets and some large and very pleasant parks. They felt safe and there were lots of policemen and other guards around. A concert was on.

In this part of town I saw Benetton, Mexx and some German brands I recognise. There were some technical shops and so on.
Everything is less than half the price you'd pay in Western Europe, sometimes as little as 1/4. There are some very good bargains to be made here.

I was looking out for churches, cathedrals or museums open to the public but unfortunately I did not see any.

There is a very clean and nice train station which also has a bus station for "marshrutka" style buses. I have never gone on a marshrutka but I think I might have to tomorrow. Is there any specific etiquette to follow; how do I know the price, when to pay, where to sit and how/when to get off?

Even though Moldova and Romania are supposed to be the same country, they felt quite different. The language situation, the peoples behaviour, the EU external border check between the countries, different development during the 20th century. Architecture is different too.
I don't think these countries will re-unite again as a larger Romania.

Is there any specific etiquette to follow; how do I know the price, when to pay, where to sit and how/when to get off?

Люди просто садятся в маршрутку, если есть свободное место, и передают деньги водителю. Стоимость проезда написана либо на самой маршрутке, либо внури неё, рядом с водителем. В крайнем случае можно спросить. Можно сказать: "За одного", то есть, что вы платите за одного пассажира (себя).

There is a very clean and nice train station which also has a bus station for "marshrutka" style buses. I have never gone on a marshrutka but I think I might have to tomorrow. Is there any specific etiquette to follow; how do I know the price, when to pay, where to sit and how/when to get off?

When boarding to a "marshrutka" ask:
1. whether it can get you to the desired destination = Скажите пожалуйста, я смогу доехать до [destination name]?
2. How much is the price = Сколько стоит проезд?
3. Should you pay in advance ? (In most cases yes) = Нужно заплатить сразу?
4. Ask to make a note to you when you should get out = Вы мне подскажете когда нужно выходить, что бы попасть на [destination name]?

Originally Posted by Hanna

Losing my wallet put me off a bit and I am worried about going to Ukraine now. I had not even left the EU before something like that happened. The absolutely worst case scenario would be ending up without passport or a penny somewhere in the middle of Ukraine. I am really trying to be low-key and careful, but what happened with the Romanian train and the wallet was discouraging. I was really keen to see Ukraine but nobody I knew wanted/could come. Perhaps I am being naive. Maybe I should just get on a train straight to Belarus, which seems safe.

I chatted with a girl in the taxi - in Russian. She did not seem to think it was a good idea to travel to Ukraine alone but because of my bad Russian, it was not possible to have an in-depth conversation.

Once I was traveled to Crimea, not the first time though, I travel there quite often. When I went to my camp by bus I lost my wallet, (it just fell out of my pocket) with all the money I had for the travel. I felt really depressed. I borrowed some money from my friends and soon returned home. And as I returned my ex-girlfriend from Ukraine called me and said that someone had found my wallet and wanted return it me back with all the money in it! )) The phone number of my girlfriend occasionally was found in my wallet. So in Ukraine live enough of kind disinterested people. You should be just more careful in crowded places and everything will be Ok. Good luck in Ukraine I'm starting there tomorrow )

Yalta is a beautiful town. I've been there many times, and it always brought me good mood!

Hello from Tiraspol, Trandniestr Republic!

I had quite a lot of adventures getting to this place, and I had to speak a lot of Russian to manage!
I haven't spoken a word of English since checking out of my hotel, and yet I made it to Tiraspol!

Several super-kind and helpful people helped me!

Moldovans and Transdniestr people are very kind and nice people; a little bit more reserved than Romanians but just as nice.
If there hadn't been so many kind people around, I would not have made it here.

I feel very safe in this place, writing from a restaurant that has wifi connection.

I accidentally got off the marshrutka at the wrong place, a town called Bender. A taxi driver first tried to rip me off quite outrageously and when I refused his offer, he started chatting with me, asking questions etc. I didn't take anything he said too seriously and eventually realised that I could ask about alternative connections at a ticket booth. I did that, and was told that there was a trolleybus for 0.1 Euro ("!!! - taxi driver wanted 10 dollar!) to where I wanted to go.

A woman run up to me and and said that she had overheard my conversation with the taxi driver, who was a crook (she said) and that she would walk me to the trolleybus station. On the route, she and her husband showed me some sights, and I suddenly realised that BENDER is a historical place for Sweden - there was a battle there, although at the moment I can't remember the details what it was about, or with whom. The husband was aware of this too.

I had a nice trolleybus ride to the centre of town.

This place is a little bit better off economically than Moldova, and the official language is Russian. I don't know what the nonsense on Lonely Planet travel forum, about this being a Soviet-like place is about; it is definitely not like that at all, and I was in the USSR several times as a tourist, so I can compare. Everything here is in Russian, that is the only difference. There is a lot of police and military around, and there was a Russian road block going into the city.

Nobody asked any questions or tried to blackmail me at the border, although the border guard asked if I had "a lot of money with me" to which I responded "no not much at all". He singled me out on the marshrutka because I was the only non-CIS person. I can see that loud people speaking in English might annoy the border guards, and that under the right circumstances, they might try it for bribes. I think I kept a low profile, had filled in the forms right, and all was well. The border post had some announcements regarding Americans, but it was on an electronic billboard and I didn't understand what it was about because it flashed past so fast.

The marshrutka driver was saying something several times, with emphasis, about my passport, which I couldn't understand. Not sure if I should worry!

I'll have a good nights sleep here, then get to Odessa after taking a quick tour of the town. Apparently there is a very nice monastery here.

Lol - writing from the hotel in Tiraspol.
This is definitely where oligarchs stay when they come to town. It's pretty high-end.

Maybe I should put on a shorter skirt and pop down to the bar and see if I can impress any oligarch with my Russian (erm.... they are more likely to leg it!)

The EU apparently suspects this country of being a major arms dealing hub but they can't prove it. There is very loud music from the bar; something oriental, in Russian...

Again a kind person walked me to the hotel after I asked for directions, in Russian.
Unbelievable how friendly people are towards strangers in this part of the world. The same thing happened in Moldova.


There is kickass free wifi at this hotel - way to go, Transdniestr!


Apart from a few slogans, the only Soviet like thing here is the apalling official currency exchange rate.
I just had an excellent meal for 2-3 Euros/dollars, so no need to complain.







Завтра я буду на Украине!

Hanna, my love (sorry for presumptuousness, I'm a bit drunk), you are the best! Worrying about a safety while travelling through Ukraine and going right to Transdnistria. If you ask me, the worse choice according to safety could be only South Ossetia or Abkhasia. After that experience you can work as a hot-spot reporter, very romantic. But to be serious, you are my hero and I wish you best luck and pleasant journey. And btw, if by any chance this your journey will lead you to Moscow, you can always use my little help as for example driving you from an airport to a hotel or so, it would be a great pleasure for me, feel free to ask, if you need.

Yura, you are awesome too! Thanks for the offer! I haven't got a visa for Russia yet - it takes a while to organise - I did not have time before I left. I'll get in touch if I make it there. Now Moscow, that's an intimidating city! Bigger than any other city in Europe.

That's why I decided to take this strange (for me) route eastwards, and find out about an area of Europe that is very unfamiliar to me. It's taken a bit longer to travel through, than I had expected though!

There are not a lot of tourists around at all. In Romania there weren't, and in Moldova there weren't. Certainly not in the Pridnestrovie Republic. That might be the reason that I have been treated so well.

In France, Germany or the UK, people would NOT in normal circumstances bother helping somebody who can't speak the language to a reasonable level. But here, they do.

I don't understand what the conflict here is/was about.
I can't tell any difference between the countries other than the language spoken. The religion is the same too. The woman who helped me in Bender, said that most people in the PMR are actually Moldovans, they just prefer for the country to be Russian speaking.

I sympathise with them wanting their own country though - and the "border check" was similar to the one between Romania and Moldova, apart from the fact that I was singled out a bit on account of not being from a CIS country. I hope that I'll be able to get to Odessa without being bribed or treated badly. The currency thing is definitely for real - no other currency can be used on town, although it's possible to exchange.


PRICES AND COST OF LIVING IN ROMANIA / MOLDOVA / PMR territory.
Prices in this region are INCREDIBLY low. I can't believe how little money I have spent. Using public transport, you can travel 50-100 kilometers for a fraction of the price of a Tube ticket in London or Paris. You can have a really nice meal with dessert and coffee for something like 1-2 Euro.

The ONLY thing that is expensive is hotel rooms, which are the same rate as in Europe, not sure why.
Taxi drivers will try to rip off foreigners, and frankly it is easy to understand why. The public transport is perfectly adequate so there is no need to use taxis. The only problem is if you cannot speak the language - that's what's complicated things for me.

Pridnestrovie - Final Summary:

I walked on a bridge across the River Dniestr - very beautiful! Viewed a very impressive war memorial from the war there, in 1992-94. They also had a war memorial for the Afghanistan war.

I saw a really nice public park with lots of free toys available for children to play with.

Next, I wanted to see the church, and a woman and her husband struck up a conversation with me because they were wondering if I was lost. We went to the church together - in order to get in, I had to wear a scarf. Inside were beautiful newly renovated icons; Orthodox churches are stunning inside.
Apparently orthodox churches follow a certain pattern in their decoration, and this followed the same pattern.

The woman, her husband and I started discussing the best way of travelling to Odessa. I was under the impression that there were regular buses from Tiraspol to Odessa. They called a friend who said there was only one more the same day, and it was probably full, due to 1 May weekend. They then suggested going to the border by marshrutka, walking across by foot, and crossing a big roundabout (I misunderstood this, and thought they meant a motorway roundabout which sounded like a suicidal idea...) Alternatively I could travel by taxi from Tiraspol to Odessa for 30 Euros. This is a 2-3 hour drive. They helped me to call a taxi and he came promptly.

The taxi driver spoke several languages, but the only one we had in common was Russian. He told me lots of interesting things about his life; he was a dual citizen of Pridnestrovie and Ukraine, and had fled the war with his family to Ukraine as a child, then returned. He said he wrote books but I did not understand what kind of books.

I explained my concerns about crossing the border, and he said he'd sort everything -- which he did. Nobody opened my bags, tried to extract bribes or similar. This seems to regularly happen to the Lonely Planet form users (mainly Americans and Brits).
Although I wanted to avoid private taxis on this trip, this was probably a sensible journey to make - I had no problems at all.

If I had come walking across the border with my bags alone... that's just too much, even for me...
But there was no roundabout and certainly no motorway. It was a very basic type of road in fact. What the woman meant was a parking lot or something like that. There were quite a lot of people and cars queuing at the border.

I did something incredibly stupid - in the hot weather, I was thirsty and outside the church was (what I thought) was a drinking water fountain. I drunk some water from it..... But I think it was for washing ones hands before entering the church. At any rate, I felt pretty sick for a while, but luckily it passed.

In Tiraspol there is a very big banner on a public building, saying "Our Strength is in Unity with Russia" (at least I think that's what it says).
I hope my report from this area has reminded lots of Russian people of this little territory that has a high view of Russia and needs support.

ODESSA - UKRAINE - BLACK SEA!

I am in Odessa on the Black Sea Coast!
Wow!

I haven't seen the sea, or much of the town yet - unfortunately my hotel is not very central (I had not realised).
More later.

How long are you planning to stay in Odessa? Have you desided already what you want to see there? My mom was in Odessa last year and I asked her, what would she recommend to see in Odessa the most? She said there are about a hundred such things but obviously the Opera Theater and catacombs are must see without questions.

Originally Posted by Basil77

How long are you planning to stay in Odessa? Have you desided already what you want to see there? My mom was in Odessa last year and I asked her, what would she recommend to see in Odessa the most? She said there are about a hundred such things but obviously the Opera Theater and catacombs are must see without questions.

No --- I have an electronic version of Lonely Planet Ukraine on my laptop. But I have not read anything yet. It's been so complicated getting here that I have not yet read up. But just being here on the Black Sea shores is a lifelong dream come true, and I sure took the long and scenic route....
Any tips on really nice things to do in Odessa would be appreciated!

I am not staying inside the city actually, but outside - 1/2 hour ride on a trolleybus to get into town. (did not realise when I booked the room). But I like the hotel and the staff, so I'll stay. I think I'll spend 2 days.