I am currently in Khmelnitsky (about 200km west of Kiev) and have a couple of hours to spare so here are a couple of travel tips for the uninitiated. Despite having visited Ukraine many times, this was my first taste of the railway system. On arrival at Kiev Borispol Airport I discovered that you can buy your train ticket from a booth right there at the airport, and this seemed a good idea considering my past experieve of Eastern European railway stations. However, it turned out the express train I wanted was full, so I had to buy a ticket for a later train costing 23 Euros (yes, they accepted western currency too.)

Then I get to the Train Station in Kiev and  am just thinking that maybe I should have another go for the original train rather than accept what I have been told, when hey presto! This guy from nowhere offers to get me a seat on the earlier Express Train. He would basically smuggle me onto the train with the help of his mate who is the wagon steward, all for the bargain price of 150 Hryvnas. I told him to stick around, and went to the cash desk myself to try the official route. Not only did they have a seat on the Express Train, but the ticket only cost me 40 Hryvnas. I took great pleasure in waving it in this punks face afterwards! (Unfortunately my 23 Euros for the later train was wasted.)

So... forget about buying a train ticket at the airport, their info is unreliable and they put 200% mark-up on the price; and dont listen to the punks lurking in the station who tell you that the trains are full and they can help you. I was actually surprised at howe simple the procedure is at the station, most of it appears to be new and fairly modern; I won't be using Autolux buses again in future if I can help it.

I had no idea what to expect in Khmelnitsky, it is a small provincial town, so I have rented an apartment which my very attractive and personable girlfriend is sharing (separate rooms for now, but this is a serious rendezvous hopefully with a future, rather than a weekend romp.) However, there are actually a couple of quite decent looking hotels in town, and the centre is quite pleasant with parks and tree lined avenues. One hour away is Kamnets Podolskaya (hope I got that right) which is an old historic town with a restored fortress overlooking a canyon, with many old churches and a national park; great place for a day out. The 3 star Hotel Gala there looks fine. I decided to depart on the sleeper train to Budapest and fly back from there after a city tour.

Prices in Khmelnitsky: no taxi ride in town is more than 10 Hryvnas (2 dollars.) The best restaurant in town (Italian) was 50 dollars for 2 including decent wine; coffee in a decent central cafe is around 1 dollar. The mini bus to Kamnets Podolskaya (100km) was 2.5 dollars (bring a soft cushion!) But things are already changing here; there is a new development of exclusive apartments nearing completion in the centre, with underground parling, shopping complex etc, starting at around 100,000 dollars.

... in response to Re: Ticketless Travel on Ukrainian Train..., posted by Cold Warrior on Aug 31, 2005

Strictly a "Red" (MAN U)..... just hope Malcolm Glazer doesn't tighten the purse strings!! He seemed to handle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ok. Further update on train travel in Ukraine... made the trip Khmenitsky (Ukraine) to Budapest (Hungary).... what a nightmare (and I have travelled a bit.) Only second class available, had to change trains in a fleapit border station at 3am and buy some Hungarian currency from a dodgy character in the station, in order to purchase onward ticket to Budapest. 3am is a bad time to be in a deserted Ukrainian railway station! And just as we left Khmelnitsky, a drunk tried to catch the moving train and missed his footing. He wouldn't let go, we had to pull him in and put a belt round his leg.. he cut a vein or something, blood everywhere, they mopped it up with rags and toilet paper and propped him up in the aisle against the bulkhead. He was white as a sheet but they refused to stop the train until the next station!! At one point I thought he wouldn't make it, they kept slapping him around to keep him awake, but I think he was finally ok after they got him off. "Extreme" Russian Travel, as one of my fellow passengers pointed out to me! The crucial point though, is not to assume that there will always be space available in First Class, and don't trust railway timetables on the web!

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Ticketless Travel on Ukraini..., posted by YEP on Sep 3, 2005

I get by in Russian, it's not exactly conversational but I know many of the everyday words and phrases and have a basic understanding of the conjugation of the verbs. As for the alphabet, I have it more or less figured out now, and I can read and write Russian well enough. Ability to speak English is no longer an essential pre-requisite for me. Even if the conversation is patchy, I have found that the locals are often interested in engaging in conversation with me once they realise there is some possibility of effective communication.