ukraine-getting-started.pdf

(2508 KB) Pobierz

lonelyplanet.com

Destination Ukraine

For those of you who came in late, in 2004 there was a popular revolution

in Ukraine. And while that Orange-clad uprising failed to leave the nation

basking in a happily-ever-after future, it was a revolution that, contrary

to the famous dictum, didn’t eat its children.

The map remains the same, with the awe-inspiring, monumental

capital of Kyiv at its heart, irrepressible Odesa and striking Crimea on

its southern shores, plus cosy central-European Lviv near rolling western

hills. Several years down the track, the industrial, pro-Russian east has

forgotten its threat to secede.

Nonetheless, the Ukraine you’re visiting today is not the country that

previously existed. ‘Post-Orange Ukraine’ might have the political blues

as successive parliamentary stalemates drag out, but its press is freer, its

attitudes more open and its economy improving. Memories of demon-

strating on ‘the maydan’ (Kyiv’s Independence Square) still fuel increased

civic awareness. There’s fledgling democracy instead of autocracy, fair

elections and a tolerance of genuine public debate. At the same time,

the unfulfilled promises of a weakened president have injected a sense

of realism, if not cynicism.

Ukraine, whose name means ‘borderland’, is slowly, and sometimes

indecisively, shifting. You still frequently encounter the surly, unhelpful

bureaucracy that reigned when this was part of the Soviet Union, but

now it’s tempered by widespread aspirations to eventually join the EU.

The younger generation, central to the Orange Revolution, are looking

forward and revelling in newfound freedoms. Traditionalists, meanwhile,

are concerned about floating too far out of neighbouring Russia’s orbit.

A patchwork nation, as contemporary pundits like to call it, Ukraine

draws on numerous historical influences, and as a patchwork nation it’s

searching for unifying 21st-century symbols. The dominant culture is

Slavic, but Scythian gold is still hoarded in the history museum at Kyiv’s

Kievo-Pecherska Lavra (Caves Monastery) and Byzantine mosaics line

the capital’s St Sophia’s Cathedral.

The golden domes of myriad Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox cathe-

drals gleam out across one of Europe’s poorest nations. Yet, among the

rocky outcrops of fascinating Crimea, you’ll also find Turkic architecture,

not to mention ancient cave cities. The country’s marauding Cossacks

are remembered on the Dnipro River’s Khortytsya Island, as well as in

musical and dance rituals.

Not all Ukrainians get an equal (duck-) kick out of all these traditions.

The Russian-speaking east, centre and south might take pride in Cos-

sack history, but the Ukrainian-speaking west of the country lionises the

native Hutsul culture of the Carpathians, while the Crimean Tatars are

making a comeback on their homeland peninsula.

So any success that post-Orange Ukraine achieves is a building-block

towards a new national identity. By hosting the Eurovision song contest

in 2005, abolishing most visas to welcome more overseas tourists, being

chosen to co-host the European Football Championships in 2012 and

even angling for the 2018 Winter Olympics, this once-overlooked coun-

try hopes to show off its increasing capabilities to the world.

Meanwhile, it wants to prove them to all Ukrainians, too.

FAST FACTS

Area: 603,700 sq km, just

smaller than Texas

Population: 46.7 million

(UN)

GDP per capita: $7800

(2006)

GDP growth: 6.8% (2007

estimate)

Inflation: 14.5% (2007

estimate)

Official unemployment:

2.7% (but believed to be

as high as 6.7%)

Life expectancy: women

72.4 years, men 60.1

years (UNDP)

Cigarettes smoked per

day: 5.4 per person

Natural gas consumption:

74 billion cubic metres

a year

Railways: 22,473km

of track

National anthem:

‘Ukraine Has Not Yet Died’

Getting Started

For decades Ukraine welcomed mainly package tourists, particularly those

taking cruises down the Dnipro River. However, since the abolition of

visa requirements for citizens of the EU, US and several other countries

in 2005, it’s also been developing a reputation as a frontier nation for

adventurous independent travellers.

A small coterie of hostels and private B & Bs has recently sprung up

and, while they’re of varying quality, the best of them work hard to fill the

gap left by the scarcity of tourist information offices and English speak-

ers throughout Ukraine. Elsewhere travellers will rarely find their needs

directly catered for and will need to be resourceful.

Still, it’s well worth the effort to venture into this fascinating, less-explored

part of the world.

WHEN TO GO

Spring (late April to early June), when perfumed chestnut trees bloom and

people throw off heavy winter coats, is the best time to visit. The Orthodox

rituals surrounding Easter are fabulous, and there’s a sense of reawaken-

ing as cafés set out pavement seating and hikers take the heights of the

Carpathian and Crimean Mountains. (Even in April though you might

still find snow on Hoverla, the country’s highest peak.)

During the sometimes stiflingly hot summer, things get pretty busy as

locals head en masse for Crimea, the Black Sea Coast and the Carpathians.

Indeed, Yalta in August is complete madness and probably best avoided.

Most theatres close throughout July and August when the country’s focus

shifts to the great outdoors.

Autumn is almost as inviting as spring, as the crowds dissipate and the

mercury drops to a more comfortable level. In December and January it’s

bitingly cold inland, particularly in the east; however this is a good time

to head to the Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine’s skiing district.

It’s wise to book ahead during the public holidays in the first weeks of

January and May (see p246).

For climate information

see p243.

COSTS & MONEY

Food, transport and museums are reasonably cheap in Ukraine, al-

though you always pay a premium for eating out in Kyiv and Odesa.

Accommodation is often wildly overpriced throughout the country.

A decent double hotel room in Kyiv will generally cost at least $100 but

more likely $150. (Renting an apartment is a great alternative; see p241.) A

basic meal in a midrange restaurant in the capital can easily cost 150uah

to 200uah ($30 to $40) per person, without drinks.

If you choose cafeteria-style eateries or spend more time in the country-

side, meals can set you back as little as 20uah ($4). Furthermore, if you’re

prepared to stay in unappealing former-Soviet hotels and share a commu-

nal bathroom, you can get away with paying $15 to $20 a night. Decent

hotels in the countryside usually start at about $40 to $50 a night.

Museum entrance is a bargain at between 3uah (60c) and 20uah ($4) and local

public transport is even cheaper at between 50 kopecks (10c) and 3uah (60c).

Long-distance transport prices have shot right up in the past few years,

but they’re still quite reasonable from a visitor’s perspective. A

kupe

(2nd-

class) train ride across the entire country will rarely set you back more

lonelyplanet.com

G E T T I N G S TA R T E D • • T r a v e l L i t e r a t u re

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT…

Valid travel insurance (see p246)

Checking if your nationality is one of the few that still needs a visa (see p251)

A phrasebook, if you don’t speak the language

Ensuring your vaccinations are up to date (see p264)

A basic first-aid kit, including sterile syringes

A small torch, for the many unlit streets

An eye mask to block out the light in hotel rooms, which frequently have thin curtains

A scarf and below-knee skirt, for women visiting Orthodox churches or mosques

A sense of humour and flexibility

than 150uah ($30). Taxi drivers will usually escalate their prices when they

hear your accent, so be prepared to haggle.

One extraordinary expense that even the most independent travellers

may find themselves paying for, is a car and guide to some of the more

out-of-the-way places of Crimea and the Carpathians. For this, bank on

a sizable $60 to $100 per day.

HOW MUCH?

Kyiv metro ride 50

kopecks

Bottle of Nemiroff vodka

(0.7L) 30uah

Cup of brewed coffee

7-15uah

Ticket to opera in Kyiv

12-20uah

Ticket to football game at

Dynamo Stadium in Kyiv

15-30uah

TRAVEL LITERATURE

Only a handful of authors – of either fiction or nonfiction – have made

their way across Ukraine. So take your diary – there’s a gap in the mar-

ket here. Anna Reid’s excellent

Borderland,

her observations of the coun-

try during her time here as an

Economist

correspondent in the 1990s,

functions as much as a travelogue as a history book.

Everything Is Illuminated,

by Jonathan Safran Foer, follows a Jewish

American searching for the Ukrainian woman who saved his grandfather

during WWII. Letters between him and his language-mangling translator

and guide build up a wacky, almost stream-of-consciousness novel. (Liev

Schreiber’s 2005 film of the book had the benefit of starring Elijah Wood

and Gogol Bordello singer Eugene Hutz, but suffered from giving the story

a happy ending.)

Long Way Round,

actor Ewan McGregor and friend Charley Boorman

cross Europe, including Ukraine, on their motorbikes. However, they’re

not travel writers and devote at least as much space to their practical

tribulations as to the countries.

More recently

Australian Geographic

Adventurer of the Year 2006, Tim

Cope, spent 14 months crossing Ukraine on horseback as part of a longer,

three-year epic to follow in the footsteps of Genghis Khan from Mongolia

to Hungary. He completed the trip in late 2007 and, until any books, TV

series or films ensue, you can read his insightful descriptions and musings

at www.timcopejourneys.com.

INTERNET RESOURCES

All kinds of sites and blogs now cover events in Ukraine, so the following

are just a few of the best. You can find news and links at lonelyplanet.com,

including tips on Ukraine from other travellers in the Eastern European

section of the Thorn Tree bulletin board.

CIA World Factbook – Ukraine

(www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos

/up.html) Dry, but useful and frequently updated statistics and other information on demographic,

social and economic basics.

G E T T I N G S TA R T E D • • T r a v e l l i n g R e s p o n s i b l y

lonelyplanet.com

‘If you do a

web search

for ‘green

rural tourism’

and ‘Ukraine’,

you might be

misled into

thinking such

a thing really

exists.’

Discover Ukraine: the True Centre of Europe

(www.pcukraine.org/tourism) The quality

of this online guidebook by US Peace Corps volunteers varies wildly depending on individuals’

enthusiasm for the project and their city of residence.

Infoukes

(www.infoukes.com) Frequently asked questions, books to buy about Ukraine, online

maps and tips on where to visit are all offered on these Ukrainian-Canadian pages.

Only in Ukraine…

(www.onlyinukraine.blogspot.com) A slightly old Monty Pythonesque

compilation of funny but true news stories, from ‘Burglar locks self in church for five days, lives on

wine’, to ‘Suspected smugglers flying ultralight’, as well as all manner of animal stories and other

oddities. As the blurb says: ‘How can you not love Ukraine after stories like this!’

Try Ukraine

(www.tryukraine.com) Although essentially a personal guide to living, working and

travelling in the country by an American in Kyiv, this is an incredibly detailed and authoritative

source.

Ukraine.com

(www.ukraine.com) Up-to-date news from foreign news sources, eye-catching and

quirky feature articles from around the country, and a wealth of background information all make

this a useful gateway site.

Ukrainian Government Portal

(www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en) Go to the Press Center to

catch up on all the latest government policies and reforms, as well as new hotels, museums and

transport routes.

TRAVELLING RESPONSIBLY

Since its inception in 1973, Lonely Planet has encouraged its readers to

tread lightly, travel responsibly and enjoy the magic that independent

travel affords. International travel is growing rapidly, and we still firmly

believe in the benefits it can bring. However, as always, we encourage you

to consider the impact your visit will have on both the global environment

and the local economies, cultures and ecosystems.

Unfortunately, in Ukraine there’s really only one way to do this, and

that’s to pick up some of the country’s reams of litter as you pass through.

If you do a web search for ‘green rural tourism’ and ‘Ukraine’, you might

be misled into thinking such a thing really exists. In fact, all you’ll find

are either homestays or hiking guides rather than sustainable travel op-

tions. There is a

huge

amount of hype surrounding this topic in a country

where even ‘national parks’ aren’t properly protected. For more, see the

Environment chapter (p56).

Getting There & Away

Rather than flying to Kyiv, some budget travellers now take the train into

western Ukraine from neighbouring Hungary, Poland or Slovakia. They do

this because it’s cheap, but it’s probably also a little bit greener – although

not too much as the country’s diesel-fuelled rolling stock is pretty ancient.

If coming to Ukraine, you might want to consider offsetting your carbon

emissions (see the boxed text, p253). Calculate big.

Local Transport

Lined up beside

marshrutky

and buses that belch black smoke into the

atmosphere, trains are the least of all environmental evils. If an

elektrychka

(electric local train) serves a route, it will be the most environmentally

friendly public transport method that is available. But if you really

want to travel Ukraine without polluting, embark on a bicycle odyssey

(see p259).

Accommodation

Staying with Ukrainian families pumps more money directly into the

local economy, but it will rarely be a truly green experience. Poor rural

households consume less than their urban counterparts, however they

Plik z chomika:

Viktorchortkiv

ukraine-getting-started.pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: