I love Ukraine: The fact that virtually no one understands a word I say makes backpacking a very unique experience. People I met, even travelers in hostels, are Ukrainians who only speak Ukrainian and Russian. Being the only Asian in town makes me really noticeable and I am getting a lot of “curious yet friendly” looks / smiles wherever I go.
After spending a week in the suburbs where hardly anyone speaks English, I am finally arriving at the capital (Kiev) – More people here speak my language and there seems to be more English-speaking backpackers.
Despite the language barrier, my time in Ukraine has been memorable and hands-on: Walking the “Love Tunnel” for a couple of miles all alone, doing a vertical climb to the top of the Motherland Monument, riding a bike to explore an old village, etc.. Activities here have been quite adventurous.
After two months of traveling in Eastern and Central Europe, my next stop is a little out of the way and is the only destination that I have done any planning on – Iceland.
Between the Klevan and Rivne stations, 3 miles of the railway is covered by forest – People call it the “Love Tunnel”.
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Not nearly enough people know about this place, so it wasn’t at all touristy. I got here early morning and was the only person there. Very soon I found myself walking in the forest on the railway all alone, with white jasmine petals occasionally falling from above, and roosters from nearby houses crowing in the morning – This place is absolutely stunning.
@Klevan
Between the Klevan and Rivne stations, 3 miles of the railway is covered by forest – People call it the “Love Tunnel”.
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Not nearly enough people know about this place, so it wasn’t at all touristy. I got here early morning and was the only person there. Very soon I found myself walking in the forest on the railway all alone, with white jasmine petals occasionally falling from above, and roosters from nearby houses crowing in the morning – This place is absolutely stunning.
@Klevan
Between the Klevan and Rivne stations, 3 miles of the railway is covered by forest – People call it the “Love Tunnel”.
\\
Not nearly enough people know about this place, so it wasn’t at all touristy. I got here early morning and was the only person there. Very soon I found myself walking in the forest on the railway all alone, with white jasmine petals occasionally falling from above, and roosters from nearby houses crowing in the morning – This place is absolutely stunning.
@Klevan
Motherland Monument, a stainless steel statue that is part of the Museum of the History of Ukraine in WWII.
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For adventurers who want to climb to the top of the statue, there are a limited number of tickets available per day. The climb to the top needs to be accompanied by a private guide, and harness is required for the vertical climb.
@Kiev
Motherland Monument, a stainless steel statue that is part of the Museum of the History of Ukraine in WWII.
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For adventurers who want to climb to the top of the statue, there are a limited number of tickets available per day. The climb to the top needs to be accompanied by a private guide, and harness is required for the vertical climb.
@Kiev
Somehow I always found myself in confined-space situations.
@Kiev
Somehow I always found myself in confined-space situations.
@Kiev
View from the top of Motherland Monument.
@Kiev
View from the top of Motherland Monument.
@Kiev
Pirogov, a village south of Kiev, is now home to the outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture and Life. This place is enormous and I ended up renting a bike to explore.
@Pirogov
Pirogov, a village south of Kiev, is now home to the outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture and Life. This place is enormous and I ended up renting a bike to explore.
@Pirogov
Pirogov, a village south of Kiev, is now home to the outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture and Life. This place is enormous and I ended up renting a bike to explore.
@Pirogov
Pirogov, a village south of Kiev, is now home to the outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture and Life. This place is enormous and I ended up renting a bike to explore.
@Pirogov
When the menu is in Ukrainian and you have absolutely no idea what is going on, the best strategy is to ask the server. In my situation no one in the restaurant speaks a word of English, so the 2nd best strategy is to look at the price: Lower price usually means drinks and desserts, and higher price means main dishes (food in Ukraine is cheap – You can get a very decent meal for a few Euros); I also look at how long the descriptions of the dishes are on the menu: When the description of a particular dish seems longer than the others, I’m guessing there is MORE FOOD in there!?
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If all else fails, just close your eyes and land your finger somewhere on the menu – That usually works.
@Rivne
When the menu is in Ukrainian and you have absolutely no idea what is going on, the best strategy is to ask the server. In my situation no one in the restaurant speaks a word of English, so the 2nd best strategy is to look at the price: Lower price usually means drinks and desserts, and higher price means main dishes (food in Ukraine is cheap – You can get a very decent meal for a few Euros); I also look at how long the descriptions of the dishes are on the menu: When the description of a particular dish seems longer than the others, I’m guessing there is MORE FOOD in there!?
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If all else fails, just close your eyes and land your finger somewhere on the menu – That usually works.
@Rivne
Hostel room in Rivne: All alone the first night and a couple of Ukrainian roommates the night after.
@Rivne
National Museum of the History of Ukraine in WWII. This is probably as close as it will ever get flying a military jet.
@Kiev
National Museum of the History of Ukraine in WWII. This is probably as close as it will ever get flying a military jet.
@Kiev
Bell Tower. Always climbing something.
@Kiev
I was walking to the bus station trying to catch my bus. Near my bus there was another bus that didn’t seem to move. Turned out it was a bus café! Good place to grab breakfast at.
@Kiev
Kiev Monastery of the Caves.
@Kiev
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.
@Kiev
St. Sofia’s Cathedral.
@Kiev
Monument to the Liberation of Ukraine.
@Rivne
@Rivne
@Rivne
As I got off the bus from Lviv, I walked by an Orthodox monastery and decided to go take a look. As I was looking around, a group of about 12 nuns were walking back to their dorms. I don’t think they were used to seeing an Asian in town, and very soon they were smiling at me and were talking among each other in Ukrainian. One of the nuns then walked up to me and handed me a booklet. I wasn’t sure if she was giving it to me for free, so I offered to buy it from her. She didn’t seem to understand me so she went back to her group and asked around. Finally one of the nuns who spoke a little English said they wanted to give it to me as a gift. How nice!
@Rivne
As I got off the bus from Lviv, I walked by an Orthodox monastery and decided to go take a look. As I was looking around, a group of about 12 nuns were walking back to their dorms. I don’t think they were used to seeing an Asian in town, and very soon they were smiling at me and were talking among each other in Ukrainian. One of the nuns then walked up to me and handed me a booklet. I wasn’t sure if she was giving it to me for free, so I offered to buy it from her. She didn’t seem to understand me so she went back to her group and asked around. Finally one of the nuns who spoke a little English said they wanted to give it to me as a gift. How nice!
@Rivne
As I got off the bus from Lviv, I walked by an Orthodox monastery and decided to go take a look. As I was looking around, a group of about 12 nuns were walking back to their dorms. I don’t think they were used to seeing an Asian in town, and very soon they were smiling at me and were talking among each other in Ukrainian. One of the nuns then walked up to me and handed me a booklet. I wasn’t sure if she was giving it to me for free, so I offered to buy it from her. She didn’t seem to understand me so she went back to her group and asked around. Finally one of the nuns who spoke a little English said they wanted to give it to me as a gift. How nice!
@Rivne
Cold borscht and meat dumplings.
@Kiev
Holy Resurrection Cathedral.
@Rivne
Holy Resurrection Cathedral.
@Rivne
Holy Resurrection Cathedral.
@Rivne
It was Sunday morning and I didn’t have plan for the day, so I decided to attend an Orthodox mass.
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I am pretty sure I was the only one there who didn’t speak Ukrainian.
@Lviv
@Kiev
National Museum of the History of Ukraine in WWII.
@Kiev
National Museum of the History of Ukraine in WWII.
@Kiev
Between the Klevan and Rivne stations, 3 miles of the railway is covered by forest – People call it the “Love Tunnel”.
\\
Not nearly enough people know about this place, so it wasn’t at all touristy. I got here early morning and was the only person there. Very soon I found myself walking in the forest on the railway all alone, with white jasmine petals occasionally falling from above, and roosters from nearby houses crowing in the morning – This place is absolutely stunning.
@Klevan
Motherland Monument, a stainless steel statue that is part of the Museum of the History of Ukraine in WWII.
\\
For adventurers who want to climb to the top of the statue, there are a limited number of tickets available per day. The climb to the top needs to be accompanied by a private guide, and harness is required for the vertical climb.
@Kiev
