Nice trip! Any problems with the Ukraine visa? Cost? Hassles?

Ta!
denis

Hi

Polisch citizens don't needs visa for max. 30 day trip
Costs.. last year c.a. 200 E (total 7 days 1000/700 km on/offroad, sleeping in motels/BB/forest). If you dont drink much, can reduce to 150 ;-)
Hassles? Was raining everyday ;-)))

Привиет (Salut)
rr

Hi Denis:

I didn't need a visa (Canadians no longer need one), and I didn't encounter any problems entering Ukraine from Slovakia (other than that the whole process took about 4 hours), but that's about all the good news I can give you.

I honestly don't think Ukraine is worth the headaches, problems, and risks that it poses. Period.

I hate to say bad things about a country, however, in the case of Ukraine, there's really nothing good I can say about my visit there. I entered Ukraine from Slovakia, at Uzhgorod. There was a 2 hour lineup to get through Slovakian exit formalities, and another 2 hour lineup to get through Ukrainian entry formalities. In each case, I had to present all the papers for the motorcycle (ownership, insurance, driver licence, etc.), and all the documents were checked with a microscope, and verified against the VIN on the moto. The Slovakians did this to control export of stolen vehicles out of the EC, and the Ukrainians did it to control 'black market' importation of vehicles without proper import taxes being paid. The customs officers on both sides of the border were professional and courteous in every respect, although they were as slow as molasses in January. Both sides processed one vehicle at a time - there were no 'multiple lanes', as you would expect to see elsewhere.

Within 10 miles of entering Ukraine, I was shook down for a 100 Hryvnia bribe by traffic cops who were operating a 'Stop - Control' scheme at the side of the road. I drove by three policeman who were standing still, watching me ride my moto by at 50 km/h. 150 meters further on, two policeman stopped me for not coming to a full stop when I passed the first three (who gave me no indication to stop of any kind). They pointed out a well thumbed page in the traffic code that indicated I should have read the sign (in Ukrainian) that said 'Stop - Control', even though it did not conform to the norms of a stop sigh.

I was shaken down for bribes another 3 times the same day. By the end of the day, I had had enough - I just wanted to get out of that country. Heck, I'm no novice to travel in corrupt countries - I work in Africa, for Pete's sake - but Ukraine makes Nigeria look like Switzerland by comparison. Everyone in Ukraine appears to be either a two-bit crook, or appears to aspire to become a two-bit crook. I know that's a pretty strong comment, and your mileage may vary, but it's a pretty accurate statement about my experience in Ukraine.

The roads are, by and large, in terrible condition, downright dangerous in many places. I ride a ST 1100, and there were a few times that I almost lost control on city streets because of huge ripples or soft spots in the street. I've never before had a 'tankslapper' on my ST, but I had two of them in Ukraine, both from deep, repetitive ruts caused by heavy trucks braking on steep downhill surfaces. City streets tend to be in much worse condition than the highways, although the highways themselves can be very, very bad. Generally speaking, Kenya or Uganda has better highways - in fact, I would put Ukrainian highways and city streets on a par with streets and highways in Angola or Sierra Leone. If you really want to go to Ukraine, it's best to have a dual-sport moto, not a street bike.

The first words I learned in Ukrainian were "how much?" This is the traditional greeting that is given by any Ukrainian to a foreigner who has what looks to be an expensive possession - in my case, a large motorcycle. Honest to goodness, that's all people seemed to care about - how much? No-one really gave a shit where I came from or where I was going, they just wanted to know how much the moto cost. Eventually, I kind of felt like that mouse character in the Disney movie 'The Lion King' when he walked into the room full of hyenas.

Ukrainians seemed to me to be very insecure, and fascinated with Western brands that implied status. Ukrainian cars on the road fell into one of two categories - either Ladas or other unidentifiable shitboxes of indeterminate age, or, a large Mercedes or BMW that was two model generations old, being driven by someone wearing gold chains, a fake Rolex, and a Prada t-shirt.

Along the route I took - from the entry point, through Ivano Frankovisk, and then south to Romania - I didn't see anything of great cultural interest. Perhaps this is because most of the people in that region were resettled to what is now Southern Poland at the end of WW II, and the current residents are all people from elsewhere in Ukraine who have only been there for 60 years or so.

I might visit Ukraine again, but it won't be on a moto. My recommendation to anyone who wants to see the country is to fly into Kiev, stay at a good hotel, and take an organized tour. The cost will probably be the same as what a moto trip would be, but you would encounter far fewer hassles. As for moto riding, there are many other countries in the area, such as Poland, Slovakia, and Romania, that offer better roads, more honest cops, and more interesting sights to see. Spend your time and money in those countries, and set Ukraine aside for possible consideration again in maybe 10 years or so.

Michael

Just typed the worlds longest email about Ukraine but lost it!

So this one will be in summary format I'm afraid.

The post is not a dig at Pan but just a different opnion etc.

1. Found the roads to be better than Russia/Poland and not too bad. No real bad pot holes on the main highways. Road to Lviv to Uzgorod was very scenic and very smooth.

2. Thought the scenery closer to the Romanian border was quite nice although it rained alot when we were there. Ducks, cattle, horse and carts on the road made it seem very different from Western Europe. Not much in the way of scenery the further east we were.

3. People were pretty friendly although I agree they all ask how much etc but didnt seem as "threatning" as Russians etc.

4. Border was a bit of a hoo haa but better than the Russian/Ukraine one! A few annoying kids asking for money but nothing too bad. Just earning a living I guess.

Think its worth a visit if you are near Ukraine anyway and was a good chance to see what life was like 50 years ago!

Regards
Gazzr
theworld-ismyoyster.com

__________________
Gazzr
www.theworld-ismyoyster.com

I sure agree with that. I was absolutely amazed to see farmers harvesting grain by cutting it with scythes, piling it into stooks by hand, and then carting the dried grain by horse and wagon to the town square, where they threshed it by hand.

My wife's grandmother left Ukraine for Canada in 1925. Were she to go back to her old village (which I visited), I doubt if she would find anything had changed at all.

Michael