Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and Lithuania with Ukraine International Airlines
Jun 20, 2015, 9:28 am
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Join Date: Mar 2014
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Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and Lithuania with Ukraine International Airlines
Before the end of the spring semester, I couldn't bear the thought of spending the three weeks between the end of my junior year and the start of my summer internship bumming around at home, so I took Google Flights to the task to find the furthest place I could get away from Pittsburgh at the lowest cost per mile.
The result? A four-country getaway and a story of a lifetime.
1. JFK-KBP-ALA on PS (Ukraine International Airlines)
2. Almaty-Bishkek overland
3. FRU-ALA on KC (Air Astana)
4. ALA-KBP on PS
5. KBP-VNO-KBP on PS
6. KBP-JFK on PS
To say that I was skeptical of booking with UAI would be an understatement. Traveling to a land my friends could only associate with Borat was asking for trouble. And at over 6 cpm, this wasn't exactly MR material either. But with the weak Hryvnia, strong US dollar, a visa-free trial for US citizens visiting Kazakhstan until July 15, 2015, and plenty of time, the stars seemed to align.
May 8, 2015
PIT-LGA
US Airways Express US4557, Embraer E-175
My first stop would be New York, where I redeemed 4,500 Avios from Chase UR to book myself on a not-so-exciting US Express flight to LGA. Fortunately, the flight wasn't full and I had an empty seat next to me at the back of the bus giving me great sunset view of the city on approach.
May 9, 2015
JFK-KBP-ALA
Ukraine International Airlines PS232 and PS537, B767-300ER and B737-800
After catching up with a few friends in the city, I headed to JFK T7 to check-in for the relatively new non-stop JFK-KBP flight with an ex-Aerosvit 767-300ER. The 2-4-2 Y configuration was my biggest fear of the entire trip, and while my fears were definitely confirmed, expecting the worst probably made the 10 hour flight a little more bearable.
For those wondering what it's like to fly 2-4-2 on a 763, think about sitting in a ERJ-145 for 10 straight hours. You get a blanket (no pillow), a crappy set of earphones to watch TV screens placed only over the center row of seats, and drinks served on the tiniest cups known to man. Flying Y on UA's 747-400s will never be the same again.
BA ground crew handled check-in for the flight. The agents were clearly well trained, spoke multiple languages, and immediately confirmed Kazakhstan's visa-free program for citizens of the US (and nine other countries) for stays of less than 15 days.
The flight was 100% full and my guess was that a majority of pax were headed to destinations beyond Kiev. There is little doubt that the Ukrainian economy has taken a hit, but similar to MH's rock-bottom fares to many of its destinations, UAI is keeping its planes packed.
Two meals of average quality were served and anything other than water, coffee or tea was chargeable.
We touched down in Kiev on-time and taxied to the modern Terminal D. The airport today is clearly dominated by UAI and departures during peak hours use all gates and almost every remote stand available. Re-screening was painless and I was back in the transit area in less than 15 minutes after gate arrival.
My connection to to Almaty departed out of a bus gate and remote stand across the main terminal. At JFK, I secured a window further back and was fortunate to have the entire row of seats to myself for the 6.5 hour flight on the 186 seat 737-800. As expected, the LCC pitch was horrible but after the dinner service, I stretched out and got a good 4 hours of sleep.
An unfortunate consequence of the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine and deteriorating ties with Russia. Air Astana's flights to Kiev have Russian flyover rights and take 1 hour less than UAI.
Arriving into Almaty reminded me of a similar approach I experienced with Urumqi a few years back, where the pitch-black night and starry sky suddenly became interrupted by the yellow glow of a major metropolis.
With only four aerobridges, we parked at a remote stand and were bussed to the main terminal. Immigration was quick and painless and baggage delivery was quick. After exchanging some tenge, I was foolishly talked into taking an unofficial cab for 2,000 tenge (about $11). By the time I reached the supposed cab in the parking lot, I realized there was a another driver and passenger in the vehicle but didn't think twice about confirming the price. At the end of a long detour, I parted ways 5,000 tenge poorer. I suppose anywhere you go, expect to get scammed once.
Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan with a population of over 1.5 million, used to the capital (now Astana) of this oil-rich nation. Today, it serves as the business and commercial hub of Central Asia. The city itself has nothing much to do. Prices are expensive and living standards are high. A few guests at the hostel I stayed at asked about visiting Big Almaty Lake and the manager hired an English-speaking guide to take the four of us on a half-day excursion for 2,000 tenge each.
Big Almaty Lake is an alpine lake south of the city, where the Tian Shan mountain range spans across China and several Central Asian states. I trekked the Chinese side of the Tian Shan's six years ago, and always wanted to come back to this part of the world, untouched comparable New Zealand's treks. This time, though, I slipped on some mud and dropped my camera, forcing me to resort to my iPhone for the rest of the trip.
I originally planned to spend four nights in Almaty. But because I booked the trip so late, it was clear that by the end of the first day, there wasn't much to do. I sent out a few emails to tour companies in Kyrgyzstan, hoping to find a last-minute tour across the border.
The next morning, I got a response from a local tour company and confirmed that I could arrive in Bishkek by noon the next day for a 3D/2N private tour of Issyk-Kul. I would be staying with the family of my local guide at their village along the eastern shore of the lake, away from the tourists, resorts, and beaches.
With an entire day to kill, I walked the city, south to north, along a gentle downward sloping incline away from the mountains. Kazakhstan is wealthy and modern, but hints of its Soviet past are present everywhere. Its metro system, also brand new, looks and feels Soviet (and to a certain extent, Pyongyang).
The Almaty metro map is oriented S-N in order to point towards the mountains.
The next morning, I caught an official cab to the Sairan bus station in the western part of the city, where marshrutkas, coaches, and shared taxis depart for domestic and cross-border destinations. Marshrutkas to Bishkek depart as soon as the minibus fills up for 1,300 tenge ($7). For some reason though, traffic that day was light and I waited 1 hour 45 minutes for the marshrutka to fill and leave.
The marshrutka was filled Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Tajik nationals. The road was well paved and stopped halfway at a sketchy gas station before arriving at a checkpoint (where the border guards randomly checked a few passports from our group) and finally, the dusty border town of Sairan.
I've heard horror stories about land border crossings in Central Asia, but this one was pretty straightforward. Line up, get pulled out by a border guard as the only non-Kazakh or Kyrgyz national in line, get into a new line, have three immigration guys ask you if you speak Russian and if they can practice their English with you, finally get that exit stamp, walk across a bridge, get pulled out of line again while a female Kyrgyz officer takes your passport away and returns 30 seconds later with a Kyrgyz stamp, and viola, welcome to Kyrgyzstan!
I agreed to meet my guide in Bishkek, so before I got on a cab at the border, I borrowed the drivers phone and confirmed the address and price with the taxi driver. 30 minutes later, and I was in the dustiest capital city I could ever imagine.
From Bishkek, we took a hired cab for the five hour drive to Issyk-Kul.
The road was built with the help of the Chinese and was undoubtedly the best road we drove on -- until we hit a fork and continued on the highway that led us away from the Chinese border.
We arrived in the small city of Karakol on the eastern part of the lake. It's the only major population center on this side of the lake but the city itself is like a step back into the 1980s.
After being dropped off at a bus stop in the city center, we waited in the refreshing 15 degree weather before being picked up by my homestay family for my next two nights.
Halfway into our drive, the acceleration stopped working and we pulled over in the dead of darkness where my guide and his brother (the driver) attempted all kinds of fixes to start the cart. After an hour, it became clear that the car wouldn't start, so after a few calls, we ended up in a friend's car that would take us to the village.
The supposed 5 hour journey from Bishkek turned into an 8 hour slog. But there's nothing better than ending your day with hot tea and a local meal of home baked bread and lamb soup.
Fixing up the car the next morning that stranded my guide and I the night before.
Village homestay.
The last time I went horseback riding was 10 years ago, so when I said yes to the question about whether I knew anything about horseback riding, my guide thought that it would be fun to progress from a walk to gallop in under an hour.
We rode for nearly three hour up hills and along the lake. After lunch and more tea and bread, we toured the area surrounding Karakol.
May 14, 2015
FRU-ALA
Air Astana KC110, Embraer E-190
After three days in Issyk-Kul, it was time to head back to Almaty. Faced with the prospect of a 5 hour marshrutka ride plus another 4 hours from the border to Almaty, I opted to fly back to Almaty. On the way back to Bishkek, I ended up in the back of a packed marshrutka, which for much of the way was overloaded with standing pax. If UIA's 737-800 pitch was bad, this took pitch to a whole new level. By the end of the journey, my legs were cramping up.
Being picked up from the bus station in Manas and stopping for what may possibly be the most disgusting Russian drink (non-alcoholic) I've ever tasted.
I booked a $70 one-way ticket and arrived at Manas International Airport with plenty of time to spare. Free WiFi helped to pass the time until check-in opened exactly two hours prior to departure. Large groups of tourists packed check-in lines for destinations to interior Russia, like Krasnoyarsk and Kazan.
The majority of the Almaty flight were connecting passengers to other Air Astana flights. The E-190 seemed new, clean, and the flight crew were professional and managed to perform a beverage service despite the turbulence and 30 minute flight time.
My stay in Almaty tonight would be a short one. Four hours of shut-eye and then back to the airport (for 1500 tenge) for a 5:05AM departure to Kiev.
May 15, 2015
ALA-KBP
Ukraine International Airlines PS538, B737-800
The flight back to Kiev was 100% full, so again, my knees were tortured over the 6.5 hour flight that took us across Azerbaijan, the Black Sea, and southern Ukraine. An 8:30AM arrival in Kiev though meant that I would have an entire day to see one of the most stunning cities in Europe.
Approaching the southern coast of Ukraine from the Black Sea.
My first stop was Maidan, or Independence Square. This was the scene of the Ukrainian revolution in 2014 and other protest campaigns in 2004, 2001, 1990, 1989, and more. The free walking tour started from Maidan and took just four tourists on a two hour walk of Kiev. Since the revolution, Russians virtually stopped coming to Ukraine, inflicting a major hit on the tourism industry which previously relied heavily on Russian tourist spending.
The square has been cleaned up and looks drastically different from the famous photos that made headlines only a year ago. Several makeshift memorials are scattered across the grounds of the square.
Chernobyl
The easiest day trip out of Kiev is to sign-up for one of the many daily tours that take visitors to the Chernobyl exclusion zone. I'll let pictures do most of the talking here.
The tour was the only part of the entire trip that I pre-booked in advance. When the new sarcophagus is completed and moved over the current sarcophagus in 2017, reactor 4 will be completely covered.
Pripyat, the ghost town that was evacuated in the wake of the accident.
Our final stop was Duga-3, a giant Soviet-built missile warning radar array that was never used because of the Chernobyl accident.
The entire experience was fascinating and a striking contrast to the Hiroshima memorial.
Back in Kiev, the main Kreshchatyk street was turned into a pedestrian street for the weekend.
On my last day in Ukraine, a few other guests and I got instructions and directions from our hostel manager to get to the Mezhyhirya residence, aka former president Yanukovych's secret mansion on the outskirts of Kiev. Mezhyhirya is a sprawling 350 acre complex north of Kiev that has become a weekend hangout place for locals and a symbol of the extent of the former president's corruption. To Ukrainians, Mezhyhirya was built with their money so a visit to the complex does in some ways evoke a sense of ownership.
To get around, bicycles can be rented by the hour. Tours of the mansion are also offered, but for some reason, the guy who was supposed to arrange the tours never showed up. The rest of the complex, however, offered us plenty to see. There was a helipad, a garage full of vintage and luxury cars, and even a zoo.
We could have easily spent an entire day at Mezhyhirya, but my time in Ukraine was unfortunately over. I bid adieu to the cheapest European country to visit, where none of my sit-down restaurant meals cost more than $3, and headed north to the Baltics.
May 17, 2015
KBP-VNO
Ukraine International Airlines PS183, B737-500
The last time I had flown on a 737-500 was with Continental in 2007, so stepping on the smallest member of the classics was a welcome surprise after a last-minute swap from a 737-900ER. More notably, however, was the huge improvement in seat pitch on this old bird.
The decision to add Vilnius to my itinerary was, like Kyrgyzstan, a late one and a direct consequence of spending way too much time with the map feature of Google Flights. I feared that five full days in Kiev would be too much time, so adding a new country and destination seemed like the only logical thing to do. (Though to some extent, Ukraine was the best part of my trip and I would not have minded spending a few extra days there.)
Arriving into Vilnius and walking out of customs into an arrival hall without being accosted by taxi touts, along with withdrawing brand new Euro notes from the airport ATM was the highlight of my day. Lithuania became the latest country to adopt the Euro on January 1, 2015. Fast-forward five months, and Lithuanians have become so used to brand new, clean, and crisp Euro notes that tourists from other EU nations have had their notes rejected for being old and dirty.
The train to the central station cost just 72 Euro cents and a 10 minute walk to my hostel in the center of the old town brought back clear memories of my first European country I had ever visited -- Portugal.
Vilnius is a quaint, little, and historic capital city that makes the perfect short getaway from big city life. Being in the old town, everything was within walking distance.
After many passport stamps, there was one last addition to obtain: the Republic of Uzupis. I couldn't get a good photo of the constitution, but check out Wikipedia for a hilarious read.
With only one full day in Lithuania, I decided that I would spend the remainder of my day in Trakai. I took a bus from the central railway station and arrived 45 minutes later to the picturesque town. I'd arrived at sunset, which meant that the castle just closed, but I walked the several kilometers from the bus stop to the castle nevertheless to get the perfect shot.
Back in Vilnius, my hostel host asked if I wanted to watch a movie, so after a long day of walking and marveling at dozens of churches, I found myself watching nothing other than Mad Max.
May 19, 2015
VNO-KBP-JFK
Ukraine International Airlines PS184 and PS231, B737-500 and B767-300ER
With a 7:05am departure, I left the old town at 5:30am and arrived at the train station 10 minutes later for the 5:45am train to the airport. The temperature overnight fell to a low of 0 degrees -- my last taste of cool air before the summer.
Vilnius ground crew couldn't check my bag all the way back to JFK, but I had a 2.5 hour layover in Kiev so that wasn't a problem at all.
Without a doubt, the most annoying part of traveling with UIA has to be the size of their beverage cups, which belong in the lavatory.
Back in Kiev and through immigration and baggage claim again, I proceeded upstairs to the large departure hall of Terminal D for check-in to JFK. Once again, the flight back to JFK was completely full. On this leg, I got a bulkhead window which was ever-so-slightly made up for the crappy width of the seat.
With virtually no Americans on the UAI flight, a mile long international immigration line, and a couple of dozing CBP offers overlooking the Global Entry machines, I'd never felt so good to be going through US immigration.
And with the final handover of my black-and-white mugshot, all TRs must come to an end, ready for the next great adventure.
The result? A four-country getaway and a story of a lifetime.
1. JFK-KBP-ALA on PS (Ukraine International Airlines)
2. Almaty-Bishkek overland
3. FRU-ALA on KC (Air Astana)
4. ALA-KBP on PS
5. KBP-VNO-KBP on PS
6. KBP-JFK on PS
To say that I was skeptical of booking with UAI would be an understatement. Traveling to a land my friends could only associate with Borat was asking for trouble. And at over 6 cpm, this wasn't exactly MR material either. But with the weak Hryvnia, strong US dollar, a visa-free trial for US citizens visiting Kazakhstan until July 15, 2015, and plenty of time, the stars seemed to align.
May 8, 2015
PIT-LGA
US Airways Express US4557, Embraer E-175
My first stop would be New York, where I redeemed 4,500 Avios from Chase UR to book myself on a not-so-exciting US Express flight to LGA. Fortunately, the flight wasn't full and I had an empty seat next to me at the back of the bus giving me great sunset view of the city on approach.
May 9, 2015
JFK-KBP-ALA
Ukraine International Airlines PS232 and PS537, B767-300ER and B737-800
After catching up with a few friends in the city, I headed to JFK T7 to check-in for the relatively new non-stop JFK-KBP flight with an ex-Aerosvit 767-300ER. The 2-4-2 Y configuration was my biggest fear of the entire trip, and while my fears were definitely confirmed, expecting the worst probably made the 10 hour flight a little more bearable.
For those wondering what it's like to fly 2-4-2 on a 763, think about sitting in a ERJ-145 for 10 straight hours. You get a blanket (no pillow), a crappy set of earphones to watch TV screens placed only over the center row of seats, and drinks served on the tiniest cups known to man. Flying Y on UA's 747-400s will never be the same again.
BA ground crew handled check-in for the flight. The agents were clearly well trained, spoke multiple languages, and immediately confirmed Kazakhstan's visa-free program for citizens of the US (and nine other countries) for stays of less than 15 days.
The flight was 100% full and my guess was that a majority of pax were headed to destinations beyond Kiev. There is little doubt that the Ukrainian economy has taken a hit, but similar to MH's rock-bottom fares to many of its destinations, UAI is keeping its planes packed.
Two meals of average quality were served and anything other than water, coffee or tea was chargeable.
We touched down in Kiev on-time and taxied to the modern Terminal D. The airport today is clearly dominated by UAI and departures during peak hours use all gates and almost every remote stand available. Re-screening was painless and I was back in the transit area in less than 15 minutes after gate arrival.
My connection to to Almaty departed out of a bus gate and remote stand across the main terminal. At JFK, I secured a window further back and was fortunate to have the entire row of seats to myself for the 6.5 hour flight on the 186 seat 737-800. As expected, the LCC pitch was horrible but after the dinner service, I stretched out and got a good 4 hours of sleep.
An unfortunate consequence of the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine and deteriorating ties with Russia. Air Astana's flights to Kiev have Russian flyover rights and take 1 hour less than UAI.
Arriving into Almaty reminded me of a similar approach I experienced with Urumqi a few years back, where the pitch-black night and starry sky suddenly became interrupted by the yellow glow of a major metropolis.
With only four aerobridges, we parked at a remote stand and were bussed to the main terminal. Immigration was quick and painless and baggage delivery was quick. After exchanging some tenge, I was foolishly talked into taking an unofficial cab for 2,000 tenge (about $11). By the time I reached the supposed cab in the parking lot, I realized there was a another driver and passenger in the vehicle but didn't think twice about confirming the price. At the end of a long detour, I parted ways 5,000 tenge poorer. I suppose anywhere you go, expect to get scammed once.
Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan with a population of over 1.5 million, used to the capital (now Astana) of this oil-rich nation. Today, it serves as the business and commercial hub of Central Asia. The city itself has nothing much to do. Prices are expensive and living standards are high. A few guests at the hostel I stayed at asked about visiting Big Almaty Lake and the manager hired an English-speaking guide to take the four of us on a half-day excursion for 2,000 tenge each.
Big Almaty Lake is an alpine lake south of the city, where the Tian Shan mountain range spans across China and several Central Asian states. I trekked the Chinese side of the Tian Shan's six years ago, and always wanted to come back to this part of the world, untouched comparable New Zealand's treks. This time, though, I slipped on some mud and dropped my camera, forcing me to resort to my iPhone for the rest of the trip.
I originally planned to spend four nights in Almaty. But because I booked the trip so late, it was clear that by the end of the first day, there wasn't much to do. I sent out a few emails to tour companies in Kyrgyzstan, hoping to find a last-minute tour across the border.
The next morning, I got a response from a local tour company and confirmed that I could arrive in Bishkek by noon the next day for a 3D/2N private tour of Issyk-Kul. I would be staying with the family of my local guide at their village along the eastern shore of the lake, away from the tourists, resorts, and beaches.
With an entire day to kill, I walked the city, south to north, along a gentle downward sloping incline away from the mountains. Kazakhstan is wealthy and modern, but hints of its Soviet past are present everywhere. Its metro system, also brand new, looks and feels Soviet (and to a certain extent, Pyongyang).
The Almaty metro map is oriented S-N in order to point towards the mountains.
The next morning, I caught an official cab to the Sairan bus station in the western part of the city, where marshrutkas, coaches, and shared taxis depart for domestic and cross-border destinations. Marshrutkas to Bishkek depart as soon as the minibus fills up for 1,300 tenge ($7). For some reason though, traffic that day was light and I waited 1 hour 45 minutes for the marshrutka to fill and leave.
The marshrutka was filled Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Tajik nationals. The road was well paved and stopped halfway at a sketchy gas station before arriving at a checkpoint (where the border guards randomly checked a few passports from our group) and finally, the dusty border town of Sairan.
I've heard horror stories about land border crossings in Central Asia, but this one was pretty straightforward. Line up, get pulled out by a border guard as the only non-Kazakh or Kyrgyz national in line, get into a new line, have three immigration guys ask you if you speak Russian and if they can practice their English with you, finally get that exit stamp, walk across a bridge, get pulled out of line again while a female Kyrgyz officer takes your passport away and returns 30 seconds later with a Kyrgyz stamp, and viola, welcome to Kyrgyzstan!
I agreed to meet my guide in Bishkek, so before I got on a cab at the border, I borrowed the drivers phone and confirmed the address and price with the taxi driver. 30 minutes later, and I was in the dustiest capital city I could ever imagine.
From Bishkek, we took a hired cab for the five hour drive to Issyk-Kul.
The road was built with the help of the Chinese and was undoubtedly the best road we drove on -- until we hit a fork and continued on the highway that led us away from the Chinese border.
We arrived in the small city of Karakol on the eastern part of the lake. It's the only major population center on this side of the lake but the city itself is like a step back into the 1980s.
After being dropped off at a bus stop in the city center, we waited in the refreshing 15 degree weather before being picked up by my homestay family for my next two nights.
Halfway into our drive, the acceleration stopped working and we pulled over in the dead of darkness where my guide and his brother (the driver) attempted all kinds of fixes to start the cart. After an hour, it became clear that the car wouldn't start, so after a few calls, we ended up in a friend's car that would take us to the village.
The supposed 5 hour journey from Bishkek turned into an 8 hour slog. But there's nothing better than ending your day with hot tea and a local meal of home baked bread and lamb soup.
Fixing up the car the next morning that stranded my guide and I the night before.
Village homestay.
The last time I went horseback riding was 10 years ago, so when I said yes to the question about whether I knew anything about horseback riding, my guide thought that it would be fun to progress from a walk to gallop in under an hour.
We rode for nearly three hour up hills and along the lake. After lunch and more tea and bread, we toured the area surrounding Karakol.
May 14, 2015
FRU-ALA
Air Astana KC110, Embraer E-190
After three days in Issyk-Kul, it was time to head back to Almaty. Faced with the prospect of a 5 hour marshrutka ride plus another 4 hours from the border to Almaty, I opted to fly back to Almaty. On the way back to Bishkek, I ended up in the back of a packed marshrutka, which for much of the way was overloaded with standing pax. If UIA's 737-800 pitch was bad, this took pitch to a whole new level. By the end of the journey, my legs were cramping up.
Being picked up from the bus station in Manas and stopping for what may possibly be the most disgusting Russian drink (non-alcoholic) I've ever tasted.
I booked a $70 one-way ticket and arrived at Manas International Airport with plenty of time to spare. Free WiFi helped to pass the time until check-in opened exactly two hours prior to departure. Large groups of tourists packed check-in lines for destinations to interior Russia, like Krasnoyarsk and Kazan.
The majority of the Almaty flight were connecting passengers to other Air Astana flights. The E-190 seemed new, clean, and the flight crew were professional and managed to perform a beverage service despite the turbulence and 30 minute flight time.
My stay in Almaty tonight would be a short one. Four hours of shut-eye and then back to the airport (for 1500 tenge) for a 5:05AM departure to Kiev.
May 15, 2015
ALA-KBP
Ukraine International Airlines PS538, B737-800
The flight back to Kiev was 100% full, so again, my knees were tortured over the 6.5 hour flight that took us across Azerbaijan, the Black Sea, and southern Ukraine. An 8:30AM arrival in Kiev though meant that I would have an entire day to see one of the most stunning cities in Europe.
Approaching the southern coast of Ukraine from the Black Sea.
My first stop was Maidan, or Independence Square. This was the scene of the Ukrainian revolution in 2014 and other protest campaigns in 2004, 2001, 1990, 1989, and more. The free walking tour started from Maidan and took just four tourists on a two hour walk of Kiev. Since the revolution, Russians virtually stopped coming to Ukraine, inflicting a major hit on the tourism industry which previously relied heavily on Russian tourist spending.
The square has been cleaned up and looks drastically different from the famous photos that made headlines only a year ago. Several makeshift memorials are scattered across the grounds of the square.
Chernobyl
The easiest day trip out of Kiev is to sign-up for one of the many daily tours that take visitors to the Chernobyl exclusion zone. I'll let pictures do most of the talking here.
The tour was the only part of the entire trip that I pre-booked in advance. When the new sarcophagus is completed and moved over the current sarcophagus in 2017, reactor 4 will be completely covered.
Pripyat, the ghost town that was evacuated in the wake of the accident.
Our final stop was Duga-3, a giant Soviet-built missile warning radar array that was never used because of the Chernobyl accident.
The entire experience was fascinating and a striking contrast to the Hiroshima memorial.
Back in Kiev, the main Kreshchatyk street was turned into a pedestrian street for the weekend.
On my last day in Ukraine, a few other guests and I got instructions and directions from our hostel manager to get to the Mezhyhirya residence, aka former president Yanukovych's secret mansion on the outskirts of Kiev. Mezhyhirya is a sprawling 350 acre complex north of Kiev that has become a weekend hangout place for locals and a symbol of the extent of the former president's corruption. To Ukrainians, Mezhyhirya was built with their money so a visit to the complex does in some ways evoke a sense of ownership.
To get around, bicycles can be rented by the hour. Tours of the mansion are also offered, but for some reason, the guy who was supposed to arrange the tours never showed up. The rest of the complex, however, offered us plenty to see. There was a helipad, a garage full of vintage and luxury cars, and even a zoo.
We could have easily spent an entire day at Mezhyhirya, but my time in Ukraine was unfortunately over. I bid adieu to the cheapest European country to visit, where none of my sit-down restaurant meals cost more than $3, and headed north to the Baltics.
May 17, 2015
KBP-VNO
Ukraine International Airlines PS183, B737-500
The last time I had flown on a 737-500 was with Continental in 2007, so stepping on the smallest member of the classics was a welcome surprise after a last-minute swap from a 737-900ER. More notably, however, was the huge improvement in seat pitch on this old bird.
The decision to add Vilnius to my itinerary was, like Kyrgyzstan, a late one and a direct consequence of spending way too much time with the map feature of Google Flights. I feared that five full days in Kiev would be too much time, so adding a new country and destination seemed like the only logical thing to do. (Though to some extent, Ukraine was the best part of my trip and I would not have minded spending a few extra days there.)
Arriving into Vilnius and walking out of customs into an arrival hall without being accosted by taxi touts, along with withdrawing brand new Euro notes from the airport ATM was the highlight of my day. Lithuania became the latest country to adopt the Euro on January 1, 2015. Fast-forward five months, and Lithuanians have become so used to brand new, clean, and crisp Euro notes that tourists from other EU nations have had their notes rejected for being old and dirty.
The train to the central station cost just 72 Euro cents and a 10 minute walk to my hostel in the center of the old town brought back clear memories of my first European country I had ever visited -- Portugal.
Vilnius is a quaint, little, and historic capital city that makes the perfect short getaway from big city life. Being in the old town, everything was within walking distance.
After many passport stamps, there was one last addition to obtain: the Republic of Uzupis. I couldn't get a good photo of the constitution, but check out Wikipedia for a hilarious read.
With only one full day in Lithuania, I decided that I would spend the remainder of my day in Trakai. I took a bus from the central railway station and arrived 45 minutes later to the picturesque town. I'd arrived at sunset, which meant that the castle just closed, but I walked the several kilometers from the bus stop to the castle nevertheless to get the perfect shot.
Back in Vilnius, my hostel host asked if I wanted to watch a movie, so after a long day of walking and marveling at dozens of churches, I found myself watching nothing other than Mad Max.
May 19, 2015
VNO-KBP-JFK
Ukraine International Airlines PS184 and PS231, B737-500 and B767-300ER
With a 7:05am departure, I left the old town at 5:30am and arrived at the train station 10 minutes later for the 5:45am train to the airport. The temperature overnight fell to a low of 0 degrees -- my last taste of cool air before the summer.
Vilnius ground crew couldn't check my bag all the way back to JFK, but I had a 2.5 hour layover in Kiev so that wasn't a problem at all.
Without a doubt, the most annoying part of traveling with UIA has to be the size of their beverage cups, which belong in the lavatory.
Back in Kiev and through immigration and baggage claim again, I proceeded upstairs to the large departure hall of Terminal D for check-in to JFK. Once again, the flight back to JFK was completely full. On this leg, I got a bulkhead window which was ever-so-slightly made up for the crappy width of the seat.
With virtually no Americans on the UAI flight, a mile long international immigration line, and a couple of dozing CBP offers overlooking the Global Entry machines, I'd never felt so good to be going through US immigration.
And with the final handover of my black-and-white mugshot, all TRs must come to an end, ready for the next great adventure.
. Good to see they're still selling Putin toilet paper in Kiev too
Jun 20, 2015, 12:48 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: In between IAD and DCA
Programs: UA Plat 1.1MM , Marriott Gold Elite, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,262
Amazing pictures and a very well written TR, 9vska. Some fascinating places you visited on your trip, and I'm glad you shared your adventures with us!
The picture of Putin toilet paper is hilarious, as is the Constitution
The picture of Putin toilet paper is hilarious, as is the Constitution
Jun 20, 2015, 7:44 pm
#11
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Boise, ID
Programs: Virtuoso
Posts: 617
Fantastic trip report!!!!! I have wanted to visit the Ukraine for a while now. Uzbekistan is another I am interested in. I loved seeing all of your pictures! Thanks for taking the time to write it up.
Jun 20, 2015, 8:58 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Fantastic trip report! Just missed you in Kiev, I was there 5/22-5/24 and also did the Chernobyl tour.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...auschwitz.html
I've also been to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (and the other stans) a few years ago. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...q-balkans.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...auschwitz.html
I've also been to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (and the other stans) a few years ago. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...q-balkans.html