Today I crossed the border from Poland into the Ukraine... I spent the night in Przemysl and took a taxi to the border, walked across and took a bus to Lviv. The taxi cost 54PLN, I think he saw me coming, I'll take a bus next time no doubt for a fraction of the price.Medyka, the border town, consists of nothing but crowds of people walking around with cigarettes and alcohol, it's cheaper in the Ukraine than in Poland, and you don't even have to cross the border to take advantage. I walked down a long path between tall metal fences, seeing the signs for the Ukraine and Poland/EU on the road. Leaving Poland was simple enough, just through a couple of barriers and a disinterested border guard. Entering the Ukraine was a little more difficult, the people ahead of me went through within seconds but I took a bit longer. The officer thoroughly inspected my passport; my picture, every stamp and every blank page. She asked me about what I was doing in the Ukraine, where to, how long, what for.. the queue behind me started to build up, I thought they were going to search me. Eventually, they let me in :-)
My suitcase gave me away as a tourist and I was hounded non-stop for the duration of my 100 metre walk to the buses by taxi drivers, no I did not want a taxi; they were persistent, but so was I. A man without about 4 teeth accompanied me and got rid of a couple of the drivers, I asked if he was going to Lviv, but he was just there for the cigarettes.
The bus was to Lviv cost 18hrvnia, about 1.50GBP. Outside Lviv the Ukraine seemed to be very rural, countless fields, trees and bushes, and little else. The road wasn't much more than a dirt track with a white line, which I presume was there for show - the driver drove wherever he could to avoid the huge potholes. It was a bumpy ride! But here I am, so far finding the Cyrillic alphabet and cobbles quite difficult. Anyway, there's a new country out there and I'm off to see it.
I've crossed the border on foot, at exactly the same place you did. I found the whole situation very strange, I wanted to know at exactly which point along the green fenced walkway stopped being the E.U. and started being Ukraine?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's the door to the control building?
But you can really feel the difference when you compare the two immigration control buildings. The Polish side is modern, with fancy technology, the Ukrainian side is a wooden hut.
Ha, agreed. Walking through the Polish border I felt comfortable and confident, and stepping in to the Ukranian side was stepping in to the unknown.
ReplyDeleteIt was telling how the queue from the Ukraine into Poland was so long and desperate, and the queue going the other way only started to build up when I arrived and held up the others.
I live 30km wouth of Wrocław but I make the commute into the city everyday as it's the best place to find teaching work.
ReplyDeleteIf you're ever in Wro, give me a shout and I'll show you around!
How was it coming back? I am going to do the same thing tomorrow... I only speak English and German though. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteWhen you go to Ukraine, it is better to have phone numbers of local taxi services in your pocket. You don’t know when you will need it, and it is not recommended to stop an accident car if you want to be safe in this country. Use licensed taxi services and be secured. This is my list of Ukraine taxi http://ukraine-vacation-guide.com/dir/taxi/20 all of these services are appropriate and rates are not expensive. If you know more good taxi services in Ukraine, please add them to this Ukraine travel guide.
ReplyDelete