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Facts and fiction
Traveler’s diary Before you start working with the text, look at the exercises afterwards. A Couple of days ago I came back from a really good trip to Ukraine. When I was telling everyone about my plans they were really suspicious and concerned about my safety, just like it was with my recent trip to Iran. After all media keep telling us how Ukraine is a war zone these days and we all remember the tragic story of Malaysian Airlines flight shot down. So is it safe to travel to Ukraine?
Is it safe to travel to Ukraine?
B Is it safe to travel to Ukraine? In short: YES! I always thought that Ukraine is one of the safest countries I’ve been to. I don’t have a good explanation for that but I’d guess it’s due to the fact that this country isn’t that spoiled yet. People are friendly and open, good and less busy there. I know now it’s just simplifying but that’s how I see it. While in the Western world people spend their free time in shopping centers or behind the computer screens in Ukraine it’s more about being outdoors and hanging out with friends / family. C Anyway, I’ve been to Ukraine four times now and I don’t recall even one situation when I thought something was wrong and when I felt in danger. Of course, like always and everywhere, use your common sense in every situation. If you feel unsafe, don’t push yourself to keep going. I, for example, don’t feel very comfortable walking in the evening in new places but never had this problem in Ukraine. No one really bothered me on the streets but when I asked for directions or the right bus there were at least few people around willing to help me. Sometimes I didn’t even have to ask and they were already helping. Ukraine really is a welcoming country, only maybe with bigger problems that anywhere else. But tourists won’t feel the difference from other places in the region. D How is travelling around Ukraine? Of course, on the big and busy train stations, you need to be extra cautious and keep your belongings close but still I haven’t seen any suspicious people. Same goes for the bus stations where it’s trickier as you also need to find your bus (but there’ll be always someone willing to help you). From Kyiv to Lviv I took a night train and traveled in the cheapest class. My ticket for 8 hours’ journey cost around 140 UAH /5€/$7 so almost nothing. The ticket also included bed linen and tea. I don’t know how familiar you’re with platskart, the type of the carriage without any compartments, like open space with beds. Actually, it feels much safer as there’re so many people around it’s almost impossible to steal something. Besides every carriage has its own guard (conductor). My train was fully booked but already at 8pm everyone was in bed and at 9.30pm all the lights were turned off and people went to sleep. My only concern there was how safe sleeping on the upper bed it is. There was no protection and I was full of fear I would fall down. But after all I had a really good sleep there!
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