Yahotin Station

Yahotin Station

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Getting a Bus Ticket in Ukraine

When you go to the bus station to buy a ticket in Ukraine, be prepared to:
  • encounter a very long line
  • be pushed in line
  • have someone cut in front of you every few minutes
  • get so frustrated that you push, too
  • wait in line for 30 minutes, and when it's finally your turn, have the window closed for a "technical break"
  • not be spoken to by the ticket seller
  • be told "How should I know?" by the ticket seller
  • be given stink eye by the ticket seller
  • be yelled at by the ticket seller
  • pass young men drinking vodka as you disembark an overnight bus at 7 a.m.

If you depend on the kindness of strangers, you'll occasionally be in luck. Be grateful if you are:

  • assisted by an elderly woman in finding your bus or timetable
  • asked if you are "Amerikansky," upon which you say yes, and are engaged in conversation with a curious and pleasant rider
  • seated on a bus
  • allowed to open a window on a hot day
  • picked up by a bus with AC
  • picked up by a bus that isn't playing Russian pop songs
  • picked up by a bus that is playing Russian pop songs, to drown out the teenager next to you who is playing every ring tone ever made on his "mobilka"

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Waiting in Yahotin

Waiting in Yahotin