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Last day in Kiev
May. 26th, 2007 04:59 pmOkay, again by the time I post this, I'll be back home.
Today was off to a promising start, as I finished my work by 2pm and had plenty of time to see the last monument on my must-see list, Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra. It's also known as the Monastery of the Caves, known for its caves with the coffins of saints beneath the sanctuary. It's on the far side of downtown, so after a quick trip to the post office (which went surprisingly well, once the nice man at the computer store pointed me toward the right building) I began trying to get a taxi. This is not a fun thing, because it involves bargaining. Everyone at the hotel has told me that the taxi drivers will rip off Westerners, and they gave me an idea of what the ride should cost, between 20 & 30 hryvnias. The first three cabbies I talked to wouldn't go below 55; I finally talked the fourth into 40. On the way back, one cabbie tried to charge me 100 hryvnias! I got a different one to bring me back for 40, since that was literally all the cash I had on me. Now, it's not the actual cost - 40 hryvnias is $8 US - it's the feeling of being ripped off.
I also didn't have a great time at the monument. I've been to many places where I didn't speak the language. This is my first visit to a country that uses a different alphabet, and I didn't realize what a difference it would make. I don't feel like I've learned anything about the history and culture of the Ukraine from my visit here - I've learned things from the internet, but not from the actual visit. By that, I mean that there is no information at the sites deemed historically important to tell you more about them, to give you insight into their meaning. I've been places where there's been no more than a photo-copied two-inch square of badly translated information, but at least you have some idea. So I wandered around, taking pictures of buildings and shiny stuff, trying to find the caves. I finally happened upon a guided tour, and the guide was kind enough to point me in the right direction. Once I got down there, the young woman manning the gate refused me entrance because my head wasn't covered. I went to the garden for a bit, trying to figure out what to do... they sold head scarves, but if I bought one, I wouldn't have enough cash for the taxi home. I finally decided I couldn't come this close and not see them, so I went back. There was a new lady there, and after some pleading, she let me go in with a bare head.
The caves themselves were interesting, but the experience was colored for me by the tone of the afternoon. They felt close and confining, and I felt out of place, dizzy from going from the outside heat to the cool, damp indoors. I rounded a corner and the lights went away entirely... I didn't realize it was coming from the candles of the group in front of me, and that they had turned a corner. I felt my way forward, trailing fingers along chalky walls, until I caught up with them again. They were praying, singing, and kissing the glass-topped coffins of the saints buried beneath the monastery. It felt surreal, and I felt out of place. I tried to hurry out, but there were too many people in the cramped passageways, and I had to wait my turn.
Back at the hotel, I have discovered that my tv works for the first time, so I turned it on only to discover that there is political unrest in Kiev right now! Who knew?! Apparently the President and the Prime Minister are having it out, and there are riot police protecting the prosecutor general's office tonight. I haven't seen any difference from other days, but then I don't know where all the government buildings are. Hopefully, they will hold off on any sort of rioting till after 7am tomorrow, so that I can get home.
Today was off to a promising start, as I finished my work by 2pm and had plenty of time to see the last monument on my must-see list, Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra. It's also known as the Monastery of the Caves, known for its caves with the coffins of saints beneath the sanctuary. It's on the far side of downtown, so after a quick trip to the post office (which went surprisingly well, once the nice man at the computer store pointed me toward the right building) I began trying to get a taxi. This is not a fun thing, because it involves bargaining. Everyone at the hotel has told me that the taxi drivers will rip off Westerners, and they gave me an idea of what the ride should cost, between 20 & 30 hryvnias. The first three cabbies I talked to wouldn't go below 55; I finally talked the fourth into 40. On the way back, one cabbie tried to charge me 100 hryvnias! I got a different one to bring me back for 40, since that was literally all the cash I had on me. Now, it's not the actual cost - 40 hryvnias is $8 US - it's the feeling of being ripped off.
I also didn't have a great time at the monument. I've been to many places where I didn't speak the language. This is my first visit to a country that uses a different alphabet, and I didn't realize what a difference it would make. I don't feel like I've learned anything about the history and culture of the Ukraine from my visit here - I've learned things from the internet, but not from the actual visit. By that, I mean that there is no information at the sites deemed historically important to tell you more about them, to give you insight into their meaning. I've been places where there's been no more than a photo-copied two-inch square of badly translated information, but at least you have some idea. So I wandered around, taking pictures of buildings and shiny stuff, trying to find the caves. I finally happened upon a guided tour, and the guide was kind enough to point me in the right direction. Once I got down there, the young woman manning the gate refused me entrance because my head wasn't covered. I went to the garden for a bit, trying to figure out what to do... they sold head scarves, but if I bought one, I wouldn't have enough cash for the taxi home. I finally decided I couldn't come this close and not see them, so I went back. There was a new lady there, and after some pleading, she let me go in with a bare head.
The caves themselves were interesting, but the experience was colored for me by the tone of the afternoon. They felt close and confining, and I felt out of place, dizzy from going from the outside heat to the cool, damp indoors. I rounded a corner and the lights went away entirely... I didn't realize it was coming from the candles of the group in front of me, and that they had turned a corner. I felt my way forward, trailing fingers along chalky walls, until I caught up with them again. They were praying, singing, and kissing the glass-topped coffins of the saints buried beneath the monastery. It felt surreal, and I felt out of place. I tried to hurry out, but there were too many people in the cramped passageways, and I had to wait my turn.
Back at the hotel, I have discovered that my tv works for the first time, so I turned it on only to discover that there is political unrest in Kiev right now! Who knew?! Apparently the President and the Prime Minister are having it out, and there are riot police protecting the prosecutor general's office tonight. I haven't seen any difference from other days, but then I don't know where all the government buildings are. Hopefully, they will hold off on any sort of rioting till after 7am tomorrow, so that I can get home.
