Friday, December 22, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Ukraine Trip 1999 Kiev LVIV Bystiv 1 hr 30 min Disc 1
The Opening scene is in Svetlana home in Kiev, her mother is cooking. It first time in Ukraine Home I been in Ukraine for less than 2 hours. It all new & exciting begining of a grand Adventure. Culture shock. Loved it hated it loved it!!! Ukraine First Trip 1999 Here it is my first Ukraine Old world Experience. It is a Journey of discovery. The story is one that change my life in so many ways. I own a home in Ukraine & now live there you cant get much bigger change then leaving your birth country to your ancestral home It all started off meeting Russian woman in Washington DC that was Traveling we hung out a few hours together. . That inspired me to place a Classified ad in 1998 in Russian & Ukraine papers thru service in Canada. In 2 weeks I started receiving Hundreds of letters form all over the former USSR. At this time INTL dating was not in Vogue. Thru the 250+ letters I received I found one girl that was translator in Kiev. We will call her Sveta #1. |(Not to be confused with Sveta #2 or Alla OR Olya.........that another story in itself) Inspired by our communication my Dad found an address given to him 20 years ago by relative in Canada. Since then this relative passed away many years ago. |It was to relatives in Village his father came from in 1900. So my Ukraine Girlfriend Sveta#1 in fall of 1998 did some research & got post code then sent a letter to the address not knowing if it would be answered . About 2 weeks later Sveta heard back from Anastasia she Translated & forward letter to me. Made plans in coming months to Visit Ukraine I flew into Kiev met Sveta then a week later headed to LVIV. Then took Electricka to Mostiska II station from there we hired a Taxi that came out form Mostiska. Without language skills and sufficient experience in Ukraine it seems almost unthinkable for foreigners to go traveling by themselves—something that would be perfectly normal across most of Europe. The Soviet infrastructure is just too baffling, the culture too unlike the West. Foreign tourists need some sort of buffer to have a good (and safe) experience in Ukraine. Unless you have Ukrainian friends who take you around everywhere, you will need tour leaders and organizers who speak your language and take care of your day-to-day needs. If you have Relatives form Ukraine or want to take a trip there let me know I can help you with arrangement www.bystiv.com belozer@bctonline.com | |
Ukraine Trip 1999 LVIV Odessa Yalta 1 hr 50 min Disc 2
The Footage is Raw unedited as it happens
My First Ukraine trip with Sveta#1 & Yes I had more then 1 Sveta over years that why there are numbered! We Travel from LVIV to Odessa to Simperopil to Yalta It Starts off with Train ride from Shegynin to LVIV. We Just left Mostiska II station after visiting my Relatives in Bystiv for first time. Just let it play will get to LVIV & show some life there Architecture then onto Odessa then Yalta a Boat Tour with Visit to 2 castles swallows nest then the Crimean Mountains a tram ride from the sea top of mountain Then a Ice cave used by ancient people to store meat for summer back to Kiev for Museum tour
Ukraine Life Natural Gas Install
Getting Natural Gas in Ukraine is a Project of epic proportions. The amount of Documents is insane It been 17 Months & still don't have it turned on. Gas just was turned on November 22 of 2005 that was 2 years in works to lay pipeline since village is so remote.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Digging Hole -20 Below Zero Bystiv Ukraine
Call me a tough boss but when there work to be done I don't care the conditions I have a schedule to keep. I Have my workers breaking the frozen ground for toilet holding tank & bath drywell. The ground is like digging solid rock for first couple feet. Even the fence post driver & steel bar can barely can penetrate. Yes those are my American Shovels I imported to Ukraine cost me $26.99 each touted the toughest shovel in world they worked great never broke handle. A Ukraine spade looks like a spade on card the shovels they have & break often & not to mention you have to fashion your own handle from stick. The dirt in Ukraine is very easy to dig when it is not frozen
Ukraine Rabbit Dinner
Fresh Rabbit Oh so Tasty!
It is Sunday November 6th 2005 , just bought a rabbit from my Cousin Roman. I arrived back in Ukraine November 2. Plan to have a party tonight with friends. Vassily stops by coming home from church to say hi. Told him I have a rabbit for tonight. He proceeds to slaughter the Rabbit in his church clothes, Turning the once living breathing creature into food. Before your eyes. Rabbits are so cute but also taste great BBQ. It is a very lean meat has a courser texture then chicken breast & similar taste. There is very lttle waste unlike chicken the bones are very small on Rabbit
The video concludes with drinking Vodka & feasting on the Rabbit.
My Ukraine Neighbor Ivan Making Lumber
In Ukraine they do not sell 2x4 or any other standard Dimensional lumber. You can buy misc boards of all sizes rough saw mill cut. Often you will get slab wood that is just a log sliced up that you will need to trim sides square. With no reference point this is time consuming I know from experience with chalk line & skill saw. Any tiem you need wood for Building it is a project finding it can spend days looking.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Ukraine Train RIde Kelminitsky to LVIV
A winter train ride the video starts on the way from Kelminitksy to LVIV it a grey winter day. about -8 outside. For the most part it is just outside LVIV I start filming. I have Traveled all over Ukraine on both Plane & Train.
In right condition with girlfriend trains are a pleasant way to go. 12-19 hours are most over night routes. The cars are sleeper but I buy out compartment for privacy. It is to small of room to be locked in with strangers. By right conditions I mean heated or not been in Below zero weather on trains with no heat or they had heaters so hot had to strip down yes in winter is Extreme either too little or too much heat it seems. I wont cover the short track segments that bump along with a ryhtym of there own. It not the mile high club but can say I had some memorable times on trian in Ukraine with girlfriends.
Chritsmas Singing Bystiv Ukraine
Filmed in Bystiv around Janury 7th 2004 Old Calender Ukraine Christmas. The Music true Ukrainian a whole group of relatives came to see Baba & who was vey ill with flu. It filmed under a 60 watt light bulb so video is dark but music sharp & clean a real treat.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Lviv Lvov Ukraine Downtown Winter 2005
LVIV has become a Cosmopolitan European City you can buy most any consumer type goods there. I shop in LVIV when I need to it is 2.5 hours by train from shegynin or 85 KM. I like LVIV for shopping only & High Speed Internet. I shop METRO a German owned version of Costco / Sams Club that just opened recently. I buy Hamburger, Chicken & Cheese. You cant get ground beef in Mostiska or Chicken Cheese is expensive in Mostiska. Other then that there nothing there for me. I prefer slow quiet village pace of life.
With Groceries in Backpack it is another 2.5 hours evening train ride to Shegynin departing LVIV at 5:30 pm. Then a 1 hour walk to my house in Bystiv with back pack loaded of meat & cheese. So that is a 6 hour day of travel to run for Groceries.
Once you get settled into this pace of life it is easy at first is can be Culture shock
Ukraine - Bystiv Village Store & Bar
Walking to Village Bar & Store on Sunday afternoon with my friends Mykolia & Vasily, it is a day for church in afternoon men enjoy companionship a walk to Village Store that sells Vodka & cold Draft Beer (Pivo). Hang out on a hot summer afternoon. Ukrainians drink for companionship. The view of store is interesting as well as store girl Marusa very cute & puts up with all the men. I am accepted by the Villagers not as an outsider. Perhaps since it is my Ancestral home Relatives still live there & Belozer (Bilozir) have been there for Centuries & a way I belong there.. I do own home in Bystiv too some of the friends I have worked for me on renovation. Overall people in Ukraine are friendly once you break the ice.
Ukraine Train Folk Songs mp3
My most memorable night Train ride from LVIV to Shegynin. It was -30 out these guys have great voices It's an old "UPA" song, from the underground ukrainian movement fighting for independence around 1930-1950. The words are very sad
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