First solo trip report - Ukraine
Hi r/solotravel! I just came back from a two week trip around Ukraine, my first trip outside where I was born (Philippines) and where I work (UAE). Suffice to say, Ukraine woke up something in me - an urge to see more of the world, to find home because between PH and UAE, I never felt at home - in Ukraine, I felt that I could stay there and be my own artistically inclined self.
Kyiv
I spent most of my time in the capital, Kyiv which is populated with old-time buildings. What struck me about the city was how proud it was. Everywhere there are colours of blue and yellow in every shape and form. What was also new was seeing the youth so inclined to the arts - there are buskers, public pianos an alleyway of painters it’s a dream.
It’s fairly easy to get around - I took the Metro my entire trip, it’s safe in general save for the looks I get because I’m Asian. But a local friend told me it was nothing since the Ukrainians are not used to seeing a different person around - especially one that tries to live like a local (ie take the metro). It’s also safe in the night having walked from the metro to my airbnb in the far end of town past midnight.
If you’re going I would recommend going to the Holodomor memorial - it’s heart-stopping, gripping and if you don’t know what it is, make sure to read about it.
Also, I have faced the worst parts of my writing so far (I write memoirs and poetry). But this year was so dull - not a single piece written. When I went to Ukraine. I started journalling like crazy and it all came back to me. In comparison to Dubai, the country is very conducive for creatives like me.
Lviv A six-hour train from Kyiv will take you to Lviv, a foodie paradise, it’s a completely different city from Kyiv. While Kyiv is a forest city with traces of the Euromaidan and its Soviet past mixed with its modern day bohemian vibe, Lviv is an artists paradise. Every street is lined with buskers and I mean every street. It was also nice to chat up these performers and then an hour later we ended up having coffee and walking to the bus together. That made me realise that its not the places we go to that makes the trip worthwhile, its the people we meet.
I write this now in Dubai and I want to go back and go somewhere. Find home, and Ukraine is in the cards for that.
Submitted November 10, 2017 at 06:55AM by _monochromia http://ift.tt/2hZWoOc
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