A STREETCAR NAMED "MULTI-PASS"
Watching other folks on public transportation is vital when you don't know what the hell you are doing.
I'd heard that the fare for the street car is two 'hryvnia' (at the time of this writing, that is .08 USD - not a typo) unlike the bus which costs double that. To pretty much anywhere they run.
Anyway, when you get your ticket on the street car, you are not quite done. There are little discrete machines mounted irregularly spaced on the walls to punch holes in the ticket. If you don't have holes punched, you may have well not bothered buying the ticket.
To get around the crippling graft (all those less than a US dimes really pile up every hundred years) they have inspectors who look just like regular passengers until they stand up and shockingly reveal - small ID badges.
I'd seen this trick in Germany so wasn't stunned by it.
I wasn't sure what they guy wanted as I don't speak Russian (or Ukrainian) but I immediately pulled a Fifth Element...
The ticket collector smiled and nodded to me as though I'd done something much more impressive than Milla (above) ever did.
The Ukrainian across from me - busted for no ticket. I could tell the ticket collector was heaping some extra abuse on him. "Even the fat tourist who doesn't speak our language or know our customs - right there - even HE has a ticket!"
Poor bastard.
I'm not sure how much the fine is for no ticket. Given the fare, it can't be all that much...
HOW IS LVIV?
Honestly, not too bad. There seem to be quite a few places for me to explore. There are sidewalks - so I am less worried about getting greased by some motorist who is more intent on their cellphone than the thousand kilos of metal they're pushing down the road with dead dinos.
I still look both ways before crossing a one way road - that has saved my ass numerous times in the past.
The city is set up with little pockets of stuff (businesses and such) here and there so I am just taking my time and getting to know it.
The commute (via standing room only bus) into the city center is less than a half hour but there are a lot of different places to see. I've not even done my 'buy a street car ticket and just ride around' trick yet.
So I'm enjoying it so far.
TWO HANDY SITES
This one is good for figuring out the date without playing the count shit on the calendar game. Good for business people and travelers who worry about what day their visa will expire. And business people so they can threaten other business people. "Better have that here within 90 days, Fred!" Then smirk as you know Fred will be counting days on his calendar and muttering non work place safe curses.
Another handy site for travelers who are trying to figure out where their stamp is or non travelers who want to see what bureaucracies of the world are up to - and blow a couple minutes in idle curiosity.
TRAVELER'S TIP
Several years ago, before I started to travel I researched a bit. One of the things I remember seeing was some travelers whining about how they got charged a lot more in the restaurant than they thought.
Here is a pretty typical menu. Yes, I took a picture of a menu. Note the second column from the right. That is how many grams. In the case of 'spinach-stuffed chicken breasts', 290 grams for 57. You'll probably get 290 grams for 57 UAH. Anything that says '100' means 'per 100 grams'. Not sure why they don't make it more obvious but it is something to note. In other words, they will weigh your t-bone (that's how they buy it) and multiply by the price. Whether you are on a budget or not, it is important to note this so it doesn't ruin your day.
Watching other folks on public transportation is vital when you don't know what the hell you are doing.
I'd heard that the fare for the street car is two 'hryvnia' (at the time of this writing, that is .08 USD - not a typo) unlike the bus which costs double that. To pretty much anywhere they run.
Anyway, when you get your ticket on the street car, you are not quite done. There are little discrete machines mounted irregularly spaced on the walls to punch holes in the ticket. If you don't have holes punched, you may have well not bothered buying the ticket.
To get around the crippling graft (all those less than a US dimes really pile up every hundred years) they have inspectors who look just like regular passengers until they stand up and shockingly reveal - small ID badges.
I'd seen this trick in Germany so wasn't stunned by it.
I wasn't sure what they guy wanted as I don't speak Russian (or Ukrainian) but I immediately pulled a Fifth Element...
MULTI-PASS, BITCHES!
The ticket collector smiled and nodded to me as though I'd done something much more impressive than Milla (above) ever did.
The Ukrainian across from me - busted for no ticket. I could tell the ticket collector was heaping some extra abuse on him. "Even the fat tourist who doesn't speak our language or know our customs - right there - even HE has a ticket!"
Poor bastard.
I'm not sure how much the fine is for no ticket. Given the fare, it can't be all that much...
HOW IS LVIV?
Oh look - original Logan artwork. If you are thinking about reusing this on your own site, go for it. I know how the internet works.
Honestly, not too bad. There seem to be quite a few places for me to explore. There are sidewalks - so I am less worried about getting greased by some motorist who is more intent on their cellphone than the thousand kilos of metal they're pushing down the road with dead dinos.
I still look both ways before crossing a one way road - that has saved my ass numerous times in the past.
The city is set up with little pockets of stuff (businesses and such) here and there so I am just taking my time and getting to know it.
The commute (via standing room only bus) into the city center is less than a half hour but there are a lot of different places to see. I've not even done my 'buy a street car ticket and just ride around' trick yet.
So I'm enjoying it so far.
TWO HANDY SITES
This one is good for figuring out the date without playing the count shit on the calendar game. Good for business people and travelers who worry about what day their visa will expire. And business people so they can threaten other business people. "Better have that here within 90 days, Fred!" Then smirk as you know Fred will be counting days on his calendar and muttering non work place safe curses.
Another handy site for travelers who are trying to figure out where their stamp is or non travelers who want to see what bureaucracies of the world are up to - and blow a couple minutes in idle curiosity.
TRAVELER'S TIP
Several years ago, before I started to travel I researched a bit. One of the things I remember seeing was some travelers whining about how they got charged a lot more in the restaurant than they thought.
Here is a pretty typical menu. Yes, I took a picture of a menu. Note the second column from the right. That is how many grams. In the case of 'spinach-stuffed chicken breasts', 290 grams for 57. You'll probably get 290 grams for 57 UAH. Anything that says '100' means 'per 100 grams'. Not sure why they don't make it more obvious but it is something to note. In other words, they will weigh your t-bone (that's how they buy it) and multiply by the price. Whether you are on a budget or not, it is important to note this so it doesn't ruin your day.
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