Red Corner: Undiscovered Lvov

by Neil Woodburn on

Journalist Mat Schulz uses a very interesting strategy to figure out where to go on vacation. He types in “Stag Party” and the name of a certain town to see how many Google hits it gets. Too many is not a good thing and he heads elsewhere.

The point of this exercise was to illustrate just how “undiscovered” the Ukrainian city of Lvov is since it received no hits. Schulz then proceeds to spin the quintessential “go here before it is discovered and ruined by other tourists” yarn. And, he does it so perfectly and so eloquently, it leaves me itching to get myself there as soon as possible.

He starts off with the simple comparison that Lvov is a “much cheaper version of Vienna.” Wow. Great hook. He then tells us the city is awash with great architecture, cheap food and accommodations, plenty of museums, few tourists, an abundance of bars and cafes, no McDonald’s and an Old Town that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. And, it’s easy to get to from London – just a simple Ryanair flight to the Polish city of Rzeszow and then a two hour train ride across the Ukrainian border. But that’s not all. Ukraine just dropped Soviet era visa requirements for most western nations so crossing the border is now a snap as visas can be purchased on the spot.

So I’m sold. I’ve been to Ukraine before, but not Lvov. It is now on my list. Just don’t show up with a stag party before I get the chance to visit.

Red Corner: Carpathian Skiing

by Neil Woodburn on

We’ve posted a few times about the great ski deals to be had behind the former Iron Curtain. Today’s post continues with this theme by covering a brand new resort in the Carpathian Mountains that you’ve undoubtedly never heard of.

The Carpathians pass through scenic Ukraine and get plenty of the white stuff throughout winter. A handful of Soviet era resorts have operated in the region for a number of years. The most popular, Dragobrat, was recently upgraded with European equipment and at only 40 cents per lift remains a great deal.

Investors, however, realized that the Carpathians had potential for so much more. As a result, they raised $125 million to begin building a brand new resort in the area. Bukovel, as it is now called, plans to eventually expand to two dozen lifts and 75 miles of trails and by 2010, be larger than Vail and Whistler. It is currently operating with 6 lifts, however, and is still a great deal at just 19 euros for a day pass (although it is not the easiest place to get to). Check out the site for some impressive photos of what to expect. If you really want to shed some tears, click on their live webcams to see tons of snow and almost no people in sight.

Bukovel may not be a household name right now, but if plans go accordingly, it will be soon. So pack your skies and get a jump on the resort before everyone else learns about it.

Red Corner: Visa-less Ukraine Good for Business

by Neil Woodburn on

Case in Point.

We’ve posted recently about the difficulty, hassles, and ridiculous expense of obtaining a Russian visa. The process hasn’t really changed much since the Cold War and, in my opinion, deters many potential tourists from visiting Russia. Until recently, visitors to Ukraine had to follow the same antiquated procedure to obtain a visa. But last August, the government dropped the ridiculous requirements and basically threw open their doors to Europeans and Americans.

I’ve been waiting to hear the impact this decision has made and whether, as predicted, it would increase the number of tourists, and more importantly, the amount of euros and dollars they are pumping into the country’s moribund economy during their visit. Well, it took a few months, but the New York Times just ran a short piece on how the newly opened border is indeed positively affecting the Ukrainian border town of Uzhgorod. New cafes and restaurants are opening, hotels are being renovated, and local tourist agencies are giddy with huge increases in business as tourists flow across the borders from Slovakia and Hungary.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the best thing an economically struggling country can ever do is to open its borders to tourism.

Now if only the Russians will take note and follow the lead of their Ukrainian neighbors.

Red Corner: Biking through Chernobyl Redux

by Neil Woodburn on

Yesterday’s post about Elena’s motorcycle tour through the ghost towns of Chernobyl has, once again, revived the controversy on whether her photo log was faked or not. I’ve received a couple of emails mentioning this, and recall that it was a big issue when the site was making news a year or so ago.

Frankly I don’t care.

I would normally be rather angry to fall for a bogus website, but I think the naysayers here are missing the point. If Elena did indeed fake her motorcycle tour through Chernobyl, she was nonetheless able to raise a tremendous amount of awareness about the dangers of nuclear energy, the agony of those who suffered and died because of the tragedy, and the plight of those still suffering as a result. Even if it all was a big pack of lies, Elena’s website has carried a very powerful message to countless people who probably haven’t thought about Chernobyl since 1984.

For those of you still on the fence regarding the legitimacy of Elena’s claims, take a moment to check out a couple of recent books whose authenticity no one has questioned. The most powerful, Zones of Exclusion: Pripyat and Chernobyl is a collection of 190 color photographs taken by Robert Polidori that are far more sobering than what appears on Elena’s website (although most are similar in vein). Described as a “coffee table book,” it’s hardly the cheerful conversation piece I’d want sitting in my living room, despite its high artistic quality.

A more recent book that is getting a lot of good press is Wormwood Forest by Mary Mycio. Mycio focuses much more on the effects of the disaster on the natural surroundings of Chernobyl. She discusses the ghost towns, the squatters, environmental damage, and how she came to the sobering statistic of the number of humans affected by the disaster: 5.85 million. Although I haven’t had the chance to read the book yet, it seems to be the most up-to-date, all-inclusive profile of the disaster and its impact on the world today.

I’ll certainly read it thoroughly, however, before hitching a ride on Elena’s Kawasaki–whether she has one or not.

Red Corner: Biking Through the Ghost Towns of Chernobyl

by Neil Woodburn on

If yesterday’s post about touring Chernobyl whetted your appetite for nuclear adventure, take a moment to check out the following site.

Kiddofspeed.com chronicles the adventures of Elena, a Ukrainian woman with a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle and a passion for riding it through Chernobyl’s Death Zone-a place where “nature is blooming” and “one can ride with no stoplights, no police, no danger to hit some cage or some dog..”

Elena takes the time to educate the reader about the tragedy which occurred at Chernobyl and the dangers of radiation. She then presents a virtual tour of what is left at ground zero and the surrounding areas which were evacuated shortly after the disaster and remain a ghost town today.

It is difficult to describe the power and emotion the site evokes. Each photo is a terrifying snapshot of post-apocalypse that no Hollywood movie has been quite able to capture; the eeriness of empty buildings, villages with no people, the long stretches of lonely roads, schools so quickly evacuated that notes are still posted on the walls, family photographs askew on apartment floors, calendars frozen on the date of the explosion, silence everywhere, and overgrown fields where wild herds of horses gallop freely.

Elena also takes care to describe the various radiation levels she comes across on her journeys and how quickly her Geiger counter can jump by merely stepping a few feet in the wrong direction.

Although this site has been around for a while, and challenged by critics who claim it is fake, Elena’s careful documentation leaves no doubt in my mind that her expose of this terrifying nightmare is indeed the real McCoy. Check it out. It will be the most extraordinarily sobering thing you do all day.