April 07, 2015

Lviv, Ukraine

I woke up around 09:00 today and laid in bed for a couple more hours before I got up, showered, and dressed. I then typed out a few journal entries and updated the website. I also said goodbye to the Ukrainian programmer since he was leaving for work. Once I finished updating the website (at 14:00), I went outside to grab a fast and cheap meal at McDonalds (coke, French fries, and an Italian burger made with two patties placed side by side on long bread with tomatoes, green leafs, and a zesty sauce). Next, I exchanged most of the Ukrainian hryvnias I had for euros. I then walked around some more looking for something to tie my wild and long hair back with, but each store I checked failed me. I then returned to the hostel, finished packing my bags, strapped them on, said goodbye to the Ukrainian girl working at the hostel, and then walked out to the nearby trolley stop. I took the trolley to the railway station (it was very crowded) and then found the bus station next to the railway station. I exchanged my voucher (that the hostel manager printed out for me yesterday, after he reserved my seat on the bus) for a ticket and then waited for the bus to Chisinau to pull up. When it did, I loaded my bags on to it and found a seat. The bus departed the station at 16:30 (with three passengers, including myself) and drove south to the Central Bus Station in Lviv. At the Central Station, I talked to a Moldovan man on the bus and he gave me some great information on where to go and what to see in Chisinau. The bus then picked up an additional passenger and we then drove off at 17:00 to our next stop, through rolling hills and lovely Ukrainian countryside. We drove for over an hour to another bus stop in some town and picked up many more passengers, nearly filling the bus; this stop took over forty minutes and we didn’t depart until 19:13. The bus then pulled up near the train station of another town at 19:45 and picked up a few more passengers before departing at 19:53. We drove onward, picked one guy up off the side of the road, and then some more at a bus stop on the side of the road. The bus continued through the night until stopping at a station at 22:05. I got off the bus to use the W.C. And then bought a late night snack of almonds, hazelnuts, and green tea to satiate my appetite. The bus departed the station at 22:40 and we drove southward on the poorly maintained road. Not long after departing the bus station – at 22:50 – the bus stopped in front of the railway station of whatever town we were driving through to pick up some more passengers. Two minutes later, the bus drove off and soon out of the town. I then slept intermittently until we stopped again for a long break that started just after 02:00.

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An open journal or an exercise in narcissism.