D20 - Train Full

30JUN - Day20 - Kiev - Km2139

Comprar bitllets de tren a Ucraina es sempre una aventura que sovint et fa sentir impotent. Ho porto tot preparat, el dia i l'hora, el numero de tren i el desti. Despres de mitja hora de cua em diuen que el meu tren ja esta ple, en comptes de dilluns demano dimarts, la noia jove ja em mira amb mala cara, diu que nomes la classe mes baixa, demano diumenge i em diu el mateix. Ja no ho intento mes. Vaig a la finestreta del costat, mitja hora mes de cua, la dona em diu el mateix i comenca a posar mala cara, per sort dos nois joves darrera meu m'ajuden i al final aconsegueixo un bitllet pel diumenge. M'ha costat 90 minuts i un munt de cares enfadades, pero finalment tinc el meu ticket.
Intento contactar amb Yulia, sembla que no li va agradar el meu SMS a les 12 de la nit, aquesta vegada no ens veurem. Svetlana esta al Mar Negre de vacances despres dels examens, Inna tambe... gairebe no em queden mes contactes a Kiev.
budapest2beijing@gmail.com

Last night I send SMS to Yulia, I met her in my last trip to Kiev, she works as interpreter, her english is perfect. She was not happy about receiving the SMS at midnight. We won't meet this time. I try to contact Svetlana, she is in the Black Sea on holidays, the same with Inna. I am running out of contacts.
Buying a train ticket in Ukraine can be a long and disappointing adventure. Many people move by train in this country, in fact you can go anywhere you want by train, you just need time. The selling process is slow and inefficient. I wait 30 minutes for my turn, the young lady tells me that the train for Monday is full and gives me back my passport, she is not even trying to find alternatives for me, I ask for Tuesday, only Platskar available (lower class with 6 people in each compartment), I ask for Sunday, she says is full too. No luck, I don't buy anything. I go to next window, 30 more minutes waiting. I ask the same questions, is full on monday, platskard for Tuesday, the old lady gets angry because I ask too many questions in my awful russian, she has to put some imagination to understand... Finally the two young guys behind help me and I get a ticket for Sunday night. I spent more than 90 minutes, lots of angry faces but I have what I wanted.
budapest2beijing@gmail.com