Hey From Odessa

[justadude]

About 2 months ago I started talking to a Siberian girl I met online. Lots of planning and video calls but to make a long story short I flew 6 times over 50 hours to get onto Odessa. Meanwhile she flew twice and took a 10 hour taxi ride. I broke my self imposed rule of never to send money to someone I've not met in person. I didn't believe it was gonna actually happen until I picked her up at the airport. We've been staying in a nice $40/day apart with a sea view for the past two days. I avoided quarantine but she is under it. We are about to go get her a test which if negative will end hers early. I'll check back later

[Guile]

You made it to Ukraine! but what about that Belarussian girl in Cali?  How the heck does it take 6 flights to get there?  I can fly direct from LA to Moscow.

[justadude]

[AvHdB]

As some may recall you are not that comfortable flying. But the number of flights and hours shows dedication! Would be curious about the itinerary versus cost.

I will guess your flat mate came by car (taxi) from Belarus.

In any event how is Odessa today? Would be interesting to read your impressions.

[Guile]

Nice girl...seems you got a thing for blondes

So she's from Russia but flew to Ukraine because of the closed borders right...you guys coulda gone to Thailand or something!

[Contrarian]

Great job and bravo.

Don’t return any phone calls from the long-haul truckers wife when you return either.

If you do one of us may need to pay you a personal visit and read you riot act. 

[msmoby]

I will guess your flat mate came by car (taxi) from Belarus.

If she did, 10 hours is incredible ..

11 h 39 min (1,034.4 km) via Е271/М5 and E95

Fair play to the lass.. she's had one HELL of a journey

[justadude]

You made it to Ukraine! but what about that Belarussian girl in Cali?  How the heck does it take 6 flights to get there?  I can fly direct from LA to Moscow.

I stopped communicating with the girl in Cali. I just gave up on it. And just like in 2016 when a relationship with a California/Belarussian ended, I went to Ukraine haha.

Travel is crazy during the pandemic. Flights are canceled all the time. The EU to UA leg of my journey was canceled twice by different airlines so I took what I could get. The whole thing had a lot of moving parts and the both of us couldn't believe that it actually worked. I don't want to say what you can or cannot do, but one thing that helped me was to check flightstats at airports where I wanted to go, to see that flights by my chosen airline were really being completed.

[msmoby]

Can you tell us if your Siberian lass is normally resident in Russia and holding RU citizenship ?

I ask, as I'm intrigued how she 'got out'

I thought Russians couldn't leave Russia ( unless they are resident in the destination country, or Diplomat's wives )  under the current COVID-19 regs

I've read of Marshrutka's ( Mini vans ) taking back roads from RU to BY to circumvent the rules.

IF she's an RU citizen, won't she need to explain her exit / entry stamps and be quarantined on her return.

I understand if you don't want to to into this, it's just my wife is waiting to be allowed out to fly to me.

[justadude]

As some may recall you are not that comfortable flying. But the number of flights and hours shows dedication! Would be curious about the itinerary versus cost.

I will guess your flat mate came by car (taxi) from Belarus.

In any event how is Odessa today? Would be interesting to read your impressions.

Yes that's right. Leaving Russia for Russian citizens right now is a little tricky. The details are actually clandestine and exciting.

Odessa is super awesome. We happened to arrive at a time of mild weather with highs in the low 80s. Our apartment is brand new. She loves it and so do I. We are planning to head North in a few days by train, then later rent a car in Lvov and drive to IF and maybe Yaremenche, where sadly there have been catastrophic floods a month ago.

Getting ideas from others on FB expat groups helped a lot with travel planning and figuring out how the quarantine app works. When I crossed into Ukraine no one asked me to set up the app on my phone so I was set free, but she was not so lucky.

[justadude]

Great job and bravo.

Don’t return any phone calls from the long-haul truckers wife when you return either.

If you do one of us may need to pay you a personal visit and read you riot act. 

Fair enough!

My "gf" is cooking breakfast in her underwear right now haha. She's just gorgeous and so sweet.

I'll get back to the story later.

[Chris]

As some may recall you are not that comfortable flying. But the number of flights and hours shows dedication! Would be curious about the itinerary versus cost.

I will guess your flat mate came by car (taxi) from Belarus.

In any event how is Odessa today? Would be interesting to read your impressions.

Yes that's right. Leaving Russia for Russian citizens right now is a little tricky. The details are actually clandestine and exciting.

Odessa is super awesome. We happened to arrive at a time of mild weather with highs in the low 80s. Our apartment is brand new. She loves it and so do I. We are planning to head North in a few days by train, then later rent a car in Lvov and drive to IF and maybe Yaremenche, where sadly there have been catastrophic floods a month ago.

Getting ideas from others on FB expat groups helped a lot with travel planning and figuring out how the quarantine app works. When I crossed into Ukraine no one asked me to set up the app on my phone so I was set free, but she was not so lucky.

I know that area very well and all the Carpathians within a couple of hours of there, we go usually once or twice a year, I would make enquiries about visiting it before going as a number of the roads have been washed away, the place last I heard a few weeks ago was in a terrible mess, so not sure if its possible to reach the area at the moment and whether any hotels etc are operating.


Edit: just checked with my wife and we have friends that are actually at a resort in Vedmezha Gora (only a few miles from Yaremche) and they say things are fine, she spoke to them a couple of days ago apparently.

[Omega1982]

According to my research, all of Europe except Croatia is off limits to Americans.  How were you able to get in. 

Also can you explain to us why so many flights? 

The Ukrainian airline flies to NYC so it should be one domestic american flight and one international flight.  Even if you stopped in FRA it could be something like SFO / FRA / KBP.  This would be two legs. 

Not sure if big hubs like FRA, CDG, LIS are allowing americans to transit.  Even on a transit one could still potentially infect people. 

[Omega1982]

I'm here watching the news with Nadezhda looking at all the border closures. 

Meanwhile justadude is in Odessa with krasivaye Natalya! 

Maladetz! 

[msmoby]

Yes that's right. Leaving Russia for Russian citizens right now is a little tricky. The details are actually clandestine and exciting.

Hmm, this will be 'interesting' as clandestine in, means doing the same on the reverse leg .. ? 

[msmoby]

I'm here watching the news with Nadezhda looking at all the border closures. 

Meanwhile justadude is in Odessa with krasivaye Natalya! 

Maladetz!

Let's wait until they are both back in their respective homelands .. 

[justadude]

I'm here watching the news with Nadezhda looking at all the border closures. 

Meanwhile justadude is in Odessa with krasivaye Natalya! 

Maladetz!

haha!

[justadude]

According to my research, all of Europe except Croatia is off limits to Americans.  How were you able to get in. 

Also can you explain to us why so many flights? 

The Ukrainian airline flies to NYC so it should be one domestic american flight and one international flight.  Even if you stopped in FRA it could be something like SFO / FRA / KBP.  This would be two legs. 

Not sure if big hubs like FRA, CDG, LIS are allowing americans to transit.  Even on a transit one could still potentially infect people.

Every time I have flown to Ukraine I have gone from either Sacramento or San Francisco to some US city further East, then to Western Europe then to Kiev. In this case, I went Sacramento, Chicago, Vienna, Rome, Kiev. Originally it was Sacramento Chicago Vienna Kiev, but the Vienna to Kieve flight was cancelled so I replaced it with two other flights. Then getting from Kiev to Odessa was a different issue.

We have been getting along really well. We went sunrise Kayaking on the Black Sea yesterday morning.

When I go on vacation looking at real estate is one of my favorite things to do. We have looked at a few new apartments here in Odessa in the $60-90K range. Going to look at a new cottage later today. 

Thanks for the update on the Yaremche area. The current plan is to fly to Lvov in a few days then rent a car and drive to IF and Yaremche.

[msmoby]

..and the how She got here has to wait ? 

[Guile]

why u so curious Moby..it ain't YOUR gf...  get er dude!  how long you gonna be in Ukraine?

Hit Crimea if you can.

[justadude]

[msmoby]

why u so curious Moby..it ain't YOUR gf...  get er dude!  how long you gonna be in Ukraine?

Hit Crimea if you can.

Why don't you READ ( before posting daft ) and you'd realise the RU border is closed ( unless you are a diplomat or said diplomat's family member, reserved occupations and those with residency in the destination nation )

I'm interested as I don't want SC in Cyprus, but in the UK.

However, her movements need to be legal - hence my question 

[Guile]

justadude don't worry about moby he doesn't provide useful advice.  hope you guys have fun!

[msmoby]

justadude don't worry about moby he doesn't provide useful advice.  hope you guys have fun!

'Guile'. this is not 'our' thread.. So, I'll respond to your trolling one last time

1/ I'm genuinely interested in the clandestine arrival of Miss Siberia and how she'll return

2/ Unlike you, I post lots of factual info accompanied by photos of REAL visits to the FSU ..  YOU?.. You 'advise' people not to go to places you've never been to... 

[Guile]

[Off topic content removed]

justadude just ignore Moby.  How she got to Odessa is none of his business.