Headed to the Ukraine for work, I didn’t initially expect to see capitalism so alive and well. I was in Romania for work in January and enjoyed the ability to live very well off of per diem. My first indication that things were different was green tea for $4 and dinner to follow for about $12. I thought this might just be due to hotel prices. As it turns out, prices here are nearly on par with the rest of Europe. Perhaps gone are the days of cheap travel to Eastern Europe.
While you can find a flat in a soviet era high rise for $500 a month in Kiev, finding a hotel room that is worth it’s price in Kiev was found to be difficult. Even at $12 an hour for internet, the connection was so bad that I only got 20 minutes of actual use. Eating out in Kiev was actually more expensive than it is in comparable restaurants in DC. Who would have thought?
Just a reminder that the former Soviet Union has now caught up with the rest of Europe. The unfortunate part is that wages still haven’t caught up. This results in demographic shifts, like the rest of the world, where Ukrainians are headed to more lucrative areas of Europe to send money back home.
Not all is lost. The beautiful city of Lvov or Lviv is a gem in the Ukraine. I can thank the connection at the fabulous Hotel Opera for a connection that allows me to write this now. More photos once I’m stateside!
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