Kyiv or Kiev, Ukraine

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Country #88! We took another Belavia Air flight today from Minsk to Kiev. It went just as smoothly, maybe better because Burger King was after the security screen and we got the last ice it looks like we'll see for days. Water is not considered potable in Kiev so no ice cubes to be found. The same guy and cracked windshield, no AC car came back to the Monastyrski Hotel this morning to drive us to the airport. He tries hard and is reliable but the company name was chauffeurs! Our expectations were higher.

Here in Kiev, we selected a B&B named Sunflower. I recall that we mainly picked it for location and it was well reviewed. We forgot to check if it had a lift. It doesn't. 38 stairs! It is only a half-block from the monumental Independence Square, BUT it is straight uphill. The bonus is that you can go down more STAIRS at the corner and get to a 2 story underground shopping mall. We bought our water for tomorrow's trek to Chernobyl, found an ATM and ate crepes at the food court. We'll probably go back tomorrow since Panda House Noodles had an English menu. We ordered the crepes from pictures and the cook spoke English.

When Clay said Prague was our most expensive hotel per night that didn't seem right because it wasn't that pricey. But in hindsight it was palatial. Conditions just keep getting worse. Kiev reminds me of Havana. The decay, not the cars. The inside of the B&B is nicer than the outside but that was true of Prague too. Anyway, the room is clean and we're here for 4 nights. The girl at reception is fluent in English and eager to be helpful. The AC works and we have controls! Big improvement. It looks like there are 5 rooms and we are in number 2.

We have a 7:30 am tour pickup tomorrow so early bedtime tonight to be up and ready.

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