10th to 12th of October, 2021.
The old man drops me out of Kyiv, in front of a metro station, because he is not passing by the centre. So asking around I manage to get a metro to the city centre and then I walk for a few minutes to the hostel.
The place is almost a shitty whole. The location in Kyiv is good, but the way to the building itself is not very pleasant. The room is not very clean and I have to make my own bed. The lady who does the “cleaning”is also the one responsible for the check-in. Well, if you can call taking the payment and pointing me my bed a check-in. She does not speak English so there is nothing to talk. Well, to be honest, she does not clean the place as well, because kitchen is a mess (with almost nothing with what you can cook) and the only toilet and only bathroom could definitely see some more water and soap. There is a weird young girl living in my room plus the “cleaning” lady.
I talk with the manager when he comes by and I have the feeling that I know him from somewhere. I should have take that as a sign.
Because I arrive earlier than I expected, I decide to stay for 2 nights instead of only one. On my first day I only go to buy some food and come back.
Next day I go around to explore town. When I arrive where it supposed to be the Tourist Office, nothing. It is actually the Theatre so they only give you info about the plays and ballet. Luckily is very near the hostel so I decide to go back and take directions to some popular places.
I visit the Golden Gate and I don’t think it looks that good. Maybe just the historical importance. I take a look at St. Sophia’s Church but you can not enter or go into the grounds without paying. What is a shame. St Andrew and St. Michael’s Golden-Domed are incredibly beautiful. You can only visit for free the last one. And from there I walk to Klychko‘s Bridge, from where you have a nice view. There are several spots to visit in the park around the bridge but I am tired and because I am thinking I still have tomorrow to visit more stuff, I go back to the hostel.
During the night, I hear some loud noises in the room. Instead of getting up and checking what is it, I believe it is someone leaving (a girl from France was supposed to leave early morning) or someone arriving. Well it was actually someone stealing all the money I had inside the locker. All my Pounds, which I earned at a hard work in Scotland, all the money I would use for the next 5 years of my travels, without needing to work for money again. The total amount was 1.700 Pounds. Something around 2.000 Euros. They do not take my camera or my notebook, only the money. And I had the key for the locker inside my pyjamas pocket.
When I get up in the morning I feel that there is something wrong. I just know it. When I notice the money is gone I talk with the “cleaning” lady and ask her to call the owner. He says she will call the police and I should wait in there. Two young police officers come and, using there phone for translation, they tell me I should go to my Embassy and there, they will call the police again and with the help of a translator I will be able to press charges.
In the Brazilian Embassy, I talk with the minister, a nice Brazilian lady, and the secretary, an Ukrainian lady who can also speak Portuguese and is also very nice. After a lot of calls and talking, the conclusion is: in Ukraine, if you are a foreigner, you can only press charges against a crime if you come to the Police Station with an official translator. If your Embassy cannot provide one, you will have to pay one. Not even the U.S. Embassy provides an official translator. So basically if you are robbed and have all your money stolen, you have to pay an official translator in order to be able to press charges. “Isn’t that just kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck fantastic?”
The Brazilian Embassy, for my biggest surprise, has and would be happy to provide me an official translator. But he is in vacation. He is coming back next week. They even call him to ask if he could come to help on my case, but he is not in Kyiv. And the nice secretary cannot do anything because she is not an official translator. So even though we write down my charges, both in Portuguese and Ukrainian, I sign and they also sign, there is nothing I can actually do.
But why did I want to press charges? Well, basically me and everybody in the Embassy believe that it is someone from the Hostel. It is a scheme. The front door is locked during the night, so nobody from outside could enter. Our rooms are not locked and they could simply have an extra key for all the lockers. I am sure that the cleaning lady is also involved, because when the people from my Embassy call the hostel and she picked up, they told me she was kind of laughing when explaining to them about the police officers who came by. But most of all, I am sure that it is people from the Hostel and the owner knows it. I am sure he is involved. So that is why I wanted so hard to press charges. I know I would never get my money back and right now nothing would happen but maybe in the future, when this happens again (and I know it will), when the next unfortunate person also press charges, the police could take a look in the system and start to think that there is something going on.
*** The name of the hostel is Future Maidan and this is their address Khreschatyk St, 8Б, Kyiv, Ukraine, 02000. Do not stay in this hostel! You can find other cheap options where you might not be robbed.
I couldn’t possibly go around and enjoy my day after that, of course. And instead of leaving to camp somewhere, I called the owner again, from the “cleaning” lady’s phone, and ask him for another night for free. He agreed. Of course, after all the money he stole from me, one free night in a dorm room would mean nothing for him.
Next morning I take a metro and a bus to go outside of Kyiv and hitchhike. People are extremely rude on metros, buses and bus drivers too. What a great time I am having in Ukraine…
10 Years Around the World 