Extreme Kiev

So my stay in Kiev can mostly be characterized by doing some "extreme" sports. I did ATVs one day and wakeboarding another day, with Anna and Natalie. A short video here of my most successful wakeboarding experience:


I also did the requisite sightseeing, including the Botanical garden, and the building with all the animals on it pictured here.





















I also saw some interesting scenes of Kiev. Something I prefer to do while traveling is to see parts of the places that I am that aren't really listed in the guidebook. Below is one of the native creatures of Kiev, the hedgehog. I had never seen one before, but they are apparently all over the place, this one seen after the outdoor dance on Tuesday night. Also featured here is a picture of one of the statues that adorn hidden backstreets in Kiev, this one is also a Hedgehog from a famous Soviet era cartoon called "Hedgehog in the Fog."




















One thing that I need to note about Kiev. It has the highest percentage of beautiful women of any place I've seen in the world. It seems like one in five ladies walking around is just stunningly gorgeous. Of course, the problem is they mostly have that ultra serious and dour look on their faces like the world hates them and they hate it back, which detracts quite a bit from their overall attractiveness. I really prefer a smile.

Also, the food here is great. Tasty and cheap (almost China cheap). I ate a lot of "Chicken Kiev" while I was there. Also, the staple of a budget European tour: Kebab. Less than one dollar for a big wrap of chicken and veggies.

I left Kiev on the train to Budapest. This trip was a full 25 hours long, including a 6 hour stop at the Hungarian border to change the wheels out and do passport control. Apparently, during Soviet times, the USSR used different train track width from other countries, so as to prevent invasion. What that means today is they have to change the wheels on these cross-border trips. They pick up the train with big cranes, and drop (literally, it is quite jarring) the train on the new wheel base. This takes quite a long time. Fortunately, there was a single working power outlet on the train that I was on, so I was able to recharge my laptop after it ran out, so the time went by pretty quickly with watching movies and such.

Now I'm in Budapest. Off to dance in a bit...see how things go.