Getting ready...

Okay, I have the main things prepared for when I am overseaes. Money. I made sure my PIN works on my credit card. And it works on my debit card. I will bring cash with me, not too much because there is a limit on the amount you can bring out of the country (and bring back). Check with your travel agent or online. In the Ukraine you can easily exchange your US Dollars or Euro-dollars in the cities. At the time of this writing, I remember it to be about 5 Hryivna's (pronounced: Griv-naz) for 1 US Dollar. A taxi driver will take Grivna's, so before you leave the airport, you might want to secure some local currency. I saved some from my last trip, so I will just bring it with me.

I told the girl I am going to see that I wasn't coming. But I have arranged a surprise that I will be there (the surprise might be for me!) :o

My extra compact flash and reader for the computer and camera have come in. I will test that out later. That's it for now. I did arrange ahead of time (about 4 weeks ago) care for my pets and security for cars and property. Got all the bills paid up so I don't miss any payments while away. I did have a nightmare last night. I was on the plane, and it broke apart (it's always over the ocean for some reason... I guess it gives me a chance). I took my seat belt off and watched the plane break apart. I felt the fall and realized there was no chance. My last words were: "I Love You". And it was not directed to anyone in particular. I assume they were my last words. I like to think I grabbed onto a piece of the wing and glided to safety (by the way, that is why I took my seat belt off I assume!).

The fear goes away when you get on the plane. Everyone is nice and wants to get home safely too. The 10 hour flight is a long one! Last time I was delayed 2 hours! But I made it back safe. The coolest part of the flight is leaving New York City at night. That place is huge!

Well it's about time! The tickets finally have come in! There was a problem with my e-mail communication to the travel agent this week (the file size was too big for the travel agents e-mail, I think). It is a good idea to call the agency just after buying your tickets, so you know you have the tickets secured. I developed a new saying, "It's either Preparation or Preperation H". :)

I looked over the tickets and everything looks good. I am going! I have the opportunity to buy travel insurance now. I use www.TravelSafe.com and it is important for all to have something like this. If you have a medical emergency in another country, they will ask for your payment up front! And it isn't cheap! Also, it insures problems with the flight such as your plane being late, and causing you delays and cancellations. Many more items it insures, but please take my advice it is worth the price. The price...what is the price, yes? Mine will be around 79.00 dollars (USD).

There still is nothing else to report, except that I have been looking at a smart card or two for my camera. Usually I bring those instant cameras, I will bring one, but it is time consuming and expensive to have the photos put to disk in Ukraine. With the digital camera, the plan is to just upload them.... I better make sure that plan works! Take Care, Gary
PS I just got in some stamps with my pictures on them! Go to www.Stamps.com for more info if you want this too.

You are here

Soon, I will have to report all my findings, and take a lot of pics when I get to Yalta. The journey is often as fun as the arrival at the destination. If you are planning a trip somewhere in the world, I suggest you plan, but not overplan.

Please feel free to get your free songs at my web site www.SundayisFunday.com . Free only if you promise to tell 3 friends about my site.

Pics of the trip will be made soon! And posted right here!

Okay, today I finally have my flight itinerary, and it will be a short vacation pril 4 to April 12. Short because it takes about 20 - 24 hours to get all the flying and transfers done. Then the 1 hour and 30 minute taxi ride to Yalta.

My tickets cost me $1175.00 USD Not bad price for trip. I will be able to bring 2 bags to check in and one carry on (usually a laptop with extra pockets). At this time of year, my tour guide informs me that I can get hotel apartment for about 50 to 60 dollars per night. I'll take pics when I get there. You'll be amazed!

Okay, i will fax the info in and pay for these tickets (all done online). I talked with some of the girls (Alexandra, Valentina, Tanya, and Larissa just to name a few). I will meet more, and you will get the full report. Ladies, you will be mostly interested in the view of this exotic city. I'll try to convey my spectacular romantic abilities that will set you on fire right in front of your computer (I'm not liable).

Hello,

Well, I'm going back to Yalta this April. The last trip I blogged the people I met, and the things I did (www.SundayisFunday.com) to help the other travelers. I will blog this next trip starting now. It will prove useful as a way to prepare for a trip. And by the way, I think it will be useful for any trip overseas.

The Ukraine no longer requires a United Staes citizen to have a Visa. But You will need your passport, some other ID, and some bank cards (I prefer to use the ATM debit (mc\visa) card). I thought ahead from my last trip, and brought back to America some cash (Hrivnya: "Griv - Na"). Now when I land in Simferopol or Kiev, I have money for the airport and unforseen needs (like a taxi transfer to another airport when the plane lands at the wrong airport! It happened to me! Read the story on my other blog link at www.SundayisFunday.com (click "Yalta Tour 2005").

So, I have thought about my trip, and told the girl I was coming. Her name is Valentina. I will see her in Yalta, and maybe perhaps some other girls. My tour guide is named Tanya, and I secured her friendship in the last trip. She is a great person, and will be very valuable in my adventure into the city of Yalta, for the second time (She was indespensible the first time!).
I e-mailed my Travel Planner (for airline tickets). I scheduled my vacation, and as it turned out, the dates I took off do not exactly match the dates the airline leaves. I can either make adjustments to have a longer vacation or a shorte vacation. Since it is my second time, and I know I have the resources to go back, I will choose the shorter vacation (I like the "home" feeling).

At this point today, I am waiting for my Travel Agent (Barbara Barros working for www.GoToRussia.com : e-mail her only when you are ready to buy tickets at a very cheap rate...this will be my third time with her, the first time I also used this company to secure my Visa. I recommend them).

So, I will plan to be there the weekend from April 5 to April 10 (originally it looked as though I would be there from April 1 to April 10...you can only watch so much Russian TV without understanding one word in English!).

So, my trip will get more fun and more exciting as the vacation approaches. I will post pictures too (when possible). Which brings me to my next decision. If I stay at an apartment, it will be cheaper and I will have kitchen. Also, most importantly, the girls will not come to Hotel room (that is lie, but it is a huge obsyacle to work around). The problem I have with the apartment is that I need to be connected to the internet to write my blog and show pictures. The apartment does not have this feature yet. By the way, you probably won't need or like the kitchen anyways. Going to the store and finding food you recognize is not easy. Then when will you find the time to cook? You will mostly be taking girls out to restaurants and bars! (If your aim is to have a lot of sex, get the apartment, there I said it).

I think I will ask Tanya to set up the Hotel Oreanda, or Bristol. I will look on internet at these places, and decide. I do not need Tanya to make reservations for me, but I think it is wise for me to have local help (remember the airport is in Simferopol. 100 miles away from Yalta. It would not be good to trust hotel alone with my four wheel mountain adventure to Yalta.
WhatI have done today is to get a blank piece of paper, and write down two things I need to do soon. 1. Test my laptop computer to see if my camera works with it to send pictures to the blog. Take passcodes with you. I always send pics from the home computer, so this is why I need to test the laptop. 2. Decide which hotel Oreanda or Bristol. Write (email) Tanya and let her know.

Okay, That is it for now. I will post this blog to MySpace and to Blogger. My name is Gary, aka: the Compusician. I am an artist, musician, computer musician, singer, and an adventurer now I guess. I dream how fun it would be to travel the world, meet new girls and learn new customs. And then report my findings to the blog. Sort of an "insiders" view. If you are a TV producer reading this, contact me. If you are a girl alone in a country needing an American man to have as friend and to visit and learn, contact me (you can star in my blog). If you are you and have questions about trying adventures like these, contact me. When I have time, I will answer questions or find where the answers are!

Please note that I am a songwriter and poet too. So forgive me ahead of time when I display my talents (talents?). :)

I got my list, and I got my go....Here goes!!!

www.SundayisFunday.com email: TheCompusician@yahoo.com