7 Km: the Container Market

This past weekend, Arun and I decided to go to the famous 7 KM Container Market. As the name would indicate- the market is located 7 km from the city of Odessa; a distance most locals consider way in the outskirts. Apparently, you can find ANYTHING in this marketplace- from hangers to leather coats to tweezers. Now, the reason it is called 'Container' market is because they literally take items out of shipping containers (see image below pulled from google images)

and then they sell them directly OUT of the shipping containers themselves. See image below from google (Sergei Leshchinsky)

On weekdays, the market is only for wholesalers. I imagine, people paying rent for actual stores in the city come out to the container market on these days, buy up goods and then quadruple the prices to offset the price of rent.

On weekends, however, the aisles teem with people. There are individuals with little carts selling hot tea and baked goods. And shoppers abound! (Now I know where they buy all that pleather!)

Here's some answers to questions I'd imagine you may have:

• Yes- there are a TON of knock-offs. And not nearly the cut-rate prices we saw in China
• It's mostly new items. But yes, there are also second-hand goods sold.
• No, there's really not too much haggling.
• Most of the containers are staffed by Ukrainians and Moldovans. Off to the sides we saw people from Arabic countries and Central Asia. They were more likely to haggle. They probably didn't have connections to actually get a container. And local Ukrainians tended to avoid them.
  

What was funny was that when I was hanging out with Mascha (from Arun's work); she couldn't believe we would venture out to 7km alone (and without knowing much Russian). She insisted on accompanying us since she had to buy a few items herself. She warned us of pickpockets, and looked genuinely worried for our well-being. Well, once we got there, Arun and I realized that it was a very familiar scene: much like Namdaemun in Korea, or the Silk Market in Beijing, or any alley in Benaras. As for communicating- well, that's where writing and punching buttons on calculators come in! So we really wouldn't have had trouble at all. Still it was a nice outing with our Ukrainian friends.

Oh, and we did buy a lot of great stuff :)

Crimea: Our last day

Our last day in Crimea comprised the Lavidia Palace; the aforementioned location of the famous Yalta Conference. This was where FDR and the American delegates stayed. We were able to tour all the important rooms: the room converted into FDR's bedroom, his room for entertaining visitors, and the famous rooms where he held discourse with Stalin. For all you history buffs, a quick recap: The "Big Three" met in February of 1945. The US was asking for Soviet support against Japan, and Stalin wanted a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.

Our final stop was a trip to Sebastopol. It’s an important military location and still houses Russian naval fleet (they are leasing until 2017). It’s also a scientific site with marine biology research (dolphins were going to be used for undersea operations by the USSR). The city is still very Russian and it is an autonomous municipality separate from the rest of Crimea. We toured the Panorama Museum and the Diorama Museum. This stuff was REALLY not my thing, but Arun ran around giddily taking pictures with anything Soviet.

We then went to the neighboring city Balaklava which is famous for its champagne. We were able to see the old submarine-repair areas and Arun seemed thrilled. And that pretty much sums up our tour of the Crimea!
Back to Odessa! Leave me suggestions for topics (in the comments)!

Crimea Continued...

Our second day in Crimea comprised our day-trip to Bakhchisaray; the center of the Crimean Tatars. Arun was mostly interested in seeing the Old Fort; and we realized the most affordable way of going would be to join a Russian Tour Group. Only problem, of course, was that our lovely tour guide prattled for an hour and half in Russian while we sat uncomprehendingly. We were relieved to finally get out of the van until Arun realized, much to his dismay that we were let off at the foot of the mountains! In order to see the remants of the Old Turkish Fort we had to hike for about an hour and half to the pinnacle!

It was easy to get over it, because it was a gorgeous day, and of course incredibly scenic.
Here I am at the top!

On the route back down the mountains we ran into this amazing monastery, carved into the cliffs. It's called the Uspensky Cave Monastery and was founded by Byzantine Monks from 7th-9th centuries.

We were then taken to the 16th Century Khan Palace: The property is maintained by Turkey in conjunction with Ukraine. The king fell in love with one of the Polish girls from his harem and married her. When she died, he was so distraught that he commissioned a fountain that would forever 'weep' as he had. (And yes, Arun bought a Turkish hat)

So that's the end of the second day! One last installment of our Crimea trip!

November 3, 2008: Crimea

We’re back from our trip to Crimea, and I can’t wait to show this side of Ukraine, because so few people would realize how scenic and temperate and gorgeous it is (I didn’t know either.) We took an overnight train into Simferapol and then went to Yalta; which is a great ‘base camp’ for a lot of sight-seeing. There are amazing palaces, old Turkish forts, monasteries built into the mountains and scenic beaches. We could not have chosen a better season to go because the fall colors reminded me of Tuscany. Oh, and there are vineyards galore!

Our drive to Yalta was incredibly scenic. It's about an hour and half from Simferapol through the mountains and the city of Yalta is nestled along the coast of the Black Sea and the Crimean Mountains.

Yalta used to be an exclusive resort city of the Tsars and aristocrats. Lenin, turned the city into a retreat for the proletariats which is why there are 'sanatoria' in the city. However, the high prices has generally kept the city as a place for the 'nouveau riche' to frolic.

Tolstoy and Chekhov had residencies in Yalta.

Of course, Yalta is also known for the Yalta Conference when the "Big Three" came together in 1945 setting an agenda for governing Post-War Germany (and other issues/agenda for the UK, US and USSR)

The history of the Crimean region is fascinating because it has gone through so many hands: Greeks, Mongols, Ottomans and then Russians. Arun's favorite word during our trip was "Tatar" because he thought it was funny. Tatars are an ethnic minority that was expelled from the region by Stalin. They still make up about 13% of the population.

Our three day weekend was jam-packed (of course!). I'll cover our first day on this post. We spent it enjoying Yalta, and we took a trip out to the Swallow's Next castle and Vorontsov Palace.

This is the boardwalk/ seaside promenade in Yalta: (yes, that is Arun with a statue of Lenin)

We then took in some of the sights of Yalta. There is a famous church: the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

We then took a cable car with Arun freaking out about Russian engineering the whole time. He insisted that the cable cars had probably not been maintained since the 1980's and that it was a huge mistake to get on them. These are from that little adventure (you can see his forced smile.)

After our adventures, we headed off to the Swallow's Nest castle. It was built by a German baron who made his money drilling oil in Baku. A Russian architect built it in this neo-Gothic style. It is built on top of the Aurora Cliff and is pretty spectacular. You can see why it's called the "Swallow's Nest" because of the way it is perched on top of the cliff (40 m above sea level).

Finally, our last stop for the day was the Vorontsov Palace, also known as the Alupka Palace. The whole thing is an extravagant mixture of Scottish and neo-Moorish styles; with Islamic- style minarets and mosaic tiles on one of its entrances. It's also surrounded by an incredible park with trees flown in from all over the world.

October 30th, 2008: Transportation

Transportation. Here’s an interesting topic; though you may not think so initially. One of the most effective means of transport here is the “marshutka” or the bus. They are these little yellow buses that seat approx 20 or so individuals. They only cost 2 gryvna and you need not find a bus stop. You just have to stand along the street of the bus route and flag it down. It’s really very convenient. I think we ought to do away with timetables and bus stops and follow this system because it makes things a lot easier!
Another means of transport are the many tram lines that are all over the city. I haven’t really tried this yet; but Arun tells me they are heavily subsidized at just 50 kopeks!

There are, of course, cars (as I’ve previously discussed); BUT the interesting thing is that you don’t have to own one to have the convenience of one. Let’s say you get tired of waiting for a marshutka. Well, no worries, simply stand at the side of the road- stick your arm out and wait for a car to pull over. Usually the X5’s don’t stop- but within seconds a car will pull over next to you. This is called the ‘gypsy taxi.’ Essentially, a car-owner who’s willing to give a hitchhiker a lift for a small charge. It’s VERY convenient! Being that you’re a foreigner, some will try to take advantage and charge 50 gryvna, but you can pretty much get any where in the city for about 20 gryvna ( less than $4.) Most of them just drive and drop you off where you direct them. Others try to play English music and practice their language skills on you. It’s the way to go! Actual taxis are a huge rip-off, so this is a win-win for passengers and drivers who get to earn a few bucks.

Arun and I have enjoyed the company car and driver- Vova. I know people think the lack of system here would make driving incredibly difficult; but I really have faith in Arun. I think he could do it. He’s driven in Mexico City, Peru, Jordan and Israel! We’ll probably rent a car for some of our little trips. We’re going to be heading out for a little weekend getaway to Crimea soon. And I’m sure we’ll drive to Moldova, Kiev and maybe even Belarus and Romania. Adventures await!

October 29th, The Food

Arun would probably be upset if I didn’t discuss food/ restaurants of Odessa. The city has quite the multitude of restaurants. My first meal here was Thai (if you know Arun, you wouldn’t be surprised.) There are plenty of Chinese and Italian places; and of course McDonalds. There is quite a bit of Turkish food here- a lot of shwarma stands; much to Arun’s pleasure. There is also a lot of good sushi available, surprisingly. There are, as well, some disappointments. Arun has not been able to find a dim sum place and this has driven him to conversations about returning to the States immediately just to satiate his craving. We tried a vegetarian Indian restaurant that was awful (potatoes with turmeric…then covered with cheese.)
Restaurants also seem to have pretty rapid turnover and what is here one day may disappear the next.

Finding restaurants aren’t the problem; the struggle tends to be with reading the menu. We wind up at certain restaurants over and over because they have English menus and for that convenience alone, we are willing to limit our experiences. Once my Russian picks up a bit more, I’ll begin to venture out. I just don’t want to wind up with meat on my plate on accident!

One thing we’ve learned is that Ukrainians don’t eat much. It really must be because they have so little disposable income; because all we ever see them do in restaurants is smoke. Every once in awhile they order some coffee; but mostly they smoke. We come home with cigarette smoke all over our clothes; ad that is one of the biggest aggravations of living in Europe. Locals spend hours in restaurants talking and lighting-up; and generally not eating.

Arun and I like the portion sizes here a lot though. They’re the ‘right’ size and not the oversized portions we Americans are normally used to. The reality is that eating out is a luxury in this country. There’s really no “middle-class” restaurants. There’s pretty much fine dining (prices that make us cringe) or very low-brow places to grub (places that make us cringe); and nothing in between.

Anyway, that’s pretty much it with food.

October 28th, 2008: The Sights

I suppose I should cover the main ‘sights’ of Odessa. Well, one of the main attractions is the opera house- which I’ve already posted a couple of pictures of. What you don’t know is that on weekends, there are at least 8 or 9 wedding photography sessions that occur in front of the opera house. It’s crazy! There are limos everywhere and brides in their white dresses prancing around the fountains and steps in front of the opera house.

Odessa also hosts gorgeous churches. There are mostly Eastern Orthodox churches, and the architecture is simply beautiful. And much like all parts of Europe- you just run into them during walks about town.

There are, however, buildings that are in a sad state of dis-repair. It’s a reminder of the magnificence of Odessa, as it once was. Odessa, once called the “Paris of the East” has been neglected since the fall of the USSR. And there are buildings that still have shrapnel holes in them. However, you can also tell how amazing the city once was and as you walk the city you can see all the influences in its architecture: there is certainly a Parisian flavor, Greek touches along with Russian and even Turkish influences.

I’ll end with one of the most famous Odessa sights: the Potemkin Steps. They’re supposed to be an architectural marvel, because when you look down the flights, the steps disappear and you can only see the major landings. It is has 192 steps.