Winter holidays in the Carpathians
Finally got around to describing our short winter trip. Despite the fact that I have lived in Ukraine almost all my life, I have been to the Carpathians a couple of times, and even then on the way: once at a young age with my parents in the winter on the way to Chisinau (then the USSR was still great and powerful) and for several years back, after a trip to the Pochaev Monastery, we raced on the way back along the mountain roads. And that's it. This trip was planned back in the fall and they chose the Yaremche, Bukovel area. A prerequisite is skiing, sledding, etc. - a winter vacation is a winter vacation, we did not plan to take fins and masks with us. Moreover, I was skiing at the age of 6, and you can call it skiing with a big stretch: so, rather, a child's toy.
By the end of January, we prepared ski suits.
In parallel with this, a reconnaissance survey was conducted of acquaintances who managed to please themselves in the current period of time with a winter Carpathian holiday in the area of our possible stay about hotels, prices, food, travel, etc.
During the period of collecting the necessary information, the opinions of the advisers were divided almost equally - some said that there was no need to bother, you would arrive and find a place of residence in a couple of hours, at the same time, another group of comrades categorically insisted that the hotel should be booked in advance, since we are going at the end of February, they say it is high season, there are a lot of people, and if we don’t think about choosing a place of residence in advance, we can stay under a beautiful starry mountain sky and the inconvenience that has arisen will be brightened up by a beautiful branch quietly swaying above our overnight stay in the forest pine or smereka, strewn with beautiful winter snow.
Having imagined all the beauty of this moment, especially the possible visit to our camp under a pine tree by some forest inhabitant of the Carpathian Mountains, who is not cheerful at night and wants something or someone to eat at night looking and not quite understanding what, in principle , eating at night is not recommended and even harmful, and also given many other things, we called several places and stopped at the Oberig recreation center in Vorokhta. Received an advance payment of 20% of the total amount. The cost of living was 200 UAH / day without meals. Total 5600 UAH. during the week.
Next, the usual procedure is a list of what you need to take with you, packing bags and packages.
— Our route Nikolaev-Odessa in comparison with it is an American highway.
Having settled down at the tail of some kind of truck in a column consisting of a string of both cars and trucks, several tens of kilometers trudged at a speed of 30-40 km / h before they managed to overtake the head of the column and go a little faster, as far as the coating allowed. The same terrible condition of the road surface and on the Vinnitsa-Khmelnitsky section. Not very different, but slightly better, the section between Khmelnitsky, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk. The total length of the journey was reflected in the speedometer and amounted to 960 km. Expecting something similar from the road, even before leaving home, they decided not to philosophize craftily and not tempt fate - to stop for the night, which was done after Khmelnitsky. As you understand, I drove along the main roads, so to speak, of regional importance, as I hoped that their condition should be better than less significant roads.
Subsequently, on the way back, I realized that I was wrong, as I laid a route through the villages and was surprised that the roads of lesser importance were not so broken. Well, God bless them, with the roads, we are already approaching our destination - mountains covered with snow, forests and streams, calmly flowing into the plains, appeared in the windows. We flew past Yaremcha, Tatariv, drove into Vorokhta. This small town is not particularly different from other Carpathian villages. Houses scattered on both sides of the road, mostly made of wood, endless Hutsul fences made of poles, narrow roads between houses, often crossed by streams. The navigator in Vorokhta took us somewhere in the wrong direction, we had to get target designation from the hotel administrator.
Having strayed a little along the paths and realizing that no one here bothers much in terms of removing snow from them and applying anti-icing mixtures, focusing on the signs glued to the poles, we finally drove into the small courtyard of the hotel.
" Before us appeared several buildings from a log house, quite nice. Three two-story houses were used for tourists as a hotel, and in one one-story building there was an administrative building, also known as a dining room. We were met by the administrator Darina, a pleasant girl, she quickly told and arranged everything, and led us to our rooms. We took two double rooms on the second floor. In the room, as in ordinary hotels, nothing more. TV, bed, wardrobe, bedside table, bathroom with shower. Everything is clean and tidy.
However, there were some points that we realized a little later. Even I will say this - we were just lucky that during the week we settled in another room on the floor twice a day. Once it was two young skiers who came from Ternopil to participate in training, the second time two young people who came from Ternopil, it is not clear for what purpose, but with whom they had to negotiate at two in the morning in order to calm down after influencing their growing organisms of high-grade alcoholic drinks, drunk by them somewhere outside the hotel. In short - there is simply no sound insulation. The builders either simply did not know about it or forgot about it. Thanks to this, on the second day I could already skillfully determine the direction of the sound source, its origin and the brain instantly assessed the situation in order to work out subsequent measures to localize and stop it. Separately, I will say about the doors.
The artisans who made these doors are probably not familiar with the general physical laws of nature, which say about the drying out of wood. In short, in each door there were gaps the size of a little finger, where a thicker finger. This was especially striking in the evening, when everything around was enveloped in darkness and the light in the room was turned off. Because of the lamp in the corridor, the door took on a frightening look, translucent in several places with curved lines and as if saying - you will not hide behind me, no matter how hard you try. Like the beams of a spotlight, beams of light cut through our room, drawing unpretentious patterns on interior items. After a while, we got used to it and no longer bothered much with this inconvenience.
However, let's not paint everything in gloomy colors, because besides this, this hotel had other positive aspects.
As it turned out, the hotel has two own vats, a steam room and a steam barrel, which allowed us, almost without leaving the house, to indulge in bodily pleasures, taking procedures. It was necessary to order a vat a day in advance, as this type of recreation is in high demand among tourists. In total, in seven days we bathed and steamed in vats twice. I will tell you about vats a little further in more detail, in accordance with the chronology of our stay in the Carpathians. Also, an undoubted advantage was the presence in the neighborhood of "Kolyba" (the local name of a cafe or restaurant, as anyone likes, who is interested in the history of this word - the place of habitation of the Hutsuls who grazed cattle in the meadows, round in shape with a fire in the middle), where we repeatedly tasted the dishes of the chef chefs are both local and quite familiar and ordinary. More on this later.
After all the organizational arrangements for the settlement, we headed to the ski track, located about 600-800 meters from Vorokhta itself. The administrator of the base where we stayed, Darina, gave us the phone number of the skiing instructor Volodya, who, in her words, will put us on skis in just a couple of hours and after his lessons we will be able to do things on the slopes that even eminent ski slope masters will be ineffective. It turned out to be a big exaggeration, but at that moment in time, we wanted to believe in a miracle. On the territory of the track, we found an unsightly wooden hut with the inscription "Ski equipment rental", chock-full of this very equipment. Rental price: "Ski set (boots, poles, skis, helmet - 130 UAH, children - 80 UAH, snowboard - 100 UAH)".
After answering the ski keeper's questions about our weight, foot size and height, each of us received our own skis with sticks and boots, which immediately aroused my distrust with their size and weight. With the help of a service worker, we managed to put on ski boots and, with difficulty moving our feet on the slippery snow, holding skis and sticks in our arms, we, to the best of our ability, went to the place of our meeting with the skiing guru - instructor Vladimir. At this time, Vladimir was finishing another lesson with the same "ski masters" at the foot of the slope and happily told us the price - 200 UAH per person per hour of training. Quickly considering that it will cost us 800 UAH. (since as many as 4 people came with me as future ski masters) I already reached into my wallet for money, but then a few more students drove up to us and Volodya solemnly announced a price reduction of 50 UAH.
from each, due to the increase in the number of our group. In total, we gave 600 UAH. per hour of training. Having shown how to put skis on boots and having instructed on the observance of safety measures during training and skiing, he began the theoretical and practical development of the "Plow" technique, in his words the most important thing in skiing and in life in general. After some time, we began to gradually assimilate the technique, but for some reason not by everyone, which irritated the instructor. Skis confidently did not want to go where it was necessary, but purposefully strove in the opposite direction and, as luck would have it, in the direction of trees or a ravine. The thoughts that it was like riding a bicycle or driving a car have gone somewhere far away - once it worked out and that's it, away we go.
Since we try to taste local food on every trip, we decided not to deviate from this rule here in the Carpathians. As it turned out, the traditional Hutsul food is not very diverse, due to the lack of fertile soil in this area and, accordingly, the inability of the inhabitants to grow crops that are familiar to us, southerners. For breakfast, in the nearest "Kalyba" we ordered the widely advertised Hutsul porridge made from cornmeal - "Banosh". Banosh is an everyday dish that often appears on the tables of Western Ukraine. At home, in the Rakhiv region, they even hold a festival dedicated to banosh. They also say that the name “banosh” came from the name of one person. Since ancient times, this dish was considered the food of the poor, it was prepared when there was only a little sour cream left (almost everyone had sheep and cows) and a little corn grits.
Now, not a single kolyba and not a single feast in the national Hutsul style can do without a banosh. There are several types of traditional banosh - with sheep cheese, with cracklings and with porcini mushrooms. But the basis is the same for all. We tried banosh in several places, but did not understand the reasons for its popularity and decided not to order it anywhere else during our stay in the Carpathians. We also tried other dishes: bograch, Hutsul chanakhi, Polonynsky yushka with mushrooms, Hutsul cabbage, Hutsul kulesha. Bograch was especially disappointed, something in between stewed potatoes and borscht. As it turned out later, high-profile names remained just names, we didn’t feel anything remarkable, and my wife came to a deep conviction that Hutsuls, alas, don’t know how to cook.
Subsequently, the proposals of the waiters of one or another "Kalyba" to order Hutsul dishes were politely refused, opting for dishes familiar to us. After breakfast we went horseback riding through the winter forest. With a delay of 10 minutes, the sleigh was served. Two horses, despite the early hour, were already all in the soap. According to the coachman, the horses had been working since early morning dragging fallen trees in the forest and were "a little wet. " The price of skiing was 400 UAH. /hour. There was enough time to ride, take pictures in the forest and get an unforgettable experience. On the way, the groom languidly kept up the conversation, inclining the conversation to political topics, which we did not particularly support.
Having examined several beautiful places - the railway bridge, built during the Austro-Hungarian rule here, breathing in the frosty forest air, we returned to the hotel satisfied, where we changed into ski clothes and set off to improve our skills on the Vorokhta track. Having skied enough, on inflatable buns in the evening we went to warm ourselves in a heated vat of mineral water and forest herbs steamed in it. Next to the tub, they found a wooden barrel-shaped bathhouse, which was heated and in our case served as a dressing room. The temperature of the water in the vat was 50 degrees, the water temperature was maintained by a fire built under the vat. In general, a complete association with an old Russian fairy tale and a strong impression that Baba Yaga is wandering somewhere nearby. Well, where else can you offer yourself to the broth)))).
A little further away are two wooden barrels of cold water for immersion after a hot vat. During the preparation of the vat procedure, the ambient temperature was -50 C, which shaded the water temperature well. Having warmed up in a vat, alternating this with immersion in a barrel of ice water, looking at the starry sky above our heads, at that moment we seemed to understand what true bliss is...
Yes, please take into account a small point when visiting such vats. Don't hesitate to check. The tub must be washed by the staff, and the water drained and changed after the previous bathers (the cost of the procedure for one hour is 400 UAH, if you order 2 hours, then 600 UAH. One hour was enough for us. )
The next morning we started with an interrogation of the administrator, “What else do you have interesting besides skiing? ? ? ".
Having received an exhaustive answer from Darina and calling the phones provided to her, I managed to understand my schedule for a couple of days in advance. I had to take into account the requirements of the female half of our group to get some time to rest and recuperate, spent on skis for two days. So for this day, a morning walk through the winter forest on foot is planned, using photo and video equipment to document))) the whole process, followed by its clarification to relatives and friends. After lunch - departure to Bukovel, this mecca of lovers of winter skiing and snowboarding, an island of visible well-being against the backdrop of a war-wounded and reformed Motherland. After wandering through the forest for several hours, taking a lot of photos, having dinner with Hutsul dishes, we went to Bukovel. From Vorokhta it is about 15-20 km.
The road there, to this seemingly fashionable place, was partially damaged, which made it impossible to calmly drive a car, but constantly forced me to make rotational movements with my hands and pressing my legs. The road kept in good shape and did not allow to relax. Passing two or three-story cottages, we finally taxied into a five-story car park, at the entrance to which the parking meter issued a ticket, and the inscription next to it said the price of staying in the parking lot - 50 UAH. regardless of time. When looking for a place for a car on the second tier, I had to spin for about 10 minutes, since there were a lot of iron horses that delivered their owners. Having coped with the parking and went down to the street, we found ourselves directly on the territory of the ski resort, where their own laws reigned - the laws of skiing and mountain slopes. Here it is Bukovel! ! ! The dream of many skiers both in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Or maybe not a dream, but grief (more on that later). He met us with a crowd of skiers of at least 100 people, patiently waiting for their turn on the lift to go up the mountain, and then ski (or snowboard) down, then up, then down, and so on all the time with a break for meals or refreshments ( warming drinks. A little about the prices that just shouted from the billboards and urged them to take pictures. On New Year and Christmas holidays, they were certainly cooler, but now, at the end of February, they also aroused surprise, although people did not bathe and bought, bought... So: tea 30 UAH, mulled wine - 45 UAH, cappuccino - 45 UAH, coffee - 30 UAH, roll (no matter what) - 110 UAH, Hamburg - 95 UAH, hot dog - 75 UAH. While we were not going to eat, we immediately went to the lift for people like us - without skis. Nearby, at the box office, they bought a travel pass, called a skate pass here, for one climb for one person it costs 105 UAH.
, curious one descent - 250 UAH. I did not delve into the prices for skate passes, those who are interested in prices can go to the Bukovel website at any time and ask the price. The ascent to the mountain went smoothly, without any complications for us. However, from an almost bird's-eye view, I was surprised at what I saw - a skier rushes down the slope with a whoop, knocking everyone and everything in his path, then somersaulting and again getting on his skis, continues to descend to the foot of the mountain. And this I saw not one or even two. This caused me slight confusion and, as it turned out later, not in vain. I saw a stretcher on skis, and working rescuers dragging injured skiers, and tears, and smiles. Everything was mixed up, joy overshadowed grief, but since there was more joy, it overshadowed grief and tears. In the evening, already in the room, I mentally returned to this topic and tried to find on the Internet any data and figures on the injured in Bukovel.
I didn't find them, they just don't exist. I came across a small report from a group of guys who tried to find out the true statistics of this problem a couple of years ago - they also could not get anything from the health authorities, the police (police), the prosecutor's office, wherever they turned. It all ended with the fact that they stood near the injury point in Bukovel and counted the victims delivered to it. And what, you ask, what is the result? . Answer: they counted 200 people in one day, TWO Hundred! . Of course, this figure includes everyone - with dislocations, bruises, fractures, bruises, everyone who received primary medical care (who wants to find it on the Internet). Are people dying there? Yes, they die, yes, every year and almost every day, and not one or even two. This is the price of carelessness, the price of self-confidence, the price of unpreparedness, the price of bragging, well, just the price of chance.
Did I see drunks skiing there - yes, I saw, moreover, I saw how drunk with whooping and screaming rushed down the snowy track. What I saw quickly sobered me up and reduced my romanticism, forcing me to look at mountain skiing from a completely different angle, with a completely different perception of reality. And even if you become a great skiing professional, nothing guarantees that on such a very poorly protected track, some drunken Vasya will not crash into you to death. Well, okay, I said what I wanted, who wanted to hear me. Everyone lives by his own mind, he makes his own decision.
After wandering around the top of some mountain, looking around and taking a lot of beautiful photos, we went back to the parking lot.
Even in Bukokel Prices, I reliably known, I can say that on the same week there was resting and actively engaged in skis by my friend, from his words, they shot housing in 1.5 km from the tracks for 850 UAH.
per day without food.
The next day we had an excursion to Verkhovyna, to the Hutsul village. We paid 200 UAH. per person and set off. On the way, the guide, a Hutsul, 30 years old, in the Zapadensky dialect (please tell me! ! ! : ): )))) shared information about life in the Hutsul region, some interesting stories and sights. So, along the way, we learned that many households pour sewage received from their daily activities directly into the river, which has recently turned into a sewage sump. Residents of Bukovel and Yaremche are especially engaged in this. About the fact that houses are heated with firewood, even five-story ones, there are very big problems with water supply, etc. In Verkhovyna, we visited the Hutsul hut, the owner of which, an elderly native Hutsul woman Anna, spoke about the process of cheese production, showed the life of the Hutsuls.
Then we listened to an interesting story of the molfar, then listened to the performance of the mistress of the museum of musical instruments of the Hutsul region and tried the beer of the Verkhovyna brewery. In all museums, the cost of an entrance ticket was 25 UAH. / people, which, you see, is acceptable. The only place we couldn't get to was the house in which director Parajanov lived, during the filming of the film "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors", the owner of the house-museum left and there was no one to open the house. Looking ahead, I’ll say that upon arrival home, I found this film on the Internet and reviewed it again. I do not advise anyone to repeat. Very mediocre. Maybe very deep, something was buried there ...., but .... -I did not find.
I also want to touch on the mentality of the locals - they are completely different, very different from the southern population. Both positive and negative traits. Negative, I will not touch. And from the positive, this one caught my eye.
Everywhere we have been, small chapels (such churches) have been built, which provide access to any person around the clock. Anyone passing by can come in to pray, talk to God. And what is strange - they do not steal. The majority of the population are Catholics, God-fearing people who sacredly honor church holidays and traditions. Passing by one of the caplets, one involuntarily burst out: “In half an hour, the icons and statues of saints would already be sold in the market, and the fence was handed over to the scrap metal collection point. ” But there is NO, really NO. The main inconvenience in terms of theft to local residents is delivered by stray thieves, but they mostly (according to locals) "work" in parking lots, where careless tourists can leave something in the car.
The rest of the time was spent skiing, sledding, walking in the forest. Nothing extraordinary happened.
I will say that for me a week in the Carpathians is a lot, five days is just right. On my next trip to Western Ukraine, I will try to count on a maximum of five days.
In the evening, before leaving, I looked at the return route and decided that it was not an option to drive along the main roads, I had already hooted along them and the state of the coating did not cause delight. The owner of the hotel recommended a route through Lviv, further to Kyiv, and then along the highway to Odessa, but after looking at the map, I realized that a 180-230 km detour was not an option. Therefore, after interviewing local bus drivers, we drove back through Kolomyia to Vinnitsa, which was shorter in mileage, and the roads between small settlements were not in such a terrible state. In total, we drove home 853 km, without breaks, taking into account only sanitary stops.
Summing up my story, we can say that in general our trip brought a lot of positive emotions.
We saw the beauty of the Carpathian forests covered with snow, learned a lot of interesting things, met new people. So I wish you all good travels and unforgettable emotions. Good mood to you all.
