Adventures in Subcarpathia

We have had such a good experiences last year, so we have decided that we will return in the summer. I have started to organize the trip, travelling and accomodation and so on. When the time had come, and on the long-awaited morning three of us from the original team met at the "Nyugati" Railway Station. There was a train service, which had been going to Chop (ukrainian border) and have taken us to the east. So have taken off to the train, took our seats,  expanded our beer and  the malt slided down in our throat. That was going on the next 3-4 hours. Until we have stopped at Záhony, where Hungary ended. We bought the tickets to Chop, which is one stop from Záhony, the Hungarian Customs officers didn't care about us, after passport control we took off to the train again which have passed the border with only one wagon and a diesel machinery hauled over to Ukraine. After the whistle the train left the station slowly. The field ended in an embankment and we have glimpsed the river Tisza. Above the railway bridge there was an old overpass where were going on patrol a border guard whith a german shepherd dog. I have seen another guards on the shore of the Tisza, who prevented the illegal border crossing. We have passed by the blue-yellow striped border pillar, which means: we have entered into Ukraine. Then followed another overpass with another soldiers which wore "service cap" and German Shepherd dogs supervised the border. Just like we stepped back in time 20 years. Rusty iron recycle ranch, poor-quality tracks, and houses in ruin. we arrived slowly to the station of Chop, where the reception committee were 4-5 uniformed border guards, and two not such a friendly dogs. They showed the direction, which way to go. We got in a small hall with banners which provide information to newly arrived at the border crossing points.

 

After completing forms and showing documents we have shown our bags, and we could enter the country. When we exited from the waiting room, we were attacked by a group of people. Do we need Grivnya (ukranian money)? Do we have a train ticket to return? Essentially the retour ticket wich was bought in the Hungarian station is so cheap but it's valid only for the next 5 days. If you will return more then five days, or you won't return, you also can buy the retuor ticket in Hungary, and you can sell on a good price at the ukrainian border. Everyone wins, because the one-way ticket is very expensive to Záhony at station Chop. If you want to go back, you can do the same thing (trying to buy retour ticket from the arrivals). After leaving the station we haven't got further plan, because there isn't any information about ukranian bus timetables on the internet. So we looked around whether wich bus goes towards Mezővári (Вари). The taxi driver immediately said, nope, still don't go to the near of it. Let's take a taxi, it's the most practical. If we had been dull tourists we would have been deceived, but it was not that case. A nice old lady informed me that we can reach Mezővári via Munkacs and Beregszász where we have to change buses. We had to wait for the bus, so I've expanded a barrel of beer (5 litre). Although there wasn't written departure time, but when the bus was fully filled by people, and you can't move on the bus, that was the real departure time.