With many different variables for dates, people, and locations we got our act together in time to put together a great time away from Kiev. Alex, Daria, and I boarded a train Wednesday afternoon and by Thursday morning we arrived in Simferopol. Alex explained to me that it is customary to drink on the train when leaving Kiev to wash the troubles away kind of thing. Well, Daria and I must not have completely filled Alex in on our plan not to drink for the duration of the travels, and I obliged him at the train station by getting one-half liter of beer for myself. He started with a liter at that point. Until he met the colonel that is. In our cabin the fourth was an army officer going for some purpose not explained to me or perhaps anyone. Anyway he shared Alex's sentiments percisely and the two of them happily drank together for a number of hours. Daria and talked while then got a good nights rest proving to be a wiser decision with as much weight as we were going to accustom ourselves too the following day. To his credit Alex didn't once complain about his state of being until some days later when he commented the first day was a bit tough.

We left the train and caught a Marchutca to the foot of the hill leading to the Red Caves. A Marchutca is one of the answers to the questions of public trasportation. There is a growing need for mass transportation, and in addition to the existing trolleybus lines and metros that exist in various cities; to this point, I think Kiev is the only city in Ukraine with a metro. So Marchutcas are 15 to 30 passenger vehicles that run on either the same route as other public transportation or they run on their own route. The cost from 50 Kopeks to 2.50 Hrynhia, depending on the length of the journey. They can drive between towns and are often quite fast as a way of transport. Many people like Alex, think buses and the metro are too crowded. Marchutcas are however more expensive, and all of these mentioned modes of transport are significantly cheaper than having a car. Gas prices are on the rise here also.

There we were looking up towards the Red Caves. We repacked our bags with the fresh fruit, meat, and bread we found in Simferopol and we began our trek into the mountains. The first weather report I heard was on our second to last day heading back into Simferopol and it was 22C or about 76. This was fortunately our weather for the entire week. We didn't check the weather before we left; I suppose this was figguring we couldn't do much about it anyway, or another thought would be that my company doesn't put a lot of effort into forethought. They don't know the answer to the occasional question that I assume people always know. I normally operate with a strong base of information day to day, but that has changed being here. I ask different questions, and I don't have the same concerns. With the thought that I won't melt when I get wet, and put more clothes on when I'm cold I've pretty much stopped worrying about the weather. That, and it has been fairly consistent here for the duration of my stay in Ukraine day to day. Over the last two months obviously it has gotten cooler, but it has gradually happened.

After enough time to build up a great sweat we fould ourselves looking at the fork in the road pointing to the Red Caves and in the other direction a waterfall. With the idea that we might go from the caves to a higher altitude we went for the waterfall first. In very unconventional American Style I donned my birthday suit for a refreshing friggid dip in the mountain water. This is something I can honestly say has been a cultural exchange. If people here are as judgemental as I always thought they were in the states, I've missed it. The first boating trip that I went on we were sailing along, and then it the time came to throw a line off the back and pull people along. One by one I watched the members of our company strip down and jump off the back. I was not so bold in this moment, and jumped in with my bathing suit on. When we got to the island that we were to camp on we all went swimming and the same thing happened. "Let's go swimming," announced, clothes off. So, while in Rome. I have begun to associate swimming with the absence of clothing. It's kind of nice not waiting for a bathing suit to dry...

After our wonderful dip we regathered ourselves and headed for the Red Caves. They were wonderful. The caves have been forming for many thousands of years, and the highlight of the venture inside the mountain was seeing the mushroom like formation, I cannot remember what the appropriate name for it is, stalagomite? It was naturally quite damp and cool in the cave, I'd say comfortable. After the caves we headed up the mountain in a rather strenuous path to find our first nights camp. It was really great to eat the BBQ meat we prepared that night. It was quite delicious...

I'll need to continue this at another point because the keyboard's shift button sticks every time I press it, and it is quite maddening. It's a little difficult to switch machines with such poor Russian. So, until then...