ProBargainHunter.com

I might be out of the country but I am not away from the news. Here is a roundup of what caught my eye over the past week.

Craigsnumber changes domain name to Numbr.com

Graigsnumber, a free service offering users temporary phone numbers in the US, has added features and renamed itself to Numbr. The company is one of several offering voice related productivity services I reviewed in the past. They are in direct competition with PrivatePhone, a free service by NetZero.

Twenty money saving Firefox extensions

One reason to use Firefox over InternetExplorer is the huge number of plugins that enhances the browser functionality. SavingAdvice has compiled a list of 20 plugins for Firefox that will help you save money. I specifically like the Deal Alerts group with WootWatcher, UpdateScanner, and FatCash.

Language translation tool from Google

Google Word is a new addition to the suite of tools from Google (Wikipedia has a comprehensive list of all projects that Google currently runs). The tool translates your word to several languages of your choice and lists several related sentences highlighting how the word can be used in content. If you just want to check the word usage (w/o translation), typing in Google search “define:” followed by the desired word does the trick.

Free uncensored image hosting from PirateBay

This was speculated for some time and now the service has come to life and is available to everyone. With BayImg you can host files up to 100 MByte in size. No registration is required. Another similar service is AllYouCanUpload from CNet and Divshare, a file hosting service I personally used many times.

Google to buy GrandCentral

Techcrunch spreads the word that Google is looking to acquire GrandCentral, the VoIP service I have come to like very much.

I have been flooded with questions ever since I wrote my first blog post about my trip. This is my attempt to catch up with answers. Before I start, here are some latest highlights from my life in Ukraine. The bright side: I am invited to attend a wedding party this weekend. I will make a blog post just about it. The dark side: we are fighting the red tape to renew my wife’s Ukrainian passport so we can leave the country in 3 weeks. The summer travel season jacks up the demand and the hurdles we have to go through are unbelievable.

1) What is the cost of a gallon of gasoline? In what country are most of the cars in Ukraine manufactured? What would be the price of a new car?

A gallon of gasoline is approximately $3-4 depending on grade. The cars are a mix of different brands. If you consider the entire country, most are probably Russian made Lada’s. Here in the city however it is a mix of Korean, German, and Japan brands. Several years ago the Ukrainian car automaker AutoZaz signed an agreement with Korean Daewoo which allowed the Korean company manufacture and sell cars in Ukraine. As the result Korean cars are probably the second largest group right now if you count new car sales. The average Daewoo sold by AutoZaz costs between $10,000 and $15,000 with some more expensive models. Other imported brands can cost more, often much more than in the US or Europe since the price includes 10% tariff and reseller costs/profit. Also, the government recently raised tariff on used cars to 30% which adds to the price of the recently imported cars as well. Nevertheless the number of cars and their variety is astonishing. As mentioned in one of earlier comments, many people lost their savings in the past. The instability and hyper inflation of 90’s has tremendously influenced the lifestyle of an average Ukrainian. A sad thing I heard today, the pension age in Ukraine is higher than the median life expectancy for a Ukrainian male.

2) What would be the cost to stay for a night in a decent hotel (with private bathroom)? What about staying in a guest house or a private home? Is this easy to do, and what might be the cost for this alternative? (Lucky you–to have friends and inlaws with whom you can stay!)

Tourist industry is very underdeveloped in Kharkiv. The situation is probably different in Kiev since it is the capital but I can’t say for sure. The room in a decent hotel in the city center is $50-75. If you have contacts, or if you speak Russian, you can get a room in a private furnished apartment for as low as $10-15. Some agencies recently started offering rooms commercially and I can look up a few phone numbers in Kharkiv if you really need it. Some of those agencies may speak English.

3) How much of the Ukrainian population carries a cell phone? Is it still common to see telephone booths or are they disappearing as is the situation in the US? How much does it cost to make a local telephone call at a phone booth?

I have asked around if anyone knows how much is a call from a phone booth and it took me a while before I found out. Apparently none of my friends uses them any more. Cell phones are very popular and probably ever other person in Kharkiv carries one these days. This certainly doesn’t apply to the regions. A minute from a phone booth costs around $0.02. The phones are card operated with cards sold at UkrTelecom branches around the city and in the subway. I have embedded a picture of a phone booth not far from my house.

4) What is the cost to mail a letter locally and internationally (say, to the US)?

A letter to the US is around $1, a letter mailed within Ukraine is less than $0.2. A postal mail parcel to the US is around $7 / lb.

5) This is something I hope you do not need during your stay, but what is the cost of some common (prescription) medications which are so expensive here in the States? Do you need a prescription to buy drugs at a pharmacy? (I was so surprised to discover in Mexico that no prescription was required. Anyone could walk into a pharmacy & buy anything, and the drugs were MUCH cheaper there.)

Many typical prescription drugs are freely available in drug stores in Ukraine. Antibiotics are from $1 for penicillin to $10-15 for more sophisticated brands. Many cardio related pills can be bought for around $10 as well. As I was told, only the drugs that require extra caution (can potentially lead to lethal outcome) require prescription.

6) I am not a smoker, but I am wondering, are cigarettes much cheaper in Ukraine? Is smoking permitted in public places & restaurants?

Cigarettes are MUCH cheaper in Ukraine. The brands I recognize are Marlboro ($0.6 / pack) and Camel (around $1 / pack). I was told however that these cigarettes are locally made out of Turkish tobacco and the quality is different. The content of nicotine and oils is higher and they are not as mild and lack the aroma of American equivalents.

7) Are there long lines of people waiting to conduct business or make purchases in most places, such as at the bank, post office or in the grocery store, or does the line move quickly as in the US?

There are no lines. Period. Most places you have to pay at are private organizations and they are doing a great job streamlining the operations. At every restaurant I went I was served withing 2-3 minutes. Every grocery store had the longest line of 2-3 people.

Are stores open long hours for the convenience of the customers, as in the US? (For example, are there 24-hour grocery stores & restaurants?) Also, have fast-food restaurants & Western chains (McDonald’s, Starbucks, etc.) invaded Ukraine yet? What is the average cost of a cup of coffee?

Lunch breaks are a thing from the past. Grocery stores are open long hours with many big chains open 24 hours. The bank I use is open from 8:30am till 7pm, no lunch break. If a bank has a branch in a grocery or department store then the branch is open till 10pm (or whenever the store closes). There are several McDonald’s in the city (there was just one in 1995). I have not seen a single Starbucks though. A cup of Coffee is around $1. You won’t be seeing a typical American kind here. All coffee is Espresso style in a small ceramic cup. I just heard the news that the first Starbucks was recently opened in Kiev. Where do you think? Near the US embassy.

9) I am really enjoying the photos as well. Pictures of any of the following would be appreciated: the house or apartment where you are staying, a typical mailbox, phone booth, grocery store, department store, post office, different modes of transportation–a tram, a taxi, etc.

There are no mailboxes as such in the area I live. The postman drops mail into a narrow opening in the fence close to the door. I am including a picture of a typical Ukrainian trolleybus. For a picture of a tram see my earlier post. I also made a shot inside a tram, see it above. I will try to take more shots as I explore the city and will be including them with my future posts.

I wrote about roads yesterday. What I saw today in the tram may well be an indication that Ukrainian roads will never get fixed. Anyway, here is what I found from the conversations with my friends and following my own observations.

“Bargain hunting” in public transportation

As I was taking my tram ride to the office today I noticed that the lady that sells tickets in the tram collects money from people but doesn’t give the tickets to everyone. Some passengers don’t get the tickets but still stay on the tram. I started to dig into this and I found that the tickets controller will typically let you pay less than the nominal fare. Since they don’t give you the tickets, the partial fare is unaccounted for and hence pocketed by the ticket controller.

There are officers whose job is to go from tram to tram and make sure all passengers have tickets. Somehow ticket controllers always know when (at what stop) the officer may enter the tram. When you pay the partial fare they will ask you how far you are going and if they think the tram may be inspected they will tell you about it.

I am not sure how exactly accounting works at the city services but I am sure part of the ticket sales goes towards city budget and black sales like these directly affect the city income.

Local supermarkets and grocery stores

As much as inefficient and corrupt the government is, as much efficient and streamlined private businesses are. The look at local stores proves my point. All supermarkets built recently are designed and operate by western standards with the only exception, the price you see is the price you pay at checkout and the plastic bags are not free.

Overall the products selection is amazing and the prices are very competitive. Very often you can find similar products made in Ukraine or Russia at a fraction of the price you would see for a western brand. Everything imported from China and other Asian countries is also pretty inexpensive. I was buying an internal fax modem for a PC yesterday at the local store and prices ranged from $10 to $15.

The picture changes when you try to buy something imported from the West. My favorite White Castle Brown Ale was $2 a bottle while you can get a quality Ukrainian beer for just under 50 cents. Here is a table with prices on other more popular products, converted to American currency.

• Milk — $2 / gallon
• Chicken — $1-1.5 / lb
• Beef/pork — 2.5-3 / lb
• Fish — $2 / lb
• Eggs — $0.5-1 / dozen
• Bread — $0.5-$1.2

Prices on fruits and vegetables vary with the season. Right now fresh tomatoes are $0.7 / lb and cucumbers are $0.2 / lb. Many supermarkets issue membership cards that give you a small discount on all or some merchandise. The discount is around 1-3% and is not worth the hassle if you just came for a few weeks.

Internet access and phone calls to the US

I am writing this blog at my friend’s office. They get internet via DSL line. Unlimited access is from $20 and up depending on the connection speed. Everyone can have dial-up at home by calling 7777777 in Kharkiv. The access charge is the usual per minute tariff UkrTelecom charges all residents (around $0.01 per minute).

Compared to my last visit 3 years ago the phone service has improved a lot. Almost all of the equipment is upgraded and the quality of line is very good. I connected at 40 kbps last night and was able to Skype out to a number in the US. This is an excellent option for your calls back to the US on the cheap. The price for a call like this will be $0.01/minute to the local telco, $0.021/minute what Skype charges, plus a small initiation fee ($0.039 right now) from Skype. The usual rate for a call from Ukraine to the US using a land-line phone is $0.39 / minute during day time and $0.29 / minute after 6pm and on the weekend.

I was able to do a teleconferencing call using the DSL line in my office with no significant distortion to the video quality. The situation is dramatically different in smaller cities/towns. The equipment and lines can be more than 50 years old and you get a lot of interference with your call. Modem connections are slow and often break.

This is it for today. Tomorrow will be entertainment and restaurants. Till next time!