I am now back in the UK safe and sound. After a day and a half in the British Consulate, I had money sent to me by K and was then furnished with an Emergency Passport so I could leave the country.
Now that I am back in the UK it is easier to look back on the whole thing and write it down to experience. There did seem like several moments when I thought I would never get out of Ukraine though... I would be interested to know from comments at point what point this chain of events would have tipped over into nightmare territory for you...
Tuesday:
8:00am: Pocket picked. Wallet stolen with money, credit card and driving license ID
8:30am: Arrive at hostel to realise that passport document holder stolen from bag too along with spare Euros and £ Sterling
9:00am: Arrive at British Embassy to be told I have to go to Consulate, 2 miles away.
10:00am: Told that the last time this happened to someone, they had a passport in an hour.
10:01am: Consulate tell me without money I cannot get an emergency passport.
10:02am: Consulate tell me without ID I cannot get money from Ukrainian Western Union.
10:05am: Told that transferring money through the Foreign Office will take 24 hours.
1:00pm: Giving a letter written in Ukrainian by the Consulate to the Police at the Metro Station informing them that I wanted to present the letter as a crime statement and then being ushered out of the Police Station onto the street and having the door shut behind me.
2:00pm: Back at the Consulate being told that to report Metro crimes, I have to go to another Police Station on the other side of town
2:15pm: Being told by the Consulate official who kindly called that Police Station, that I should report it at the Police Station nearest to my hostel
7:15pm: Being told by the Police Station nearest to my hostel that I was to report the crime to the Police Station responsible for Metro Crimes on the other side of town.
7:16pm: Realising already I am probably screwed now as far as insurance goes.
4:00am: Getting about 3 hours sleep because the pissed up Dutch 'crazzzzzy guyzzzzz' staying at the same hostel as me clatter back in loudly and wake me up.
Wednesday:
12:00pm: Leave Consulate with transferred money and Emergency Passport
1:00pm: Arrive at Borispol Airport. Told by BA Ticket desk that I cannot fly with them at 4pm as they do not accept cash, only credit cards.
1:10pm: Buy ticket with Wizz Air and pay £20 for suitcase too. Flight leaves at 6:50pm
1:30pm: Board announces flight delayed until 9:30pm
5:00pm: Board announces flight delayed until 00:20am as our plane was involved in a birdstrike at Charleroi Airport in Belgium and has had to be cleaned and checked for damage before flying to Luton and then on to Kiev.
5:30pm: Noticing that some of the chicken in my chicken and salad dinner is bloody.
8:30pm: Being surrounded by three lads as I was changing my Ukrainian cash half into into £s and half into US$ at an exchange desk. One of them smacked his fist into his hand while winking at his mate. Having marked me out as their next mugging target I then went into the middle of the terminal space and sat with my back to a pillar next to some Brits who I struck up conversation with so I didn't look as if I was on my own. I then observed the lads spend thirty minutes loitering around the airport, splitting up, coming back together and networking in this way with three more guys. They kept standing behind lots of people at lots of different cash tills and exchange points before disappearing in three groups of two... God knows who they collared and got away with in the end... It's amazing what you can pick up on Spooks in terms of observing situations though!
10:00pm: Board announces flight delayed until 00:50
11:10pm: Reach the front of the check-in line and the woman has never seen an Emergency passport before and refuses to check me in. 5 minutes later a manager appears who seems very familiar with them and I do get checked in.
11:15pm: Am then told that my payment for my suitcase has not been registered and I have to pay again... The thieving bitch behind the counter must have pocketed it.
11:30pm: Changing money back from £s into Ukrainian Hryvnia, losing money in the double exchange of course
11:50pm: Reach customs to be told that as I have lost my Ukrainian customs declaration slip (given to you on entry), that this is a "Beeeeg problem" and I will be fined an amount in US$ which happilly coincides with the precise amount of US$ I have on me.
00:10am: Being questioned about my route into Ukraine by customs officials and then being let off the lost declaration fine!!
Finally, fate has thrown me a bone!
Now that I am back in the UK it is easier to look back on the whole thing and write it down to experience. There did seem like several moments when I thought I would never get out of Ukraine though... I would be interested to know from comments at point what point this chain of events would have tipped over into nightmare territory for you...
Tuesday:
8:00am: Pocket picked. Wallet stolen with money, credit card and driving license ID
8:30am: Arrive at hostel to realise that passport document holder stolen from bag too along with spare Euros and £ Sterling
9:00am: Arrive at British Embassy to be told I have to go to Consulate, 2 miles away.
10:00am: Told that the last time this happened to someone, they had a passport in an hour.
10:01am: Consulate tell me without money I cannot get an emergency passport.
10:02am: Consulate tell me without ID I cannot get money from Ukrainian Western Union.
10:05am: Told that transferring money through the Foreign Office will take 24 hours.
1:00pm: Giving a letter written in Ukrainian by the Consulate to the Police at the Metro Station informing them that I wanted to present the letter as a crime statement and then being ushered out of the Police Station onto the street and having the door shut behind me.
2:00pm: Back at the Consulate being told that to report Metro crimes, I have to go to another Police Station on the other side of town
2:15pm: Being told by the Consulate official who kindly called that Police Station, that I should report it at the Police Station nearest to my hostel
7:15pm: Being told by the Police Station nearest to my hostel that I was to report the crime to the Police Station responsible for Metro Crimes on the other side of town.
7:16pm: Realising already I am probably screwed now as far as insurance goes.
4:00am: Getting about 3 hours sleep because the pissed up Dutch 'crazzzzzy guyzzzzz' staying at the same hostel as me clatter back in loudly and wake me up.
Wednesday:
12:00pm: Leave Consulate with transferred money and Emergency Passport
1:00pm: Arrive at Borispol Airport. Told by BA Ticket desk that I cannot fly with them at 4pm as they do not accept cash, only credit cards.
1:10pm: Buy ticket with Wizz Air and pay £20 for suitcase too. Flight leaves at 6:50pm
1:30pm: Board announces flight delayed until 9:30pm
5:00pm: Board announces flight delayed until 00:20am as our plane was involved in a birdstrike at Charleroi Airport in Belgium and has had to be cleaned and checked for damage before flying to Luton and then on to Kiev.
5:30pm: Noticing that some of the chicken in my chicken and salad dinner is bloody.
8:30pm: Being surrounded by three lads as I was changing my Ukrainian cash half into into £s and half into US$ at an exchange desk. One of them smacked his fist into his hand while winking at his mate. Having marked me out as their next mugging target I then went into the middle of the terminal space and sat with my back to a pillar next to some Brits who I struck up conversation with so I didn't look as if I was on my own. I then observed the lads spend thirty minutes loitering around the airport, splitting up, coming back together and networking in this way with three more guys. They kept standing behind lots of people at lots of different cash tills and exchange points before disappearing in three groups of two... God knows who they collared and got away with in the end... It's amazing what you can pick up on Spooks in terms of observing situations though!
10:00pm: Board announces flight delayed until 00:50
11:10pm: Reach the front of the check-in line and the woman has never seen an Emergency passport before and refuses to check me in. 5 minutes later a manager appears who seems very familiar with them and I do get checked in.
11:15pm: Am then told that my payment for my suitcase has not been registered and I have to pay again... The thieving bitch behind the counter must have pocketed it.
11:30pm: Changing money back from £s into Ukrainian Hryvnia, losing money in the double exchange of course
11:50pm: Reach customs to be told that as I have lost my Ukrainian customs declaration slip (given to you on entry), that this is a "Beeeeg problem" and I will be fined an amount in US$ which happilly coincides with the precise amount of US$ I have on me.
00:10am: Being questioned about my route into Ukraine by customs officials and then being let off the lost declaration fine!!
Finally, fate has thrown me a bone!
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