Vorokhta - Bukovel. Skiing, wedding, and a parrot
So 2021 has arrived. And the coronavirus is not going to give up its positions. Moreover, this mutant reproduces more and more new generations. The promised vaccine frightens with its ambiguity. And in the light of these events, having experienced firsthand all the delights of a newfangled disease, for the first time I developed a phobia of human communication and crowded places. And I really wanted to go to Bukovel! But not for me alone. Our President also wanted to go there. And, apparently, after looking at his photos and videos on Instagram and other various social networks, most Ukrainian citizens rushed to the famous Carpathian resort. Seeing on TV people crowding in lines for mulled wine, I scratched my turnips, and, realizing that I would not go to any Bukovel, I reminisced. . .
Not so long ago, in one of the snowy and frosty winters, we went to the Carpathians to ski. The hyped and prestigious Ukrainian resort of Bukovel was chosen as a place for skiing. But we didn’t have enough gold reserves for full prestige (i. e. living in this area), so the village of Vorokhta was chosen as the place of permanent deployment, where housing prices are more sincere. Rather, we bought a week-long tour with accommodation in the Vorokhta tourist complex, which included two meals a day, ski equipment, a transfer to / from Bukovel, an optional excursion program and a bonus - evening animation.
Vorohta is an ancient Hutsul village located high in the mountains, which is famous for the purest mountain air, rich aroma of pine needles and fantastically beautiful nature.
Tourist complex "Vorohta" consists of two locations - old and new. I will not dwell on their description, all this is on the hotel website.
Old complex (in evening illumination):
New case (in it):
We have chosen a new complex for ourselves with the number "standard".
The room is excellent, deliciously smelling of the forest.
But we had a neighbor, I'll tell you, not for the faint of heart. . . Whatever he did, he screamed and squeaked, and most importantly, he talked for days on end, and on any topic. It was a graceful Australian cockatiel, named Kesha, who lived in the hall behind our wall.
All seven days he chatted incessantly, at first it amused me, but by the end of the rest I was ready to kill him, especially in the early morning, when sleep is so sweet, and the bird's biorhythms demand an indefatigable cry from him. Whom did he call? Another miracle in feathers hung nearby, and, apparently, Kesha called him, not understanding why this stuffed animal was ignoring him.
A huge plus was the presence of a large balcony, on which I escaped from a socially active neighbor.
In addition, it offers picturesque views of the forest expanses.
There was a mountain spring with crystal clear water nearby.
Every day after leaving the hotel, I had my own ritual - to lie on a sparkling snow-white bedspread.
After arrival, we chose our ski equipment (the hotel has a special room with an instructor who, according to your parameters and preferences, will select the equipment you need for a skier).
In the evening, in honor of the new arrival of vacationers, a gala dinner was organized at the hotel restaurant, including authentic Carpathian blackberry wine. For all other meals, such as breakfasts and lunches and dinners, alcohol was not allowed, except for the day of departure for the farewell tour.
The next day we decided to ride the hills of Vorokhta and get acquainted with the area. In total, there are four ski slopes in Vorokhta, we have mastered one, 500 meters long with a drag lift.
There are few skiers, there is enough space for everyone, but there is a little lack of that drive and atmosphere that is always inherent in ski resorts.
But still, how nice it is after mountain rides in a ten-degree frost to enjoy delicious winter mulled wine, bathing in the rays of the frosty sun.
In the evening at the restaurant during dinner, a very active young lady from the cultural sector announced that future newlyweds were resting with us in the hotel, and the guy had specially come from America to marry our beautiful Ukrainian woman. And since he is very interested in Ukrainian traditions, he wants to hold a wedding rehearsal under a stylized Hutsul wedding - with matchmaking, horseback riding, music, and other props. And naturally, participants (imaginary relatives and guests) of this whole ceremony are needed. In principle, I let this information go past my ears, deciding that I would just attend the holiday as onlookers. But! Here an interesting fact came to light. It turns out that the Bridegroom does not speak a word of either Russian or Ukrainian. And the Bride, except for the moning, also does not pronounce anything clearly. And we need "relatives" who will translate all this action. My husband, who speaks English more than Russian, decided to help out a foreign guest and crammed himself into “relatives”. I went with a trailer, although I know English much worse than my husband, but I had to explain myself to the bride, and this is somewhat easier. In general, at the wedding we were the Headman and the Headwoman.
In the beginning there was a matchmaking:
To propose to the Bride, the Groom must kneel on one knee and solemnly ask for her hand in marriage. So, the American was at a loss. However, he was at a loss from all the obligatory rites and, as a result, he was so tired of wooing that he almost changed his mind about getting married.
But the wedding did take place, as it should, at the appointed time.
I want to note that all the rituals were performed in accordance with national traditions. It was a real Hutsul wedding with vodka, appetizers and Carpathian music.
The next day we went to ride in Bukovel. There was that atmosphere of drive, which is so lacking in Vorokhta.
This ski resort tempts ski lovers with gentle slopes and unique jumps. There are disproportionately more ski slopes here than in Vorokhta, while their different levels of difficulty provide a great opportunity for skiing, both for advanced skiers and beginners.
The lifts here are mostly chairlifts, but the snow is mostly artificial, which is a minus for some. For me, it was a plus, because I ride, although not in a deep plow, but still not ice, so it’s easier for me to slide on such a surface. My girlfriend and I, according to my husband, mastered exclusively the "children's trails", while the men rode the red-blue routes. Nobody dared to "black".
There are a lot of offers in terms of "refreshment", but the prices here are exclusively for "Pinocchio". For example, Lipton tea in a plastic cup will cost you 60 hryvnias, the most junk coffee is about the same. And if you also want a cookie, then be prepared to fork out. I understand that demand creates supply, but there is a limit to everything! It turns out that it doesn't. Human greed has no limits. Therefore, having had lunch on the first day of rides in the Bukovel tavern and having paid 600 grivas for 2 borscht and two portions of mashed potatoes with a dubious meatball, we decided that it would be better to take dry rations in the cafe of our hotel in Vorokhta. In general, if there is a debate with vodka, answer - no, guys - democrats, only tea! Therefore, in Bukovel, we only bought tea for dinner : ) By the way, the dry ration was pretty decent at a very affordable price.
One of the days, in the middle of the rest, we decided to take a break, because, according to tradition, I received a mini-injury. There were a lot of studying children on the mountain track. And at the very end of the descent, a small lump rolled right under my feet. Not expecting this, I didn’t even have time to group myself, I just fell on my side, apparently instinctively, and thereby simply saved this little baby, which my parents didn’t follow. But my fall was not entirely successful, I got a sprain in my hand. Therefore, ski fun was replaced by excursion fun. We decided to go to the very center of the Carpathian region, to the village of Yaremche. The village is located in the picturesque area of the Carpathians between the mountains on the banks of the Prut River.
Almost half of the territory of the village is occupied by the Karpatsky National Natural Park. We walked along the central streets, looked into Kolyba, visited the souvenir market, and, perhaps, my ski fun ended there.
Conclusions: I want to go to Bukovel!!!
