Uman 2023 - 1st time

[mlardi]

It is amazing to see and be at a place with thousands and thousands of people and know that ALL of them traveled hours upon hours to get to their final destination some of them waiting 8+ hours at border crossings.
Il just share my itinerary, the way I made my calculations for the quickest routes. I don't have a lot or any pictures , I can go away for a week and come home with maybe a few pictures that's just how I am.

[mlardi]

It is amazing to see and be at a place with thousands and thousands of people and know that ALL of them traveled hours upon hours to get to their final destination some of them waiting 8+ hours at border crossings.
Il just share my itinerary, the way I made my calculations for the quickest routes. I don't have a lot or any pictures , I can go away for a week and come home with maybe a few pictures that's just how I am.

I got the opportunity to go to Uman for rosh hashana but I wanted to go the latest possible and come home the earliest possible, I knew there is lots of travel involved so I tried making research what's the quickest way to do it , I was also focusing on using only points for flights.
This is what we booked:
Wednesday Sep 13 : JFK-WAW-RZE 27k Amex (bonus transfer to LM (30k) +$73
Thursday RZE Taxi to Przemysl train station $69
Przemysl train station to Berdychev $40
Berdychev to Uman with taxi $200

We took the train to avoid any border wait times, when going with a car you can sometimes wait 6-7 hrs and buses can wait even longer.

We left jfk 11:20pm Wednesday and arrived at Uman Friday 7:30am
At the berdychev train station we waited a little since we arrived there 3am and the taxis were afraid to drive between 12am-5am because of curfew

[mlardi]

Upon arrival I dropped off my luggage at the place I was staying and  went to see the streets, it is just amazing you have to be there to see it and feel it.
Fast forward to Yom Tov the amount of ppl and amount of food being given out cannot be described. Thousands upon thousands of portions with American style food and drinks it is just amazing to witness (I am talking about Feders food not Sheiners tent).
There are tons of minyumim from every type of sect, there was a Chabad minyan I think it was a 1st.

I got the opportunity to go to Uman for rosh hashana but I wanted to go the latest possible and come home the earliest possible, I knew there is lots of travel involved so I tried making research what's the quickest way to do it , I was also focusing on using only points for flights.
This is what we booked:
Wednesday Sep 13 : JFK-WAW-RZE 27k Amex (bonus transfer to LM (30k) +$73
Thursday RZE Taxi to Przemysl train station $69
Przemysl train station to Berdychev $40
Berdychev to Uman with taxi $200

We took the train to avoid any border wait times, when going with a car you can sometimes wait 6-7 hrs and buses can wait even longer.

We left jfk 11:20pm Wednesday and arrived at Uman Friday 7:30am
At the berdychev train station we waited a little since we arrived there 3am and the taxis were afraid to drive between 12am-5am because of curfew

[mlardi]

Upon arrival I dropped off my luggage at the place I was staying and  went to see the streets, it is just amazing you have to be there to see it and feel it.
Fast forward to Yom Tov the amount of ppl and amount of food being given out cannot be described. Thousands upon thousands of portions with American style food and drinks it is just amazing to witness (I am talking about Feders food not Sheiners tent).
There are tons of minyumim from every type of sect, there was a Chabad minyan I think it was a 1st.

After 2 days of an amazing Yom Tov it was time to head home,
The original plan was to leave Motza to Modligov Ukraine border walk over and take another taxi to Iași , Romania but because of some misunderstanding we got into a taxi that drove us to Planca, moldova border.
We crossed the border by foot and by 1am we were on the moldova side I think we were one of the 1st ones out of Ukraine.
We then took a taxi to IAS airport, made a stop at the Chisinau Chabad house chatted a little and continued our way till the airport, Sep 18: IAS-OTP-LHR
10k delta miles  +$31.15
LHR-EWR 25k BA +$100 it was also a little less as chase had the bonus transfer.

Looooong travel but we all made it bh.

[mlardi]

Almost all our flights were a remote gate even our arrival in waw with a 787 and same departing lhr also a 787 which is always cool.
The train from przemysl to berdychev is a 8hr journey in a sleeper train and is not really recommended 

[mlardi]

Flight #1 arriving to WAW


Flight #2 Boarding to RZE




On the sleeper train for 8 hours without AC 
Faces erased



Flight #3 walking up to the plane pretty cool, they were using 2 staircase which is a good idea one for front of the plane and the other for the rear of the plane




Flight #5

[Dan]

Nice TR.

Would you go again?

[chff]

Nice TR.

Would you go again?

After the first time I went I promised myself never to go again, yet was there the following year

[shapsam]

After 2 days of an amazing Yom Tov it was time to head home,
The original plan was to leave Motza to Modligov Ukraine border walk over and take another taxi to Iași , Romania but because of some misunderstanding we got into a taxi that drove us to Planca, moldova border.
We crossed the border by foot and by 1am we were on the moldova side I think we were one of the 1st ones out of Ukraine.
We then took a taxi to IAS airport, made a stop at the Chisinau Chabad house chatted a little and continued our way till the airport, Sep 18: IAS-OTP-LHR
10k delta miles  +$31.15
LHR-EWR 25k BA +$100 it was also a little less as chase had the bonus transfer.

Looooong travel but we all made it bh.

Hashgacha pratis as mogilov border ended up being a big mess and they actually closed it completely for a few hours, palanka was fairly good all night

[Lou Bob]

Hashgacha pratis as mogilov border ended up being a big mess and they actually closed it completely for a few hours, palanka was fairly good all night

Why didn't you take a train out of Ukraine? That's what we did. The train made a quick stop near the border for a couple border agents and their drug sniffing puppies (I kid you not. Maybe it was bring your puppy to work day). The agents scanned/stamped everyone's passports while the train continued on to Poland. Very smooth process.

[shapsam]

Why didn't you take a train out of Ukraine? That's what we did. The train made a quick stop near the border for a couple border agents and their drug sniffing puppies (I kid you not. Maybe it was bring your puppy to work day). The agents scanned/stamped everyone's passports while the train continued on to Poland. Very smooth process.

My flight departed before the train arrived... and I wasn't stuck at the Moldova border (flew back from RZE).

By the way, the puppies sniff a lot better than the bigger dogs the Ukrainians use at other borders.