Ties

So thing that I really liked about serving my mission in Moscow is that you could buy ties for about $2. We would go there in large groups and talk them down to giving us a really good group rate. Then we would pick out tons of ties. I came home with almost 50 ties. The picture below is from one of the stores where you can buy ties.

So when I decided to come to Ukraine, I figured I would be able to find ties again, and I was really excited since my tie collection is in need of something new. I talked to some elders and they told me that the best place to go was a market called 7km outside of Odessa. Well, since our bus to Odessa got in at 4:50am on Saturday and the only busses running were going to this market, I figured it was fate. So we left our bags at the bus station and headed out. Like Cherkizovski market in Moscow, this place was huge... with rows of shipping containers that people use as their stores-- they open them up in the morning and display all their goods, and then close and lock them up at night, leaving a sight that looks like a shipping yard or something.

We got there around 6am and wandered through rows of cheap clothing, underwear, toys, and pretty much anything you could possibly want. I saw a couple stores with ties, but nothing like what I had seen in moscow... and then I saw it. A sign that said галстуки (ties). It was heaven!!! The lady there had an order to place, so she took us to another tie place where the ties ranged between $2-3. I was giddy. I ended up buying something like 13 or 14 ties, for about $40. I was so happy. I just thought I would share that moment with you. I'll have to post pics with my ties once I get home. In the mean time, here's a photo from Moscow, so you have an idea of what the stores are like.