Testimonials
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 Dr. M. Videiko, Harriet Hughes and her friends Kathleen and Mykola Ponomarenko standing in front of the Kamianets-Podilsky fortress. | INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL NEWS February 2004 (pp 68-69) UKRAINE. We learned about the archaeology of the Trypillian Bronze Age during our 11-day trip to Ukraine, June 27-July 7, 2002, but we also saw many interesting medieval and later sites and met many interesting people in this newly independent state. Our tour with Kolos Corporation (5841 Colfax Ave., Alexandria, VA 22311-1013: phone 703/585-0649, e-mal kolos@kolos.corn or visit www.trypillia.com) cost $1,100, land. (The 2004 "Tryptillian Tour," taking place June 28-July 8, will cost $1,650 land only.) A few non-included meals and extras added tip to less than $100. We also gave substantial tips to the guide, the driver and Dr. Mykhailo Videiko, who led the tour, because although there were only three of us and the tour price was based on a group of 10, KoIos kept to the advertised price. A senior researcher at the Archeology Institute of the National Science Academy of Ukraine , Dr. M. Videiko's specialty is the Neolithic age and the early Trypillian Bronze culture of 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. We saw a significant find being uncovered at one of the digs we visited. In Kiev, beginning outside the door of the Andriyvskiy Hotel, were several blocks of art and craft stands that had wonderful items at amazingly low prices. I brought home a large covered walnut dish for $12 and printed Pysanky eggs for $2 each. We also toured St. Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Caves Monastery. We wished we had more time at the museum of wooden architecture in Kyiv; we were able to see only part of it in several hours and could spent more time in the shops, which had fabulous artworks at very modest prices. On this trip we did a lot of walking on uneven ground and cobblestone streets. The archaeological sites were mostly off the beaten path. On occasion we enjoyed box lunches, incredible feasts of several types of smoked fish, ham, turkey, cheeses, bread, tomatoes, wine, juice and several deserts. Plumbing outside the hotels, was often hole-in-the-ground variety; however, except for a couple of times, they were properly maintained and did not smell. We were only moderately interested in archaeology, but this tour had enough other interesting and unusual things to see and do that we considered it a bargain. We met many more Ukrainians not involved in tourism than we would have on a conventional tour. Would we do it again? Yes. --- HARRIET S. HUGHES, Alexandria, VA www.intltravelnews.com |
| U.S. - Ukraine Foundation | |
| MEET THE KOLOS TOURS http://www.kolostours.com An exciting, growing “Ukraine market” enterprise – the Kolos Tours – has been built through good old-fashion wisdom, the love of culture, and the use of modern Internet technologies. Kolos’ president, Mykola Ponomarenko, who was born in Ukraine and came to the United States in 1976, is an entrepreneur who literally combines business with culture (and, of course, with some pleasure, too). At the foundation of the Kolos Corporation, Mr. Ponomarenko established www.KOLOSTOURS.com, which offers exclusive small group tours in Ukraine. “These tours have been developed for the cultural tourist, one with a desire to learn not only about the present life in Ukraine, but also about her history and culture and to be in close contact with Ukraine’s people, places, country-sides, and cities. We have designed our tours in such a way that allows us to expose our traveling guests to the Ukrainian culture, which in my opinion, no other tours can do,” explained Mr. Ponomarenko. Mr. Ponomarenko’s business goal was, from the very start, to direct his business activities toward Ukraine’s culture, most specifically, presenting the ancient cultures and history of Ukraine to the English-speaking world. This concept came from the realization that Ukraine cannot be totally understood without the knowledge about the Trypillian Civilization, Scythian time, Kyiv Rus’, and the Kozak epoch. and the knowledge about Ukraine’s saddest tragedy - the Holodomor (Famine-Genocide). All these themes are presented by the five Kolos Corporation web sites, but only two of them are commercial. The others provide support to the commercial websites by providing additional information and stimulating interest in the Ukrainian culture and its glorious but, sometimes, tragic history. www.TRYPILLIA.com is about Trypillian Civilization - an archeological name for the Neolithic culture that existed on the territory of present-day Ukraine between 5400 - 2750 years BC. The website has a lot of information about Trypillian culture, collection of articles, reproductions of artifacts from many museums, lists of references, numerous links and other educational material. This website is mostly in English, but has many articles in Ukrainian and Russian. You can also contact Mykola Ponomarenko by telephone: 703-585-0649 and by email: mykola@mykola.com
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Additional personal testimonials are available upon request.