Crap roads behind us (for now) we made better progress into the Black Sea port of Odessa. Was not sure what to expect – something between Paris café culture and Plymouth Milbay dock “culture”…?
We followed the coordinates for a campsite that Cheryl had optimistically plucked from the web, and after a drive through Odessa’s rush hour we arrived……nowhere near a camp site.
Asking in a wedding shop Cheryl met up with an incredibly helpful local with excellent English. She took us to a money changers (who gave a good rate) and assured there was a campsite (somewhere) and that a slightly different spelling of the street name might yield a result?
9km through the heavy traffic took us to a more promising looking beach front – but no campsite. To cut a tedious and long story short, we could not find it, despite assurances from taxi drivers that it was close by, walking the water front in vain, and asking multiple people. Eventually, a few hours later and with it getting late, we had to give up.
Another Lonely Planet suggestion for a back packers place gave us nothing but non-functioning telephone numbers and the option of a drive back across town that we simply could not face.
We followed the coordinates for a campsite that Cheryl had optimistically plucked from the web, and after a drive through Odessa’s rush hour we arrived……nowhere near a camp site.
Asking in a wedding shop Cheryl met up with an incredibly helpful local with excellent English. She took us to a money changers (who gave a good rate) and assured there was a campsite (somewhere) and that a slightly different spelling of the street name might yield a result?
9km through the heavy traffic took us to a more promising looking beach front – but no campsite. To cut a tedious and long story short, we could not find it, despite assurances from taxi drivers that it was close by, walking the water front in vain, and asking multiple people. Eventually, a few hours later and with it getting late, we had to give up.
Another Lonely Planet suggestion for a back packers place gave us nothing but non-functioning telephone numbers and the option of a drive back across town that we simply could not face.
There is nothing quite like the desperation of being in a foreign city as night draws in, with nowhere to stay. We decided to head out of the city and camp in the cuds if needs be, but stop at a hotel (ANY hotel!) if we saw anything en route.
Three hotels later we pulled up at Hotel Good Home (aka Hotel Twilight Zone).
A single (huge) upstairs room was for rent, with the Landlady living in the house below. It was done out in Russian “crass” style – no windows, huge TV, white plaster mouldings galore, gold paint, mirrored ceilings, white leather sofas, but secure parking (which is what we really wanted).
Whilst Cheryl was cooking a late dinner in the car park, the Landlady approached me with “kissy, kissy - kissy, kissy”, whilst making wet kissing noises. Really?! Included in the $40 room rate?
Might explain those dodgy mirrored ceilings….
My rising panic abated as a cat responded to her calls, and they both retired to the house…presumably to watch Ukranian porn together.
With glorious hindsight I wish we had stayed another day in Odessa.
We returned to the city for a few hours the next morning to look for a less sexually predatory accommodation option – but the backpackers place had long since gone and the alternatives were quite expensive.
Three hotels later we pulled up at Hotel Good Home (aka Hotel Twilight Zone).
A single (huge) upstairs room was for rent, with the Landlady living in the house below. It was done out in Russian “crass” style – no windows, huge TV, white plaster mouldings galore, gold paint, mirrored ceilings, white leather sofas, but secure parking (which is what we really wanted).
Whilst Cheryl was cooking a late dinner in the car park, the Landlady approached me with “kissy, kissy - kissy, kissy”, whilst making wet kissing noises. Really?! Included in the $40 room rate?
Might explain those dodgy mirrored ceilings….
My rising panic abated as a cat responded to her calls, and they both retired to the house…presumably to watch Ukranian porn together.
With glorious hindsight I wish we had stayed another day in Odessa.
We returned to the city for a few hours the next morning to look for a less sexually predatory accommodation option – but the backpackers place had long since gone and the alternatives were quite expensive.
The city was truly lovely. Tree lined streets, and more cafes than you could shake a stick at. I could easily waste a few days here! We made the obligatory visit to the Potemkin steps but then made the decision to push on to catch back time.
(As it turned out we arrived at the Kazakh border three days before our visa start date and were forced to kill time in Astrakan. Odessa would have been a much better choice!)
(As it turned out we arrived at the Kazakh border three days before our visa start date and were forced to kill time in Astrakan. Odessa would have been a much better choice!)
The remainder of our Ukranian transit yielded good roads, but the worst electrical storm we have ever driven through. In true Landrover style the water poured in, through the dash, doors and sun-roof. Cheryl pulled under some trees as the road was not visible and we were in some danger of drowning within the cab.
The water set off an electrical storm of our own somewhere under the dash, so we killed what electrical devices and ancilliaries we could, but a later headlight flash on full beam later killed the engine and had us both worried.
Deciding to call it a day we followed the signs to what appeared to be a dodgy motorway truck stop to dry out – but was actually a very pleasant “Motel Non-Stop” with friendly staff, guarded parking, nice food – and a Volvo dealership - should we have needed one.
We had a by now familiar conversation with the locals on just how crap Ukraine is. We took the part of Ukraines advocate with the locals assuring us that no, it really is rubbish!
It’s a shame. Yes, they have a far better perspective than us, but we don’t share their negative feelings on the place – probably because we don’t have to live there?
Deciding to call it a day we followed the signs to what appeared to be a dodgy motorway truck stop to dry out – but was actually a very pleasant “Motel Non-Stop” with friendly staff, guarded parking, nice food – and a Volvo dealership - should we have needed one.
We had a by now familiar conversation with the locals on just how crap Ukraine is. We took the part of Ukraines advocate with the locals assuring us that no, it really is rubbish!
It’s a shame. Yes, they have a far better perspective than us, but we don’t share their negative feelings on the place – probably because we don’t have to live there?
Our last night in Ukraine was also our first night of bush camping.
So much harder than the empty wilds of Africa!
We soon learnt that 6pm is too early to pick a site as the heavily cultivated farmland is worked until late.
The first hedge we chose (2 kms from the road) was rudely crashed by a tractor. So we chose a second site for food, waited an uninterrupted hour and then drove deeper into the fields to park in another hedge break, only to have our tented camp passed by a stream of Ladas and tractors at 8pm as the farm workers headed home.
Mercifully they ignored us – and after that my paranoia has reduced daily and I no longer feel the need to be several light years away from the nearest whiff of human habitation.
Apart from Odessa we were well off the tourist trail, but looking forward to our return to the Ukraine on our way home and the tourist axis of Kyiv and Lviv!
So much harder than the empty wilds of Africa!
We soon learnt that 6pm is too early to pick a site as the heavily cultivated farmland is worked until late.
The first hedge we chose (2 kms from the road) was rudely crashed by a tractor. So we chose a second site for food, waited an uninterrupted hour and then drove deeper into the fields to park in another hedge break, only to have our tented camp passed by a stream of Ladas and tractors at 8pm as the farm workers headed home.
Mercifully they ignored us – and after that my paranoia has reduced daily and I no longer feel the need to be several light years away from the nearest whiff of human habitation.
Apart from Odessa we were well off the tourist trail, but looking forward to our return to the Ukraine on our way home and the tourist axis of Kyiv and Lviv!