Wild Camping In The Ukraine

Much like Romania, wild camping in the Ukraine has been no problem whatsoever.  In fact the one time we asked about paid camping the taxi driver looked at us as if we had 10 heads and told us to "just go into the woods and throw your tent down somewhere." Made cooler by his accent. The one time we had a problem it was our own fault.  The sky opened up and dumped a bucket of rain on us, and so we quickly grabbed a place and set up.  Only to discover the train tracks were one of a major train line, with trains running on average every 15- 20 minutes).  :-P

But it made for an awesome picture in the morning,(if not for a good night's sleep):

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Some Fav Pics From The Ukraine

A short visual summary of the Ukraine:

Just before camping in a field:

The picture our room displayed our first night in the Ukraine:

Soviet ice cream:

Camping in the Crimea:

Watch out for those clouds:

Map checking on the side of the road:

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Crossing Into The Ukraine

I love the Ukraine. (Ok, I love most places, it is why we travel. New people, new food, new landscapes, and few places have yet to disappoint). The one thing I do not love about the Ukraine is the police.  Our brief foray into the country a couple of years ago was cut short because we were stopped and harassed every single day. As such we decided to leave and try Romania instead. (And by doing so we discovered a biker's paradise). This time around we remained in Romania until the last possible minute, before rentering the Ukraine. I was looking forward to the food and the people, but not the police.

As it was we were given instant issues. Of the 3 people we dealt with in passport control, one decided that he did not like Jannick.  He even went so far as to say so.  He pointed at me and said "no problem", he pointed at Patrick and said "no problem", and then he looked at Jannick and said "YOU I do not like.  You think you are a viking." He then proceeded to keep us for the next 20 minutes while he tried every possible thing to make Jannicks life uncomfortable. Finally we were allowed to go.

The moral of the story? Do not pack an axe. Or if you are going to do so, bury it rather than attaching it just under the cover of your metal boxes.  It makes border officials nervous.

 

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