We decided to visit Kiev once again after being there month ago, but we missed this city so much. We were unemployed after quitting my job for our Ukraine – Russia car trip, and Kate didn’t have much freelance jobs at this time, so we were totally broke. We didn’t think too much… let’s hitchhike there!
This was our very first time of traveling this way, we didn’t even know how fast we could get there, but we assumed we can reach Kiev from our hometown without finding a place to sleep on the way, and having a tent.
-you wave
-no, you wave
-let’s wave together
-don’t I look stupid?
-you do!
-you wave..
So here we are – second car stopped. Driver took us about 100 km to the southern Poland. Road to the border was very quick, we didn’t even wait more than 15 minutes for people to stop. Young women with baby on the front seat, old couple asking hundreds of questions; young couple smoking cheap cigarettes inside the car, farmer who after long pause for thinking suddenly asked with with steamy-upset voice “so someone has to work for your trip.. ya old folks?!”
Last guy dropped us quite far to the border, in the center of the Chełm city, so we had like 25 km to the Berdeszycze crossing point. Suddenly we spotted an Ukrainian plates, so we asked the couple sitting inside the car if they’re going in the same direction, and if the can take us as well:
-да
We passed the border with polish guys, actually a hardcore football fans, who made the road to Ukraine and again few times a week because of trading Ukrainian cheap clothes, watches, cigarettes, and other stuff. They bribed the officers every time they go there to avoid being checked on the way back, and to avoid long queues (about 5 €). The said it’s “tradition”.
Already in Ukraine we catched our first car very quickly, they dropped us also very quickly, maybe after about 20 km. Kate put out her board and typed Kiev, shortly after that truck driver stopped, he speaked perfectly in Polish, and he was going directly to the capital, awesome!
His name was Sasha, he is working as a truck driver for hella long time, and he have enough of this. His cabin was really hustled up, with countless toys, led lights, figures, and pennants. Sasha didn’t put out cigarettes out of his mouth, he said that his friends are working in europe now, but he’s too old for this shit.
I fell asleep, and suddenly Sasha’s voice woke me up telling Kate that his boss changed his unload place, somewhere 40 km to Kiev. It was very late, maybe 2 am. Kate started to panic a little, but Sasha calmed her down very fast saying that he will try to find someone on cb-radio, or we will just sleep with him in the cabin. His first call met with quickly response, and another truck was waiting for us after Sasha stopped.
He dropped us under the bridge, where we could go on the road heading to Vasylkiv, where our friends Igor, and Ksenia live. We catched another car very easily and we arrived at their place about 4 am waking up Igor, who semiconscious opened us the door.
So yeah, we made the road without stopping, and sleeping in the forest!
Next day I talked to the Cat-b model agency (sometimes I’m a fashion, and portrait photographer) to shoot some faces. They are one of my favorite agencies because of having very natural, eastern-europe/post-soviet looking models. Marija, the owner of the agency agreed. I met very cool people; Sasha, Tanya, Yana, Vladislav, Anton, Kate, stylist Mia, who brought her boyfriend Dima, and friends – Max, Pasha, and tattoo artist, also named Dima. They showed me a place which is a birthplace of graffiti in Kiev. They meet there to paint, and buy new sprays, because there is also a hidden shop. I will remember what Pasha told to me
“We livin’ the poor life, but a happy life. When we need cash, the cash find us”.
If you look closer to Ukrainian young society, his words totally describe them. You can see their crazy outfits, where the clothes come from the biggest europe vintage markets. You can see how bad this city wants to live despites of post-maidan, government problems, and goin’ on warfare in Donbass.
There is alt-fashion scene with names like Masha Reva, Anton Belinskiy, Sasha Kanevski, Frolov, music with one of the biggest bring-illegal-raves-back fest CXEMA, also art scene is very expansive in Ukraine.
You can also find there fancy restaurants, and expensive estates in the contrast of old Ladas everywhere, and poority on the streets.
The main reason that attract us to this country are relicts of the pasts, which they still function very well there. Sheet tickets with manual ticket-puncher in tramways, old little yellow marshrutka buses, where everyone passes themselves money to buy a ticket from a driver, babushkas on every street selling everything from flowers to eggs, chickens and fish. All this things can only visualize me how my parents lived in Poland during communism. Even I remember some of this thing in Poland when I was little. Ukraine changes very slowly.
After spending wonderful time in Kiev we decided move forward to Odessa, which is situated at the Black Sea. Our first driver was older man driving half old as him VW Golf I. This car had broken all gauges, so we didn’t even know how fast we are going but we felt like 140km/h. Our driver was crazy one, overtook everyone, and turning the machine like it he was sailing a boat. We stopped for a 2 minutes at the gas station, he bought us ice creams, and water. It was really nice of him.
Our next guy was another truck driver who took us straight to the Odessa. He wrote us a map where we should find a bus, and how long we need to ride to our next hosts place.
His name was Mitja. I read one negative comment on his Couchsurfing profile, quote: “Mitja is a very specific person. Rules in my house does not exist, but after 4 days hosting I wanted to write them. And although there were funny moments, but Mitja felt himself so free in my home, that even decided to use my personal towel.” I thought it was funny as hell, especially the towel part. Anyway, we felt in Mitja’s house as free as he felt in her host place!
We had a nice talk, made some polish food, and the next day get up early for a very long walk with him. He showed as almost whole city. Odessa is a great place for vaccation, very green, warm, with beautiful architecture, and sea side.
We didn’t stay long there, after two nights, we moved further. On the road to Lviv, we met guy named Anatoliy. All that time we’ve been in Ukraine I tried to learn as much language as I could. I started to talk with our driver, and don’t know it was possible but we understood each other almost perfectly. After few hours of journey and many, many words he enjoyed talking with me and Kate so much said that he will not leave us on the street because of the heavy raining, and late hours. He dialed the number, and we heard him talking to his wife about bringing guests to house, and told her to put kartoshki on fire. He live in Ivano-Frankivsk, so we made a little more kilometers. When we arrived his wife and two daughters welcomed us so warm, with a big smiles on their faces, tons of questions, and table with a dinner for like 10 people. This was incredible. Anatoliy also brought his finest selfmade alcohol, which was one of the most strong I ever tried, burning my throat like a hell gates.
They were so excited, they wanted to take us to the Karpaty mountains next day, but unfortunately heavy raining didn’t stop, and he left us on the street to continue are way to Lviv.
In Lviv we met there Iulia, she showed us few places in the city, told few stories, and we could speak polish with here because she is learning polish language now. City looks very similar to Poland, and also you can hear Poles everywhere.