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Published: July 28th 2006
Odesa city limits
We've done it! One of Five. Odesa is the first marker on our trip to Singapore and we're here!!!Day 51, 21st July.
Stepova - Kamjalka - Odesa
We sat tight in the tent because the mozzies were waiting en-mass outside hungry for our blood! At about 10am, when it had warmed up somewhat, we packed up quickly but still got bitten quite a lot before getting onto the open road. There was a horrendous headwind and the temperature registered 42 Celsius on Rory’s cycle-computer! Scott was in a bad way again and needed to rest very often in the shade.
It was a hard 40 miles before we were negotiating the outer suburbs of Odesa. Just before the centre, I changed DM100 into Hryvna, the unpronounceable Ukrainian currency, and then we headed along the leafy streets and found ourselves at the Potemkin Steps. In Mick O’Neil’s Irish Bar a pint of Guinness went down well, even though it was a shocking three quid a pint! On the main pedestrian street I checked out the Hotel Spartak. They had a large four-bed room on the top floor for H115 a night, which was a bargain, so we took it, relaying the bikes and bags up the stairs.
Later, we ate at a café, I had more
Of MiGs and Cows.
The contrast of the former glory days coudn't be greater as Ukraine now reverts to a rural backwater once again. to drink and a cheap bottle of champagne. We ended up by the Potemkin Steps again, me in a drunken manner*, staggering about, and then back to the hotel to crash out.
Drunken manner - You may think that we are ‘Alkies on Tour’ or something, and you’d be, kind of, correct. No, but we do like to check out the booze in other countries, and if you are a bikepacker, then you’ll know that at the end of a busy biking day, nothing, and I mean - nothing, hits the spot like a nice cold beer. Forget those bloody expensive isotonic drinks - beer is King when it comes to replenishing energy!
Total Miles: 2462.40 Todays Miles: 40.14 Average speed: 9.8 Time on bike: 4:04
Day 52, 22nd July.
Odesa
Scott’s in a bad way with his guts, running to the toilets in record time during the day. I used the internet to write to Kathryn, she was so worried about me and why there had been no contact for the last two weeks. Anyway, after loads of hassle I managed to phone her later from the Irish bar, she was so happy
Ukrainian Beer!
A message from our sponsor "DON", the best and most nutritious beer in the Ukraine! to hear me, and me too, hearing her voice. Rory and Toby had been to find a bike shop, Tobes got his broken wheel fixed, and I got my buckled (from Moldova) wheel fixed up too, great stuff. We had an early night because of the tremendous heat outside.
Day 53, 23rd July.
Odesa
We all slept well, Scott’s a little better. I went off walking to the beach and sat and wrote postcards to my parents. Earlier, I had hassle at the post office getting stuff sent, they checked everything inside the envelopes, no coins or notes could be sent apparently.
When I look around Odesa, I see hundreds of single pretty girls dressed immaculately, some with their babushka mothers, and wonder why this is? It seems that they hang around expensive establishments looking for western guys to whisk them away from all this poverty. And there is a lot of it in the backstreets - poor beggars walking about, some deformed. Little girls singing along with old women for a bit of money, old soldiers etc… There are a lot of mis-treated animals that I don’t like to see too, like the baby
Hole in the road!
Upon entering Odesa it was raining heavey and the road was almost a river. Therefore, you can't see the nice little holes... The rule - STOP! When it's raining. crocodile with the taped up jaws in this intense heat! Little monkeys chained to sticks… just so tourists can have their photos taken with them, yuk!
Later on I went to a Ukrainian-style restaurant and drank a beer while Rory and Toby ate. Went sleep early for the morning.
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Vasilij
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DON - Isn't Ukrainian Beer. It's Russian.