Ukraine

This post may have not got here from yesterday... We're just double posting to be sure:

Cassie:
Another border crossing today into Ukraine. We weren't entirely sure if we could get through the border that we were heading for today as we weren't on a major highway which is normally what you do. We were in some backwater and we turned towards what looked like a checkpoint of sorts and were stopped by Ukrainian solders at a kind of local looking border. As we were still in Russia and had to go through an official border point we were very dubious about this one. When they asked to see our Ukraine visas we just played dumb and said that we were heading for Lugansk and we think we're lost. Sure enough, they pointed back down the road we came and indicated that we continue along that. Phew. Felt a bit dodgy. I was a bit unnerved by that so when we reached the official border, I asked the officer, "Are you Russian?". I was afraid that again we had come to a local border. He smiled and was proud to say that yes, he is Russian. Phew again.

So we are officially stamped out of Russia and stamped into Ukraine. It feels really weird that we won't be entering Russia again. All the countries we've entered before we had to hang on to the original customs declaration we got in Vladivostok and ask for it back at the Russian border into Mongolia. We didn't need to show it at the Russia/Kazakhstan border. But today, as was the plan, the Russian customs officer took our form that we've been hanging on to for months, stamped it, signed it and kept it! Feels so weird. There won't be any issue if we do have to enter Russia again, we just get given a new one at the border.

The Ukraine border was easy, just a bit of waiting around as usual. Going to a border that's not on the main route worked out well for us because there was actually no line up at all. Just a few cars and people being processed through. One of the Ukraine customs officers processed the customs clearance for the car and had Graeme's passport and the original car registration paper. After the car was inspected Graeme asked him if it was all good, were we right to go. He said no, you're not. Yikes, ok then. Graeme walked back to the little window, and this time the guy closed the door to his office. Next thing, Graeme comes over to me, minus his documents, and says that we have to pay a *ahem* customs fee of $15USD. That sorted we then had to pay $10USD for insurance (cheapest insurance ever!) and we were through.

We stopped early again today, maybe 3pm, in a field behind some trees, well away from the road. It's actually quite peaceful and there's a lovely breeze keeping the air nice and cool. Last night was freezing so I think I'll be getting out our extra blanket tonight! This early stop is to try and refuel us. We're both really tired, Graeme more so. A saturation point has been reached and we just need to chill out a bit and get our energy levels back up again. Driving day in, day out and constantly being on the move really takes it out of you. You could have six months or a year to do this trip and I think you'd still be at the same level of exhaustion because you'd just try and pack more in. It's the nature of travel I suppose. Personally I think we're balancing it quite well and still managing to see a lot.

The police presence here is huge. I've lost count how many cops we've passed today. The most annoying aspect of that is they're catching people for speeding but there's literally been NO speed signs in the ~200km we've travelled through Ukraine so far. So, if we're booked, we'll have no idea why because we have no idea what the speed limits are at any point. It's so frustrating to be driving along, scared of seeing police because you constantly feel like you're doing the wrong thing.

We're going to Kharkiv tomorrow then on to Kiev from there. We've crossed another time zone so are now 7hrs behind home time. We were asked the other day, how do we know what the local time is? Well, sometimes our mobiles update depending on which carrier they connect to, often we'll pass a fuel station or a town clock that will show the time, and other times we'll confirm it when we get to a hotel. Failing that we could always ask someone but we just seem to always stumble upon the time. It's of no consequence to us so we don't really bother going out of our way to find it. My watch stopped working within the first couple of weeks of our trip so I rarely have any idea what the time is. It's great!

Chris, I'm going to dignify your awesome dad joke with an answer - no they don't drive Volgos in Volograd, but they do drive Volgas. Seriously, there's a Lada Volga. Keep up the pie quota for me!

HAHA funny thing Graeme just read out to me from the booklet we got given at our Almaty hotel in Kazakhstan: "If you stay long in Almaty on at least for two days, then be ready that the city won't let you go in your dreams minimum for another week." Loving the lost in translation on this trip!

OMG, another one I have to share: "Note a single table laid by the hospitable hosts will be void of Oriental cookies." - why? I like cookies.

This one's about driving to the Big Almaty Lake: "You can get there by car, but it is as if to eat dry hot-dog."

There's a lesson here kids, use Google Translate wisely and sparingly.