It was time for me to say goodbye to Crimea and move on towards Kiev. Since it is a long way towards Ukraine’s capital I decided to make a stop about halfway in a city called Dnipropetrovsk. That of course if I could get there in a day.
So I said goodbye to my beach spot and my mosquitoes and started my daily routine. First up, some breakfast. I did make a brief stop at Feodosiya to look for some shop but could not easily locate a grocery store or a supermarket. I figured I would pass something on the way north so I quickly grabbed a snickers bar at the petrol station to kill that first hunger feeling.
I must say that the road was not the most scenic in the world. There were no big mountains to tackle, just straight roads through massive plains. The scenery never really changed. My original plan to stop for breakfast along the way did not really go so well. I didn’t pass any real towns until I reached a place called Dzhankoi. After driving up and down the main street I could finally spot a grocery store where I grabbed some yoghurt and some bananas. Or so I thought, I mean, I was pretty sure I picked bananas, but not so sure that the yoghurt was actually yoghurt. My fears turned into reality when I tasted my newly purchased dairy product. I had bought cream. Another lesson learned, it is not a great idea to eat half a bucket of cream, even when mixing with muesli, and pretend it is delicious yoghurt. You can’t fool your stomach.
I continued riding and the only scenic stop I made was at a salt lake.
There were no traces of water around, only the remaining salt. I took some pictures and even tried riding a bit on the salt, hoping that my attempts would brake some ukrainian speed record. But I gave up on that after finding out the salty sand was not as dry as I hoped it to be. Luckily I did not get stuck and wisely stuck to the shoreline.
I was not treated on any other sights after that besides the countless fields and fruit shops alongside the roads which seem to cause a fair amount of car accidents. Car suddenly decided to stock up on watermelons and brake hard to stop in time for their favorite street vendor, causing the unwary driver behind him to slam on the brakes and hope to stop in time. I only passed one accident, but it had happened just moments before I arrived since I could see some injured people being treated by an ambulance. I am sure there are many near misses on any given day.
Since my cream breakfast attempt had become an awful lunch I was still hungry as a horse and after a while I made a stop at a pizzeria alongside the road near Vasilivka to get my daily calorie boost.
Around 5pm I decided to call an end to this very mundane ride and decided to spend the night in the city of Zaporiziya where I was greeted by huge boulevards named after our great communist leader Lenin along with nice fountains and other communist statues. Not exactly a great tourist town from the looks of it. I tried looking for some cheap accommodation. First hotel I stopped at had 4 stars and I did not bother to ask for prices. Next hotel, 3 stars, alright, I will ask for some prices. It was a little bit over the amount I was willing to spend so I decided to continue my search. This is where I started to consult my gps for accommodation. This has not proved to be a great way to look for a place to stay since I have had many occasions where it has directed me to places that are closed, destroyed, burned down, or simply appartment blocks. But I figured luck should sooner or later be on my side.
I saw some bed and breakfasts listed on my gps and headed for the first one. Upon arriving it looked like a retreat for pensioned war veterans. I saw no welcome signs or any other indication that this was a welcoming place. There was only a big fence with a no entry sign that I had passed. Needless to say, I tried looking for another place. Again, consult gps. Now I end up in the middle of a residential area with huge appartment buildings. Again, I can’t find any sign of the bed and breakfast my gps directs me to. As I want to head back to the city centre I pass a motel and decide to ask for prices. It is a tiny bit cheaper than the hotel downtown and I decide to park the bike and get a well deserved shower. 460km done today. This is more than I really want to do on a hot summer day. Of course they give me a room that has served as a smokers room in the past. Don’t think you can ever turn a smokers room into a non smoking one. The stench will always remain. And I guess it also has its effect on the staff who are not the friendliest bunch I’ve ever come across.
Route followed
Goodbye working holiday visas, Europe here I come 