Day 24 Kharkov to Kiev
This time change stuff, isn't great, I woke at what I thought was 6:00 but it was 5:00am. It's really bright out, so I guess I am up. The sun is brilliant and great to see but should have closed the curtains. We decided to have the car washed last night. The dust from Mongolia is playing havoc with our clothes and with each bump clouds of smoke still rise. Yesterday, a couple said you drove with your roof up for part of the day?
I asked how they knew?
"Your faces are covered in fine sand".
Anyway, after it was cleaned the attendant handed us a plastic bag half filled with sand . Can't imagine how much that weighs.
This hotel has so much to offer but we are as usual to exhausted to do any more than eat and head off to bed. Tony checked the fluids, added some transmission oil and a little engine oil but other than that the car seems OK for now.
465km to drive and its my turn to drive. Kharkov lined their streets with people. We race out of the hotel and jump into our cars as we are 6th registered to leave. The loudspeaker announces us as Anatoli and Lenin. We both chuckle.
Out the gates and on to the main streets, past a large statue of Lenin. The route book had to be altered to take care of the crowds. Our car gets a lot of OHS and Awes as it is so shiny clean, probably won't last long.
Tony hasn't navigated much, you can tell. He tries his best but gets the route a little backwards. So I follow the car I front as I know they are pretty good and clearly as they are higher in points they do things correctly.
Tony finally gets the hang of it and off we speed. The day is brilliant blue sky. Ukraine's colors are blue and gold and I know why. The sky is a brilliant blue and the fields of wheat are this beautiful gold colour. I hope the camera can capture it.
First Passage control is at about 120km the roads are Ok. The second is another 120 and along a horrible road where the car meanders all over the road and is bounced around a lot. Norther like Mongolia but it just shakes rattles and rolls. At about 260km I need to get out and stretch so we decide to get gas and have a snack. It takes forever and we truly thought we could be quick but we are swarmed by locals. This causes even more of a delay.
We move down to the 3rd Passage-control which was almost as bad. Tons of people jam into the small parking lots where the cars and drivers are getting stamped. We get through the hoards and head out. We are really baked by the sun, and the car is beginning to over heat. Not good.
We arrive at hotel in Kiev and immediately check for our car parts, we confirm Andy, part of the ERA crew, is available and then check for the spring and tire tubes. The hotel announces nothing has arrived. Now what! Immediately on to phone to get the tracking number from the Priory in England. That provided we call UPS who confirm it has arrived in Kiev but stuck in customs. It won't clear till 9:00pm so, so much for getting the work done today. It would be so nice to see a little of Kiev, which looks like a nice city.
We retained our Gold status and 3rd in class, 5th overall.
Lee Ann
Over prepare, then go with the flow.
Lee-Ann 🏁
Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
