Ukraine Highway Culture – Mongol Rally
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Today, we were on what seemed like a super highway for Ukraine as we traveled from Odessa to Kyiv. Finally – some smooth tarmac – hallelujah! However, as I sped down this highway, constantly trying to go the ever-changing, never-marked speed limit, I was stunned by the culture along the highway in Ukraine.
Imagine this highway as a regular interstate like the I-80 or I-5 in the US – big, wide, and busy with cars going top speeds. In Ukraine, anything goes along the side of the road on the shoulder. I passed people hitchhiking, selling fruit out of buckets, sleeping along the side of the shoulder, rollerblading along the shoulder, and, of course, biking in every direction along the shoulder was allowed!
This article is part of the Mongol Rally Series
The Mongol Rally is an unsupported road rally from London, England, to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. In July 2011, four well-traveled, and some may say crazy, travel bloggers set out on a 10,000-mile journey to Mongolia. This was no fluff press trip…this was us against the open road, in a car that was not meant to be driven to these lengths.
Then there were the animals, ducks and chickens were frequently seen on the road just hanging out. But when I looked up in the distance and saw a big animal, I was shocked. There was a cow walking down the middle of the highway! Once I made this realization, I slammed on the brakes as the cow would clearly win against our Nissan in the game of chicken on the highway!
Thanks to Rick for grabbing his video camera quickly to capture this crazy cow moment!
Another surprise was the pedestrian crosswalks that were frequently crossing the highway. Not on a bridge above the highway…but on the highway. Not to mention the many places where U-turns on the highway were legal.
We stopped at a roadside stand to have some coffee and decided to play Ukrainian Roulette for breakfast by just pointing at a breaded rectangular shape and hoping for the best. Luckily, we made the right choice – it turned out to be an apple-filled pastry…whew. I doubt we’ll be that lucky all the time!
That’s the eternal problem traveling in Ukraine – not being able to read the signs or menus. As I sped by signs on the highway, I wondered if they were important. I had no idea what message they were trying to tell me, which was a bit concerning.
All in all, the highway culture kept me engaged and in awe during my 6-hour drive today…better than any can of Diet Coke ever could!
Crosswalks on the highway is madness! It doesn’t look like there are any kind of lights to warn you about them either. The apple pastry looks really good though.
Oh trying to decipher those signs would make me nervous! Glad to hear you won at roulette.
Wish I could remember my high school Russian! I used to be able to read that shit! Remember the distances are in kilometers….;)
Sounds like the roads have much more character. It’s good to see such activities as selling fruit and what not.
Fascinating! That’s what I love about stepping in a truly foreign culture. Crosswalks on highways is not something I have heard of! Nomadic Matt was also talking about the Ukraine not speaking English and trying to navigate his way through the challenges. Glad you got the apple strudel!