Good Progress
23 JulHappy Birthday to my brother today!
A bit of muesli with carbonated water this morning. More interesting than nice! Then it was off to Kharkiv. First we had to buy a local Kiev map, because we could not find the right road out of town.
It was around 35 degrees today, and we were pushing into a head wind, and climbing long hills. Our oil pressure problems soon returned. We’re unsure whether this is an electrical fault, or an oil pressure problem, but the consequences could be rally stopping. We spent some time on the side of the road trying to improve air flow over the engine, but the problem hung around through the middle of the day. We’ve bought some thicker oil, and will put this in when we get a chance.
We stopped for lunch at a small roadside restaurant, made up of little wooden huts clustered around a central fountain. The food was good, a pork schnitzel. Stephen’s was with cheese, mine with carrots in a spicy sauce, and Tim’s with something I’ve forgotten.
The view from our hut
Other rally people have started to pass us now…mainly Spanish and Italian entrants. Although the speed differential isn’t as much now, we still can’t travel as fast as a Fiat or a Seat.
Tim cause a grande casino in the petrol station today. You have to pay before you fill, and the cashier accidentally charged us for too much fuel. It was more fuel than could fit in our tank. Communication is so difficult, by the time we’d worked out what had happened, there was a queue of cars waiting for the pump. The man from the car behind put the pump back in our car and squeezed the trigger impatiently. Now there is fuel everywhere. Now the attendant is asking for Tim’s card again, and Tim is protesting, playing charades to try and avoid being ripped off. We’ve now got about 10 customers all staring at our situation, so Tim decides to cut his losses by giving them some cash. Then the penny drops and everyone starts to laugh. They wanted his card so they can give him the money back, not charge him more! We have misunderstandings like this all day, but this one was a classic.
That wasn’t the only drama for the day. Stephen was stopped for doing 86 in a 70 zone. All of the roads have ridiculously low limits (70 is about the highest), and the Police wait near towns with the radar. He was made to go and sit inside the police car, while they decided what an adequate amount for a fine was, although apparently they don’t issue tickets.
We made good progress and finished the day 100k’s past Kharkiv, picking up some local tomatoes from a roadside stall as the light faded. We drove up a trail through a line of trees between two wheat fields, and camped on a field that had already been harvested. We ate funghi pasta with tinned tuna and local tomato, and sucked back a couple of local brews. Bring on tomorrow!
