I spent December and January in Odessa, Ukraine to improve my knowledge of the Russian language to a level which (one day hopefully) will make it possible for me to do some more traveling and exploring in countries of the former Soviet Union or Russia herself.
During two month I lived first in a backpackers hostel (The Babushka Grand - literally a Grand place) and later I shared a tiny 2-room apartment near the centre of Odessa with a crazy guy from south-America who was very fond of Russian boys. His orgies never ended and by the end of the first month I felt deprived of sleep and fed up with the banging of doors all night long only to find used condoms all over the bathroom the next day, the kitchen table full of bottles of vodka and the bathtub (!!) full of vomit.
I was more than ready to leave this madhouse and go travel. Winter was still all around and I had nothing to cycle on. So, the only option was to use (mini-)buses and trains to move through eastern Europe.
This meant endless queuing at ticket counters dealing with grumpy employees, trying to avoid pushy taxi drivers, endure seemingly never-ending overnight train rides in old,smelly wagons (always wishing you don t have to use the loo because the stink and swamped floors of the facilities makes you want to vomit) and of course the cope with the body odour and extravaganzas of your fellow travelers. ( Actually I know some guy from the US who in the middle of the night riding the train from Bucharest to Belgrade - manages to shine his shoes !)
Like a couple of month back, I visited Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia ( I stayed almost two weeks in the Romanian capital - Bucharest. Not much to see really, but people are great, food,drink and live in general is cheap and I had an amazing time with my friends).
In Skopje I met up with my friend Dejan, a 33 year old above-knee amputee, who was about to leave for an epic 5.000 km journey across China. During 3 years he wants to travel a total of 20.000km on different continents - for him a journey of learning, sharing and inspiring himself and others amputees.
It is impossible to find a good-quality touring bicycle and gear in Macedonia, so I offered my bike and bags for Dejans travels. I hope my small support helps my friend on his way. Read all about Dejans journey here: Cycling China
Now I am back in Berlin, waiting for the spring - once again crashing on my cousins couch, planing my route towards Middle East and hunting for a new touring bike.
During two month I lived first in a backpackers hostel (The Babushka Grand - literally a Grand place) and later I shared a tiny 2-room apartment near the centre of Odessa with a crazy guy from south-America who was very fond of Russian boys. His orgies never ended and by the end of the first month I felt deprived of sleep and fed up with the banging of doors all night long only to find used condoms all over the bathroom the next day, the kitchen table full of bottles of vodka and the bathtub (!!) full of vomit.
I was more than ready to leave this madhouse and go travel. Winter was still all around and I had nothing to cycle on. So, the only option was to use (mini-)buses and trains to move through eastern Europe.
This meant endless queuing at ticket counters dealing with grumpy employees, trying to avoid pushy taxi drivers, endure seemingly never-ending overnight train rides in old,smelly wagons (always wishing you don t have to use the loo because the stink and swamped floors of the facilities makes you want to vomit) and of course the cope with the body odour and extravaganzas of your fellow travelers. ( Actually I know some guy from the US who in the middle of the night riding the train from Bucharest to Belgrade - manages to shine his shoes !)
Like a couple of month back, I visited Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia ( I stayed almost two weeks in the Romanian capital - Bucharest. Not much to see really, but people are great, food,drink and live in general is cheap and I had an amazing time with my friends).
In Skopje I met up with my friend Dejan, a 33 year old above-knee amputee, who was about to leave for an epic 5.000 km journey across China. During 3 years he wants to travel a total of 20.000km on different continents - for him a journey of learning, sharing and inspiring himself and others amputees.
It is impossible to find a good-quality touring bicycle and gear in Macedonia, so I offered my bike and bags for Dejans travels. I hope my small support helps my friend on his way. Read all about Dejans journey here: Cycling China
Now I am back in Berlin, waiting for the spring - once again crashing on my cousins couch, planing my route towards Middle East and hunting for a new touring bike.
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