Day 19 – Chelny to Ufa.

High point:  Today was exactly what the doctor ordered.  After 18 days the agony was increasing exponentially.  The constant view of gravestones and freshly crashed trucks by the side of the road, and near fatal accidents every 5 minutes was beginning to weigh heavy.  Then today, out of nowhere, the roads stopped looking bombed, the skies cleared of smoke, and our fellow truck drivers almost started behaving themselves.  Don’t get me wrong, we still have 40 tonne trucks coming at us head on, it just doesn’t happen as often.  Awesome views, sweeping roads and big chat. Now this is what we signed up for.  Love it !!!!

Low point:  Waking up in a little bed thinking I was at home. “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”.  Was a happier boy when we hit the road and the challenge is put back in perspective.

No point: We pulled over into a petrol station; realising we didn’t need any, we drove on.

Russian word of the day: Tih takaya mee-laya

Authors comments: Words can not express the experience so far.  It is all very surreal.  Everything is thrown at you.  In many ways we have made life very difficult for ourselves by driving a fire engine, but, and it is a very big but, the people we meet along the way more than make up for it.  At every stop in Russia, if only for a moment, we are always greeted by some wonderful locals taking photos, jumping onboard, praying for us, or simply laughing at the adventure.  No one speaks English, we speak minimial Russian, so these meetings are always entertaining. People are nice aren’t they? www.WeLoveRussians.com

Steve

[flickr album=72157624541857245 num=30 size=Square]