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Pictures of our second and third trip to the Ukraine
- Part 2a (Pic 1-33): From August 17 to 21, 2013 – Ferry from Poti/Georgia - Ilyichevsk - Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky - Moldova Border
- Part 2b (Pic 34-42): From September 4 to 20, 2013 – Moldova Border - Odessa Port - Container/Freighter to Praia/Cape Verde
- Part 3 (Pic 43-75): From Nov. 11 to Dec. 8, 2016 – Russian Border - Odessa Port - Container/Freighter to Bintulu/Sarawak/Malaysia
 
before part 2:
Georgia Part 3b – August 13 to 15, 2013 - Abkhazia Border - Poti/Georgia - Ferry to Ilyichevsk/Ukraine
Ukraine Part 1 – September 25 to 28, 1995 - Slovakia border at Uzhgorod - Lviv - Polish border at Šeginie
afterwards part 2:
Cape Verde – Oct. 28, 2013 to May 15, 2014 - Islands of Santiago - Fogo - Brava - São Nicolau - São Vicente - Santo Antão (East) - (West)
Moldova Part b – September 1 to 4, 2013 - Transnistria Border - Chişinǎu - Orheiul Vechi - Ukraine Border
Transnistria – August 22 to September 1, 2013 - Tiraspol - Chiţcani - Bendery - Moldova Border
Moldova Part a – August 21 to 22, 2013 - Ukraine Border - Cǎuşeni - Transnistria Border
 
before part 3:
Russia Part 2b – from Gorno Altaysk to the Mongolia border and back to the Ukraine border at Krupets – Sept. 26th to Nov. 11th, 2016
Russia Part 2a – from Tretyakovo at Kazakhstan border via Lake Teletskoye to Gorno Altaysk – August 21st to September 26th, 2016
Kazakhstan – from Korday at Kyrgyzstan border to Shemonaika at Russia border – August 9th to 21st, 2016
Kyrgyzstan – from Tajikistan border in Pamir to Kazakhstan border at Korday – June 27th to August 9th, 2016
Tajikistan Part 2 – from Dushanbe to the Kyrgyzstan border – June 18th to 27th, 2016
Tajikistan Part 1 – from Uzbekistan border to Dushanbe – May 31st to June 18th, 2016
Uzbekistan – from Turkmenistan border in Dashoguz to Tajikistan border near Oybeck – May 10th to 31st, 2016
Turkmenistan – from Iran border at Bajgiran to Uzbekistan border near Khiva – May 6th to 10th, 2016
Iran – from the ferry port Bandar Abbas to Turkmenistan border near Ashgabat – April 11th to May 6th, 2016
United Arab Emirates – from Saudi Arabia border to Sharjah and the ferry to Iran – January 12th to April 10th, 2016
Saudi Arabia – from the ferry port Jeddah in transit to United Arab Emirates border – January 9th to 12th, 2016
Sudan – from Ethiopia border to Suakin and the ferry to Saudi Arabia – December 9th, 2015 to January 8th, 2016
Russia Part 1 – from Kazakhstan border in Troick via Moscow to Ivangorod at Estonia border – July 1st to 29th, 1995
afterwards part 3:
Myanmar (Burma) round trip – without our vehicle from December 26th, 2016 to January 22nd, 2017
3rd Rejuvenation of our LandCruiser FJ60/1982 in Miri/Sarawak/East Malaysia from 2/6-5/3/2017 + continuation from 7/18-9/22/2018
Borneo-Sulawesi-Moluccas-Papua Trip (=Start) – from August 22nd, 2017 to May 27th, 2018
 
Ukraine Map
 
 
                   Eastern Europe Map
 
               
click a picture to see details
 
Part 2a   latest picture part 2a: August 21, 2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
001  The weather is mild, the Black Sea is
calm. Emil talks with two German back-
packers on deck of the "Vilnius Seaways"
Ferry that brings us in 55 hours from Poti
in Georgia to Ilyichevsk in the Ukraine
002  Liliana chooses a seat close to the
window at breakfast on the "Vilnius Seaways"
Ferry. Food is already arranged when the
door to the dining room opens. This time
there are sausages, eggs, porridge and curd
003  Land in sight! The sun is setting over
the port of Ilyichevsk in the Ukraine.
What a welcome to Europe after 14½ years
of absence! It is 8/17/2013 – on 1/28/1999
we left the continent at Gelibolu in Turkey
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
004  The lights of the port of Ilyichevsk
come closer. Ilyichevsk’s harbor is bigger
than the one of Ukraine’s third biggest
city Odessa, 12 miles to the east
005  Camping life at the clean TIR Park
in Ilyichevsk with toilet and hot showers.
Price Hryvnia (UAH) 30 (= US$3.75).
We stay ten days. TIR parks are usually
used by trucks as night places, here
e.g. during ferry loadings/unloadings
006  What means the number 700'436.4
on our odometer? It is the “replacement”
(made with an emergency camera bought
in Georgia) of the 700'000.0th km
(=434’960 miles) that we were able to
celebrate in Abkhazia on August 9th, 2013,
but which went lost when both of our
Panasonic cameras were stolen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
007  Behind this impressive building
hides the Railway Station of Odessa,
a city of over 1 million people. It belongs
to the most beautiful old structures
008  The jewel in Odessa is the Opera,
built in 1887 by the architects who also
designed the famous Vienna State Opera:
Ferdinand Fellner and Herman Helmer
009  This building (#58 Panteleymonov-
skaya Street) was actually before the
revolution 1917 the St. Andrew’s Church
and was a transit point for pilgrimage from
Russia to Novy Afon in Abkhazia. After
that it was turned into a culture palace
and 1996 it was returned to the clergy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
010  In the city center of Odessa along
the Pushkinskaya Street in front of the
St. Elias Monastery (Svyato-Ilinskiy
Monastery) a babushka winds another
bouquet from dried flowers
011  At this souvenir stand we
especially admire the dolls made
from ears (is it Mary and Joseph
or some angels?)
012  On August 29th, fruits are also
blessed among others – the Russian Ortho-
dox Church, to which also the St. Elias
Monastery belongs, celebrates from Aug.
14th to 28th, the festivities of “Dormition”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
013  The church tower of the
St. Elias Monastery – also called
Svyato-Ilinskiy Monastery – along
the Pushkinskaya-Street in the
center of Odessa
014  The arched door of St. Elias
Monastery bears a fine icon mosaic
of St. Gabriel of Athos (on 3/19/2012
there still might have been
Madonna with Child)
015  The Spaso-Preobrazhensky
Cathedral at Soboma Square is
said to be the largest orthodox
church in Odessa
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
016  People are queuing up in front
of the St. Elias Monastery in Odessa
for receiving the priest's blessing.
They also carry flowers, fruits or
other things to be consecrated
017  The orthodox priest uses
a white aspergillum for sprinkling
the holy water. It can easily
happen that afterwards people
have to dry their face!
018  Locals and tourists alike are flocking
into the magnificently gilded interior of the
St. Elias Monastery, where 1994 a coffin
with relicts of St. Gabriel of Athos
(Greece) was found
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
019  The colonnaded Odessa City Hall
was originally the stock exchange and
later the Regional Soviet Headquarters.
It was built 1834
020  A snap shot: Six beauties at
a photo shooting in front of the
City Hall in Odessa
021  "Primorskiy Boulevard", the tree-
lined pedestrian zone in Odessa with its
park benches is a shady place to relax.
It runs above Odessa's cabotage harbor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
022  The famous Potemkin Stairs
sweep down to the Black Sea and
Odessa's biggest port. The 466 ft. long
stairs, initially consisting of 200 sand-
stone steps on 10 levels, were reduced
to 192 granite stairs in 1933
023  The stunning facade of the (former)
Hotel Moscow (in construction) charms
not only by its sculptures of humans,
animals and flowers, but especially also
by the gleaming of the blue windows
024  Even in the smallest village there
is a church with a golden dome. Here
at Roksolany along the Dniestr-Liman
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
025  A world away from the cities:
seagulls, egrets and coots are gathering
at a narrow sandbank along the
Dnistrowskyj-Liman estuary .....
026  ..... during our picnic even a dark
brown-black snake glides past our table
027  "Hopefully I will soon have
a fish at the rod!"
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
028  And again golden church domes
attract our attention. Here in the city of
Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky the “Holy Ascension”
Cathedral (Svyato-Voznesensky)
029  The wooden cross on the hill
at the “Alexander Barracks” at
Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky has survived
the passage of time
030  The eye-catching feature of the
church of Brytivka along the outward
road of Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky to the west
is the numerous niches with images of
Saints. Religion is pivotal in the Ukraine.
It has provided comfort during many
hard soviet times
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
031  Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi’s main
attraction is primarily its huge fortress,
the “Akkermann Fortress”, built 1454
with 14 turrets, 4 gates and a citadel
that has walls of 1¼ miles length
032  Right the walls, left the moat. The
history of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi goes back
to 600 BC. It has seen “rough” times –
among others the Phoenicians, Greeks,
Romans, the tribes of the Tivertsians and
Ulychians, Genoese, Moldavians, Turks,
Russians, Romanians, Tatars
033  The “Akkerman Fortress”, situated
in the northeastern corner of the 50’000-
people city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, lies
directly at the water – at the Dnistrowskyj-
Liman estuary
 
On August 17th, 2013, four days after the entry of our first visit to the Ukraine by ferry from Georgia to Ilyichevsk,
we leave the country at Starokozache to explore Moldova and Transnistria. On September 4th, we return at Mayaky
to the Ukraine. It is our 500th border crossing during our worldtrip (due to a corruption attempt a bit unpleasant)
 
Part 2b   latest picture part 2b: September 20, 2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
034  Fishing camp near Mayaky on
the northern end of the Dnistrowskyj-
Liman estuary where the Dniester River
flows in coming from Moldova
and Transnistria
035  Without GPS it is preferable to
have some knowledge of the Cyrillic
alphabet in order to arrive
there where it's planned
036  The river mouth of the Dniester
River at the Dnistrowskyj-Liman
estuary close to Mayaky
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
037  The church of St. Victor in
Avanhard about 8 miles west of Odessa
038  The bell tower of the church of
St. Victor in Avanhard along the Obizna
Road (outer ring road of Odessa)
039  We are grateful to them! The
friendly and helpful crew at the Odessa
port when containerizing our LandCruiser
on September 19th, 2013. Thanks to
Mr. Pavel of MSC (Mediterranean
Shipping Company) and the stevedores of
Tiburon the stuffing went very smoothly
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
040  "Does it really fit in?" Mr. Pavel
of the MSC (Mediterranean Shipping
Company) looks a bit skeptical. After
26 container shipments before we
definitely know that our LandCruiser
does fit into a 20 feet container
041  At the airport of Odessa:
Liliana is thoughtful and also sad, like
always when another interesting leg
of our journey comes to an end. It was
a short stay in Europe – only five weeks
042  20.9.2013: Air Arabia is waiting.
The aircraft will bring us firstly to Sharjah
in the United Arab Emirates – the first leg
to our new travel destination: Cape Verde,
the islands in the Atlantic Ocean
 
  • On September 19, 2013, we leave the country again at Odessa to fly with Air Arabia firstly to Sharjah/UAE, on October 6th
  • onwards to Casablanca/Maroc and then with Air Maroc to Praia on the Island of Santiago on Cape Verde.
  • The car leaves Odessa on September 22nd, with MSC Shipping via Gioia Tauro/Italy, Sines/Portugal and
  • Las Palmas/Canary Islands to arrive on October 27th, in the port of Praia/Santiago/Cape Verde.
    		•
     
    Part 3   latest picture part 3: December 6, 2016
     
     
     
     
     
     
    043  11/11/2016: After the Russian/
    Ukrainian border crossing in Krupets/
    Kyaterinivka we are surprised by a snow-
    storm. We take shelter at the "Hotel 7Ya"
    in Krasnoselskoe for Ukrainian Hryvnia
    300 (UAH) = US$12.50 …..
    044  ….. in the morning Liliana is
    peeking out of the snow covered window
    of our lovely heated room …..
    045   ….. to the biting cold wintry
    landscape. The thermometer
    shows 19°F [-7°C]
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Gorgeous moods at sunset in Krasnoselskoe along the M02/E101, 100mi [160km] west of the Russian-Ukrainian border:
    The setting sun puts color and brilliance in all variations to the somber wintry landscape
    046
    047
    048
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    049  The Saint Sophia’s Cathedral in
    Kiev with its 250 ft. [76m] tall wedding-
    cake bell tower belongs to the Unesco
    World Heritage sites. It is named after
    the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul
    050  Detail of the 250 ft. [76m]
    tall bell tower of the
    St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev
    051  St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev
    seen from the west side
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    052  St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev
    seen from the east side
    053  Another detail of the 250 ft. [76m]
    tall bell tower of the
    St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev
    054  Jesus on the deathbed: Another
    painting in the St. Michael Golden-
    Domed Monastery
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    055  The St. Michael Golden-Domed
    Monastery with its nostalgic bell tower is
    one of the most splendid buildings in Kiev,
    rebuilt after independence on 8/24/1991 …..
    056  ….. a beautiful wall painting with
    warm colors, which is supposed to depict
    angels in paradise, covers a whole front …..
    057  ….. the sky-blue of the façade
    and the gold of the many domes
    enhance its outstanding beauty
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    058  Religious paintings of the Ukrainian
    home icons St. Catherine, St. Nicholas and
    St. Paraskeva in St. Michael Monastery
    059  Another beautifully decorated, but
    closed entrance to the huge area of the
    St. Michael Golden-Domed Monastery
    060  The heavenly patron of Kiev:
    Archangel Michael in the St. Michael
    Golden-Domed Monastery
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Oleg Golik (called also Gos) of the "Offroadmaster 4x4 Club" surprises us at our West Park Hotel in Kiev with a neat fresh
    flower bouquet. He is following enthusiastically our worldrecordtour already since eight years and is very happy to meet us personally.
    With some Vodka-Cola drinks we spend some lovely hours together and are overwhelmed with gifts: with a toolkit,
    a rechargeable torch, a cute camping lamp, a handy, an "Offroadmaster 4x4 Club" t-shirt and a bottle of whisky
    061  Gos is surprising us with
    a neat flower bouquet
    062  Gos is presenting Emil a very
    useful quality toolkit for our LandCruiser.
    It has since been helpful in many cases
    063  Remembrance picture with Gos
    and Liliana and with all the presents
    he overwhelmed us
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Serge Bulan (Timofeevich), another 4x4 enthusiast in Odessa, invites us there for a lunch “in style” to the
    Steakhouse at the Derybasivska Road. The meal is delicious, the atmosphere is perfect and the conversation is relaxed
    064  The waiter is preparing
    our meal in front of our table
    065  The agony of choice:
    Luxurious range of meats to choose
    066  Serge and the two of
    us enjoying our delicious meal
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    067  Beautifully illuminated Christmas
    decoration at the Deribasoyskaya pedestrian
    walkway in the heart of Odessa
    068  A remembrance picture
    in the heart of Odessa by night
    069  Municipal Duma in Odessa
    by night. It was built in 1834
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    070  Our contact person Alexander (left
    from Emil) and a colleague from the BSA
    Evergreen Shipping Company pose with us
    for a picture in front of our LandCruiser
    071  Farewell picture with the crew of
    the BSA shipping agent, the representative
    of the Taiwanese Evergreen Line, where
    we enjoyed a favored treatment
    072  Odessa port September 7th, 2016: Emil
    is lashing our LandCruiser in its “Evergreen”
    Container. It will sail to Malaysian Sarawak
    on the island of Borneo for its 3rd overhaul
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    073  A gasp of relief: Our LandCruiser
    is now ready for its next sea journey
    to Malaysia in its 29th container
    074  A cute Santa Claus, a box of
    chocolates for Christmas and a bottle
    of champagne for New Year are the
    farewell gifts of Serge (Timofeevich)
    of the "Offroadmaster 4x4 Club"
    075  December 8th, 2016: With “FlyDubai”
    we escape Odessa’s winter cold of
    19°F [-7°C] to Dubai and from there with
    an "Emirates" Airbus A380 to Bangkok,
    where after 24 hours we are greeted with
    a pleasant temperature of 88°F [31°C]
     
  • On December 8, 2016, we leave the country again at Odess to fly with FlyDubai firstly to Dubai/UAE, to continue directly
  • with Emirates Airlines to Bangkok/Thailand and then on 12/17/2016 with Air Asia to Kuala Lumpur in West-Malaysia.
  • The car left Odessa on 12/5/2016 with Evergreen Shipping to arrive via Piraeus/Greece and Tanjung Pelepas/West Malaysia
  • on 1/22/2017 in the port of Bintulu/Sarawak/East Malaysia. Because the container got stuck due to docker strike at Piraeus
  • for three weeks, we used the time between 12/26/2016 and 1/21/2017 for a round trip without the car in Myanmar,
  • before the 3rd Rejuvenation of our LandCruiser in Miri/Sarawak started (2/6-5/3/2017)
    		•
     
    The "Greater"-Middle East trip 2012/13:
    Sharjah/Dubai/1st Traveler's Festival/Emirates National Auto Museum - UAE with car Nov. 2012 to Jan. 2013 - part 1
    Western UAE - Liwa - United Arab Emirates  with car in January 2013 - part 2
    Oman 2013 - Part 1 - February 2013: Musandam Peninsula
    Oman 2013 - Part 2 - February 2013: Sohar - Muscat - Rustaq - Nizwa
    Oman 2013 - Part 3 - March 2013: Sur - East Coast - Island of Masirah - Dhofar
    Oman 2013 - Part 4 - March 2013: Salalah & Surroundings (Dhofar) - Nizwa
    Oman 2013 - Part 5 - March 2013: Western Hajar Mountains
    Al Ain, Eastcoast & Ras al Khaima - United Arab Emirates with our car in April 2013 - part 3
    Iran - Part 1: Ferry Port Bandar Abbas-Shiraz-Persepolis-Pasargad (between Persepolis and Yazd) – May 2013
    Iran - Part 2: Pasargad (excl.)-Yazd-Esfahan – May 2013
    Iran - Part 3: Esfahan (excl.)-Chelgerd-Hamadan-Sanandaj-Orumiyeh-Turkey Border – May 2013
    Turkey: Iran Border-Esendere-Hakkari-Van-Doğubayazıt-Kars-Ardahan-Hopa-Georgia Border – May/June 2013
    Georgia - Part 1: Turkey Border-Ajaria-Gori-Tbilisi-Kakheti-Azerbaijan Border – June 2013
    Azerbaijan: Georgia Border-Balakən-Şəki-Lahıç-Baku-Xınalıq-Quba-Laza-Baku-Gəncə-Georgia Border – June 2013
    Georgia - Part 2a: Azerbaijan Border-Tbilisi-Armenia Border – June/July 2013
    Armenia - Part 1: Georgia Border-Haghpat-Dilijan-Sevan-Tatev-Goris-Nagorno Karabakh – July 2013
    Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenia-Stepanakert-Gandzasar-Martakert-Tigranakert-Tnjri-Shoushi-Armenia – July
    Armenia - Part 2: Nagorno Karabakh-Goris-Tatev-Noravank-Khor Virap-Echmiadzin-Yerewan-Geghard-Gyumri-Georgia Border – July 2013
    Georgia - Part 2b: Armenia Border-Ninotsminda-Tbilisi-Mtskheta-Kazbegi-Kutaisi-Zugdidi – July 2013
    Georgia - Part 3a: Zugdidi-Swaneti-Zugdidi-Abkhazia Border – July/August 2013
    Abkhazia: Georgia-Sukhumi-Tsebelda-Novyy Aton-Lake Ritsa-Gagra-Pitsunda-Georgia – August 2013
    Georgia - Part 3b: Abkhazia Border-Poti-Ferry to Ilyichevsk/Ukraine – August 2013
    Moldova - Part a: Ukraine Border-Cǎuşeni-Transnistria Border – August 2013
    Transnistria: Moldova Border-Tiraspol-Chiţcani-Bendery-Moldova Border – August/September 2013
    Moldova - Part b: Transnistria Border-Chişinǎu-Orheiul Vechi-Ukraine Border – September 2013