Day 22 – Svalyava to Perechyn: Getting the strength back

35 miles (56 km) – Total so far: 996 miles (1,603 km)

Fortunately not that it’s very often (last year when riding in Croatia), but every time I get food-poisoning I think back to almost 8 years ago when I picked it up after a bad curry at my brother’s in Houston. A day later when he felt unwell I dared suggest he had the same thing. Of course, and sadly, it was the start of his cancer diagnosis. He never let me forget it, but always in a humorous way. So, all in context, it was very minor, but nonetheless inconvenient.

Despite eating last night and it being rejected, I felt a lot stronger this morning and was away relatively early trying to beat that heat coming later.

I’ve been on very few busy roads in Ukraine, but this was one for 8 km to the town of Polyana this morning. The vehicles are pretty good and generally give space, but it’s good to turn off onto a quiet road again.
An Irish bar would you believe…

Then my route took me west on a road winding through rural villages with very little traffic except in the villages themselves (it’s market day here).
A rough road again, but this is an area frequented by cyclists (though I didn’t see any today) and tourists from Czech, Slovakia and Poland, who must find it cheap.

There’s a few tourist complexes like this unfinished one.
Looks like the owner has run out of funds part way through..

The view from the day’s high-point.
It’s another low level part of the journey, the last time being Braşov, or the Danube crossing. I’m looking forward to getting up into the Tatras, should be much cooler.

Pretty much everyone I pass nods, waves, or more likely shouts ‘Dobrje’.

‘We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.’

Banana break at the village of Tur’i Remety.

Perechyn – a well-timed arrival as it’s just starting to get hot.
A shortened day, as I rode those km yesterday intentionally, and just about right for getting the strength back.
I’ve got a ‘homestay’ here. A family with older children who are at University in nearby Uzhhorod, the daughter studying English fortunately.

The Zakarpattia Oblast, which we are in, is home to several ethnic groups, including Russians, Belarusians, Slovakians, and Hungarians.