East to West in 93 days

On April 20 a car stopped outside a frontier check point near Strileche, a village in Kharkiv oblast, and two young ladies with backpacks alighted. To the utter surprise of the border guards, the girls were not traveling to Russia. Instead, the moment the car pulled out, they hit the road in its tracks. Such was the start of photographers Anastasia Yevsiukova and Olha Soloviova’s trek across Ukraine, which lasted 93 days and came to an end in Transcarpathia.

Soloviova conceived the project “Inside of Living” a couple of years ago. But then she was hastily leaving for her job in the US and decided that the idea might wait till a more opportune moment. This project might have remained just a dream, but last year Soloviova returned to Ukraine, met Yevsiukova, and began to implement her old-time conception.

“Walking from border to border, we wanted to see Ukraine,” tells Soloviova describing the goal of their travels, “we wanted to see the people living here, and learn what they think – in particular, about their own country. In our blogs and photos people across the world can see how our country is faring.”

2,000 KILOMETERS IN 3 MONTHS

The girls made it a point of walking only, and on an average day they covered some 25 kilometers. At first they expected that they would be walking six days a week, taking a rest on the seventh. But they were not always lucky to find a good place for a long halt, so more often than not they would keep walking without a proper rest for up to 10 days on end. All in all, the girls covered 2,000 kilometers.

Soloviova was no newbie to long hiking tours, while for Yevsiukova this was a first-ever experience. To get in the form, back in winter both ladies devoted one day per week for training, making long-distance hikes. However, as soon as the project launched, both had to face challenges.

“The first month was the most difficult, both physically and morally,” says Soloviova. “We were adapting, and learned to pick the most comfortable sites for halts, as we mostly slept in tents. At first, I missed my family terribly, but then I got used to it. Communicating with people turned out easy as pie. Everyone we came across was amiable, open, and willing to help. We made a series of videos: we would fall into conversation with people on the street, asking them how they were doing, and then asked them to make a wish for Ukraine. Everyone wished for peace. We were often treated to honey, milk, kvas [a sort of root beer. – Ed.], we were invited to people’s homes, we were given directions, and sometimes offered a lift. We might not ride along, as this was a walking trip, but in such cases would just ask to give a lift to our backpacks.”

FELLOW TRAVELERS

The ladies did not set out on their own in Strileche. At first they were accompanied by two young men, but they had to go back to the university. One was only able to stay with them a week, the other, a month, he walked as far as Kyiv. Little by little, the girls’ blog on their travels was growing more and more popular, and they started getting requests from other hikers, who would like to join in. All in all, the girls had ten fellow travelers on the way. Truth be told, they got the best rapport with their pet companions.

Near the village of Zavallia the hikers met a dog named Marusia, staying together with the local geology club. The geologists let the dog follow the ladies, assuming that Marusia would at some point come back home. But apparently, the canine loved the hike, so a couple of days later it became clear: Marusia is staying to the end.

FOUR-LEGGED FELLOW TRAVELERS ALSO ACCOMPANIED THE GIRLS. IN THE PHOTO: OLHA SOLOVIOVA AND THE FEARLESS TUZIA, WHO CROSSED THE CARPATHIANS WITH HER NEW FRIENDS

“I got so used to Marusia,” shares Yevsiukova. “I did not expect the owners to pick it up, so I was planning on the ways to transport the dog from Uzhorod to Dnipropetrovsk. I even found the money to pay for the sleeping compartment on a train. But later I had to send Marusia back home. Parting with her was really hard.”

The ladies did not have to sing the blues long: in a couple of days they reached Stara Huta, a village where they encountered a stray dog Tuzia.

“Of course, at first we were trying to drive Tuzia away, as we knew that we would not be able to take the dog to Dnipropetrovsk,” tells Soloviova,” but she would not listen. When we reached Transcarpathia, we launched an action Find Home for Tuzia, and in a day we found new family for her, two sweet girls from the village of Rosa.”

“ALL OF UKRAINE IS OUR FAMILY”

Along the way the ladies took endless photos, shot videos, and wrote gripping stories on obscure, yet picturesque places in Ukraine. They were anxious to let their fellow countrymen and foreigners see that traveling in Ukraine can be comfortable and    fun. Soloviova assures that they faced no threats during their trek. Of      course, in the beginning they felt alarmed and were wary of everyone they met on the way. But in a month they got the hang of it and could take life easy.

“Also, we made sure that Ukraine is indivisible and strives for peace,” shares Soloviova. “From the very first days, as we hiked across the villages along the border with Russia, the people we met told us they were Ukrainian. We were not afraid to carry Ukrainian colors and symbols. We saw that our fellow countrymen are open-hearted, sincere, and helpful.”

Yevsiukova is convinced that this project has made her a more open person. She was impressed with the amiability of Ukrainians, most of all by their knack for finding happiness in everyday things.

“I have always known that our people are good. But they turned out to be way better than I had thought. The old ladies we met on the way hugged us so cordially that every time I thought I was hugged by my very own granny. The men we met resembled my dad. These people treated us like family, we had no doubt that all this country is our family. Ukraine is very strong, it is unbreakable. Our people are happy. And they do not need a lot to be happy. Moreover, Ukrainians are hard-working and amiable. They always rush to help and share what they can. People often gave us treats on the way. Even if they did not have bread, they still offered something else they had. I was absolutely conquered by their civic and respectful attitude towards each other. In villages this is especially remarkable. People were not afraid to take us in for the night, even though we were strangers. In a city, you will hardly come across such cordiality now.”

Soloviova and Yevsiukova returned to Dnipropetrovsk last week, but are still busy working on the materials they have assembled, sorting out pictures, and sharing impressions. The young women hope that their travel will inspire people to overcome difficulties, to dream, set goals, achieve them, and be the master of their own lives.