Krakovetz border

The Ukraine is full of contrasts. Small villages with no gas or water, no phones, delapidated houses, horse ploughs, gravel roads with potholes. And Porsche Cayennes. Kiev has fifteen McDonalds, and then when you leave Kiev you travel back in time, 50 years in one hour. Bad economy, corruption. No wonder many young Ukranians want to leave for the west. But the west means Poland, and Poland is Schengen. Not easy to cross this border, you need to have a lot of paperwork done and then you need to be very patient as five hours waiting time is the norm.

This is the border near Krakovets at sunset, light still over the horizon, sign of a better world in the west.