Ukraine: Into the wild.

Ok not the wild as in wilderness, but the wild, as in the field behind the village. While we almost find ourselves in the city - about 15 minutes from Ternopol - this a rural village. In the street outside the house there are geese, an older man walks by twice a day with he’s cow's and in the small fields surrounding the village the potato harvesting is in full swing. Several times a day, a fully loaded horse trailers with potatoes and other vegetables that are harvested nearby pas the house.

It must be said to be quite charming, rustic, I'm from the country myself, but this is another way. Today we have a fantastic opportunity to see the village from a different side than what I normally do.

Neighbor boy Mycola has offered and take us on safari and shall he do it in his UAZ. It looks as if it is made in the 60's, but in reality it is a 1998 model, it has 4 wheel drive and locks on all wheels, low gear, high gear and any other gear you might need to get ahead in real rugged terrain, perfect for the roads and mud holes we shall overcome on our little trip.

We drive out as the sun is about to go down, the light is amazing and the clouds have a light pink color. We drive on roads that are unsuitable for much other than horses and tractors, but Mycola steer the car with great precision through mud so deep that I think "Now we will need to push the car out," but we don’t have to. Shifting slightly to a lower gear and yet again the car digs itself out.

So we come to end up on the hill above the village and the large flat landscape opens up, not a mountain in sight - just flat -it is very nice, especially for a Norwegian like me that is used to not be able to see farther than a few kilometers before a mountain blocks the view. Now we stop, Mycola signals that now it is my turn to run this marvel of a machine.

I press the clutch trying to shift, but the gearbox only scrapes, Mycola instructs me to pump the clutch before he gives my hand a strong push and we knock the gear lever into first, I release the clutch and the car jump into motion. So to second, I miss a few times until I find the gear. It's incredibly fun to drive. It is reminiscent of a mix of tractors, tanks, and an old truck from 1970.

The terrain I'm allowed to drive in is fortunately the easy. In a car like this you need a few days or weeks to learn to drive, but I'm really enjoying it, and shortly we are back where we started. Mycolo take back the control of the car and brings us safely back to the village.

UAZ-452 was first produced in 1966 as a military vehicle; it still made today and it looks the same. Should you wish to buy one, you can go to their website here UAZ http://www.uaz.ru/eng/models/commercial/