New Crimea road trip

The signboard that habitually stands at the entrance to the town gracefully passed by but for some reason town itself didn't appear. After a kilometer or so, we saw the house, then another one. The village.

“Oh well! Alone, at night, in some presumably extinct village lost in the middle of nowhere. Keep going!” - that’s what people say watching a so-so horror movie scene we've found ourselves in. At about this moment zombies usually crop up.

Our zombie was a tipsy man in his 40-s standing in the crossing under the sole lantern on the road. Cut! Keeping in mind the “best practices” we locked the doors and drove slowly to ask for directions.

During the subsequent half-hour monologue we learned that “the lake is there” (wave of the hand) along with “tank firing field down the road” (same direction) and of course “2000 Cossacks on the military exercises”. Last knowledge hit me the most. My friend clutched the wheel and smiled somehow nervously. Every thought of setting up a tent not to mention sleeping in it evaporated from our heads. We left the village in the opposite direction. Took a bite. Slept in the car.

No morning talks. Bundled in silence. With sick determination we turned towards the village.

I imagined Cossacks just waiting for precious moment to have us “neutralized” here and there, behind every trunk. The only ideas incessantly revolved in the head - “People first talk then shoot… and why even shoot? It’s the coast after all”, etc - and a cloud of seamless explanations.

The road still wound from side to side. Poppies shamelessly packed the entire field. The valley stretched to the horizon. Over the one hill appeared the next. And another. And the lake.

No more rises - only the sea, the lake over a few meters of sand, hills behind and us. No one, but us. It took some time for idea to leak and for me to believe in it. We did it! Here it is - a magical lake with water looking pink, like unicorn milk, lighting against a turquoise sea. Green valley, piled boulders and my favorite poppies. Astounding expanses of space and kilometers with no people at all.

Probably that was the first time during the road my breath was truly free. It is unlikely that anyone would like to meet militaries regiment in combat exercises. But it would be foolish to drive 1400 kilometers to the last moment and turn back.

No matter what the reason would be: a broken nail, a stalled engine, or 2000 Cossacks, it’s always worth it to continue to be afraid, but keep going.