More on well-used Ladas -- a Report from Ed in the Ukraine

 TRAVELS WITH ED IN THE UKRAINE

 

We stopped at a gas station to fill up the Hyundai owned by one of our in-country research associates and, next to us, pulls this rusted out Soviet-era Lada with at least six little children in the backseat.  Mom and dad go into the carry-out for drinks while the kids literally climb out of the back windows.  Notice that, in the second photo, there is no door handle on the back door (it has apparently fallen off and the door was inoperable).  Not surprisingly, each of the six little kids scampered out of the back windows, delightfully squealing.  The third photo is of a young man who spoke broken English working to get his old Lada started.  He told me that the standard joke with these old Soviet built Ladas was that when they rolled off the assembly line they all had the hoods up........since that is the position they would most likely be in with their future owners.  An interesting take on Ukrainian humor, no?

 

Ed