Andrei's friend Kostia operates a tire shop, with a one bay car wash on one side and a small coffee and car accessory shop on the other. The coffee shop is a recent addition. That way he has a place for his customers to wait and can make a dollar on the waiting. Kostia sells tires (I bought my winter grips from him), repairs tires and does wheel balancing.
He does not do wheel alignments. Given the road conditions in this country a wheel alignment would be about as useful as a certificate of health on a hooker in Tiajuana. Good for 15 minutes or until she left the Doctor's office, which ever happened first.
The car either had to be washed or planted to potatoes. I opted for the wash. Business must have been slow in the tire shop as Kostia was washing cars while his man ran the shop. Usually he has someone in the car wash, two people on busy days and two or three in the tire shop.
The car wash is low tech. Karcher portable pressure washer and shop vacuum, compressed air hose and a wringer for chamois clothes. The car is cleaned inside and out, hand washed and dried, interior detailed with the care and attention you'd pay $100 for in Canada. Takes about 45-60 minutes for one person going flat out.
Used to cost 50 UAH, about $10 USD at previous exchange rates. Today it was 70 UAH or just under $9 USD at today's exchange rates.
Tell me again WHY you live there??
ReplyDeleteI could ask YOU the same question.
ReplyDeleteHeck, I'm thinking of bringing my car over there just for the cleaning.
ReplyDeleteI get free coffee at my carwash, but the wash costs $19 US, so maybe the coffee isn't really free after all? Damn! Taken again!
ReplyDeleteI miss the Ukraine! I need to travel some more. And learn Russian so that I can come work in a library in the Ukraine when I'm done school. But I already know English, so I may go to New Zealand instead. Or Regina.
ReplyDelete