Ukraine: Relaxing in Chans in the Carpathians
The quintessential Carpathian experience is to relax in chans (just like banya in Russia). A chan is basically a giant bowl or vat or wok, made of metal that is heated by firewood from below and usually supplied with fresh stream water from the nearby mountain river. Kind of like a jacuzzi. Or maybe that’s what happens in hell when they put you in a bowl and boil you alive. You sit in the giant heated metal bowl, soaking the days’ hikes and memories, enjoying the sunset and the sound of the mountain river and the views, and sipping on herbal tea with fresh caramelized honey.
