Vladivostok, Russia to Khabarovsk, Russia – Day 27

Posted on 08/23/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Thursday, 23 August 2012 Vladivostok, Russia to Khabarovsk, Russia (496 miles) Total Trip Miles – 5219. 11 hours riding

Weather Temperature in the upper 50’s & mid 70’s with mostly sunny skies

News Flash Finally found the hotel in Khabarvosk about midnight after an 11hr ride…tough pulling into a remote Russian city at that hour searching for the hotel. Believe me, there are no hotel signs or beacons in the night showing you the way.

After passing two Russian police officers along the side of the road, I decided go ask them if they could direct me to the Chiata Hotel; we were having a bit of a difficult time communicating, when one tapped on the car and pointed indicating for me to follow him. We went a couple of kilometers down the M60 Highway and they just pulled over pointing ahead. After riding further and finding nothing, I pulled into a gas station asking anyone that would listen, “Chiata Hotel” in my best Russian accent.

Finally a guy who spoke a little English, offered some help by calling a friend that spoke very good English. While explaining my desire to find the hotel, two ladies overheard and said just to follow them – they would lead me to the hotel. I absolutely would have never found the the hotel without their help…still be riding around by daybreak!

Woke up this morning quite early…about 4:30 am and I guess all the anticipation of starting the ride across Siberia got the best of me. Met Svetlana at the port terminal along with Julian & Lorena to get the bikes released from customs…took a bit longer than I had hoped since I needed to get on the road if I wanted to get to Khabarovsk at a reasonable time.

When I first cranked the bike, it would only run for a few seconds and die…just what I needed to start this day! I knew the fuel level was extremely low due to shipping requirements and I thought that may be the problem. As luck would have it, it started to run well after a few minutes and I followed Svetlana to the neairest gas station to fill up. I then headed back to the hotel to load the gear on the bike…pulled out of the hotel parking lot right about noon.

The trip out of Vladivostok was hectic with all the cars & traffic jams and with one-way streets it took awhile to reach the M60. For the first 20 miles or so, the roads were good.

Road conditions to Khabarovsk were treacherous at best…Tons of gravel, dust, pot holes and road workers became the theme of the day. It was the Alaska Highway on steroids and add all the traffic including the big trucks, it was a wild rodeo. During the entire trip, made just 2 quick fuel stops and ended the day with the bike, gear and myself covered in dust & grime.

The scenery reminded me early in the day of the Texas hill country and gradually changed to a look of Alaska….hope today to snap a few pictures.

If you would like to make a donation to give all kids diagnosed with cancer a better chance at living the full life they deserve, please visit Rally Foundation & Rally Around the World or Text “RALLY” to 85944 to give $10 to WIN the fight against childhood cancer. Send this message to 10 of your friends…Be a RALLY 10 to WIN!

Vladivostok, Russia – Day 26

Posted on 08/21/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Wednesday, 22 August 2012 Vladivostok, Russia (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hours riding

Weather Temperature in the upper 50’s & lower 60’s with driving wind and rain

NOTE Expect to be back on the road tomorrow following the Siberian Railroad route to Moscow…good possibility I’ll have some limited access to phone & internet services over the next 2 weeks. Please continue to check my blog daily for all updates.

Expected Schedule
23 August – Khabarovsk
24/25 August – Skovorodino
26 August – Chita
27 August – Irkutsk
28 August – Krasnoyarsk
29 August – Novosibirsk
30 August – Omsk
31 August – Tyumen
1 September – Ufa
2 September – Novgorod
3 September – Moscow
3/4 September – Russian/Latvian Border

Awakened this morning by driving heavy rains & winds – sounds like a train going by outside my hotel room…decided to just relax most of the day and prepare my gear for the bike.

After finishing lunch at the hotel cafe, I walked down to the train station to snap a few pictures of the Siberian Railroad train and pose in front of the monument marking the end of the line for the historic train in Vladivostok – 9288 kilometers and the basic route I’ll be taking beginning tomorrow. I met a couple from Australia, Malcolm & Jan, the evening before that had just completed the Moscow to Vladivostok trip and mentioned the monument – just had to get my picture at that historic spot…of course I did!

Just after 3pm, Svetlana with Links, Ltd stopped by the hotel to pick me up for our appointment with the customs office…she also said she needed to swing by the ferry terminal and pick two people for the same purpose. After arriving at the customs office, I introduced myself and learned they were from Argentina – their names are Julian & Lorena along with their riding partner, Trico, who they picked up in Spain 9 years ago. Trico even carries a passport from Spain – there are countries like Japan that require a 6 month quarantine period and he is forced to live with relatives from time to time…you just can’t make this stuff up!

Together, they have been on the road for about 10 years working from country to country…some 80 plus often camping or staying with people they meet along their journey.

The customs process took about 3 hours…seems just about everything takes about 3 hours in Russia!

For dinner I had traditional Siberian dumplings & a Jack on the rocks to help commemorate the beginning of a ride I have dreamed about & planned for several years…many hours of thought, sweat, money now comes down to the next few weeks…I’m excited and blessed to have family, friends and co-workers supporting me – without them, I would not be at this place in time. Can’t help but think of an old song from the 80’s by Phil Collins that sums things up, “In the Air Tonight”…I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.

Tomorrow morning I am meeting Svetlana at the terminal to pick up the bike, pay my customs & port fees and hit the road bound for Kharabovsk…this is for Isabel, Adrianna, Amelia and all kids struggling in this fight against cancer…Rally On!

Vladivostok, Russia – Day 25

Posted on 08/20/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Tuesday, 21 August 2012 Vladivostok, Russia (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hours riding

Weather Temperature in the low 80’s and humid with heavy fog in the morning and clearing to party cloudy skies

First night in Vladivostok went fine even with the interesting accomodations…no A/C and a bit humid with the bed at an all time best for hardness! Anyhow, Shanon made a great suggestion that I just add my camping mattress to the bed…that sure beats sleeping on the ground somewhere! Also, I was updating my blog last night in the hall of the 8th floor near the salon and the mosquitoes were having a field day on my legs – enough so that I went back to the room for some insect repellent…I may also need to pitch the tent on the ajoining twin bed for added mosquito protection – you just can’t make this stuff up!

The salon was still open for business late last night past 11 pm with their TV blasting & folks enjoying their favorite cigarettes…like a late night gathering spot. Most people on the floor left their doors open for venilation playing games, listening the the TV & drinking…college dorm living at its best seems to most accurately describe the evening.

Culturally a number of things are a bit different in this part of the world and one is the hotel entertainment spot – just off the restaurant entrance, is a hotel club with neon lights: Billiards, Karaoke, Strip Club, Sauna & Casino…guess that bout covers it – every vice in one tightly wrapped package!

Was up about 5:30 this morning and had breakfast at the hotel restaurant Summit…the meal is included in the hotel stay and the place was quite busy with guests…the buckwheat, porage oats & diced hot dogs were to die for – probably going to have a difficult time sleeping tonight with all the anticipation on what’s instore for the next mornings dining experience.

Decided to get out & about and tour the city and its best to described Vladivostok as a port city with a strong European flare. People are neatly dressed in contemporary attire for the most part; not unlike what you might find in the US…the city is thriving and going through quite a bit of urban renewal with the upcoming APEC Summit in just under a month; the city is also putting the finishing touches on what will be the largest suspension bridge in the world The city of about 600,000 & founded in 1860 is a huge naval port for the Russian navy supporting its Pacific fleet and is the largest port of entry for a wide range of goods from around the world on the Russian east coast.

I also made a trip back to the ship passenger terminal hoping to get a glimpse of my bike in the customs yard, but instead, watched a bit as they unloaded excavator after excavator and car after car from the DBS Ferry…quite incredible how many vehicles were transported in the bottom of that vessel – some 70 cars, 20 containers and an untold number of excavators.

Decided to have an early dinner just above the port and below the hotel at a patio restaurant and, unfortunately, I was unable to translate the Russian letters…the manager did pronounce it for me a couple of time, but I just couldn’t quite connect. I have to say it was one of the better meals I’ve had since leaving on my trip and being that it was also outside overlooking the city and water, it was more to my taste. It was a contemporary spot with modern music and a broad menu. I decided on the Greek salad, pork rib, sauteed vegetables, sliced potatoes broiled with parmasean cheese & spices and all topped off with a 0.5L draft beer.

Dong Hae, South Korea to Vladivostok, Russia – Day 24

Posted on 08/20/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Monday, 20 August 2012 Dong Hae, South Korea to Vladivostok, Russia (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hours riding

Weather Temperature in the low 80’s and humid with clouds & rain

While underway on the DBS Ferry, I met two Russians at the bar: Alexey, who sells used cars in a city about 100km from Vladivostok and was in Korea buying Hyundai’s, KIA’s and other cars speaking some English and Victor, who’s in his early 20’s with a masters degree in sociology and speaks good English – great having someone to translate. We talked about just about everything including American politics – unbelievable how much people from other parts of the globe know about the US.

It had been a long day for all of us and we each decided to turn in for the evening.

Finally met my roomate after calling it a night at about 10 pm…since the DBS Ferry only provides one key per room & I was batting second, I had to go to the information desk several times to get a crew member to let me in – no sign of him…no bags although he was checked in and had the key.

About an hour after I got settled in the room, I heard the door open and this Russian man who looked to be in his mid 50’s & neatly dressed in a polo shirt and jeans, stepped inside turning the light on. I immediately popped up to introduce myself & asked if he spoke English.

“Very little”, he said with a strong Russian accent and that pretty much ended things for the night although I did ask his name…”Alexander”, he said. Even with a bit of uneasiness sleeping only a couple of feet from someone I knew so little about, I did manage to sleep pretty well…keep in mind I was in 1st Class with 2nd & 3rd Class offering 8 in a room & 72 in a room respectively.

At about 6 am I heard him stir and leave the room…after about 15 minutes or so, I got up for another one of my sponge baths since the men’s shower room was on the second deck and at the other end of the ship…one night without a shower didn’t make much difference to me.

For breakfast, I went to the bar and ordered the “American-style” breakfast…one egg over easy, quartered bread not toasted, some kind of SPAM-type meat lightly fried and lettuce & tomatoes – not quite sure where you might find that kind of breakfast in the US – surely not Waffle House, but it worked being I was out in the East Sea several thousand miles from Nashville.

Headed to a seating area on third deck and saw Alexander with a couple of Korean-Russians and asked if I could join them. Ends up that Alexander has been a truck driver for his entire life making many trips across the Siberian route – he was a huge source of information even with the language barrier. He dis keep smiling and giving me a thumbs up when we talked about my trek across Russia on the bike…I wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad sign.

The ferry arrived promptly in port at 2 pm local time…I’m now 16 hours ahead of the central time zone by the way. I couldn’t help but think about one of my good friends from home, Chuck, when it came time to disembark the ferry…a mere 3 hours of aggravation to say the least. Given the language barrier and ship security only allowing people off in groups of about 25, it was shear agony. I couldn’t help but to question what I’d gotten myself into with this trip – I absolutely must have been smoking some Dutch Cleanser I thought to myself!

While standing in line, I gave Yuri Melnikov with Links, Ltd a call asking about my next steps on clearing the bike through customs over the next few days…he said he’d have his assistant meet me at the DBS Ferry office once I cleared customs. Yuri Melnikov can be reached at Links, Ltd at +7-423-222-0887, +7-902-524-3447(mobile) or ymelnik@links-ltd.com

After finding the office and peeking my head inside, a young woman said, “You must be Brad Thompson”, in very good English – and she told me her name was Svetlana. She started by asking a couple of questions and first recommended that I cancel my hotel reservation for one much closer to the docks making it easier to collect the bike especially since she needed to pick me up to visit the customs office on Wednesday afternoon allowing me to complete the necessary documents & payments so I can get the bike on Thursday morning. She also arranged the hotel booking with the Azimut Hotel and drove me and my gear there to check in….are you kidding me, this all would be virtually impossible with their assistance!

Once checking into the hotel, I just sat in the crazy, busy lobby to just unwind…what a day it had been.

Ended up having dinner at the hotel…a buffet-style affair that wasn’t very impressive, but hey, I was hongry and didn’t have to leave the hotel.

Details on my deluxe, economy accommodations tomorrow…yeah, deluxe alright!

Dong Hae, South Korea to Vladivostok, Russia – Day 23

Posted on 08/18/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Sunday, 19 August 2012 Dong Hae, South Korea to Vladivostok, Russia (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hours riding

Weather Temperature in the low 90’s and hot & humid with partly cloudy skies

Boarded the DBS Ferry, Eastern Dream bound for Vladivostok, Russia departing Dong Hae at 2 pm local time. The boarding process went very well and even had a crew member help carry my gear to my room. The room is a small two-bed cabin that I will be sharing with a Russian although I haven’t met him as of yet – just saw his name on his boarding pass left in the room.

The ferry has all the amenities including a restaurant, bar & night club…just a miniature version of the larger cruise ships most of us are accustomed to.

Was sitting at the bar having Jack Daniels on the Rocks with a tear in my eye to remind me of what it would be like to be home…starting to miss it quite a bit frankly, when a crew member came up to me saying I was needed down on the dock. Guess I was confused by Louis Kang’s instructions to meet him prior to boarding.

Anyhow, I’m not too difficult to spot with gray hair and a go-tee in this part of the world and when I got down on the dock, Louis was there to greet me – he needed me to ride the bike onboard and leave the key. At least now, I am absolutely sure it made it onboard.

Will most likely be out of picket for the 24 hours or so while at sea…I’m outta here!

Anchorage, AK – Day 13

Posted on 08/09/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Thursday, 9 August 2012 Anchorage, AK (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hour riding time

Weather – Warm temperatures in the mid 70’s with mostly sunny skies. Not sure if Anchorage has ever had any 90 degree+ temperatures and rarely does it reach the 80’s

Happy birthday to my brother Tye down in San Antonio, TX…he has been doing a terrific job following me and provding updated weather and other route information! While I know you bleed Texan after living down there for over 30 years, do know that the folks in Alberta, Canada have the same air about their province – everything is BIG in Alberta!

Spent the first part of my day reviewing the trip with a special focus on the ride across Siberia; I was considering the possibility of booking some hotel nights in some of the larger cities, but since I have no sense as to the kind of mileage progress I can expect daily, I’ve decided to leave it open for now – just roll the dice and ride west. The ride from Vladivostok to the Latvian/Russian border will be a marathon covering 7500 miles in 11 to 12 days.

Additionally, I was on the phone and swaping emails with Rindy Veatch at DHL to finalize the airway bill and information requested by Wendy Choi in Korea to clear customs. She also arranged for Legacy Logistics to pick up the bike at Alaska Scientific and they arrived with a box truck – just wasn’t sure the shipping crate would fit through the rear overhead door on the truck, but it cleared with about 6 inches to spare. The bike is shipping to Inchon, South Korea on Saturday via Polar Air Cargo and with my flight, customs clearance and transportation from Inchon to Dong Hae, I won’t see it again until next Thursday, 16 August at the bonded warehouse at the DBS Ferry yard. Wendy has requested permission for me to gain access to the bike in the warehouse allowing me to opportunity to uncrate and reassemble prior to catching the ferry to Vladivostok on Sunday the 19th.

Update: Just have had several emails from Wendy Choi and she did get permission for me to uncrate & assemble the bike at the DBS bonded warehouse on Friday, 17 August – apparently they have a large vessel to unload on Thursday, but that’s great news. This allows me to get the bike back together prior to the ferry trip to Vladivostok so I can begin my trip across Siberia with little delay. Additionally, it appears all the DHL paperwork is in order and I can clear customs in 24 hours. Wendy is also arranging for the bike be shipped from Inchon to Dong Hae by bonded truck – about 130 miles and I’ll be taking a shuttle or bus to Dong Hae on Tuesday. Wednesday is a national holiday in Korea similar to our 4th of July Independence Day celebration…be cool to be a part of the festivities. Wendy Choi may be reached at AERO INTERNATIONAL, LTD at +82(0) 17-213-3961 or wendychoi2@gmail.com

Once again I joined Del & Kim for dinner and this time it was a local Mexican spot named Los Arcos – I had the chile relleno and Kim allowed me to share some of her Halibut cerviche – it was excellent. Oh…and I had my first & second Don Julio Reposado Tequila since starting my trip – believe I did, however, induldge in a Patron Silver once or twice.

Tomorrow I’ll share my warehouse, handwashing – laundry techniques developed while on the road traveling to some of the most inhospitalble corners of the planet. I know that’s a stretch and since I’ve done little in the category of any kind for several years now…tune in! Laundry Boy I be….

Motorcycle Express – makes shipping your motorcycle abroad easy!!

Posted on 05/02/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Motorcycle Express will make all the arrangements for your motorcycle to be shipped, uncrated, by airfreight along with preparing all necessary paperwork and, to make things even better, you can arrange to fly along on the same flight. I just booked my trip today from London’s Gatwick to Montreal’s Trudeau Airports – I just drop the bike off the Friday before my Monday flight along with several other minimal requirements.

Motorcycle Express has been shipping motorcycles between North America and Europe for over ten years using a custom designed motorcycle pallet to ship the bike giving you the opportunity to ride your own bike abroad. They also offer temporary insurance programs – I have opted for the GREEN CARD Program valid all over Europe and Russia.

Call Gail at 800-245-8726 or 516-682-9220 Monday – Friday 9am – 4:30pm EST.

If you would like to make a donation to give all kids diagnosed with cancer a better chance at living the full life they deserve, please visit Rally Foundation & Rally Around the World

Seoul, Korea Entry – some important details

Posted on 03/11/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Since I can’t quite figure out how to ride from Anchorage to Seoul, Korea, I will be flying and air freighting my cycle into Incheon Airport just outside of Seoul and Wendy Choi has been quite helpful providing customs and travel information – she will require that I provide my passport, international driver’s license, cycle registration and shipping air bill to clear customs and book my DBS Ferry trip from Dong Hae to Vladivostok. The ferry only travels on Sunday’s and I plan to board on August 12 – keep in mind that time of year is holiday and many Russians take the trip south to Dong Hae and the beach resorts on the eastern coast of Korea…a must to book early!!

The DBS Ferry will cost approximately $600 USD for the cycle, $250 USD for me and $20 USD for other charges totaling about $870 USD – this is a 24-hour trip and the cheapest accommodations is 72 persons in a room!! – not sure that is for me!! Contact Wendy Choi – wendychoi2@gmail.com or +82(0) 17-213-3961

She will also be booking my short ferry ride from Incheon Airport to the City of Incheon – it is illegal to ride a motorcyle on Korean freeways and the only access from the airport to the mainland is by freeway. I will then be riding secondary roads from the west coast of Korea east to Dong Hae which should take 5 – 6 hours – the dry cleaner I use here in Spring Hill is Korean-owned and she thinks I’m a bit crazy…she laughed the other day to say the roads are not quite like they are here in the US.

VISA Update – Russia & Belarus

Posted on 03/11/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Update – Since there were some issues obtaining a VISA via Poland & HTL-Strefa, Jarek Moleda recommended I use Cinderella Travel Corporation out of New York. The contact there is Marina at 718-275-8434 or visa@cinderellatravel.com and she is quite helpful…I can apply for my Russian VISA 90-days prior to entry and should receive within 2-weeks after completing the application, supplying passport photos and my passport.

Also, after discussing in more detail with Jarek and Piotr Mlodecki – HTL’s director of business development, I have decided to skip Belarus and run northwest out of Moscow and meet Piotr at the Russian/Latvia border crossing – he plans to ride with me to Berlin…gonna be great having a “local” along for this leg!! Jarek and Piotr have been terrific with their assistance to include providing me with road contacts in that part of the world.

VISA’s for Russia & Belarus…Avoid the Eternal Delay

Posted on 01/22/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Of all the countries I’ll be traveling through this fall, only 2 will require a VISA. After some research, I had planned to apply at both the Russian and Belarusian embassies in Washington…have to believe that would have taken weeks if not months. However, Jarek Moleda with HTL-Strefa – a Polish global manufacturer of lancets and a vendor partner of NDC – offered his assistance since they have distributors in both Belarus and Russia requiring travel to both. HTL uses an agency to complete the application process and I’m only required to complete the application forms and provide passport photos. Jarek has also been quite helpful with providing me with contacts in Russia, Belarus and Poland – will be much appreciated if I should encounter any issues in those countries.

If you would like to make a donation to give all kids diagnosed with cancer a better chance at living the full life they deserve, please visit Rally Foundation & Rally Around the World.

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