Chita, Russia to Irkutsk, Russia – Day 30

Posted on 08/26/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Sunday, 26 August 2012 Chita, Russia to Irkutsk (771 miles) Total Trip Miles – 7395. 15 hours riding

Weather Temperature in the first part of day in the upper 40’s changing to mostly sunny in the upper 60’s later changing to cold rain in the 50’s approaching Irkutsk

Up at 6am and prepared trip maps and gear for the trip to Irkutsk departing Chita at 8am only to get turned around trying to get out of the city onto the M55…Chita was extremely difficult to navigate within, but I finally got on the right track heading again on my westward journey. While the first part of the day started off a bit cool, it quickly warmed as the sun rose in the sky. Couldn’t help but notice the grand expanse of the region with small towns/villages scattering the landscape. All the house looked similar of wood with colorful window treatments (teals, blues and the like) and fenced – gardens – women were often seen along the roadside dressed in very colorful dresses.

Today was was to bring a few roadside stops to make minor repairs…while bouncing along one of the gravel roads, I noticed the dash on the bike start to shake as if a mounting bracket was loose or broken. After a brief inspection, I notice 2 mounting bolts had loosened – it took 2 attempts today to finally remedy the problem. To add to my anxiety, the drive chain continues to be an issue getting loose and it went a step further as it began making a grinding noise. If you recall, TSA took my canned chain lube and I was foreced to search for a replacement in Dong Hae – the only product even close was WD-40…I know, I know what was I thinking! Hey, while standing in the aisle, I looked up the WD-40 website and found one of the 2000+ uses was as a motorcycle chain lube. Being an aircraft mechanic for many years, something kept telling me this made no sense, but hey, they published it. I decided to use some 10-40 motor oil instead (recommended in the Suzuki shop manual as a chain lube) and it took care of the noise problem.

Tye, my brother, had just called me as I got back on the road to listen to my crazyiness as I described what had taken place…Tye keep up the weather forecast posts on FB – very helpful to me in my day planning.

I did notice one thing while moving more and more into the heart of Siberia – the heart and soul of the area was starting to come out – these rural villages and especially Ulan Ude which looks like one of the smaller villages on a much, much larger scale. Just at the gas stop there, the young lady assisting with the fill up was very pleasant – I was just noticing a change in the people…something I started to embrace and get more comfortable. Even during my last fuel stop outside of Irkutsk, an entire family hopped out of their van to pose for a picture with me…spoke no English, but we were able to communicate.

The day was littered with many road construction projects…gravel and dirt roads that often became very difficult to manage given the load and street tires on the bike. That quickly turned to rain and mud the last 5 hours or so of my day with conditions getting even more treacherous – probably the closest I have come on the entire trip to losing control and the bike going down.

To help increase my speeds I did learn quickly to find a local that was running at a speed I was comfortable with and follow…it served a couple of purposes: First, I ccan watch the movements of their vehicle for to help avoid pot holes and road dips or rollers. Rollers have become my biggest challenge since they have caused my bike to bottom out a few times adding to my chain issue. Secondly, I probably wouldn’t run at the speeds if I was alone to avoid any issues with local law enforcement…we call them rabbits in Tennessee and you probably do as well.

As I passed Lake Baikal, which incidently is the largest & deepest, fresh-water lake in the world making up 20% of the world’s unfrozen fresh water, I saw two cyclists on dual sport bikes like mine pass me as I was getting fuel only later to pass them farther up the road and waving. As I was climbing the mountain about 75 miles outside of Irkutsk, they came up from behind to pass and for the next 75 miles I ran third the entire time – I wouldn’t have driven as agressively solo, but hey, to local rabbits and I’m gonna go. Just outside Irkutsk, they pulled over and I decided to do the same and introduce myself. Both were from Irkutsk speaking no English and had just completed the Irkutsk to Vladivostok round trip. Asking them where my hotel was in my best Russian, the younger biker pointed to himself to follow…keep in mind, they had been on a 7-10 day trip and just returning home and he takes me directly to the hotel at 11pm at night! We exchanged no names although we did pose for a picture together – these are the moments that make this trip so very special to me!

I was absolutely exhausted when I finally got to my hotel room – took a quick shower and crashed for the night. Hotel staff there spoke English and I ordered soom room service – I has hongry!…a great ending to this long day.

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Skovorodino, Russia to Chita, Russia – Day 29

Posted on 08/25/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Saturday, 25 August 2012 Skovorodino, Russia to Chita, Russia (744 miles) Total Trip Miles – 6624. 13 hours riding

Weather Temperature in the first half of day in the mid 50’s with rain, clouds & fog. Mostly sunny skies in the afternoon with temps in the upper 60’s

Started stirring about 4:30 am and decided to rest a bit longer since it was raining…wanted to get back on the road at sunrise, which I did. The first half of the day was tough given cool temps, rain & fog, but the weather did break to make a great riding day.

Dealt with quite a few bumps in the road and areas under repair…I just wanted to make Chita before nightfall. Mistakenly, tried to pass a 1000 won Korean bill for 1000 rubles to pay for gas…needless to say the attendant just wasn’t very happy with me.

Take a look at the road signs in Russian…they show both Chita & Skovorodino – kind of cool.

Today marked my longest distance in one day for this trip and it allowed me to squeeze another day out of the schedule.

Terrain went from mountainous to huge open plains with cattle and farms….many small towns could be seen in the distance with most very simple of wood and metal roofs. It is obvious they were poor; however they were some of the nicest folks – I felt very comfortable in this rural region which seemed much like mid – America.

Rolled into Chita at 7 pm looking for the hotel booked with everyone I talked with sending me in a different direction. Finally talked with a man who spoke good English and he recommended a different spot and said the hotel I had planned to stay in was a bit rough. You can’t make this one up…It’s called the Panama City Hotel and at least it’s gated offering more security for the bike.

Kharbarovsk, Russia to Skovorodino, Russia – Day 28

Posted on 08/25/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Thursday, 24 August 2012 Khabarovsk, Russia to Skovorodino, Russia (631 miles) Total Trip Miles – 5850. 11 hours riding

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

For breakfast I had Siberian dumplings and coffee in a large room with other guests – many of which were military or other uniformed, government workers. The hotel had a look and feel of a government dormatory hotel…while quite nice rooms, the halls and other common areas just did not quite have the hotel feel. I also found it quite odd to be sharing a room for breakfast with Russian officers and enlisted people…how times have changed in my lifetime to allow me that opportunity and given my dad was a career military officer.

Off about 8am and ended up gaining an hour in my day heading west. Initially had intended on an extra days travel to Chita due to road conditions, however made good time and was able to reduce
it to just 2 days.

Out of the entire day, there were about 25 miles of rough unpaved, road under repair or construction – it was extremely difficult managing the bike in many spots with deep loose gravel.

This was going to be my first day camping on this trip and, of course, it was in the heart of Russia. I had some apprehensions on just pulling off on the roadside and pitching my tent…not sure about safety and even laws that might prohibit.

After having plenty of time to ponder it – you know, like 10+ hours on the bike, I decided I needed a good cell phone signal first and then I’d search for the perfect spot hidden from view of the roadway. Looked at a couple of spots that just didn’t work for out for various reasons and decided on a spot with a small road like four wheelers might use…the site over looked a beautiful meadow and was wooded – perfect cover. Even though I had insect repellent, the mosquitoes just about carried me off!

For dinner I heated some water with a fire stick and added to a mac & cheese camp meal…it just didn’t quite have the typical taste, but I managed to eat most of it.

Kind of crazy to be chatting with Shanon and also taking a call from Chuck at 2:30 am on his way back from Atlanta while lying on my sleeping bag in Siberia of all places …people used to get sent to Siberia – are you kidding me!

Had some light rain with thunder & lightning overnight but I managed to sleep pretty well…maybe it was the constant sound of passing trains throughout the night – clickity clack.

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.

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!

Dong Hae, South Korea – Day 22

Posted on 08/18/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Saturday, 18 August 2012 Dong Hae, South Korea (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hours riding

Weather Temperature in the mid 80’s and hot & humid with partly cloudy skies

Last full day in Dong Hae before boarding the ferry to Vladivostok tomorrow which departs at 2 pm local time. Decided to spend most of the day touring around the city an shopping for some chain lube for the bike…ended up getting 4 small cans of WD-40 as my only option at the local equivalent to a small Wal-Mart called E Mart. Did check on the net which indicated motorcycle chain lube as one of its uses…it will just have to do for now.

In the E Mart instead of a moving stairway as an escalator, they have an elevated moving sidewalk both up and down between floors…actually is quite convenient for a cart, stroller and the like.

The city has numerous street vendors with most being older women selling fruits & vegetables. The area is highly westernized with many carrying smart phones, folks neatly dressed, young people hanging out at fast food spots and families & small kids out & about enjoying the sights of the city.

I read a couple of reviews on the net about Soma Restaurant but it was closed, so I ended grabbing dinner across the street at a small spot called His Cook where I had the Mare Picantee – spicy pasta with squid, octopus, clams & vegetables…quite taste & topped things off with a Cafri beer.

Although it was a warm, humid evening there were people everywhere in the streets of Donghae on a Saturday night and I could not help but to try out some of the street vendor foods…in Korea street food vendors offer a traditional selection of foods that are often better than what you’ll find in a restaurant.

I tried the Fish Cakes on a stick that are cooked in a rice liquid…dip one in soy sauce and you have something yummy! All the street vendors serve Ddeokbokki which are cylindrical rice cakes in a red, chili sauce…quite spicy, but very tasty especially with the CASS beer I had stashed in my backpack!

The sad thing is I’m just starting to get into the Donghae, cultural experience after only a few days in the city; probably so much I’m missing – the city in the evening was becoming my favorite time.

Dong Hae, South Korea – Day 21

Posted on 08/17/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Friday, 17 August 2012 Dong Hae, South Korea (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hours riding

Weather Temps in the mid 80’s with humid & cloudy conditions. Some light rain

Caught a taxi over to the DBS Ferry yard to uncrate & assemble the bike so it would be ready for the road once clearing customs in Vladivostok…also, it was my first opportunity to see the bike since shipping out of Anchorage last weekend.

When I arrived at the main gate at 10 am, the security police were not allowing me to proceed; however, I pulled my phone out with the contact name & phone number for the person responsible for freight provided by Wendy Choi in Seoul. Without a doubt, if I had not had the information, I would still be standing on the outside. Security talked with Louis Kang and he came over to the security office and cleared things up. Wendy Choi may be reached at AERO INTERNATIONAL, LTD at +82(0) 17-213-3961 or wendychoi2@gmail.com

I was uncomfortable when the police requested my passport and kept it while I worked on the bike – Louis assured me it would be fine, although it’s one of the rules of travel – never give up your passport!

Louis and I headed our way over to the ferry offices where he told me there would be a fee associated with my trash & crate disposal…here we go! He left me alone for about 10 minutes and returned to take me to the bike…felt as if I was getting ready to haggle with a car salesman. We hopped into a van and drove to where the bike was sitting on the docks outside…it was covered with a tarp, a couple of pallets & some lumber – it obviously had been rained on quite a bit. For some crazy reason I visualized an enclosed structure – like maybe a warehouse.

Louis asked me how long it would take me and I said about 2 hours – he also said he was unable to provide any assistance or equipment to lift the bike to install the front wheel.

Oh well…nothing new to me – have quite a few hours working on bikes and other vehicles in back yards, parking lots…you name it.

Since there were two plastic pallets there, I decided to just unbolt the bike and roll it on its side & cushion with some used shrink wrap. By this time the hot humid weather was taking over and it started to rain – going back to my old search & rescue days, there were a couple of large parts bags that I cut out a hole for my head and arms…of course I did! I guess one of the guys felt a bit sorry for me and handed me a rain coat…just can’t make it up. To make things worse I did cut the palm of my left hand with my Kershaw combat folding knife – bled all over everything until I could finally got it stopped…the knife is razor sharp!

Got the bike back on the kick stand and added the handle bars, cables, windshield and the like…fired it up and took a quick spin – felt terrific to once again be back on the bike.

Louis drove out to where I was working to take me back to the offices to pay my freight & cabin charges for the Sunday cruise…also, $48 US covered my disposal fees – not a bad price since I was given the opportunity to work on the bike.

Can’t tell you how terrific it feels to know the bike is back together& ready to complete this around the world journey…when I see it again after clearing customs in Vladivostok, I can close the book on leg two of the ride!

In the end, Louis treated me very well accompanying me everywhere and calling a taxi to take me back downtown…his English was very good and he engaged in many different conversations…very few things I has to ask – he simply just offered up information.

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