Dong Hae, South Korea – Day 20

Posted on 08/15/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Thursday, 16 August 2012 Dong Hae, South Korea (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hour

Weather Temps in the upper 80’s with clouds and rain

As I mentioned yesterday in my blog, I had a very interesting evening at dinner after stoping at a local restaurant in downtown Dong Hae. As I walked in to the rather large open room, there were about dozen people eating and enjoying their company with all sitting on the floor…nothing I haven’t seen in other Asian restaurants…as customary, I removed my shoes and said, “one for dinner”.

That’s when they responded, “2 people only” or something close to that…I answered that I was alone and just wanted something to eat in my best English of course. We were at a bit of an impasse when a man got up and explained I was alone and to serve me. The host rather reluctantly seated me and brought water and utensils along with lighting a propane burner. Felt like Bob Seger’s song “Turn the Page” with every eye upon you.

Another few moments passed and the server brought a large pan of fresh bacon or pork bellies that he began to cook at my table…wasn’t sure what, how or when to eat – just sipped my water and watched everyone around the room.

Soon, the server added cabbage and other vegetables to the mixture…the whole process reminded me of cooking out while camping. The dish was delicious and quite spicy and I asked for a beer in my best Korean (had my translator and had seen CASS beer in several spots around town) so I was good to go.

A couple if young women were seated next to me and I notice one was speaking very good English…I couldn’t help but to introduce myself and tell them about my trip. They seemed a bit impressed by my bus ride from Incheon given I knew no Korean. Both were sisters with one from Vancouver, Canada and going to the University of Washington and the other a school teacher in Dong Hae…wished I had gotten their names.

Dinner was about $14 USD with the beer at $3 and the girls told me my dinner was Shioyaki – a Japanese dish…Culturally enriched I am!

During my walk yesterday to the DBS Ferry port I also passed a small beach called Mangsang where a couple of people were surfing and enjoying the holiday…you can see the cargo ships in the distance waiting their turn to unload – probably backed up a bit due to the holiday.

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Dong Hae, South Korea – Day 19

Posted on 08/15/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Wednesday, 15 August 2012 Dong Hae, South Korea (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hour riding time.

Weather Temps in the med 80’s with mostly cloudy skies and humid

First night in Dong Hae and got the best night of sleep since leaving home a couple of weeks ago. Up about 5:30am and started my laundry in the sink…starting to get pretty good with this handwashing thing….I am getting accustomed all the basic things we often take for granted – sponge baths, hand laundering, limited electronic communications. I have to beleive there are a many of you out there that have never gone a week, let alone a day, having to do these things – it just takes me back to those days in Alaska when times were tough!

After looking on the net, I located the DBS Ferry site and found out that their offices were south of the city a couple of miles at the Dong Hae port. I decided to set out in that direction to find the spot…it was quite hot & humid and I got a bit warm, but a great walk along the shore. Now that I’ve found the ferry port, it will make things easier when I head back that way again to uncrate and reassemble the bike.

Today is a national holiday in Korea similar to our 4th of July, so there was little traffic on the streets and many of the stores were closed. Many of the people here were flying their Korean flags from apartment building windows, homes & and businesses.

My room at the Hotel Lisa is comfortable and clean; however it took me some time to figure out the TV, air conditoner and lighting – everything is operated from a remote control and being its in Korean characters it took a few attempts…have one english speaking channel which plays movies and TV shows like CSI – Miami & House. Never watch these show at home, but, hey, I just leave it on for background noise and my only connection with the US at the moment.

As part of my expanding global, cultural immersion program, I found a small local restaurant near the hotel for dinner and I, of course, just jumped right in…it was an experience to say the very least and I will give you all the details in my next blog update with pictures.

Incheon to Dong Hae, South Korea – Day 18

Posted on 08/14/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Tuesday, 14 August 2012 Incheon to Dong Hae, South Korea (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hour riding time. Total bus time – 6 hours. Miles – 225 miles

Weather Temps in the lower 80’s with mostly sunny skies

Woke this morning at 3:30 am local time with a plan of taking a taxi over to the airport without my gear to check on options getting to Dong Hae on the eastern coast of Korea. Melissa Smith provided me with a couple of suggestions with one being a rental car with a driver; however, after talking with the hostess at the hotel, she mentioned I could get to Gangreung by an express bus putting me about 50k north of Dong Hae. With that option in mind, I decided to just go ahead and load up the circus wagon leaving the hotel by taxi at 6:45.

After arriving at the airport, the driver wanted $10 and I offered him $7 which is all I had in smaller bills…he of course pushed back and when I gave him a $20 all he had in change was $5000 won which exchanges to about $5…it was a $15 taxi ride, but well worth it given the amount of gear I carrying. The language barrier is a constant issue from the hotel hostess, taxi drivers, bus ticket clerk…you name it! After standing in line for my bus ticket to Gangreung, it was now my turn to make a best effort requesting my Gangreung and it was, of course, not going well until a young lady behind me stepped forwarded and cleared the air…I have found that all the Korean’s have been quite helpful to me during my short time in country. The cost of the 4.5 hour trip was $26,800 won or about $25…can’t beat that especially since the bus is similar to tour buses you see in the US with large baggage departments below.

Passing through the countryside you see many rice farms, green houses and lush green forests with many mountains even with ski areas towards the east coast…similar to what you’d find in East Tennesse & Western North Carolina. I was feeling a bit cocky by this time given I was well on my way ot Dong Hae…the cockiness was short-lived shortly ofter I rolled into Gangreung. The scene was chaotic at the bus terminal with buses transitioning every few minutes and given I’m a bit weak reading Korean characters – believe I actually failed that class, things got interesting.

Being a large facility and carrying five, heavy bags, I just wasn’t quite mobile enough to scout the place out adequately…so I decided to lock my 4 largest bags together at the entrance to the termnal and set out to find out my next move. As luck would have it, I saw and information booth and stepped inside only to discover both ladies understood little english; however, they made a phone call and after several discussions with a gentlemen on the other end of the line that spoke good english, it was best that I take another bus to Dong Hae. Again, back on stage at the ticket counter with no one speaking english, and once again, a nice lady stepped forward to assist…the ticket for the hour ride was only $3400 won or about $3.25 USD…what a day of value!

The cockiness was starting to come back when I suddenly realized I had to move all the gear in multiple trips from a second floor platform to the lower level & with no carts in sight…one of the challenges of traveling solo.

Loaded and on to Dong Hae, I still had a nagging suspicion I might be on the wrong bus, but when we rolled into Dong Hae it was clearly marked on the terminal building…but wait, you guessed it – I sitll had to find a cab to make the trip to Hotel Lisa and as I’d faced a few times before, the cabs were lined up about 50 yards from where I unloaded…an do keep in mind, you are responsible for loading and unloading your own baggage on and off the bus.

I’m worn out again just reliving the moments as I type away on the this blog!!

After checking in to Hotel Lisa, I’ll tell you more about that in a later blog, I realized I hadn’t eaten all day and set out to find some reminder of home – and there beckoning me were those 3 letters – KFC…a chicken sandwich and orange Fanta and I was back!!

Anchorage, AK to Incheon, South Korea – Day 16 & 17

Posted on 08/12/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Sunday & Monday, 12-13 August 2012 Anchorage, AK to Incheon, South Korea (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hour riding time. Total flight time – 15 hours. Miles – 6500

Set the alarm for 2:30 am, finished packing up the gear and headed over to the airport to check my 4 bags for a 6:20 departure…the bag check took close to an hour due to the compressed cans of chain lube, stove fuel, fire extinguisher and the like. To assure the gear made the flight Alaska Airlines recommended that I take each bag to the TSA oversize bag check point which took some time due to all the pets, hunting gear & fishing gear being checked. TSA would not approve any of the items, so I had to donate them to the trash can…oh well, that’s just air travel today. To make things even more difficult and since I was traveling internationally, Asiana Airlines charged me $100 per bag totaling $400 – OUCH!

Anyhow, the gear must go, so I pulled out the credit card and paid the bags way to Inchon.

The flight from Anchorage to Seatle was just over an hour with a 3 hour layover before boarding Asiana Airlines for Inchon – an 11 hour flight which is scheduled to arrive at 6pm local time or 4 am on Monday central time.

Since I doubt there will be many opportunities for a burger & fries, I ended up having one for my breakfast/lunch…man was is good!

The flight ended up being delayed for about an hour, but the service and aircraft was outstanding…served two full meals along with drinks and snacks which made the 11 flight bearable. Also, each seat had its own video monitor offering a wide selection of movies, TV shows and the like. Once I landed in Incheon and made my way over to baggage claim, the only bag that arrived was my duffle bag that contained most of my gear that is strapped to the bike like the tent, sleeping bag and the like.

As I was about to make my way over to the claim department, I noticed a security officer carting my panniers and top case; one was wrapped with a large, red locking cable and security tape. Apparently something suspicious showed up on the x-ray and what would be equivalent to ourTSA, removed all the contents from one pannier clearing me on my way. While searching for a taxi, I stopped by an information booth to see what I could find out about ground transportation to Dong Hae tomorrow. I wasn’t quite satisfied with the initial options which included me lugging a couple hundred pounds of my gear onboard a city-type transit bus and given I haven’t had a shower in a week (been Sponge Brad, Square Pants) & limited sleep the last 48 hours, I decided to deal with that issue tomorrow.

Grabbed a “jumbo” taxi to the Best Western – Incheon and winding down hoping to get some rest and a nice shower!

Anchorage, AK – Day 15

Posted on 08/12/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Saturday, 11 August 2012 Anchorage, AK (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hour riding time.

Weather – Warm temperatures in the upper 60’s with mostly sunny skies

Up early to be at the DHL/Polar Air Cargo facility by 8am to unlock the gas tank and open the seat for the hazmat inspection if needed…I had several last minute converstations with Rindy Veatch at DHL late yesterday and she felt it would be a good idea that I was there in case there were any issues. The bike checked out and will be on a flight tonight bound for Inchon.

After the inspection had some breakfast and returned to the Alaska Scientific warehouse and started some packing…also, went online and checked on for my flight in the morning and had to complete all the passport info and the like – ended up having to pay and addtional $110 for the 4 bags I plan to check (2 panniers, 1 top case & a duffle bag of gear)…seemed reasonable given they are checked all the way to Inchon.

Del stopped by and invited me to lunch at The Peanut Farm, a local sports bar, and we sat out on the deck – a beautiful day. From there, I went to get a haircut & some more hair gel…that’s right hair gel – a man getting ready for a 20+ day marathon ride can never be too prepared…I gotta believe there will be a slow and downward spiral from here on out!…metro we call it in Nashville!

Also, went by Alaska Leather, the spot where I ordered my sheepskin butt pad several months ago, and picked up a neck gator & some sun glass…things I lost on the road in Canada a couple of weeks ago. I just couldn’t resist putting the Alaska decals on the bike panniers that they gave me – 8 stars of gold on a field of blue.

Did some final packing since I have a 6:20 am flight down to Seattle and then on for an 11 hour flight to Inchon…plan to get up around 3:00 am to return the pick up I have and get checked in for the international flight…Scheduled to arrive in Inchon at 6:00 pm local time on Monday afternoon or 14 hours ahead of the central time zone which means it will only be 4:00 am on Monday morning…I know Chuck – Mr. Obvious!

Day has ended with a terrific feast at Del & Kim Salyer’s home along with their friends Ryan & Jessica – Alaskan King Crab legs, grilled shrimp & vegetables, salmon sushi, and topped off with a fruit bowl of Korean fruit, peaches & blackberries. Thank you Del & Kim for the wonderful hospitality during my stay here in Anchorage along with all the folks at Alaska Scientific – Beth, Kim, Sharlane & Jeron!

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….

Anchorage, AK – Day 11

Posted on 08/08/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Monday, 7 August 2012 Anchorage, AK (57 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 2 hour riding time

Weather – Warm temperatures in the mid 60’s with mostly sunny skies

Started the day early and met Kurt Grau at Anchorage Suzuki/Arctic Cat at 7:30 am to get the final service on the bike before air freighting to Inchon, South Korea. As you may recall, I had some real concerns about the drive chain stretching over the course of just two days; however, Kurt showed me an example of a bad chain & sprocket from a V-Strom 1000 so no more issues. Also, the sprocket does float in rubber dampners so there is some movement in the attachment. With the load I’m carrying, Kurt adjusted the chain on the high tolerance with about 1.25″ deflection – loose that is or risk snapping the chain when driving over rough roads and that ain’t good! Changed the oil & filter and just decided to take a new air cleaner with me since the one in the bike was changed back in Cool Springs just prior to me leaving on trip. New tires front and back that I hope take me the 7000 miles or so across Russia – running 3 lbs more pressure in the front and 4 lbs more in the rear due to the load.

I’ve met a few folks from Anchorage that were born & raised in the area and that’s a bit unusual – there are many, many transplants; however, Kurt & his father are native to Anchorage. Enjoyed hearing about all the changes over the years and what a great place to live if you enjoy outside activities.

Del Salyer with Alaska Scientific invited me to lunch at Jen’s – the menu was broad and I chose the pepper steak which was terrific…we discussed the state of his healthcare business in Alaska and its uniqueness given the remoteness of most of his customers – a very nice operation that’s been serving the area for over 23 years.

You may also recall I had a bit of misfortune while riding in Canada on that cold, windy & rainy day – ended up leaving the majority of my cold weather gear at a gas stop. While is was only one small bag, it contained clothing that was crucial to the trip. Well the folks at NDC got together and sent me a REI gift card as well as a care package of essentials – you know things like Cafe Francais, hot balls, gum balls, Anti Monkey Butt Powder, Bourdreaux’s Butt Paste, trail mix, breakfast bars…some of this stuff just makes me hongry! Thank you Chuck, Michele, Melissa, Laura and Natalie for the wonderfully designed card.

Well my next stop in the afternoon was, you got it…REI and I was able to pick up a few things like thermal underwear and a pair of long pants to replace some of the lost items…all is good in Rally World!

Once I completed some of my errands, I arrived back at Alaska Scientific around 4:30 and decided to go ahead and start he process of crating the bike for shipment. Since I actually had a factory Suzuki crate and had never seen a bike in one, I wasn’t quite sure how much disassembly would be required. With the crating required minimually that the front wheel be removed, the fork lift in the warehouse came in quite handy using a rope around the handle bars, removing the wheel, lowering into a bracket and finally securing. To complete the install, I had to remove the windshield and all brackets as well as the handle bars, control cables and the like. This initial phase took about 5 and I wasn’t rushed…still have a few things that will need to be secured, but the bulk of the crating is completed.

Saskatoon, SK to Edmonton, AB Canada – Day 6

Posted on 08/03/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Kevin Schaan & Brad at The Battlefords, SK

Thursday, 2 August 2012 Saskatoon, SK to Edmonton, AB Canada ( 380 miles) Total Trip Miles – 2598

Weather – Cool with temperatures in the mid 50’s to upper 60’s with strong winds & rain for out 2 hours.

Rode out of Saskatoon with Kevin Schaan having breakfast at Husky’s Truck Stop – for an “egg” and riding together to The Battlefords about an hours ride from Saskatoon. Said our goodbyes and Kevin headed east wihile I turned west for Edmonton.

Today marked a defining moment when I ran into heavy rain, winds and cold temperatures for about 2 hours. I was dressed in my riding suit having only a short-sleeve shirt on underneath and ended up getting a bit wet due to the driving rain and wind only to decide that adding clothes would work fine at the next gas stop a couple of hours out. After refueling, I continued to shiver uncontrolably and was a bit incoherent – early stages of hypothermia. I pulled a long-sleeve shirt from my “cold weather gear bag” only to leave it behind at the gas station!…I absolutely will not make that mistake again and will need to pick up a few items somewhere along the route.

Followed Highway 16 or the Yellowhead Highway the entire day arriving in Edmonton about 3 pm and couldn’t wait to get a HOT shower for some core warmth. After joing Don Berry with Medical Mart West and several of his friends at the Sawmill Bar & Grill, I received a cash donation of Canadian dollars from Don’s friend Bill, From there, we went over to pick up Don’s wife Marina for dinner – think we talked about Seinfield shrinkage, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and a whole host of great shows. To top the evening off with a nice Edmonton dessert, Don presented me with a generous donation to Rally…thank you so much for the support Don!

Final Service on the V-Strom!

Posted on 07/15/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Ray Davie – cycle tech extraordinaire

Just 14 days until Rally Around the World begins – can hardly believe the launch date is so near!! Cool Springs Powersports in Franklin performed the final service on the bike to include tires, fluids and a final inspection of all systems. Ray is a huge source of cycle knowlege with over 30 years of experience servcing & repairing Japanese bikes. He’s an avid rider and was even the top dirt-track rider in Illinois. I asked him if there was any one thing I should take on my trip, he reached for the PJ1 Black Label chain lube – a daily must at the end of a long day! Tire pressure is also critical and he even recommended running 36 pounds in the front tire instead of 33 on the V-Strom…will continue to keep the rear tire at 41 pounds. He went over all the tricks to removing the fuel tank, replacing spark plugs, air cleaner and sevicing all the fluids while on the road…one great tip was placing a wrench between the chain and rear sprocket and rolling wheel forward to seat the axle tightly against the adjustment stops before final torquing assuring proper alignment.

Thanks you Cool Springs Powersports and Chris Holbrook for arranging the final service and expecially all the folks in the service department: Roland, Kate and Ray!

Nashville-Natchez Trace Rally – Day 3

Posted on 05/26/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Natchez MS to Tupelo MS (290 miles)

Departed Natchez MS just after 9am…needed to air up tires and Dave’s Harley was quite low – his fuel range the day before was down to about 150 miles..he was able to significantly increase his mileage today.

Hot, sunny and dry day with temperatures in the low 90’s.

Lunch stop at the French Camp just off the Trace…the BLT was awesome with a side of broccoli salad…dessert was a crazy-good mudslide with ice cream.

Kent Nagel rode in from Nashville to ride back with the group to Nashville on Saturday…dinner at Vanelli’s was terrific with pizza, Greek salad and drinks.

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