Post 118: Seoul, South Korea

Aboard a bus, … the likes of which I have never ridden before, it took just three short hours to reach the capital of South Korea, Seoul. The journey from Sok Cho followed the only possible passage, a river valley sandwiched between mountains to the north and to the south where the views were spectacular. Beyond the tall forested peaks to the North are the 38th Parallel and the DMZ that still separate the North and South of this peninsula. Along the route I see that a new ‘Super-Highway’ is under construction, a highway that is elevated and will pass between the mountain peaks, a highway that when finished will surely be one of most spectacular roads in Asia. I pray the very fact that this road is under construction reflects the growing confidence that the government of South Korea have in the future stability of relations with it’s isolated neighbour just several kilometres to the North, … I can all only hope.

As we drive past fields of rice and fruit groves, it reminds me of Thailand but without the buffalo. Here in South Korea everything that possibly can be mechanised, … is mechanised. Almost without exception, all vehicles here are home produced, .. Hyundai and Kia, …. I see no building that looks older than myself, .. South Korea appears in every respect to be a ‘New Nation’. It is clean, everything works, .. it has function yet still maintains a degree of style that is only found in South-East Asia. Seoul is fast but not furious, .. its high-rise buildings fit perfectly into its landscape and fill every available inch of the flat plains along the Han-Gang River. Reminders of the Seoul Olympics are all around, …… Seoul is proud of this recent heritage but has seemingly divorced itself form more distant history.

In the street I meet a ‘Courier’, I ask to take his picture and for a brief moment he wonders why. Explaining that I’m also a courier in London would take too long, … so I just smile and raise an eyebrow, … he’s happy to oblige. I notice that the couriers here are a slightly different breed, .. their bikes are smaller but better equipped to carry larger loads, … loads that would have riders in London screaming ‘Health & Safety’, …. Myself included. (See Picture on Right Column)

I’ll be around for a few days, … I’ll steal a map from the foyer of an expensive hotel, … I’ll explore and discover, .. perhaps my first impressions are wrong, … perhaps I need to dig deeper beneath the shiny surface of this amazing city.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 117: Sok Cho, South Korea

Korea, North or South, was never on the Poor Circulation agenda, .. but here I am. It's beautiful, .. the people are friendly, the streets are clean and at night, .. Wow. It's kind of 'Tokyo-Lite', ... if there is a world shortage of neon, I now know why.

Sok Cho is a small port city standing on what in Korea they call the East Sea, and in Japan, The Sea of Japan. With nowhere to camp we're holed-up in a cheap motel where everything works, where passports are not confiscated and where you can actually take responsibility for your own key, ..... welcome back to the world of 'grown-ups'. It's such a shame that the Triumph is now down in Busan, .. riding here would have been a dream come true. OK, .. the signs are all in ㅏㅒㄲㄸ무, (Korean), but in any language,..... East is East and I'd find my own way to Seoul eventually. I know that Seoul will be more expensive then Sok Cho, .... but It's a place that I've always wanted to visit and if it's a larger and funkier version of here, ..... then I know that I'll quickly fall in love with the place.

I've decided to stay here for one more night and then take a bus to Seoul on Thursday morning. Wendy Choi of Areo International has been amazing, she is taking responsibility for moving the bikes to Seattle, ...... if only Wendy had a Russian sister then no doubt Poor Circulation would be already enjoying the wilds of Alaska.

For some strange reason here in Korea they use a different system for mobile phones,.. not GSM. For that reason no western mobiles will work here. On the ferry from Zarubino I also discovered why my Russian mobile phone had mysteriously stopped working. Apparently I had to 'Register' the phone on the network after a given number of days. Unfortunately once again, .... a rule written in Russian has found me wanting, .. bugger.

I hope that once in America I'll be better able to communicate, ..... though perhaps I'm overestimating America's leap into the world of WiFi. It's good to see that while I've been enjoying the warmth and friendliness of Russian Customs Bureaucracy, some more money has been donated to my chosen charity via 'JustGiving'. I'm still a long way short of my target, ... but with a little help and a lot more begging, .... I hope I can make it. The names of those donating are all on the bike,.. I've managed to keep that up to date so far,..... but there is plenty of room for more. Every $2 donated will get your name on there and the eternal gratitude of myself and those who rely upon the services of St Teresa's hospice at their most vulnerable times. Many Thanks, ... Geoff

Post 116: Leaving Russia 'Official'

(Posts 110 to 116 are being added here at the same time. It’s been six days away from the Internet but I’ve finally arrived in South Korea, .. where no Western Mobile phone will work)

A single headlight appears at the crest of the hill,.. the unmistakable rumble of a single cylinder motorcycle. For the very first time I meet Dan Honciuc, the mysterious man behind countless text messages and emails that I’d received whilst in Vladivostok. His arm is broken but his ex-army KTM 400 is well on the way to recovery. As he arrives on the dock at Zarabino and before his engine is killed, ….. he points out the inaccuracies in my earlier Blog entries. His KTM was only broken when it landed in the back of the truck, …. it wasn’t damaged in the accident, ‘KTM’s are great bikes’. I can only smile and stroke the Tiger’s mane, …. I’m sure I just saw it preen its whiskers. We haven’t been formally introduced but here on the road you just know exactly who everybody else is.

As experts in the Russian customs procedures we point Dan in the right direction whilst we enter the customs masters office in order to receive a severe spanking for inadvertently allowing our Triumphs to overstay their visas.. The atmosphere is formal and I’ll spare you the details, .. but three hours later and 1,500Rr lighter we were free to leave Russia, ….. albeit now each with a criminal record.

The ferry is good, … it’s empty, … a 200 Car Ferry containing just 3 motorcycles and no more than forty passengers. We leave the Triumphs looking lost and out of place alone on the massive car deck as we seek out and find our ‘floor space’ on the ‘Economy B Deck’ above. It’s basically the same as the ‘Economy A Deck’, … but without the karaoke rooms. The food is good, the floor is spacious and the voyage unlike all of our others, …… is uneventful. I’d like to be in a position to report disasters, calamities and mishaps, … or even alighting from the ferry in the wrong country as we did when leaving Albania, ….. but on this crossing, nothing of any consequence happened.

We’ve arrived in Sok Cho, …. It was painless and the town is beautiful. The bikes are now onboard a truck and making there way to the port of Busan and onwards by ship to Seattle. We’ll take a bus to Seoul tomorrow, .. or maybe the next day. Dan has headed off with his bike on a truck to Inchon, … he’s light enough to fly, .. we’re not, .. too many pies.

On the dock here we met a German guy with a camper van who we’d last seen in Zarubino on Saturday. Unlike ourselves, he’d been allowed to sail and landed in Sok Cho on Sunday morning, … but he and his camper were still parked on the dock. Unfortunately he’d overlooked one minor detail in his planning. Germany for some strange reason never signed up to the ‘International Convention on Road Traffic’ in 1949 and to this day German nationals are not allowed to drive in Korea. (Yes, … that was news to me too). Fortunately for Poor Circulation, …. Great Britain did sign the convention.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 115: Killing More Time in Zarabino

The problem can be fixed, .. maybe today,.. maybe Monday, .. nobody is sure. The lady with the smile tells us not to worry, .. we will make today’s crossing,.. the officer with the oversized cap is not so sure, …. the lady without a smile is certain that we wont. We must wait,… a decision will be made. I sit back and enjoy taking time to observe the life and bustle around me. Three months earlier I would have been fretting and shouting at every official in sight, but today I’m relaxed, I’m surprised about how mellow I’ve become, .. perhaps it’s ‘age’, perhaps it’s just ‘travelling’. It would be nice to share a few beers on the ferry to Sok Cho with our new friends Hans, Volker and Heaven, .. but it would also be good to put some serious distance between Rodrigo, and ourselves ….. each solution has its benefits and drawbacks.

I watch on as Alan turns from boy to man. Since his experience at the small church on the Amur Highway he’s grown from the timid guy that he'd been into the man that he always could be. Without any prompting from myself he's working the official’s like an old expert traveller, …. he’s smiling and laughing with them, bringing them around to his point of view with a gentle and caressing manner .. he’s found a new degree of confidence to act on his own,.. he has at last found the initiative he needed.

If I was forced to place my own pin in the world map of religion, ….. it would probably sit somewhere to the east of Paganism. I fully respect everybody’s choices and beliefs and if Alan finding God on this journey adds value to his life, ... then this journey has been of much greater benefit to him than even he perhaps realises. I smile to myself as I watch, ….. I’m confident that he’ll conquer Route66.

As departure time approaches and passes, …… the solution to our visa issue is still not clear. The door to the ferry rises, .. the passengers line the balconies and wave back to the shore. The white water rising from the rear of the ship and the thick ropes sliding silently up towards her decks are not good signs for the immediate progress of Poor Circulation. The lady with the smile apologises, .. the officer in the oversized cap is nonchalant and the lady without the smile now looks like the cat that took the cream. We will return on Monday, … the visa problem will vanish with the payment of 2,000Rr each.

We ride back to our previous nights hotel on the opposite side of the bay. We follow the ferry as it sails out to sea, … from the balconies we can make out Hans, Volker and Heaven, ….. each with a bottle of chilled beer in one hand,.. waving with the other. Looking towards the ships bridge, …. I’m sure that the I can see a familiar dark and diminutive figure offering navigational advice to the captain, …… Brazil has overtaken England, …. but for me, this was never a race but an adventure. I’ve got two days to kill in Zarabino and I know the whereabouts of an amazing ‘Shashlique Café’, …. time to eat and drink, South Korea is only a bribe away.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 114: Kiling Time in Zarabino

I knew that at some point in time I would leave Russia, I knew that at some time money would change hands and that the visa problems would suddenly disappear, …… I just didn’t know ‘when’ or ‘how much’. If I didn’t make this ferry crossing, then I would make the next, …. or even the next, but looking on the bright side, ….. I’ve been stranded in far worse places than Zarabino.

For the past three weeks I’d been aware of two German bikers following several days behind us along the Amur Highway. Hans and Volker had contacted us on the Internet forum ‘Horizons Unlimited’. I’d passed information onto them about road conditions and exit strategies and they had reciprocated with information of their own. Through the motorcycle grapevine In Vladivostok I’d heard that one of the pair had suffered injuries in an accident, …. but I had no more information than that.

Whilst waiting at the port of Zarabino, two BMW F650 GS Dakar’s arrived, … on board were Hans and Volker, … the German pair had caught and were now about to overtake Poor Circulation. Hans had been caught in a storm at the end of the Amur Highway, a branch from a tree had been broken by the wind, … the branch had crashed down onto his helmet piercing the shell and knocking him out, … Hans had spent several days in hospital. The Amur Highway had claimed another victim but thankfully this time both bike and rider were still in pain, but back on the road to recovery. They gave us news of Dan, a rider who’d been catching us along the road before crashing his KTM Adventure. Dan was now in plaster and resting in Vladivostok, .. his bike ‘Damaged-Repairable’. We told them of Charlie’s progress, an Australian BMW rider heading west towards London who we’d met at the Amur’s most northerly point. Charlie had fallen several times and had torn knee ligaments but he’d now passed through Chita and onwards to the safety and beauty of lake Baikal. Volker mentioned the ‘Brazilian’ who’d also crashed on the Amur, … we smiled and told of our encounters with ‘Arroganto’ at Vlad Moto Workshops and how his Yamaha was now in need of serious surgery, .. though Rodrigo himself was in the rudest of health. Judging from the adventures and mishaps of other riders, it seems that the Amur Highway is a little tougher than I’d thought. Or maybe it’s just the Triumph Tiger that is even tougher and more capable, …. perhaps it’s time that I showed it a little more respect.

Hand and Volker were great company, we killed time together while we waited for a resolution to our visa challenges, we shared stories, we laughed and we joked. We watched as the much-discussed Brazilian rider arrived with his entourage, … no doubt wondering why no red carpet had been laid in preparation for his departure. I introduced Hans and Volker to ‘Heaven’, a girl travelling from Glasgow back to her native Korea on the Trans Siberian Railway. A girl so beautiful and so full of life that we all just wanted to pick her up and take her with us. Heaven would be travelling in Korea and offered us free and unrestricted use of her apartment in Busan while she was away. We’d known Heaven for less than five minutes and had been offered open access to her home, ….. welcome to ‘Travelling’.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 113: Dosvidanya Russia

Zarabino is a small town in the far south east of Russia and the port of exit for journeys to South Korea. From here I would take the overnight crossing to Sok Cho. I had my ‘Passenger Ticket’ purchased in Vladivostok for $200 but the ticket for the bike would need to be purchased at, on or after the ferry, … though nobody knew quite how, when, where or for how much.

With no opportunity to camp, the overnight hotel in Zarabino was cheap, $10 per night with hot running water. Admittedly, the ‘hot running water’ was not in or even close to my hotel room, but for just one night it felt great to be sleeping in a real bed. The ferry would sail at 18:00 hours on Saturday 26th July, customs clearance was at 14:00 hours and boarding would commence at 17:00, …. it all appeared to be very simple and straight forward.

In England you will see many older buildings that have windows in-filled with brick. This was done back in the days when a ‘window tax’ existed, …… the greater the number of windows a building had, the higher the tax that was payable by it’s owner. Here in Russia they also have a ‘Window Tax’ and it exists at all border crossings. Basically, at every ‘window’ that you’re asked to visit with your documentation, a tax is payable, often ‘Official’, sometimes ‘Local’.

At the first window on arrival I paid 200Rr to take the Triumph and myself onto the dock where I found another open window. Through that window I passed the princely sum of 2,600 Rr, … I believe for ‘Customs Tax’, plus an additional fine of 136Rr, I believe for failing to pay the previous tax in US Dollars. I was then directed to a third window where 460Rr was withdrawn from my diminishing wallet for ‘Exit tax’. Thankfully, this time no fine was levied for paying the exit tax in the currency of the worlds’ largest country. Moving onto the fourth open window I waited for my boarding card, …… but as always in Russia, there was a minor problem.

Three hours later I learn that my ‘Visa’ has apparently expired and that Alan has exactly the same problem. It’s now July 26th, I know for certain that our Visas are valid until 28th August, I’m a little confused. The validity dates for the Visa are stamped in my passport. They are the only entries on any of my paperwork that are written in both Russian and English, ….. these dates are therefore the only ‘facts’ of which I’m certain. Finally an English speaker is found and the problem is clearly explained to me. My ‘Business Visa’ clearly states that I will enter Russia on June 1st 2008 at the Western port of Sochi. That I will ride my motorcycle 15,000Km across Russia and exit on or before 28th August 2008 from the Far Eastern port of Zarabino. The ‘problem’ is that the customs officer in Sochi who completed the documentation for both me and the motorcycle, allowed me to enter Russia for 90 days but the motorcycle for only 10 days. All of this information is clearly written on the ‘Customs Declaration Form’ that I have kept dry and in pristine condition on my journey across this vast land. It is I know an important document, … ‘Person’ and ‘Motorcycle’ can not be separated during the period, … both must enter and leave Russia together, this form is confirmation of these facts. Unfortunately this ‘Customs Declaration Form’ is written entirely in Cyrillic, … ‘niyet Anglian’. The ‘Visa’ for my motorcycle had expired on the 11th of June 2008, ……. therefore, It is now impossible for me to leave Russia.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 112: Leaving Vladivostok

It’s 7:40am, Friday 24th of July and we’re waiting. We were due to leave at 7:00 with The Architect escorting us to the docks. Our ferry boards in 20 minutes and we still have to negotiate the dense traffic of Vladivostok’s early morning rush hour. The Brazilian has turned up late, he’s issuing orders to all of those around him as if he himself owned the operation. His motorcycle that has been provided by Yamaha is still sick, it sits on the back of the Vlad Moto flatbed truck. It’s been ridden to death, in 15,000Km of riding he’s failed to add oil to the engine, he’s failed to adjust the tension of the chain or even to coat it with oil. His chain had snapped some 200Km earlier, but the mechanics of Vlad Moto have fixed that for him. They’ve turned him a new rear sprocket for the new chain to run on, .. they’ve welded and braced his broken frame, … they’ve explained the basics of motorcycle maintenance to him, ….. but sadly they cann’t at such short notice replace the broken valves and camshaft that a lack of oil and an abundance of negligence have caused.

Rodrigo Fiuza now wants the Iron Tigers to transport him and his bike the 250Km to Zarabino where he’ll also catch the ferry to Korea, .. but hopefully not the same ferry as ours. Of course they’ll transport him on their truck, ….. because that’s the kind of people they are. His companion, .. the young man who flies ahead of him and arranges everything; hotels, currency, transport, food, visas, …. stands on, .. looking a little embarrassed and out of place, .. perhaps hoping that their journey will soon be at an end.

I make the decision to leave without our escort, .. The Architect apologises as if the fault is his own, .. I smile and shake his hand firmly. I use a valuable minute of my time to take the confident Brazilian boy to one side and I offer him several chosen words of advice, …. though I guess they’ll have little lasting effect. He is riding around the world on a mission of ‘Peace’ though I suspect that without an adjustment to his attitude, in places of lesser tolerance than this, … it will not be ‘Peace’ that is breaking out around him. As we ride out of the Vald Moto compound for the last time, I’m sure that I can hear Rodrigo calling out behind us, ……. ‘People, People, …. Where’s my latte?’.

We make the ferry and as intended board first, …. ‘first on, first off’. The ferry will take us to Slavyanka from where we will ride the 50Km down to the port of Zarabino and then onwards to Korea. The ferry begins to fill, .. a beaming smile appears from behind a row of densely parked trucks, …. It is The Architect. He apologises for not escorting us here, … we share a knowing smile and he wishes us both well, .. with deep felt meaning.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 111: Goodbye to Vladivostok

Apart from a few incidents with Rodrigo, a Brazilian RTW Biker who began abusing the hospitality shown by our hosts, …. and my subsequent ‘quiet but firm’ intervention, my time here in Vladivostok has been without exception, …. Amazing. Leaving Roman, Slava and their friends in Volgograd had been difficult, .. but leaving Vladivostok will be much harder. Here in Eastern Russia, I feel as if I’ve been adopted by a new and amazing family. Yesterday a couple of members of the Khabarovsk chapter, who I’d met at the ‘Ride to Work’ rally in Usserijsk, had ridden down to the Box to wish me farewell. I’m sure that they had other business down here in Vladivostok, but that’s still a 1,000Km round trip. To these fine people, ….. friendship is everything.

It’s time to add my name and comments to the Iron Tigers Visitors Book, ... but what to write? In the end I decided on the following:

As a stranger in a strange land I came to Russia. A land where the police opened my wallet but the people opened my heart. Here at Vlad Moto in Vladivostok I found Mikhail and the Iron Tigers, …. for your generosity, friendship and support, …… I will always be grateful. Ride Safe, …. Geoff (Blue88)

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 110: Vladivostok Speedway

According to legend, no trip to Vladivostok is complete without three things. Firstly a weekend bike rally and secondly a banya with a group of hairy arsed bikers. As a reminder of the former I have a beautiful tee shirt and for the later, simply the memory and a few healing scars. The third element to this triptych of wonders is a visit to the speedway stadium, … preferably on ‘Race Day’.

In the hierarchy of Vladivostok pastimes, speedway comes second only to drinking vodka. The local heroes, ‘Team Vostok’ have until recently been the champions of all Russia. Today, 23rd July 2008, the new champions and pretenders to Vostok’s throne are the visiting team. We buy tickets for our friend Andre and his beautiful wife Ulia, .. centre stand, centre row, .. best seats in the house, $10. It’s a party atmosphere, the alcohol ban is enforced as if it never existed and the girls in the audience outnumber the boys. I look around as the riders are introduced, …. I’ve been to speedway in England but this is different, .. this is more like fashion week in Milan, .. it is as far removed from Ipswich or Manchester on a rainy evening as it is possible to get.

The MC is loud and judging by the reaction of the crowds, … funny and popular too. The riders are heroes, … well, the Vostok riders at least. The team from Ukraine includes the reigning world champion from Sweden, .. Andre suggests that they are in fact ‘the Chelsea of speedway’, … a team lacking neither talent nor finances, .. just history and heritage. The racing begins, I stand, I shout, I cheer along with the masses and become an instant supporter of ‘Komader Vostok’. It’s impossible not to become involved,… in the nicest possible way, Russian people are 100% infectious. (Komander = Team).

To complete an almost perfect evening, Team Vostok win by 60pts to 30pts, .. ‘Komander Vostok’ will once again be national champions, … Vladivostok will party tonight, the party will last until dawn, ….. that is the Vladivostok way. We head back to the ‘Box’ and hope that the resident rat will be sleeping soundly after feasting on our emergency food rations for the previous six days, …. wishful thinking I’m afraid.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Message for Daniella Murdoch

Sorry to put this message here, but I've lost Daniella's email address and she isn't writing a blog,.. sensible girl. Daniella, if your reading this then please email us on poorcirculation@hotmail.co.uk.

After posting on my blog I'm getting offers of help and assistance for you through Europe and into London. Anybody else wishing to help,.. then please email me too. Daniella, I'll pass on the information via email if you get in touch. ..... ride safe, Geoff

Post 109: Exit Vladivostok

'System Failure' ... 'Information Overload' .... 'Re Boot System' ... 'Ctrl Alt Del', .... 'Press ANY Key to Continue', ..... I can't find the 'ANY' key.

It's 23rd of July and for eight rent-free days we've been living at the 'Box' and each day has been an adventure. The decision has now been made to leave Vladivostok on Friday 25th July. We'll take a ferry from here towards the port of Zarobino and from there, the 'Roll On Roll Off' ferry to Sok Cho in South Korea.

Once in Korea the bikes will go to Busan for onwards shipping to Seattle and once certain that our Tigers have set sail, we'll folow by air. The bikes will arrive in Seattle on August 15th, .. Inshallah!. Once in America, Alan will head across country on Route 66 while I'll be making my way to Boonville CA and then later down into Mexico. It's a shame that I'll miss Alaska and it's also a shame that I'll miss out on South America, .. but I can feel a future adventure begining to form.

Flights and freight out of Korea are less of a burden on both the wallet and the sanity, .. the 'misinformation' and 'half-facts' that I've had to trawl through here in Vladivostok before discovering that all 'Exits' are painful is unbelievable, ... hence the 'Information Overload'. In Korea they have lots of rules and regulations, but at least everybody seems to have a copy of the same book. Here in Russia the rules change more frequently than the hotel linen and several RTW biker's have been caught out when trying to fly their bikes out of Kamchatka, ... some are still stranded there as I write.

A few days ago i received an SMS from Dan who was riding his KTM out of Mongolia and followng our route from Chita to Vladivostok. We passed on useful information and he was due to meet us here. Unfortunately it seems that the Amur Highway has claimed yet another victim. Dan's had quite a bad fall and is traveling towards Vladivostok with a suspected broken arm and a confirmed broken motorcycle. Vlad Motors will collect Dan and his bike when he arrives by truck and the Iron Tigers will arrange for medical help and repairs for his bike. It is still possible that Dan could continue on towards Korea with us, ... but we just hope that he's ok.

Yesterday the Brazilian pair of riders arrived in Vladivostok and came to Vlad Motors with a broken bike. Nothing serious; broken chain, broken frame, bent valve, crunched main bearings, broken exhaust, shattered rear hub, .. but apart from that the Yamaha dirt bike was fine. It now seems even more remarkable that our Triumph Tigers have completed the exact same journey without problems.

I may be away from internet access for a few days now,... so I'm not being lazy,.. just traveling ;-)

Post 108: Vladivostok 'CitySprint Jacket'

Recently the story of Poor Circulation has appeared in the Northern Echo, England’s premier regional newspaper. I’ve had many emails from well wishers and old friends that I haven’t seen since school days and many questions have been asked about the journey, .. some of which I can answer now and some of which will have to wait until after America.

‘Blue88’ is my old courier call sign back in London with CitySprint. I’ve actually been ‘Blue07’ for the past few years but ‘Blue88’ is the name that I’ve used when writing for The Riders Digest and until now, …. has provided me with a little anonymity. It’s allowed me to write freely and honestly for the magazine without fear of retribution, ……. but I guess that’s all changed slightly now.

Since this journey began at the Ace Café on 21st April 2008, I’ve been wearing my blue CitySprint courier vest. The intention has always been to ride to Vladivostok and once here have the vest signed by the Iron Tigers M/C. The signing of the vest is now almost complete with messages of support from many of the club members. On returning to the UK, the vest will be auctioned on-line and the money raised will go directly to St Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington.

As for the ‘Special Package’ that I’m carrying to Boonville Ca., … well I believe that the good readers of The Northern Echo are already aware of it’s contents, ….. the rest of you will simply have to wait a little longer.

No, I’m not being ‘paid’ to do travel around the world, …. but I wish I was. Before leaving England I sold everything that I didn’t need for the trip (It’s amazing what people will purchase on eBay) and wrote to hundreds of companies, small and large, asking for a spare part here or a free ferry ticket there. The response was amazing and the companies that I need to thank are listed on the right side of this blog. As for CitySprint, they are the company that I worked for in London and they have stepped in and made a contribution towards the cost of fuel without which this journey would not have been possible.

The names written on my ‘Top Box’ are mainly of people who have donated to my chosen charity via my ‘JustGiving’ page. Each time a new donation is made, I write the name of the donor onto the bike and in a small way, … they travel with me. The names that carry small red stars are friends who have sadly died, many through illness and many through motorcycling accidents.

No, you don’t need to be an expert rider to travel like this, .. just look at me. Honestly, any bike and any rider with a few months experience could do this. Just believe in yourself and believe in the goodness of the people that you meet. When you travel you have to be trusting of people, ….. otherwise you’ll always be travelling alone.

There are a million more questions that I need to answer but will do so by email. The Brazilian Bikers that were two days behind us on the Amur Highway have just arrived in town. We think that one may have had an accident which accounts for their delay and the Iron Tigers are going out to bring them back to the Clubhouse, …… I hope that this level of kindness will be shown to fellow travellers in Blighty.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 107: Usserijsk 'Russian Banya' 20th July 2008

All across Russia many of the people we’ve met have invited us to take a ‘Banya’. Unfortunately in the early days my grasp of Russian was such that through interpretation of their sign language and misinterpretation of the word ‘Banya’, .. I thought that they actually meant for me to take a shower with them. Far from being offended, I was actually quite moved by their requests, but each time I graciously declined.

Here on the camping weekend in Usserijsk when the President of the Iron Tigers invites you join him and his senior colleagues for a ‘Banya’, it would be rude to refuse. ‘Banya’ in Russian is actually a ‘Sauna’, nothing more and nothing less. Here it is a tradition, winter or summer, men and women take banyas and then plunge themselves into the river, .. even if the ice needs to be broken first. For an Englishman entering this domain it is a huge step into the unknown. With clothing removed I entered the banya and was immediately directed to the uppermost bench, …. the hottest area. Laying flat on my stomach, a huge bunch of twigs with leaves still attached is dipped in boiling water and thrashed across my body, …… they turn me over when done on that side,.. and continue on my front. The process takes several minutes and all of the time the coals are being stoked and more water added to the furnace, … perhaps they are testing my metal. I hold out for as long as I can but eventually give in to the heat and thrashing.

Outside people check their watches and nod in appreciation as I exit the banya, ….. my head light and spinning, my body bright red and tingling. I walk down the jetty and throw myself into the river below, ……………………. it’s painfully cold.

My first banya experience in Russia, I suspect not my last, …… but an experience that will last for my lifetime. (Sorry, .... but no 'Banya Photos ;-)

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 106: Usserijsk Bike Rally

I was drinking beer and learning new and interesting Russian phrases with unknown friends when I was suddenly accosted by ‘The Architect’, vice-president of the Vladivostok Iron Tigers. He took me towards and then onto the stage as the music stopped and the huge crowd for a brief moment became silent. The MC was talking loudly and people listened intently, …. I understood none of it.

At the centre of the stage, …. I looked out at the gathered mass, .. all now cheering and saluting the ‘Crazy Anglian’. ‘The Architect’ put his head to my ear and translated what the MC was saying. As I left the stage the crowd was still chanting my name, .. I was mobbed, … I was everybody’s latest best friend. I was plied with drink and food, I was interviewed by Russian television, I posed for photographs with hairy arsed bikers and beautiful young ladies, my back was sore and my ribs bruised from slaps and giant bear hugs, …. for somebody slightly more used to anonymity it was all quite difficult to take in.

Apparently it’s not every day that a biker clock’s up 1,000,000 road miles, … and the people here were proud that I’d done it whilst in Eastern Russia, ….. but not half as proud as I was.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 105: Usserijsk 'Daniella Murdoch'

Before the sun had set across Eastern Russia on Saturday 19th July, we were introduced to a young Kiwi girl, .. I’ll call her Daniella because that is her name. Aboard her aging 'Honda 250', she has travelled from New Zealand alone, via Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam before arriving here in Russia. She will go on to follow the Amur Highway to Ulan Ude and drop down into Mongolia before conquering ‘The Stans’ and onwards to London.

Twelve months ago and having never ridden a motorcycle before, Daniella decided to ride a bike across the world to London. On this journey she has ridden roads and encountered situations in the remotest of regions that would have brought Poor Circulation to a grinding and tearful halt. As with all bike rallies across Europe, there was a long distance award for the furthest travelled biker. With 20,000Km under our belts this award would have been presented to Poor Circulation. However, respect where it is due, .. we declined the award and instead asked that it be presented to this Gutsy Kiwi Girl for each of her kilometres was worth a thousand of our own, ….. respect and admiration.

Unfortunately Daniella does not have a ‘Blog’, … but I hope that on arrival in London she receives the same warmth of welcome that she has received here in Russia. To help Daniella on her way, we were able to pass her into the hands of the Khabarovsk Chapter of the Iron Tigers who will ensure that her onwards journey is an experience never to be forgotten, ……………. and no doubt very safe.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 104: Usserijsk 'Ride To Work Rally'

The Iron Tigers promised sunshine for the weekend and it seems that their weather predictions are as good as their hospitality. It was Saturday 19th of July, the sun shone brightly and the Iron Tigers of Vladivostok began to gather beneath their clubhouse at Vlad Motors.

We’d been promised a small gathering and a convoy of bikes. What we actually found was more akin to Sturgis than Eastern Russia. We followed line-a-stern behind the President and arrived in Usserijsk with a police escort through to the centre of the city where several separate groups congregated together. By this time there were some 275 bikes, …. just slightly more than the promised ‘few’.

We were introduced to other chapters of the Iron Tigers and were immediately accepted into this large and growing family. All across Russia our bikes had stood out from the Ural’s and Jawa’s that travel the roads and byways but here in this town with the Iron Tigers, ….. our Triumphs were simply unusual bikes with smaller engines and less chrome than the Japanese choppers preferred in these parts.

Again under police escort, we travelled onwards in larger convoy to an enclosed camping ground beside a river several kilometres north of the city. It was a carnival atmosphere; different groups met as friends and partied long into the night to the accompaniment of live music and fireworks. The beer and food was plentiful, the vodka even more so. Here there is none of the tensions often felt at similar bike rallies around the world, … here in Usserijsk it was simply carnival time for everybody. Perhaps that feeling of safety was not too surprising when you see how seriously the Iron Tigers take their security. The picture above is of ‘Andre’ and ‘Guns’, .. my new best friends for the evening. Yes,.. it is real and as I found out later in the evening, ….. very loaded. It seems that here in Usserijsk it is only the ‘Crazy Anglian’s’ who don’t carry guns.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 103: Vladivostok (Iron Tigers)

It’s our third day as guests of the ‘Iron Tigers M/C’ living in the ‘Box’ above Vlad Motors and it’s an experience that every biker should enjoy. As I’ve mentioned so many times in this blog, the people of Russia have amazingly warm hearts and here in Eastern Russia they are quite possibly some of the most generous people in the world, …… but the Iron Tigers take that generosity to ever greater heights. We’re living rent-free, have access to their workshops, tools, washing machine, catering supplies and once the computer is up and running again, Internet access as well.

Yesterday was a busy day downstairs at Vlad Motors as a shipping container from America had arrived filled with imported Japanese bikes. The day was filled with unloading the bikes, assessing any damage and shoe-horning them into any space that was available. To celebrate their arrival there was a ‘party’ in the evening with barbeque, beer and of course too much vodka. It carried on into the early hours of the morning and several club members shared our humble ‘Box’ for the night and our Nurofen in the morning.

At gatherings here everybody in the group takes turns to tell stories as the vodka is passed around. Last night I was prompted to join in and to recount some tales from our journey. Michael, the Iron Tigers President, translated the tale into Russian as I spoke. The story that I shared with them is as follows:

Asil was a Turkish boy with two passions in life; Motorcycles and Travelling. After finishing college, disillusioned with his lot in Turkey and the prospect of completing his National Service in the army, he packed his motorcycle with all of his belongings and began his journey. He travelled all across Europe, through North and South America, … down into the centre of Africa and eventually into Mongolia. In Mongolia he discovered that his Turkish passport was about to expire and so visited the Turkish Embassy in order to have it renewed. Unfortunately the embassy realised that Asil had avoided his compulsory year of National Service in the army and refused to renew his passport unless he returned to Turkey,…. immediately.
Not wishing to complete a year in the Turkish army, Asil sought advice from his friends in Mongolia. After much thought there appeared to be only one possible solution to his predicament. Asil would find and marry a local Mongolian girl and then apply for Mongolian Citizenship and a Mongolian passport. The plan actually worked, he found a girl, they married, Asil received Mongolian Citizenship and collected all of the documents necessary to apply for his Mongolian passport. With a spring in his step he took himself and the documents to the passport office in Mongolia and waited in line. Eventually his application was taken and inspected by an official, ……. but the news that greeted him was not exactly what he’d expected. Unfortunately Asil was now 26 years of age and a Mongolian Citizen, …….. he therefore must spend two years in the army doing his comulsory Mongolian National Service.

On Saturday we’ve been invited to ride with the club up to the town of Ussurijsk for a weekend of camping and general merriment. We think that Wednesday 16th of July was ‘Labour Day’ here in Russia and the weekend coming is an annual event where bike clubs from Eastern Russia meet together and have fun. I’m sure that it will be quite an experience, …. I just hope that I will be able to remember at least some of it.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 102: Vladivostok Iron Tigers

Its Wednesday 16th of July,.. I think. I've moved out of the Hotel Vladivostok with all of it's Soviet charm and moved in to the famous 'Box' above Vlad Motors, ... home of the even more famous 'Iron Tigers M/C'. Sleeping on their floor and surrounded by bikes, drum kits and amplifiers,... this has got to be coolest gig in town, .. it's amazing.

When the bike shop below closes at around 6pm, ..... we're left alone and have the run of the place; tea/coffee, washing machine, computer, ..... everything. At night we can repair our bikes in their workshop using their tools and equipment and if we're still sleeping when they return and 'Open Shop' in the morning, they silently work around us. Can you imagine your local dealer providing this service for a complete stranger????

In the clubhouse they keep a 'Visitors Book' with messages from many of the travelers who've passed through their doors over the 10 years since the 'Box' became available for habitation,... at one time housing 21 bikers from around the world. Tonight in the Tigers library I found a signed and dedicated book by Lois Pryce (Lois FastLane) another writer for The Riders Digest, ... it's a small old world out here.

Tonight I received a text from a guy called 'Dan' riding a KTM and heading towards Vladivostok, ... he's also seeking a way out to North America. I don't know him but he got my number from another RTW (Round The World) biker who picked it up from a Japanese biker heading West, .. I think. Anyway,.. Rik our German friend has finished his adventures in Mongolia and is currently stuck just south of Chita waiting for the rains to clear before he heads towards us. The Amur Highway is probably impassable at the moment as we're kind of in the middle of a 'Mild Cyclone', .... that's 'Mild' by Siberian standards. With rumours of a pair of Brazilian riders also heading towards me, we might have enough bikes to fill a container and all head off to Seattle together. If not, ..... then it's a huge dent in the Poor Circulation budget and we'll be flying to Anchorage, .. ouch.

Post 101: Vladivostok Iron Tigers

Well,.. it's happened,.. this morning (Monday 14th July) we made contact with 'Max' of the Vladiostok Iron Tigers Motorcycle Club. He arrived at our hotel on his rather splendid customised CBR Blackbird.

We're booked into the Hotel Vladivostok until Tuesday morning, ... but after that time we'll hopefully be holed-up at the iron Tiger Club House.

Later today we're meeting Yuri who will hopefully enlighten us as to the best way out of Vladivostok, ... hopefully to Alaska, .... maybe Vancouver or Seattle, ... possibly San Fran, ... but definately somewhere in North America.

Update: We've met with Yuri and it seems that our best option is to ship the bikes directly to Seattle, Washington. Unfortunately we need a full container as they wont take LCL (Lees then Container Load). This will exhaust our 'Logistics Budget' at $2,500 each. We're hoping that a pair of Brazilan riders a few days behind us on the Amur Highway will be willing to share the container and cost. If so, then we have 5 weeks to kill as cheaply as possible.

We're moving out of the Hotel Vladivostok tomorrow, Tuesday 15th July and moving into the 'Clubhouse' of the Iron Tigers MC, .... so at least we'll save money that way. We will give our decision to 'Fly' or 'Sail' to our shipping agent Yuri tomorrow. It's time like this when you wish you were a famous actor with bags of money, .......... perhaps :-)

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 100: Vladivostok Coincidence

Sometimes when you’re travelling some strange coincidences happen. To place the previous post into context, …. the story is as follows.

Sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Vladivostok I’m enjoying a tall latte and some free WiFi while searching the travellers information bureau that is ‘Horizons Unlimited’. I find a message about local support for Vladivostok customs clearance, … it’s from a gentleman named Phil who’s website is http://www.wrinkliesontherun.com/ and the message is very new.

The post reads that ‘Yuri’ of Links Limited here in Vladivostok will provide amazing support for travellers wishing to enter or exit Russia and contains Yuri’s full contact details.

I post my reply as follows: ‘Bill,… many thanks for the information about Vladivostok support. If you look to your left, you will see a biker with ‘’Amur Highway Hair’’ and a ‘’Where the f**k have I just come from look in his eyes’’, ….. I’ll stand up and buy you a beer in two minutes, ….. Blue88’.

Welcome to travelling where such coincidences are daily occurrences, …. Almost.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 99: Vladivostok

Once again Poor Circulation is holed up in an old Soviet Hotel, …. this time room 706 of the Hotel Vladivostok overlooking the sea front. In common with the other Soviet Hotels, it’s reasonably priced but this hotel has been updated. Gone are the ‘Grannies’ who protect or watch their guests on each floor, gone are the obscure and antiquated bathrooms, gone are the mismatched linen and undersized bath towels, … the Hotel Vladivostok could be easily relocated to any European city, … almost.

The plan from here is to secure passage as directly as possible to North America, … hopefully to Anchorage in Alaska. Vladivostok Air is now operating weekly flights but it seems that the bikes will not be allowed to fly. I’d been informed that ‘shipping’ the bike would take a minimum of six weeks, …… but it now seems that it’s possible to reduce that time to three weeks. In the foyer of the hotel we’ve met an English couple, … the first English people that we’ve met since leaving Dover in May. Their 1980’s camper van has arrived by ship from Seattle and has taken just over two weeks. The ship that they used is now heading up towards Magadan before returning to Vladivostok and then back to Seattle in Washington State. It’s possible that the Triumph could be stored on this ship and America might actually be less than three weeks away.

Tomorrow, Monday 14th July I’ll meet with Yuri, an English-speaking shipping agent here in Vladivostok. If Yuri can do for Poor Circulation here in Vladivostok what Roman did for us in Volgograd, …… then anything is possible.

In the meantime I’ll try to track down Vladivostok’s famous motorcycle club, the ‘Iron Tigers’ and spend some quality time doing absolutely bugger-all, ……. because doing just that is relaxing, fun and easy on the budget.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 98: Vladivostok

Roughly translated, Vladivostok means ‘Lord of The East’ and it will be our last port of call here in Russia. It began life in the 19th century as a trading post and as such had more in common with both Shanghai and Hong Kong than it ever did with Moscow. The population of Vladivostok had always been far more multi-cultural than in any other part of Russia and at its peak at least four fifths of its people were foreign nationals, predominantly Korean and Chinese. This all changed in 1922 when in the final days of the Bolshevik Revolution, Vladivostok fell to the ‘Red’s’ and Stalin had all of the foreign nationals either deported or shot. Since that time Vladivostok has taken on the mantel of a military town and home to the USSR’s Pacific Fleet. Until as recently as 1992, Vladivostok was ‘off-limits’ not only to foreign visitors but to Russians as well.

The good news is that Vladivostok is returning to its former cosmopolitan roots and has once more become a thriving centre of life, commerce and entertainment. It feels like the kind of city where ‘everything’ would be available if the price was right.

I’m actually feeling quite low as I ride south into Vladivostok, the settlements slowly beginning to overwhelm the countryside, the traffic density increasing and the heat from buildings, life and people intensifying with every miles closer to the heart of this city. I have, for possibly the final time in my life, experienced Russian rural life; it’s hospitality and it’s dangers, it’s beauty and it’s starkness, …. it’s roads and it’s people. Arriving in Sochi more than a month ago Russia had felt almost like ‘A Country Too Far’ for Poor Circulation, ……. but once again the amazing things that I’ve discovered here have surprised me. Russia has lodged itself under my skin and I know that in years to come my itch to return here will begin to need scratching on an ever increasing basis.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 97: Ussurijsk

It was late afternoon when we rode into Ussurijsk, a town on the M60 approximately 60Km north of Vladivostok. It was hot and the traffic was slow, …… arriving in Vladivostok on a busy Friday evening was not going to give us the time that we required to find the most appropriate accommodation and so it was decided that we stop here for one night.

From the outside the hotel looked expensive, …… but then we were still more accustomed to seeing the shacks and prefabs of the Amur Highways than we were the bright lights of a thriving metropolis. After initial inquiry, … the hotel was cheap, .. with meals and fuel for that day we would still be under budget. Room 419 of a hotel whose name I have either forgotten or never knew, became Poor Circulations resting place for the night of 11th July 2008. Unfortunately the hotel with no name could not offer secure parking but there was a small parking lot to the side of the building, …… so we investigated.

Yuri is Russian, he wears his black clothes as if already mourning his own demise, .. he is a serious young man who speaks good English with a very slow and deliberate cantor giving us ample time to survey the perfection of his full set of gleaming gold teeth. Yuri rides a Honda Super Blackbird, …. but alas it is currently broken. He owns the café and casino in front of which our bikes are parked, …. his security staff will ensure that our bikes remain safe for as long as we remain in his town, … we have no reason at all to doubt this.

In the hotel with no name, we wash our clothes and hang them from the windows to dry in the warm air overnight, …. we sleep soundly in full sized and comfortable beds no doubt dreaming of what adventures Vladivostok will have in store for us.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 96: Khabarovsk to Ussurijsk

Vladivostok is approximately 765Km south of Khabarovsk, or about 440 miles in English money, … a little too far for one days riding. In fact it actually turned out to be a little too far for two days riding. Perhaps it’s that I’m road weary after the Amur Highway, …. or perhaps it’s that I actually don’t want my journey through Russia to end, but I took my time, savoured every moment and stopped and chatted with as many people as possible along the way. It’s actually a very easy thing to do here in Russia, … everybody wants to stop and talk, … nobody is ever in too much of a hurry to spend time learning about your adventure or sharing their own stories, … and that is an amazing thing to cherish.

Last night we pitched our tents a little way off the road along a rough mud and sand track, away from the forest and far enough from the road so as not to be seen. Being so close to the Chinese border means that this road south, the M60, has security points every few kilometres and border guards patrol the rivers and byways on a constant basis. Not wanting to be disturbed it was impossible to light a fire and thus we sacrificed our blood to the mosquitoes and made the most of what will probably be our last night of rough camping here in Russia.

The sun was setting over China to the west and we were quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Thunder rumbled in the distance as storms passed over Vladivostok but here at our camp to the north we were safe. The only thunder that disturbed us was the thunder from the broken silencer on the Ural outfit that arrived, as if from nowhere, along our dirt track. So far as we could make out, there was nothing but 10Km of forest and scrub between ourselves and the Chinese border to the west, …. So where had they come from?. We quickly established that they spoke no English and that we spoke very little Russian. For almost an hour they sat on their bike looking at us and nodding, …. and we nodded back. They smoked their cigarettes and we drank our coffee, .. all in silence. Anywhere else in the world and this would have been a weird experience, … but this is Russia. Then, as mysteriously as they had appeared, ….. the Ural was kicked into life, they waved, smiled and were gone. Here in Russia the strangest things are every day occurrences.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 95: Halfway Around The World

The road was smooth and dry, the sun shining but thankfully the interminable dust of the Amur Highway was gone. I indicated right and slowed the bike, .. my right arm outstretched to let Alan know that I was stopping.

‘What’s 25,000 divided by two?’, … I waited for the correct answer. ‘Ok, .. what’s half of 25,000?’. Eventually it came, .. 12,500, …. but he still had no idea why I had stopped.

Back at home using a map and a set of dividers I’d calculated that the halfway point of Poor Circulation would arrive 200Km south of Khabarovsk. We were now precisely 67Km south of Khabarovsk and 675Km north of Vladivostok. The clocks on the Tiger told me that since leaving the Ace Café on 21st April 2008 we’d covered 12,500 miles. At this precise time and location, ….. Poor Circulation was exactly halfway around the world, …. at the point furthest away from home and each additional mile that we travelled would bring us closer to Great Britain. Poor Circulation had reached the point of no return. In my initial rough calculations I’d been just 137Km out, ….. result. (If it is correct ;-)

We didn’t celebrate,.. we shook hands and continued along the road towards Vladivostok. I have to say at this point that since our ‘Conversation’ in Chita and Alan’s ‘Experience’ at the Amur Church and later with our mysterious traveller Alexander, .. Alan has become a changed man. No longer is he frozen by fear, .. he’s taking the lead, approaching strangers, .. volunteering to go alone into shops or to converse with the gatekeepers to our fuel supplies. He’s grown in confidence and I for one am really so proud of him. Over the second half of his journey Alan will gain much more than he has over the first half, .. simply because he will be ‘involved’.

I am aware of the reasons behind the events leading up to his experience on the Amur Highway and I fully understand that anything that happened was simply an expression at his own inner frustrations, .. we’ve all been there. I’m also aware of what transpired in the Amur Church and I have my own theory as to the mysterious Alexander, ….. but I’m sure that in time Alan will explain all.

I promised Alan’s parents that I would see him safely through and I promised Alan that I would get him to Vladivostok. As for the future, … Alan feels confident enough to deal with North America on his own and that will enable us to have our own individual adventures. Tomorrow, July 12th we will arrive in Vladivostok and from there we’ll try to arrange an exit. It is more than possible that we’ll have to travel via Korea, …… hmmmm, ..... I sense a new adventure beginning.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 94: Russian Road Crews

Every day here in Russia, .. in city, village or out on the open road, .. amazing things happen that you simply would never see at home.

Travelling along a stretch of road with a 20cm surface of large grade gravel, I passed the road crew who were attempting to rebuild this particular stretch of road. It was rough, it was difficult and the bike was doing everything within it’s power to shake me from it. Behind me I heard horns, .. loud horns, … constant horns. I sat down in the saddle and looked back in my mirrors, ….. just a blur. I stopped and turned my head around, .. the drivers of the JCB’s were waving frantically at me and heading along the road at speed.

I assumed that something had fallen from the bike and so I dismounted and waited. The first driver summoned me up to his cab, …. he pulled a new and rather rude air freshener from behind his seat and presented it to me, … not a word had been spoken. As I climbed down from the cab several of his colleagues were waiting for me, .. with Vodka.

It seems that reports of Poor Circulation’s progress were being passed along the line and this particular road crew were the first to stop me. We talked in two alien languages but the message was still very clear, .. they were very proud of Russia and wanted to wish me well on my way to Vladivostok. I sipped their Vodka, ate their bread and dried fish and then was gone from their lives. In all of my years of riding around the UK, ….. this has never happened before. I just love the people of Russia who each day make me smile for the strangest and simplest of reasons, …. they just love life.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 93: Khabarovsk

At the end of the Amur Highway and still only a few kilometres from the border with China stands the thriving city of Khabarovsk, ….. the gateway to Vladivostok in the south. Founded in 1858 as a military town, Khabarovsk was occupied by the Japanese up until the end of the Russian revolution in 1920 and saw fierce fighting with the Chinese as recently as 1969. Today things in the city are much calmer and arrival here comes as quite a shock following days in the wilderness of the Amur.

The last ‘City Experience’ was Chita, .. it was only a few days and 2,000 kilometres away but already it feels like a different time and place. I’m amazed by high-rise buildings and neon signs in a language that I’m now only just beginning to recognise, .. people walking on pavements, .. music playing in the streets, …. traffic and congestion, … traffic lights and policemen, … trolley buses and the general chaos that separates conurb from country.

I ride through the city in search of a room for the night, .. a place to wash away the dust and grime from seven days of off-road riding, seven nights of rough camping and the stench of smoke from the mosquito repelling campfires of Siberia. Hotels here in Russia are expensive and here in the far east, … are also rare. I find the ‘Hotel Tourist’, one of a chain of old Soviet Hotels untouched since their development in the 1960’s and amazingly interesting places because of that. They are also reasonably priced.

I try to check-in but there is a problem, …. in Russia there is always a problem. My visa was last registered on 5th June 2008 and today it is the 9th of July, …. this raises questions. Officially when travelling in Russia you must register your visa in each city where you stay for three days or more. I registered on arrival in Sochi, ….. 5th June. I explain that I’ve ridden across Russia, sleeping in a tent in the forests, .. each day riding a little more and finally now on the 9th of July, … I’ve arrived at this fine Hotel. ‘Niyet’, ….. in Russia always expect to hear ‘Niyet’ (no) at least four or five times before receiving the required ‘Da’ (yes), … it seems to be the Russian way. The receptionist is perplexed, … ‘Nobody travels across Russia in such a manner’. I point to the window where my bike is parked, .. a small crowd of people still admiring the Tiger and wondering when the ‘Crazy Anglian’ will return and allow them to play with a few more switches and pose for more photographs. I explain as well as I can to the now smiling receptionist that most of the guests at the Hotel Tourist probably do not arrive with their own ‘fan club’. She compromises, …. I can stay one night but must leave before 10am in the morning, …… ‘spa-ceeba’

I’m issued with a ‘Ticket’ which I then take to the fourth flour. Here, another ‘Floor Receptionist’ will exchange my ‘Ticket’ for a key. The ‘Floor Receptionist’s Assistant’ will then walk me to my room. This process is repeated every time you leave or enter your room. Seemingly I am the only guest on the 4th floor of the Hotel Tourist, ….. the Floor Receptionist and her Assistant will be replaced by the Night Floor Receptionist and her Night Assistant at 10pm, …. no wonder Russian hotels are so bloody expensive.

On the plus side, .. Hotel Tourist has WiFi. On the downside, …. it’s so slow that I’ll wait until I reach Vladivostok before updating my blog and answering emails etc., … in fact I could probably ride to Vladivostok before I even get a connection.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 92: Amur Completed

‘A can of beans, some black eyed peas, … a Nescafe on Ice, … a candy bar, a falling star or a reading from Dr Seuss ……..’, one man can only have so much fun and I’d turned to my MP3 player earlier in the day as the endless strain of the Amur Highway continued to draw me south. The surface was now mostly sand and rock ….. it had become second nature to drive through the rougher patches using an ‘on/off’ throttle or to overtake into blinding dust and to anticipate the arrival of other vehicles travelling towards me on the wrong side of the road. The Amur Highway is statistically the second or third most dangerous road in the world, … but it is actually a very long way behind the very worst road that runs through the mountains of Bolivia. The surface here is changeable and often demanding, …. but it is never impassable. The days of ‘Mondo Enduro’ and the ‘Zilov Gap’ are written into history for all time, …. but even in today’s state of ‘incompletion’, any rider with a little experience is more than capable of conquering the Amur Highway.

And then it happened, ….. just north of Khabarovsk, the Amur Highway ended. R.E.M. serenaded me from the sand and onto the asphalt as I parked my arse down onto the Tiger’s plush seat and joined Michael Stipe at the top of my voice for the chorus. Any Russian’s hearing or seeing this would have considered me mad, …. but at every rest stop where people surround the bike and ask a million questions, they call me mad for even attempting this journey in the first place. The Triumph Tiger had brought me 2,212Km from Chita in the West to Khabarovsk in the East and has never missed a beat or thrown me from it’s back. I did once fall deep in a forest whilst looking for a campsite but that was my own stupid fault and there was no damage, …. so maybe we can all just overlook that one?.

I don’t want to get all ‘Pirsig’ here but, …. I still don’t like this bike. Although the Tiger has done everything that I’ve asked of it and in 12,000 miles has not really broken down or used a single drop of oil, …. it still fails to inspire me. Maybe I’ll change my opinion over the next 12,000 miles, … maybe the Tiger will develop a heart, .. maybe now that we’ve conquered the Amur Highway together, … we’ll go on to attempt the Darien Gap, …... maybe then I’ll grow to like it more.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 91: Amur Highway

We’ve been riding the Amur Highway for over 1,000Km and for the last 800 the road surface has been deteriorating. Fortunately, until this evening we’ve avoided riding in the rain and have followed a storm front for the past two days. This evening we rode almost 100Km in deep mud through torrential rain, …. it was les than easy on our over laden street bikes with mismatched tyres. Until now the advanced rain has simply helped to stiffen the sand surfaces or bind together the rocks and mud, …. this had made the roads more manageable. The only additional benefit of the weather has been the reduction in the levels of dust thrown from the road by the huge Kamaz trucks reducing visibility to zero and making progress hazardous. On the downside however, ….. with every kilometre travelled the size and ferocity of the bugs and mosquito has increased exponentially.

In the past two days we’ve encountered more bikes heading west across Russia. First there was Yoshi, a Japanese guy on an Africa Twin heading up towards Finland. Yoshi told us of a lone Japanese girl some three days behind him aboard a small Suzuki and riding around the world for her second time. Two hours later we meet Yuki on her Suzuki Djebel 250, .. hot on the heels of Yoshi. Either Yoshi had over estimated his own speed, .. or underestimated hers.

Later in the day we see a Harley Davidson appear from the dust. It’s parked to the side of the road and we pull over. As the dust settles we see a line of similar Harley’s parked behind it and we’re introduced to the ‘Korean HOG’s’. (Harley Owners Group). There are twelve of them travelling in convoy with a large support truck from Vladivostok to Hamburg. We exchange stories and gifts and we’re assured of a warm welcome if we ever visit Korea. They are surprised to learn that the road they are currently travelling will not improve until they reach Chita, …… but the news of the road east for Poor Circulation is equally grim, .. more of the same and even less of the 92Ron petrol.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 90: Amur Highway

After pitching camp just off the highway and safely hidden from passing traffic, …. we met Alexander. Miles from any village, … deep in the heart of Siberia, .. Alexander appears silently on foot and stands at a safe distance from our small camp, …. awaiting our response. Dressed in military fatigues, he stands at the end of our ‘slip road’ carrying an old army rucksack and a walking stick fashioned from an old chrome umbrella. As with all travellers that we meet, .. Alexander is invited to share our fire, our coffee and what little food we have. He asked if we knew of the old border crossing towards China where there was a small Chapel, .. a place where he intended to spend the night. We show him photographs that I’d taken of the Church whilst Alan had been inside, …. It was some 10Km west along the road, … Alexander nodded, … this was his destination for the evening. He mentioned that this particular church had a special significance to travellers along the Amur, …. but he chose not to explain why, … he simply looked towards Alan and smiled.

Alexander is a ‘Cossack’ and very proud of his heritage. He talks in excellent English, .. his words are few and well chosen with long pauses for thought and reflection. We ask few questions and are content to simply hear this old man’s stories. Alan’s mood is visibly lifted as he sits at Alexander’s feet and listens intently to his every word. He talks of exploring the area north of Vladivostok by bicycle, of encounters with bears and tigers, .. he tells of his time in the Atlas Mountains and of his days on pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

For the past ten years Alexander has been wandering the world in search of something , .. but he knew not what he was looking for until recently. Born in what is now a part of Kazakhstan, Alexander is walking from Vladivostok to St Petersburg where for the princely sum of 60,000RR (£1,500) he will receive a Russian passport and a small plot of land on which he will build his house and grow vegetables. Although he was born ‘Russian’, …. as a citizen of Kazakhstan he now needs a visa to visit what he considers to be his own country, .. a country for which he has fought in many conflicts, .. a country that he now feels has let him down.

We ask Alexander about the legality of purchasing his Russian passport, … he just shrugs and returns to his steaming coffee. He asks if we have encountered any bears and advises that we hang our socks on nearby trees before retiring to our tents, …. it will mark our territory and bears will fear to trespass, ….. or perhaps Alexander has simply smelt our socks.

As darkness begins to descend Alexander rises and starts heading towards the church at the old border crossing. I offer to take him there on the bike but he refuses, …. I think he senses that Alan and I have much to discuss and he is gone, …. disappearing into the trees as mysteriously as he had arrived.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 89: Amur Highway

The Amur Highway was opened by Mr Putin back in 2005, … and if I say so myself, .. a little prematurely. It’s a remarkable achievement to have any road running through this area of Russia, but to say that it will be ‘finished’ in 2008, … is a little optimistic. The Amur Highway clings to the border of northern China and is shadowed all of the way by the Trans Siberian Railway

The road surface for the first 200km out of Chita is perfectly fine, but then the situation changes dramatically. The tarmac vanishes and the road surface changes between sand, mud, and rock every few kilometres. Having said that, .. it’s ‘uncomfortable’ in that it isn’t smooth and some of the deeper sand and gravel surfaces take a great deal of concentration, ….. but so far it has all been 100% rideable.

This evening we stopped at a small Russian Orthodox Church on the road and brewed coffee before heading off to find a rough campsite. While I was scouting for suitable venues Alan went into the church for several minutes and emerged looking a great deal more cheerful than he had done for the past few weeks. It’s a difficult thing for me to explain, but after we left that place Alan took the lead and rode with a degree of confidence that he hasn’t shown since leaving Western Europe.

Some 10Km on, Alan takes the initiative and finds an ideal camp ground for the night and he prepares me my first meal and coffee of the trip so far. His mood has lifted and the dark cloud that has followed us from Austria has vanished since he entered that small church, …… he’s almost back to his old self and I hope that things can remain this way. Vladivostok is still some 2,500Km to the southeast and we still have at least a 1,750Km to ride on marginal roads, …… fingers crossed.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 88: Amur Highway

‘NO’, …. Of course I didn’t leave Alan alone in Chita. We discussed the ‘issues’ in great depth and Alan decided that he wasn’t yet confident enough to take the train to Vladivostok alone but was still very nervous about riding the Amur Highway. We’ve agreed to ride together to Vladivostok but on the condition that Alan begins to contribute more to the journey and begins to allow Russia to enter his heart.

To be honest, I could no more have drowned a puppy than have left Alan alone in Chita, …. but hopefully the threat to do just that will have spurred him into action. Certain issues will quite possibly always remain unresolved but I hope that over the coming weeks I can help him to gain confidence and accept the differences that make this world such an amazing place, … a place well worth visiting.

To brighten Alan’s day still further, …. I managed to crash my bike when looking for a rough campsite tonight, … no damage, … but I will try harder next time.

Note: I've had a lot of comments about adding 'Dates' to my blog posts. This is difficult as I write at different times and post when Internet is available. On the 'Progress' chart to the top right you will find the 'Last Updated' date, ....... plus, .. If I attach dates to the posts, .. you'll all know just how slow I'm riding.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 87: Parting Company

Writing this Blog has become a replacement for my diary and as such is moving beyond the physical aspects of the journey. My experiences are probably moulded by the emotions that I’m feeling at the time and attempting to divorce these two factors is a step too far for my weary mind to attempt. My writing here may offend or disappoint some people, …… but the writing will at least be honest.

Before heading out from London I read the ‘The Motorcycle Adventure Handbook’ by Mike Scott. One particular section of the book discusses the problems that will be encountered when two people are travelling together over a long period of time. It suggests that the only solution to ‘Buddy Fatigue’ is to spend periods of time riding alone with the intention of meeting again at a specific time and place. We discussed this before departure and both agreed that it was sound advice from a man who’d already bought several of the tee shirts and sent the postcard.

Back in Austria Alan began making certain comments, remarks that shocked and angered me in equal measures. Such comments from a total stranger would have been unforgivable, … but from a friend who is fully aware of my personal history, it felt like I was being stabbed in the stomach. We had an amazing argument and I suggested that we part company and possibly reunite at a future date when the air had cleared. Alan offered the hand of friendship, apologised unreservedly and asked me to stay at least until he was confident enough to ride alone. After much though I agreed to stay until he felt that he was ready.

Over the past month we’ve grown further apart and while I’ve been thriving on the interaction with people and places, Alan has been turning in on himself and drawing a veil over all aspects of the life that is happening around us. It seems for Alan that everything that we encounter is always slightly wrong and not quite like it would be at home and this he finds difficult to cope with. The daily task of trying to raise his spirits and help him along the way has drained my energy and the whole journey runs the risk of becoming a burden for both of us. It’s true that we’re very different people and that perhaps I adapt more easily to changing circumstances simply because I have a little more experience, …. but if Alan refuses to accept the fact that ‘Travelling’ will involve some hardship, .. then perhaps this is not the experience for him.

I’ve reached a point where I feel that I can’t continue carrying Alan and that he needs to stand on his own two feet, take some responsibility and begin to use his own initiative. He’s certainly as capable as I am of completing this journey but he simply needs to understand that for himself. Several weeks ago we reached a point where there was no ‘teamwork’, …. If something now needs to be done and I don’t personally do it, … then it simply doesn’t happen; if I don’t cook then Alan doesn’t eat. This journey is a once in a lifetime experience for both of us and I have no intention of ruining my own or Alan’s experience by allowing an atmosphere of irresolvable tension to continue.

I’m sure that Alan will tell his side of the story and I’m also certain that there are understandable reasons for his inactivity that one day I will grasp, …….. from tomorrow onwards we will be enjoying our separate journeys.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 86: The Silk Road to Chita

I spent the morning in Ulan-Ude in a small coffee shop with free WiFi while Alan rested and tended to his sore leg. It was past 12 noon when we eventually left the bustle of Ulan-Ude behind us. The roads were mostly good, … but ‘good’ only in a Siberian sense, and the villages were becoming smaller with greater distances between them.

So far availability of fuel has not been a problem and we have mastered the art of filling the tanks without having estimate the precise quantity required. We pull into a petrol station and park the bikes together at a pump dispensing ‘92Ron’ and I take a 1,000 RR note (£20) to the darkened window of the attendant, …. and smile. ‘Priviet, .. Anglian, niyet Russian. Benzene, dva Motorshikle, … dupulna?. I think this roughly translates to the fact that we’re English and speak no Russian, we require petrol for two motorcycles and wish to fill both tanks to capacity. Once full, .. we’ll come back for the change. It seems to work but the laughter that’s often heard around us suggests that the phrase still needs a little refinement, …. But I’ll learn eventually.

Heading for Chita and the beginning of the Amur Highway, storms were brewing in the distance and it was beginning to get dark at around 9pm. Somewhere on the road today we’d lost another hour and are now possibly seven hours ahead of GMT, maybe even eight. I looked for and found a couple of possible camping grounds, secluded and off-road but along tracks that would be possible for Alan to negotiate even if the expected storms fell on them overnight. Each time I found a suitable site, reading from his ‘SatNav’, Alan informed me that we were over 3,000 feet above sea level and refuses to camp, he’s worried about the cold, …. we ride on.

By 1am it’s pitch black and raining heavily, the sky is thick with dark clouds and lightening strikes the ground all around us. Alan is leading, … riding a little too quickly for the conditions and feeling guilty that his ‘altitude attitude’ had kept us both out on the road long after it was safe to be there. The road abruptly ends and veers sharply left down into a muddy ravine, …. we both make it safely through a temporary and unannounced bypass that is common on this road. We emerge safely through the mud only to encounter a small heard of cows laying down on the road. Again, … we narrowly avoid disaster.

I’d had enough of this foolishness, I move ahead of Alan and turn my bike off-road and down a rough track. I tell Alan to wait while I look for a resting place. It’s difficult, it’s dark and it’s partially flooded but it’s safer than the road above. We get Alan’s bike down and the rain has stopped. It’s not cold yet but the winds are rising and more rain is only minutes away. I quickly brew coffee for us before laying my poncho on the ground, climbing into my ‘Bivi Bag’ and pull the chord tightly above my head, …… and so to sleep.

It wasn’t comfortable, … but I was dry and warm. Unfortunately Alan hadn’t used his ‘Bivi Bag’ or poncho, .. he’d stayed all night in the open and listened for wolves. When I opened my dry and warm cocoon at daybreak he was laying beneath a pillar of the bridge on the only piece of dry ground available, .. cold, wet and shivering. I made coffee and then got us onto the road and towards Chita some 90km further east where we’ve checked into the Hotel Tourist, … cheap and tacky, … but dry and warm.

I’m now beginning to seriously worry about Alan and his ability to continue onto Vladivostok by bike. His spirit seems to have deserted him while mine is still rising, he is missing home and his parents while every kilometer I carry my parents with me on the bike. His confidence is still low and he feels that his decisions are compromising the journey. We’ll talk about it tonight and I hope that he’ll make the decision that is best for him. The roads heading north and then east of Chita, skirting the Chinese border, will not be good and the weather system ‘La Nina’ (El Ninio’s little sister) will ensure plenty of storms along the way. I’m not going to ‘tell’ Alan to take the train to Vladivostok, ….. but if he decides to ride the Amur Highway then he’s got to ride it for ‘himself’ and not just to keep me company. I’m a CitySprint despatch rider, I’m carrying a very important package to Boonvile Ca., …… I’ll be ok.


www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 85: Ulan Ude

(‘Post 80’: During a frantic ‘cut & paste’ session I failed to upload Post 80 which explains our journey from Irkutsk to Lake Baikal and places certain subsequent events into context. I’ve added ‘Post 80’ correctly today )

We’ve skirted the border of Mongolia and here in Ulan-Ude the influence of that vast and sparsely populated nation is very strong. The faces, the food and even the street signs are more ‘Oriental’ than ‘Occidental’, …… the religions of Christianity and Buddhism seem to meet here in perfect harmony and as if to welcome us to Ulan-Ude, the scenery as we approach the city from the east has even reverted from forest to steppe.

The city is large and in comparison to the miles of open land that we’ve crossed to reach this place if feels very busy and polluted. Ulan-Ude is cluttered with tramlines, railway lines and power lines, …. it feels just like all other cities here in Siberia, .. it feels as if it is intruding upon an otherwise perfect landscape, … it simply feels totally out of place in it’s natural surroundings. It’s difficult not to view these places with a ‘western eye’, … but the impression one gets is that just prior to completion of any construction project; road, house, office building, hotel etc., the construction company lost interest and moved onto projects of greater interest. Apart from the natural landscapes, nothing here in Siberia feels ‘Finished’.

The people that we now meet on the road are mostly merchants, ….. this is the ‘Silk Route’, but today their wares are slightly different. At least half of the traffic heading west against us is comprised of modern Japanese cars travelling together in loose convoy. The cars, all new and right hand drive models, are imported to Vladivostok and driven by wide eyed and sleepless young men towards Moscow. The fronts and rear quarters of the cars are protected against the road debris by masking tape, the tyres are changed to part-worn replacements and the odometers are no doubt disconnected. If you ever purchase a new Japanese car in the UK with ‘delivery mileage’, …… then you might wish to enquire what the true ‘delivery mileage’ might actually be.

It had been difficult saying goodbye to Rik as he headed down to Mongolia but as with Fred and Asi, …. I’m certain that our paths will cross once more before our respective adventures are over. It’s been especially good for Alan to have other spirits riding with us for so many of the miles and he seems to thrive on the companionship. Although Alan prepared for the journey before departure from England, I think that ‘Travelling’ has come as something as a shock for him. Reading the accounts of other travellers provides a taste for the possibilities, an insight into the adventure, …… but I feel that living on the road and overcoming all eventualities is a difficult reality for Alan to accept, ….. but we’ll get him to Vladivostok.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas