Tokyo

Now in Tokyo after dropping off the bike at Narita for LA on Monday. What a city this is with massive skyscrapers and huge central area. Was met at the hotel by IPA member Mr Masato Nozaki who now works as the assistant manager. Got an upgraded room from superb to luxury with all the gadgets. There are regular earthquakes here and I am on 22^nd floor….scary! Getting my bike clothes washed as they were bordering on repulsive…poor laundry woman…see the photo of then getting prepared to clean my gear…I think you call it an industrial injury…  Will take in the sight tomorrow and post some photos. Many thanks to the Japanese IPA and Mr Nakamura for a donation to Capability of nearly £450. The Nakamura football shirt has caused a lot of interest and it will be auctioned within the Japanese IPA.

In Yokohama

What a place this is! Was taken out for a welcome party in Yokohama. Tried all Sake. Japanese whisky and beer… great night out! Got a tour of the Police HQ and a tour  of the bay on the marine patrol….superb. Then had a meal at a local Japanese restaurant. The IPA even paid my hotel and gave me a mobile phone for Japan! What a great bunch of people, especially Mr Nakuura Koji. Took the signed  Nakamura shirt to the restaurant last night and there was a group of school kid footballers. What a great experience. See photos. Japan is the place to be!  Tomorrow bike goes to Narita for USA and I fly on 3^rd. Invited to Sacramento by IPA so hopefully be there soon. Tokyo tomorrow and what is planned ?

 

Japan IPA has pulled out all the stops so many thanks to them for their hospitality and help.

In Fuji

Now at Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji is an active volcano so I hope it will not erupt tonight…saying that it will not match the eruption that I have on my backside after riding everyday in this humid weather! Heading to Yokohama for a tour of the Polis HQ and then Yokohama Bay. Mr Nakamura has booked me a hotel and there is a welcome party arranged…mmmm…more beer and Sake and that great Japanese food. Kyoto was nice but remarkably different. Very trendy and western with more western faces around. A lot less tradition that the other places I have seen. Bike is running well but needs a good servicing…a bit like me??? There are a few bits held together with cable ties and I would love to get the opportunity to give it a good clean. Contacted the cops in USA so hopefully get it to the right place for an overhaul. Leaving Japan on 3^rd August as is the bike.  This is a great place and I will be back. Looking forward to meeting Pam in USA as my washing is piling up!

 

 

Sake in Sakai

In Sakai City with Kozo and his family. Sakai is a suburb of the massive
city of Osaka. Went to visit the castle there then to a Hindu Temple.
Great experience before being taken out by some IPA cops for a slap up
Suchi meal. I was delicious. We have quite a few beers and some Sake
before hitting the karaoke...what a laugh and unfortunately it is on film.
Received a nice IPA Sake Wooden box cup and Japanese pen holder along with
a donation of Yen 10,000 for Capability. A great night out with some
lovely people.

Now in Kyoto in 31deg heat. Going for a wander before heading towards
Yokohama and Tokyo.

Riding throught the Botanic Gardens

Sorry for the delay but I have been busy in Japan. Got the ferry from Vlad
and was allocated a nice cabin to myself. The first thing I noticed was
the food was good compared to the comparative blandness of Russian grub.
The service was even better. Vey pleasant sailing and some good
shipmates. Alberto is travelling the world on foot at the moment and has
his Rough Collie as his companion. Valeria is a MA student of Korean
language and is at uni there. See pic.

Spoke to the captain re the unloading process and when he came back asked
me to have lunch at his table. A freebie….no problem. Got to Korea and
had a quick look around before onward to Japan. At Japan the customs were
great and helped smooth the process. I was met by Mr Kozo Nashioka of the
Japanese section of the IPA. He had travelled 4 hours from Osaka to meet
me and his help was most welcome. Got fixed up with the Carnet
verification and Insurance and then managed to get on the road. Onward to
Hiroshima from Sakaimiato. This is a fantastic road and the scenery is
amazing. It is like riding through the Botanic Gardens with smells and
all.

The people are very respectful and it is strange at first. The service at
the petrol pump is amazing and in stark contrast to Russia and the hole in
the wall situation. I am going to film it and post it to let you see. Got
to my hotel in Hiroshima. The city is beautiful and I visited the Peace
Garden. It is a fitting tribute to the suffering of the people after this
event. Later went to the local for a pint and ended up cooking there. They
even kitted me out for the job. Tried some Saki and Japanese Whisky. Great
wee place.

Onward to Osaka where I am staying with Kozo and his wife. Will do some
visiting the sites of Osaka then they have organised a party to meet the
other IPA members. Next Kyoto and Yokohama. I found an agent who is air
freighting the bike to LA. Full service and crating ...the lot.

Japan and Korea

Now that I have reached the far end of Russia I have found out, via a very condescending email, that Gordon is setting off for South Korea. The plan was to cross to Japan and the Carnets were purchased for this reason. As the route sponsored was through Japan I intend to stick to the plan and as we had arranged hospitality and various meetings in Japan I think it is the right thing to do. I have some concerns as I have done nearly all the planning, navigation and arrangements and worry that Gordon will struggle with the remainder of the journey. Well I did hold out the olive branch and alas it was rejected so good luck to him. I feel better already!!!

Well as far as Vlad weather is concerned it is teaming down with rain again after a short sunny day yesterday. Hope the wind dies down a bit before taking to the ocean. See you in Japan!

At last.....Vladivostok

Arrived in Vladivostok in glorious sunshine. Hotel has a sea view with a nice balcony. Had dinner in the Chinese restaurant with a German who pointed out that there is a convention of potential models here for some contest. They were having their party in the restaurant…..can’t remember what I ate?? A bit dull today again.

 

Getting onward travel sorted ……. Getting there with a change of plan and route to Japan. Will keep you updated.

Channel 1 - Russian TV

On arrival at a hotel in Khabarosvsk an English speaking person offered to take me to a better hotel. I followed him and it turned out he was a reporter for channel 1. Lovely camera crew and we had a good laugh. The hotel staff are impressed haha. Unfortunately Gordon has continued with his strange behaviour and refused to attend the interview...his loss I suppose!

Map - Khabarovsk

 

Views of Khabarovsk

Some views over the city from the hotel. Khabarovsk is the administrative center and the largest city of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located 30 km from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. Population: 579,000. The city lies at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about 497 miles north of Vladivostok and is accessible from there by an overnight train running along the Trans-Siberian railway. It is also has the largest raindrops I have seen and there are bucket loads falling today. It reminded me f home. Hopefully dry tomorrow?? Contacted Gordon to see if he was okay and wanted to do an interview with Russian TV. Just got abuse back??

*******GOING SOLO ! ********

1. After a long and sometimes arduous journey through Siberia I had decided to go solo from there on. Suffice to say I had some very good reasons to do so. I am totally dedicated to achieving the aims of the project and needed to complete it as planned. I felt that the only way to do this was by going solo. I agreed with the other rider involved in the project to keep these reasons private for the sake of the charity and sponsors. He has, to his shame, subsequently published his totally inaccurate and warped recollection of events, so full of holes that it does not even merit a retort. Bit of advice folks...If you ever plan a trip like this check that the person you ride with is up to it . Suffice to say...babysitting over..I continue with my dream trip, the fundraising and the original plan. It just goes to show the importance of checking out the social skills, mental and physical fitness, focus and motivation of any riding partner when embarking on a journey such as this. He is now at home (since 3rd Sept) and doing what he does best .....No need to say anymore!!!....onward!

___________________________________________________________________________________

Blog Cont:-In Khabarovsk drying out after torrential rain yesterday. Now 10 hours ahead of UK time. Travelling from Chita had some of the most challenging excuses for roads I have come across. From dust, wet clay, stoned, chippings, concrete and potholes these roads have everything to offer. Remember this folks when you are having a go at the state of the roads in the UK. People here use 4x4s to belt along these roads and some use the ultimate off-road cruiser….the Lada! Luckily the roads were not too bad today however torrential rain made the journey a wee bit unpleasant! Giving up my maps, GPS and tools to my former riding partner gave the journey a bit more excitement and challenge which I savoured. Fortunately I had done my homework and knew the risks and more importantly...the route. I had sufficient fuel and cash to see me through the day unlike some I later learned. The good thing about this area is the number of car transporters making their way to Vlad. Russians import Japanese right hand drive cars by the hundred as they are very much cheaper. Many are taken by transporter but many are driven from Vladivostok to all parts of Russia but not before wrapping them up in bubble wrap and paper for the arduous journey through to Chita. The speed they go at over potholes would fill Tom Farmer’s heart with joy. Anyway, if you break down (and, unlike some I could mention.... have the necessary communication skills) you can always cut a deal with the drivers to load your bike onto the empty trailer and get it into town. My room looks like a Chinese laundry as contrary to the description “waterproof” that, given the wrong conditions, nothing is. Have suffered badly with mosquito bites as they discovered that their proboscis can penetrate the bottom of the Hein Gerike suit resulting in a mass of bites to the back of the legs and rear end….

It is raining here today although my spirits are high and I feel somewhat relieved at my new found Independence from the very uncomfortable and restrictive situation I had experienced hitherto. I will set off early for Vlad tomorrow. Have had contact from some bikers there so hopefully some help. Some contacts now in Japan one of whom I think is a great bloke already. His name…..Nakamura!

Chita

All well and in Chita where the internet access is a problem. In a cyber
cafe so no pictures I am afraid. The weather is holding and it is warm and
sunny. Setting off towards Vladivostok tomorrow. This is a very nice city
with the inevatable Lenin Square surrounded by civic buildings. It has a
Chinese influence here and I had to try out the food in a Chinese
restaurant last night. Try ordering Chinese food in English in a Russian
speaking restaurant....well I got something in the end. Gordon dissapeared after the meal in a mood and I never saw him until late that night...strange? Good hotel here -
Dauria Hotel. Will get some pics up at the next available WIFI.

Beware of the bears and the bandits

Before we left Ulan-Ude, Gordon had a narrow escape in an encounter with a Russian bear. He nearly lost his right buttock in the incident (the part that houses his brain) and had to employ tactics normally used by a skunk. Coincidently, Tom had a camera in his hand and managed to snap the beast in action after encouraging the attack .

The road out of Ulan-Ude is very scenic, almost resembling the landscape seen in Wild West movies. The ground is very sandy and the hills have been shaped by running water cutting through them. This main route eastwards is, once again the M55 (but not as we know it in the UK). One noticeable difference on the 380 mile journey to Chita is the lack of Police checkpoints. The diminished security has not gone unnoticed by the criminal fraternity either. We encountered two incidents on this road which could have been potentially dangerous. In the first instance, we had to come to a complete halt at a level crossing. Beyond the crossing we saw a man standing on the road using a mobile phone. As we started to ride towards him, he waved us down, as if in need of assistance. At the side of the road was another man, also in his 20s, sitting, looking downwards with his hat tipped forward over his face. The implication was that there was something wrong with the man sitting down and he needed to get assistance. He moved out towards the centre of the road to stop us but we smelled a rat and opened up the throttles - he soon moved aside!!!

About 50 miles along the road, a similar thing happened. This time, an old guy, well dressed, came out onto the road, waving frantically for us to stop. There were two cars at his side, one of which had someone inside. On the opposite side of the road was another car containing a bunch of heavies. The location was withing a gully and had woods on both sides of the road. There was no obvious damage to any of the cars and no one seemed to be in any trouble. We gestured to the elderly guy that we were going to pull in, causing him to step back. As he did so, the we sped past and the view of the gangsters rapidly shrunk in the mirrors. These are the kind of ruses that the FCO warns British tourists travelling abroad to watch out for.

Lake Baikal and Ulan-Ude

A great run along the coast of Lake Baikal towards Ulan Ude. Lake Baikal is enormous and surrounded by thick green forest. Ulan-Udin is a city which has a very Mongolian feel. It is near to the Mongolian Border and is very much influenced by it’s people. It also boasts that the central square has the biggest statue of Lenin’s heed. This was one of the main reasons we came here??? We met Gregorio, a fellow motorcyclist from Barcelona. Gordon managed to throw a pint over him much to our embarrassment. Gregorio is a seasoned traveller and has been to many parts of the world. This time he is solo in Europe, the Stans, Mongolia and Russia. He is riding a Honda CB 500 and left this morning to take on the challenging roads on his return journey to Spain. Head for Chita tomorrow then the final push of 2,400km towards Vladivostok and the ferry to Japan. The weather is holding and is sunny and warm.

Some Video of Siberian Roads

This is us the M53 in Siberia, Russia.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFwyamTU6uk

Cooler than a pimped up Lada

We spotted this old Russian car on the M53 and couldn't resist turning back for a few snaps.

Luxury on the lake - Kraznoyarsk

After fixing up in a nice hotel in Kraznoyarsk, our Harley riding friend Sacha returned later with his father, Micha. They took us to their garage where we were shown a selection of their 22 vintage motorcycles, including fine examples of military bikes and sidecar outfits. Once again, we took the opportunity to 'join up', this time with the German Afrika Korps, riding a 1943 BMW R/75 Sahara, complete with original gas mask. Micha has done a superb job bringing these machines back to original condition.

The following evening, Sacha picked us up in his huge Ford Expedition 4x4 and drove us out to see the hydro electric power station mentioned by Tom in his earlier blog. Sacha then treated us to dinner at his friend's boat club on the lake. As we were about to leave, his friend Slava arrived with his friends. They invited us onto his fantastic power boat where we enjoyed further hospitality. It was a memorable evening of great music, whisky and cruising on the water. The laser show projected from the boat onto a rockface and a demonstration of the boat's speed (75 knots) and manouvrability were astounding.

On the morning of our departure from Kraznoyarsk, Sacha came along to lead us out of the city back to the M53 road which continued our journey eastward. This saved us a lot of time and trouble because our GPS units don't have local maps in this area.

Sacha, Micha and Slava, if you read this article, we wish to say "Thanks again for your kindness, friendship and hospitality and we hope that one day we'll be able to show you around our country".

Some photos from Russia

Some photos from Russia. We met a German couple who brought their own security with them in the form of a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Another shows us waiting for the cows to let us past. Next on the track heading east. Next a village in Siberia and finally being interviewed on Russian TV again. Brenda…they took footage of the sponsors so we suggest you consider opening an office in Siberia??

Kraznoyarsk and onward east

As we entered Kraznoyarsk we saw a biker on a Harley Davidson. Turned out to be Sacha from this city. Kraznoyarsk is a city of over a million people and is famous for the nearby hydro-electric dam. The dam appears on the 10 Rouble note. Sacha assisted us with finding accommodation and the BMW dealer where Gordon managed to get a new rear tyre. The dealership is of the quality you expect but we were surprised at the prices. For instance the BMW Adventure which costs the equivalent of 650,000 Roubles costs about a million Roubles here in Russia. No wonder we have not seen any home grown Beemers here! Left Kraznoyarsk towards Irkutsk and immediately encountered the disappearing road syndrome. The road just stops and a track takes over. We have developed our off-road skills on these tracks over the last two days. The joke of it is it is named the M55 motorway and the lorries have taken this seriously and drive on it casting about 500m of dust. If you are behind them then you cannot see the foot deep potholes and you need your wits about you to avoid them.  When we stop we are covered in dust and need a supply of Anne French Deep Cleansing Milk – Graeme, please send us some of your supply!  In a hotel near Lake Bajkal at the moment and we hear we have another 600 km of dirt track ahead. If it rains we will probably have to hole up somewhere as the trucks turn the track to mud- No rain please! We are still having problems finding WIFI in Russia and we hope Vladivostok will have a good link.  Meantime we will keep trying to send stuff to the blog. Tomorrow towards Lake Bajkal, Ulan-Ude and Chita.

Onward from Kazakhstan

Moved on to Pavalodor where we got a small hotel. This place was on the outskirts of the town and we checked in. At the door a bloke asked us where we were going. When we told him Russia and onward to Vladivostok he drew his finger across his throat and said “ Good luck”. This is a common theme wherever we go. The ask where you are going next then tell you they are dangerous people there. We have still to meet them. Onward to the border where we spent 5 hours. Form filling and stamping was rife. They asked us if we had firearms or drugs as we opened the boxes. They looked in and told us to close them. That was the search. They noticed the IPA stickers and I think they thought we would be carrying a firearm due to our connection with the police. We convinced them by telling them we do not regularly carry firearms in UK. They pulled out the English speaking border guard and started to ask us about Scotland and asked if we had any photos. I got the Ipod out and they all gathered. She asked us why we were wearing uniform when we were on holiday. We had to explain that it was Hein Gericke bike clothing…..just shows they have very few bikers. They then asked for their photos to be taken with the bikes and then the English speaking guard had some practice with her English before wishing us good luck and allowing us to pass to the Russian side. More forms and photos, a cursory search and a chat then we were back in Russia.

To Siberia

Heading east and the weather is dull and a bit cold. Stopped at Barnaoul and went to the shopping centre to get some cash. After overcoming the usual problem of RBS switching off your card every time you use it in Russia I got some cash. A crowd had gathered as usual  and the bikes were the centre of attention. Got an expensive hotel and headed north east the next day. We got stopped by a Russian TV crew and they interviewed us for the evening news.  That night we camped in a wooded field in the middle of nowhere and got attacked……by the giant mosquito. The only relief we got from that experience was the arrival of the female druids for their annual nude midsummer rituals. Things are getting more and more rural and the countryside is a mixture of dense forest as far as the eye can see then a gap of fallow land. Needing a shower we headed east for a hotel….alas….they were not there and the ones that were….well we were better off camping….so we did. This time the mosquitoes were even bigger and they roamed around in huge gangs. We secured the clothing and nets and spayed ourselves with repellent. Unfortunately they have Sat Nav and made their way under our clothing and had a feast. The scariest thing I have done on the trip so far is to go to the toilet in those conditions.   That night may legs, head and arms were covered in bites. Onward to Siberia and Krasnoyarsk.