Another fellow to Vladivostok on 24th July
 

Hello Hans, Volker, Shustrik and everyone!

My friend Dan (he posted 6 days ago on this thread from Ulaan Bataar) is on the way to Vladivostok, where he'll arrive on 24th July (Thursday).
He is now with a guy with a Caterpillar truck (the motorcycle is in the back of the truck with the radiator broken/spoilt). He had a crush and now he is injured with a painful, possible broken elbow and arm.:oops2:

Could any of you, or more, meet him when he arrives on 24th in Vlad, and help him get the motorcycle down from the truck and then to a garage (he cannot drive at the moment) and afterwards himself to a hospital?

Please, can you let your numbers here (i'll send them to him) so that he can call you, sms you. Or maybe you want to send the numbers directly to him through sms.
Dan's telephone: 0040 726 1777 00
:helpsmilie:

We really appreciate any help and wait for feedback, thanks,
Cristina

PS: Hans and Volker, Dan has similar plans with yours regarding the shipment, through Wendy/Korea...

Shipping out of Vlad is still not a reliable or cost effective option. Your friend Dan should ship out of Korea.

Considering his recent accident, when he arrives in Vlad, he could contact the Dong Chung Ferry folk to find someone who can help crate his bike, IF the Vlad biker community can't help him. The Dong Chung Ferry folk in Vlad will help expedite Russians customs exit processing for the bike.

Wendy at AeroKorea will coordinate with Dong Chung ferry folk to get the bike out of Russia, via Korea to the US.

Check the shipping section of the HUBB for details. I put Wendy's contact info there a while back.

HTH


PS. Relative to his potential broken arm, he should see a local doctor if he broke it. When I suffered a broken leg in Mongolia, I saw a doctor when i arrived in the capital city...they do have qualified medical personnel in these remote parts despite the noise you may hear on the Internet.

For Hans & Volker, Vladivostok
 

Hans & Volker, .. we have 3 telephone numbers for you and receive your SMS, .. but we can't get replies to you.

Leaving Vlad for Zarabino on Friday, Ferry to Sok Cho,.. Bikes Freight from Busan to Seattle, .. arrive Seattle circa 15th August.

Wendy Choi in Seoul is handling it.

A couple of German and Dutch bikes currently staying @ Hotel Vladivostok but we have only left notes, didn't meet them.

Geoff

Vladivostok Vlad Moto Iron Tigers
 

Dan and Friends,
Vlad Moto Bike Repair/Sale \s and home of Iron Tigers. I'm there now.

My telephone is: +7 (964) 810 8816

Address in Vlaid is: Vlad Moto Co, Box Number 107, IRYSHSKAYA Str 23, Vladivostok 690089, Russia

Vlad Moto Number is: 4232 36 75 17

They will handle bike and help Dan with logistics, finding medical help, accomodation and onwards travel.

Geoff

Ferry from Zarubino to Sok-Cho
 

Hello everybody,

For the people in Vladivostok, could you post here the days (and hours) when the ferry from Zarubino leaves for Sok-Cho?

Geoff, I see that you leave on Friday for Zarubino and from there with the ferry to Sok-Sho, so you probably know the schedule fo it...please share it,
Thanks,
Cristina (in behalf of Dan)

Hand and Volker, how can you be reached?
 

Does anybody knows how Hans and Volker can be contacted?
Dan tried the phone numbers posted by them a few days ago...

Hans, Volker aka.Hombre and Baba, please give a sign:-)
Bitte, send a sms to Dan directly (+40726177700) so that he can also reach you.

I gave Dan two numbers of yours: + 7 423 26 35 474 and +49 170 435 92 48, he tries to reach you as well...

Dan has the same plan as you do: via Zarubino, to South Korea and from there (Wendy) to Alaska.
He will be in Vladivostok today (24th July).
The truck which brings him will leave him 50 km from Vlad, but he's in touch with Shustrik (maybe you are in contact with him..).He'll need help with the bike drive, his arm is in gypsum now (and should stay like this 6, 7 days)

:mchappy:Cristina

Hi Vlad guys,
Thanks for doing all the leg work there on getting to Alaska. I say p*ss on Vlad Air. I am going the way of Blue88 and ferry to Korea, then ocean freight to Seattle.
Blue 88 - any prices on this yet?

And looking at your post it seems like once you are in Korea, it is about 14 days shipping time from Korea to Seattle, does that sound right?

Cheers,
Rene

Thank you Hans, Volker, Geoff, Dan and Edde.

After all this very good information you have posted, we have decided the best (if not the only) decision is to go thorugh Wendy in Korea. This should make our lives so much easier. We hope to fly the bikes to Alaska sometime around the 10th of August.

Dan, it sounds like your arm may mend in 6-7 days. Very relieved to hear that. Hopefully you are feeling well and this hasn't slowed you down too much.

Like Cristina (for Dan) we'd very interested in anyone could post the ferry departure schedule from Zurubino and how long the ferry ride takes.

Thank you all and safe riding, Mike

Oh, I should check this thread earlier.

Well, Dan has called me yesterday and keeping me in touch about his way. It seems he's arriving late tonight, be cause only about 10 AM he has left Khabarovsk. Tonight we're going to pick him up from Caterpillar truck to Vladivostok. I've already found garage for repair his bike, so no worries. Just waiting for news from him by call or sms.

Ferry Zarabino to Sok Cho
 

I only have the information for the ferry I will be taking,.. as follows:

Departure Days: Saturdays, Mondays & Wednesdays

Documentation Check-in: 14:00 to 16:00

Ferry Departure Time: 18:00 each of the 3 days

Crossing Time: 17 Hours

Cost: $220 for Person (Lowest Economy Rate, no bed) $300 for Bike

(Add maybe $100 for various 'Customs Charges to be safe)

Tickets: Passenger Tickets from Hyundai Hotel in Vladivostok, (accept Rubbles and Credit Cards), Bike Ticket from Zarubino Port (We think Rubbles but possibly Dollars Only,.. check)

If ferry delayed due to weather,.. it shunts back 1 day.

There are rumours of a Ferry direct from Vladivostok to Zarubino,.. but Rumours in these parts are often just that.

We're taking Ferry from Vladivostok to Salvyanka, about 50Km north of Zarubino,.. just for the fun of it really.

Wendy will assist at Korean end. Dan,.. hope your back on the move again soon, Hans and Volker,.. sane problem,.. all phone numbers seem to come to a dead end,.. but my Russian Cell Phone has stopped working too.

Hope this helps, ...... 'Blue88'

Another option is to drive directly from Vlad to Zurubino.

You can purchase your passenger and bike ticket directly there at the port.

There is guest house in town and a much calmer atmosphere than Vlad.
The road to Zurubino is partially paved but after Chita/Khab...its less of a pain than the potential hassles you'll face in Vlad...

Just saying...

Blue88 and others, please add in your shipment details into the shipping section of the HUBB...this will hopefully prove useful information to future travellers.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tri...t/shipping.php

Just entried to home, Dan is OK, took a shower. KTM in garage. Good night, Vladivostok :-)

Safe and? sound
 

Hi,

this is Dan. I am in good shape (my left hand is in gyps but not broken, just trauma, and with some painkillers I hope I can drive and get the bike shipped to Alaska). Shustrik and his friends picked the bike and me from the truck and, hmmm,it already sounds lame and completely repetitive to re-re-re-confirm how wonderful these people are, and it is impossible to thank them properly. There is a lot to say, I'll try and save it for a latter post but now I feel completely dum, knowing how people help each other here and knowing how things happen in the west. What are the reasons for which Romania (because that's what i can personaly talk about) was like Vladivostok in terms of "helping each other" 20 yeears ago and why it is "like everywhere in the west now" is a subject that I intend to develop in another post. I know that it depends from people to people and from personal experiences to other ones, but the level of involvement, the disregard for their own matters in favor of solving the ones of a stranger, the fact that nothing in return is expected, the overall attitude is something that (please forgive me for the extrem comparison) few priests will show in the western world. I do not want to insult anybody, there are political and economical reasons for which people act in certain ways and this is not a post to make judgements; all I want is to tell you that for myself these happenings are learning lessons about people, about the level to which we take our "good actions" and the reasons for that, about the real "value"of money. Yes, I might be biased, and these are the experiences lived by myself but I have to share it to the people that I know have ears for it. And I guess it is these lessons that we all look for when we choose to ride a bike a bit further away from home.

And yes, maybe I went too far from the OP, but I feel that I had to say something and I ask for your forgiveness if I bothered with a few out of topic phrases.

Now, going back, we'll try to get the KTM fixed tonight (lukily I have with me as spare parts what was broken in the transport except the left radiator/but we'll bypass that one till Anchorage where a new one will be waiting in a few days) and hopefully I can head tomorrow morning to Zarubino with Hans and Volker. And, yes, I promisse we will post the complete "solution" with contacts and numbers as soon as we will have it experienced.

For now: don't waste time with Vlad Air and head to Korea (by the ways of Wendy Choi)

A bit more information on those who maybe thinking of flying to Alaksa..the following is a translation of an email inquiry sent in Russian by a Russian friend. My english emails to this same guy went unanswered.
********************************************

Shipping is possible on the rout Petropavlovsk Kamchatski. Then in Petropavlovask bike owner arranges the cargo for the flight PKC – ANC and passes procedure of customs, because he most probably has a temporary admission and it is supposed to be closed at the border.
Rate – 70 RR per kilo
Paper work – 2690 RR per invoice (including hazardous cargo)

Shipping in your own box is possible if its height will be reduced to 1000 mm (it is the maximum size of the loading hatch in TU 154 plane)
We took off the wheels and squeezed the wheel fork till the end. Gasoline supposed to be poured out, battery disconnected, taken out of compartment and put into separate cardboard box.
For your dimensions (2,3x1x1) volume is 2,3 cubic meters and the total weight to be paid is 384kg.
As regards the route PKC-ANC I can tell only approximate fare – 4,2 EUR per kg (current rate of exchange is 1EUR-37,5RR) I don\t know how the rate will change and, unfortunately, can’t tell you the cost of paper work (including hazardous cargo).

Best regards,
Merezhko Sergey Anatolievich
Head of temporary storage warehouse
“Air Cargo”
tel: (+7-4232) 30 75 35
E-mail: svh@air-cargo.ru

Update on Dan
 

Dan caught the Ferry from Zarabino to Sok CHo Korea with us on Monday, he arrived safe in Sok Cho on Monday and is now on a van with his bike heading to ICN Seoul for flight to Anchorage.

Hans and Volker caught the Saturday Ferry that we should have been on. They can't ride in South Korea so transported to ICN also.

Wendy Choi has been amazing for all of us.

As for us, .. our Bike Visa was only 14 days, .. our Passport Visa 90 days. Had to miss the first ferry, pay fine of 1,500 Rr and now have a criminal record in Russia.

If entering Russia,.. ensure your Bike Customs Visa matches your Passport Visa for duration (It's all in Russian) :thumbup1:

Geoff