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Adventures between a Cliff and a Wet Place. Brighty in Central Asia and Mongolia
Hi Guys
This summer I took a little trip from Almaty in Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and back, then continuing via the Altai region of Russia to Ulaan Baatar in Mongolia. Since my RTW trip around the turn of the Millennium, only having undertaken short bike rides here and there (some described at Since 2002 TBSdotCom ) this 7 week trip was longer in distance, harder in terrain and in many ways more adventurous and definitely more eventful than most. And yes there was a cliff in Kyrgyzstan and a particular wet area in Mongolia involved. Below are some pictures to give you a taste of what I saw and did. More to come… Kazakhstan http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...psf0724876.jpg A bit of audience participation: of this motley crew can you spot the bent copper (a.k.a Corrupt policeman for non-UK-English speakers)? Clue: He’s wearing a hat and it ain’t blue. The picture is also significant because the Robin-van-Persie-look-alike between the 2 be-hatted gents is called Maarten. Maarten is singularly responsible for getting me out of deep sh!t in my “cliff incident” (More of that later). I owe you big time, buddy! Kyrgyzstan http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps0483d294.jpg Horses going for a swim. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...psad84be99.jpg Local men, dressed to impress. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...psf8ce8caa.jpg Young local women, dressed to impress. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps1c3317e2.jpg Horse murderball(!?) (American Football on horses with a headless male goat as a “ball”)! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps5875113c.jpg Get the kids into biking early. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps2775afe4.jpg Horse against machine. Horse wins. Tajikistan http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps1facd312.jpg Pamir views http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...pseb74e432.jpg Pamir Highway after being thrown out of Tajikistan because the authorities were in the process starting a shooting war with their own population and didn’t want witnesses. Mongolia http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps0cf67194.jpg Smiling girl while I try to take picture of an eagle http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps62c9c50d.jpg Admiring some exceptional views http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...psc1031b40.jpg The whole of Mongolia is one big wild-campsite http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps3f959557.jpg Lean on me http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps29007eed.jpg A happy Mongolia drunk. A rare occurance. Most drunks (who also seem to love engaging foreign motorcyclists in conversations…) in central Asia/ Russia/ Mongolia were a lot less happy and showed it… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...pse33dc30e.jpg Ernie joins the trip :cool4: More coming soon! Chris |
Beautiful pictures Chris. Makes my feeling to go there even stronger.
I have contact with people on facebook who also have the wish to go east... hope it doesn't stay with just plans. Greetings, Peter and Zineb. Ouarzazate |
Great shots, looks like a riders paradise...
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps62c9c50d.jpg Looking forward to more.. bier |
Hi Peter and Steve
Yeh, it was a great trip! |
Instalment 1: It’s as far from me to you as it is from you to me.
I tagged along with a group of Dutch guys and a couple of Brits sharing a container to get my bike to Central Asia. This saved the ball (and ar$e) ache of riding across 1000s of miles of nothing to get to where the fun starts. I never was an iron butt rider type who likes enduring miles for the sake of it. The older I get, the more I seem to like smelling the flowers. In contrast to the worrying that took place in the run up to, and during the shipping of the container from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to Almaty in Kazakhstan everything actually went really smoothly. I had ridden my bike from the UK to Ad’s, the organiser of the container shipping from the Dutch biker’s site AllRoadManiacs - Forumindex , in Holland and he was kind enough to crate it and transport it to the Dutch shipping company warehouse (Company | Mainport Rotterdam ) for me. The Agent in Almaty ( www.moryldi.com ) was very efficient too and there were no “hidden extras” in terms of costs upon arrival. Almaty seemed like a fun city with lots rich people (it has one of only 2 Bentley car dealerships in the entire ex-Soviet Union (there other is in Moscow). The people seemed pleasant enough, but not speaking a word of Kazakh or Russian wasn’t good. The girls are pretty too, but I was too jetlagged to be in the mood to take many pictures of Floraova and Faunaova. Here’s a few pics: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...nContainer.jpg Just like it says on the tin. The second heaviest pallet in the container. In my (meagre) defence all my riding gear, camping stuff etc as well as a spare tyre were in the box too. The weight is inclusive of the pallet itself. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...FromPallet.jpg Despite the bike being freshly spray painted matt black (Halfords own brand), this is the shiniest the bike has ever been (or ever will be). Started first push of the button. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rialAlmaty.jpg The war memorial to the dead from the Great Patriotic War in Almaty was very impressive. It’s also a popular locations for wedding photos. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rialOf1941.jpg Many Kazakhs died in 1941. Locals say that it was only the arrival of the Kazakh army divisions at the siege of Moscow that persuaded the Germans to p!ss off back where they came from. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...otelAlmaty.jpg Melons anyone? (Illegal?) street sellers outside the hotel. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ruitseller.jpg Do apricots give you the sh!ts or constipation? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...psf0724876.jpg Bent coppers are the scum of the earth,the world over. In my less than empirical study of police corruption, 100% of Kazakhstan police are corrupt. I didn’t once get stopped by any coppers in Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan nor Russia. The fat pig in the picture was trying to pull a cunning stunt to extract money for alleged speeding, but he got no money from any of us. After riding in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan for 2 weeks I returned to Almaty and then continued towards Semey and Russia. Riding through a town that was so unforgettable (I recall it had lots of casinos) I got pulled over by another fat cnutstable. The “dialog” went something like this: Copper: Random bollox probably along the likes of give me money, you were speeding. Brighty: What? Do you speak English? Copper: more bollox, straf straf. Brighty: niet. Copper: more bollocks, dollar dollar Brighty: niet (Other copper sitting in crap looking police car 10 yards away waves me over to him.) Brighty waves to other copper to come to him, saying: It’s as far from me to you as it is from you to me. And you need the exercise you fat pig. Copper: more bollox, euro, euro Brighty: niet. Excuse me, what’s that number on your badge. B151. I’m just going to give my friend the chief of police in Almaty a call (Brighty gets his phone out and pretends to call: He couldn’t, the phone battery was flat). Copper then wanders off to pester another car driver. Brighty rides off. Conveniently English wasn’t taught when plod uno y dos were at skool…. :helpsmilie: Many hours later and after dark (I rode 750km that day: what was that about not doing iron butts… I had had enough of crap Kazakh roads that just go on for ever and needed to leave the country) on the way into Semeh, I see a Star-Wars-like light sabre waving at me (all the plod have these sticks and at night they do Ewan McG impressions). This time the following thought process went through my head: There’s no benefit from me stopping to engage this plod in intellectual chit chat, so I’ll just ride by without stopping. Nobody drove after me, nobody shot me. |
Nice report Chris, love your style when dealing with the ol' bill:thumbup1:
Look forward to reading more at some point, did you get the output shaft/sprocket sorted? |
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A few more pics…
All are in Kyrgyzstan http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...gsidestand.jpg A slight mishap befell the bike at the Kaz/Kyrg border. The thing just fell over. Side stand snapped… Found this helpful chap who repaired and made it better than new: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ysidestand.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...gcompanion.jpg Not a Borat Man-kini, but the same shade of green… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...CN6959kids.jpg Kids who seem happy to see you and no intention of begging. There were loads more like these. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...pleyoumeet.jpg Meeting the locals http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...tothecliff.jpg Permit to pass. Next stop the cliff… |
Great pictures....great adventures chris... Wish to meet you again somewhere in thi planet !!!
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The cliff awaits…
A few action clips heading up a river north of Issykul, just south of the Kazakh border. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ssingriver.jpg Jan crossing a river http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ercrossing.jpg With a little help http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...N6978ooops.jpg “What the fcuk happened there!” The terrain had been a lot harder previously. This bit was easy… there are 2 possible explanations: 1. Rider error. I’m not the type to blame others or the machinery. It could well have been totally my fault that I rode off the edge of the cliff. However, I wasn’t riding like a tosser, and can’t explain the train of events, so… I have no idea. Or 2. Blame the machine… (A few hundred miles later one of the CDI units on the bike expired. It’s a common fault, particularly on early Transalps, usually starting with an intermittent fault… I then replaced the CDI with a spare I was carrying). 1/2 hour before riding off the cliff the bike was riding like a dog. It was only about 3000m above sea level, but I took the air filter off. The bike seemed to run better. So possible explanation could be the bike was running on 1/2 power, then suddenly the second cylinder kicks in and as I was slightly misaligned to the track, I was launched off the edge. Or not. See Point number 1 = Rider error. I leave you to decide. I have my views, but to a certain extent, who cares. I’m very lucky I wasn’t killed. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...N6984oops2.jpg The mx boot in the foreground ads a sense of perspective. The luggage has already been removed. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...scaperoute.jpg Maarten (he’s pictured in the first pic of this RR) stays with me while my soon to become ex riding “buddies” leg it to somewhere more comfortable for the night. He fetches water from the river in the far distance and then convinces me we can recover the bike. My dark mood, influenced by the comments from the missing 3, said it wasn’t possible. Or maybe it was that I had tried getting the bike back up the hill, but without everybody’s help nothing was going to happen. I forget the exact train of events. Maarten suggested we drag the bike down the landslide and then try to wheel /push / ride it horizontally to a point on the track below and to the right of where the photos were taken (across two huge landslides). This is what happened. The bike had been upside down for about 3 hours with petrol p!ssing everywhere before we tried to move it. When it was on its wheels again it started first push of the button! Aren’t Hondas great! I say “we” toiled for about 5 hours to move the bike a few hundred meters, but it was Maarten toiling and encouraging me not to give up. I did my bit, as much as I was physically able to. At night fall we gave up about 150 meters from our goal of the track. I cooked the food. The following morning the other 3 reappeared (2 to collect their stuff) and Jan also helped manhandle the bike the remaining distance across the second landslide. Maarten ended up in a really bad way, vomiting from exertion/sleep deprivation. As we lost altitude he seemed to recover a bit. I felt really bad about this. He knows how grateful I was for his help. As I didn’t kill or injure myself in the crash I would have survived: That is, walk out without a bike or any possessions, just the clothes I was standing in. He is solely to be credited that my bike trip continued. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...refulowner.jpg One careful (lady) owner. Never been abused or off road. Mint condition. Viewing recommended. Lots of interest. Won’t be available for long.:cool4: |
Look out for each other....
Hey Chris
Looks like the bike survived, you got some halfords black left at home? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...refulowner.jpg Cant believe those other dudes left you there, respect to RVP for staying and helping you.......:clap: I thought that was the golden rule....look out for each other..:funmeterno: Looking forward to more... |
Glad that nothing happends to you!
This is my next trip!!:clap::mchappy: Keep up!:funmeteryes: |
With Mates like that who needs enemy's
Glad you were able to recover,will follow your travels with interest.Noel
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I've stuck a few stickers on the bike since, to hide the scratches a bit.:innocent: Your and my ethics seem to be very similar. Not everybody shares them however. Putting it briefly and politely, you could say I was was disappointed, but not entirely surprised by what happened. However, what goes around comes around. RVP was indeed a star. You back in Thailand at Crimbo? I'm taking a little jolly across eastern Europe at the mo. It's bloody cold! It shouldn't have been a surprise. Winter is on its way.:freezing: I hope my heated jacket carries on working! I'm leaving the bike in Great Uncle Bulgaria and will return to it to try to catch some winter sun in Greece and Turkey this Christmas/New Year. C |
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For me the best thing with riding with people is the team work aspect, one get's a problem everybody helps to solve it, then you share the joy and carry on it's a great feeling, you live and learn hey!. http://steveccanyon.smugmug.com/Othe...PC110037-M.jpg Have a good Xmas and keep the report coming....:funmeteryes: bierbier |
And he told me sidecars were dangerous :innocent:
Glad you are OK Chris. Loved the pictures, even the scary ones once I'd got as far as knowing eveyone was OK. Andy |
Somebody asked about the bike. It's a hybrid of 2 Transalps. A 1988 frame/engine (hence to black motor (and oil consumption...) and everything else off a 1998.
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...m/e555pic3.jpg Mods include: 30 litre African Queens petrol tank with vaccuum fuel pump by some Japanese company whose name starts with a K Progressive fork springs and harder oil than standard Rebuilt OEM shock with sleeve so as to increase spring-preload Wider footpegs (off a xr600) Bar risers and Renthal Dakar high bars Heated grips Lower strung silencer by Scorpion, allegedly off a 125 Varadero (that's what the bike breaker who sold me it said), with a custom link pipe. This enabled the area previous occupied to be used for spares (until they fell off and were lost!...). Also less heat so the reg/rec should survive longer. Giant Loop Great Basin bag: It leaks, despite seams sealed. Very sturdy though. Will pack more dry bag liners for next year's trip. Touratwat tank bag. My first ever TT product! :-) It was cheap on ebay, ok!, because the seller could'nt spell. Probably my last too, the zippers broke quite quickly. Tool roll on bash plate: Massey Ferguson tractor manual holder Alli bashplate: very strong. Some of the Mongolian rocks that bounced off it were huge! Tyres: Pirelli MT21 90/90/21 and 130/80/17 with Michelin HD tube in front. Rear has a normal tube as impossible to get a HD one. Rim locks in both wheels Swingarm and disk brake off a 98 bike as well as double disk front forks Crash bars (very strong :D) with a couple of no name spots mounted. |
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OK, I admit it, I'm sh!tdoh:confused1::taz: |
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I hope I'm there!, it;s a great place and it would be a pleasure to ride with you.. bier |
Things could only get better…
…and they did.
Sorry, no pictures of bikes in this episode. After a parting of the ways with the others, I set off to nowhere in particular. Riding along I spotted a German TLC parked on the side of the road. Hans and Ingrid were really nice people and also told me of a big party starting at Lake Song-Kul a couple of hundred clicks down the road. So that’s where I headed. Over the next 24 hours about 3000 other people also went my way: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ngKulKyrgz.jpg Some rode, some used the horsebox. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ngKulKyrgz.jpg They were there to celebrate the 185th birthday of a Kyrgyz hero for whom they had just finished building a monument. A great place to build a monument too: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps0483d294.jpg Horses going for a swim. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ngKulKyrgz.jpg Some vehicles sported the not yet released in Europe nor USA 2013-model all new design, high tech, Touratech Alli panniers :confused1: They drank and ate… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ngKulKyrgz.jpg The most disgusting smelling (and tasting) boiled horse broth. I again had to endure the stuff in Mongolia later in the trip. Conveniently in Kyrgyzstan other foodstuffs were available, unlike Mongolia. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ngKulKyrgz.jpg The also came in Audi 80s. There were lots of them in Kyrgyzstan. Some showed off their pets. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ngKulKyrgz.jpg They wrestled. The Kazakh and Russian competitors received the biggest boos. Luckily a Kyrgyz won the final. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ngKulKyrgz.jpg People would regularly call you over and insist you took their picture. All they wanted was to say hello, shake your hand and look at the picture in the camera display. No requests for money, nor the “Donne moi un cadeau” sh!t as pedalled in central and west Africa. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...psf8ce8caa.jpg I had the opportunity to meet young local women, dressed to impress... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps2775afe4.jpg ...Watch horse against machine. Horse wins. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps1c3317e2.jpg Spectate several round of "Horse murderball"(!?) (closest analogy is American Football on horses with a headless male goat as a “ball”)! You could tell it was a male goat because another part of his analomy hadn't been trimmed! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...psad84be99.jpg Said hello to local men, also dressed to impress. The 48 hours I spent at Song Kul were some of the most memorable from the whole trip. Kyrgystan was my favourite country on the trip. |
More Kyrgyz fun heading to the Tajik border
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...KulKyrgz-1.jpg
Down the hill from Song Kul http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ketKyrgz-1.jpg What do you do when you know there’ll be a power cut. Pump fuel into barrels and dispense using a bucket. No smoking please! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rgyzstan-1.jpg Camel at Sary Tash, an old Caravanserai Fort on the Silk Route, not far from the Chinese border. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rgyzstan-1.jpg Meeting the ladies. Nothing happened. Honest! But they did feed me. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...atKyrgyz-1.jpg Promoting adventure motorcycling amongst the young of Kyrgyzstan. After Sary Tash I headed towards Tajikistan… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...Kyrgyzstan.jpg Dodging the rain storms http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...Kyrgyzstan.jpg Mother and child on the move A video Southern Kyrgyzstan Not a Road like it says on OSM - YouTube The OSM base map on my Garmin was good, but not 100% accurate http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...Kyrgyzstan.jpg The people you meet: A couple of Dutch bikers. Both bikes have xr250 paperwork. Which one isn’t an XT250? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...Kyrgyzstan.jpg The people you meet: A crazy Japanese cyclist. I met lots of people on pushbikes in Kyrgyzstan. Most were heading for Tajikistan. They wouldn’t be getting let in… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...shKyrgyz-1.jpg The people you meet: Some other bloke and his dad. Said his name was Leonardo Di Caprio. Also doing the ADV thing… Apparently the ship sinks at the end of the film. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...shKyrgyz-1.jpg En route to the Tajik border. Which way was the wind blowing? |
G'day
Ive enjoyed reading your blog ,great photo's .the two guys on bikes ,i had two early xt250's many years ago,i think the other bike is a TY250 yamaha.Noel:D
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They were really good guys. |
A short excursion into Tajikistan
The minor case of an assassination of the KGB chief in Khorog over a 1000km away caused the authorities to turn off the phone and internet networks and close all roads and then force all tourists to leave the country. They wouldn’t want outsiders to witness the murder of their own people, would they?. A big shame. And from a personal point of view a PITA. It meant I wouldn’t make it to Uzbekistan (not a biggie: everybody told me how unbearably hot it was there and I’m not actually that interested in looking at architecture anyway). On the plus side, I’d have more time in Mongolia later in the trip. A little windy http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...eforestorm.jpg A slightly spooky shot. I kinda like it. It was really windy. Down hill at 80kmh I had my own dust cloud overtaking me! And the temp gauge was on max too. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rakultajik.jpg Mr Sadat and a Polish Af Twin rider called Robert and his Slovak mate whose name I forget. Nice people. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rakultajik.jpg Full yard at Sadat’s in Karakul: my Trannie, 2 Polish Africa Twins and 5 Russians: 2 Af Twins, 2 Transalps 1 xt250 Baja http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...assat4655m.jpg Ak Baital Pass at 4655m on Pamir Highway between Karakul and Murgab. The bike was running fine here, over a vertical km higher than when I had my cliff incident. Hence the theory regarding the dodgy cdi unit suddenly kicking back in and launching me into space. Or not? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...Tajikistan.jpg The gps reads only 4 meters lower. Not bad considering the distances to the satellites. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...yarsetajik.jpg Long yes, winding? My arse. Video2 Tajikistan summer 2012 video 2 - YouTube A quick panorama http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rakultajik.jpg A vaguely artful shot. Or not? Lake Karakul http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...28july2012.jpg Crazy Scottish cyclist called Stephen and Marek and Rarek from Poland http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...28july2012.jpg A solo (pretty) German cyclist... The following will sound really sexist. It is: On all my travels every time I meet solo female travellers, they tend to be “functional”. All the pretty ones have a fella in tow. This lady was actually very pretty and on her own, on a pushbike in the Pamir mountains! I first met Christine at the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. We had heard of problems ahead and due to her slow average speed and her visa running out she had a big dilemma as to whether to continue on or not. In the end her decision was made for her: The authorities put her and several other cyclists in a jeep, drove them to the border and said “get lost”. Here she’s with my Polish mates Marek and Radek with whom I rode back to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. Over the fence behind them is China http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...Tajikistan.jpg Yours truely http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...Tajikistan.jpg Getting gas in Murgab http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...Tajikistan.jpg An artful photo? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...urgabtajik.jpg End of the road at Murgab. They weren’t letting anyone into the rest of the Pamir region. Bollox Tajikistan summer 2012 video 3 - YouTube Leaving the country |
I continue to enjoy your blog.
Great photo's.Noel:D
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A couple of gps maps
Now that I’ve reached the most southerly point on this trip and have been forced to turn round, here are 3 maps of my gps tracks so far with a couple of annotations. They might be of some interest. From now on, the only way is north... and east... and north east.... and east.... and south east... and east again.
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...er2012map1.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...er2012map2.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...er2012map3.jpg |
2500km Tajik/Kyrgyz border to Kazakh/Russia Border
Here’s just a random selection (in chronological order…) of pictures from the Tajik/Kyrgyz to the Kazakh/Russia border: About 2500km where nothing untoward happened. Just a lot of riding, nice views and people, a bit of drinking and quite a few fun experiences.
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...tOshKyrgyz.jpg Osh was a good place to hang out for a couple of days. Lenin Street had some nice bars and eateries. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rOshKyrgyz.jpg A weird looking poster. Not sure if it’s for beer or whatever is in those packets. Wouldn’t eat or drink the stuff if you end up looking like those 2 Neanderthals. While taking the above pic, look what walked by… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...sOshKyrgyz.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...lingKyrgyz.jpg Beehives and honey selling http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...bikeKyrgyz.jpg Genghis Khan on a horse, on a bike. Note the “superior” side panel mod so that the reg/rec can run a bit cooler. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...112percent.jpg All uphill and downhill incline signs in Central Asia say 12%! I kid you not. Either the ex-Soviet factory only made this particular 12% sign, or the roads are all at 12%. I don’t think it’s the later. Some inclines were definitely steeper, some shallower. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ncinKyrgyz.jpg Some (new) bag of sh!t Chinese Lonchin 125 thing. But nice stickers eh? A DRZ Gixxer. The ultimate Adventure bike? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...lersKyrgyz.jpg What you can buy on the side of the road in Kyrgyzstan. The obligatory water melons and inflatable beach toys (Lake Issy Kul is a 100 clicks down the road). http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...mytowngate.jpg A couple of interesting stickers (Colebatch’s and HU amongst others) on the gate of My Town Motors in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I went there to have a chat and buy some proper engine oil. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...matyKazakh.jpg Chatting to the mechanic at My Town Somewhere on road north east of Almaty I had my “It’s as far from me to you as it is from you to me, you pig” interaction with a couple of bent coppers, as mentioned at the start of this RR. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...launchsite.jpg While stopping for a comfort break where a gravel road goes off into the distance, who should turn up? Michal Rej and Marek Zarod, 2 Polish hardcore 4x4 people. They told me that down the track there’s an abandoned former Soviet nuclear missile launch site. Both were really nice guys. Michal has lots of YouTube videos including http://www.youtube.com/user/SyberiaM...?feature=watch http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...launchsite.jpg The site mentioned above. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...therainbow.jpg What do you find at the end of a rainbow? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ruckKazakh.jpg Ooops. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ahutKazakh.jpg I was getting annoyed at riding through the nothingness that is eastern Kazakhstan. Then it started to rain. The only town I rode through only had expensive hotels and I couldn’t be arsed to put my tent up. Just before dark I saw a building on the hillside with no smoke coming out of the chimney. A shepherd’s hut. It was locked with a twisted coat hanger, but my Leatherman allowed easy entry ;) This is me at breakfast the flowing morning. I then rode 750km to Semey, close to the border with Russia. A really glowing (radioactive) town. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...emeyKazakh.jpg Having a nice chat with the locals while buying breakfast on the way towards the Russian border. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...trapRussia.jpg Welcome to Russia! Watch out for speed traps. |
Top report as always.
I agree with the"new bag of shit"statement id rather an old Honda any day.:D
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R and R in Barnaul, Russia
In Semey, Kazakhstan I teamed up with Moritz a German chap also riding a Transalp. The border into Russia was easy, especially when the customs bloke, who was from Kaliningrad worked out we could speak German. So could he and he took the opportunity to speak in something other than Russian or Kazakh. It seems to be the policy to station these poor blokes as far from home as possible. It was the same at the Russia/Mongolia border at Tashanta. The bloke at the gate was from Kaliningrad too. Barnaul was a welcome break for some R and R in “civilisation”. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg Couldn’t find any bars, but saw me people hang out outside a mini-supermarket drinking beer at their cars and acting cool. That was fine by me and Moritz... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg Olga is the lady on the left. Her blond friend’s name eluded me. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg Olga was intrigued why I was taking her picture. I explained it was the shoes. :) She then impressed me with another pair she had in the boot of the car. They matched her nail varnish. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg In the beer shop I couldn’t for the life of me work out why the security guard wasn’t letting me buy any more beer. Did he think I was under-age or had drunk too much? I think the sign says that you can only buy cerveza with > 5% alcohol until 9pm. So as it was midnight we had to settle for 4.9%. Made all the difference… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg More legs http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg In Barnaul we first came across cars competing in the Mongol Rally. All the participants I met were very pleasant, less than half my age, but actually doing something interesting in their Uni vacation or GAP year. You really don't need a blinged up 4x4 to drive Mongolia... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg Lenin the Toreador http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg The next day we found the Barnaul Biker Bar… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg Hey Harley boys: This is what you call ape hanger bars… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg Getting a lift home from the bar http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg Needed a front wheel bearing change, so went to Viktor’s… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg … Viktor was out of town, but I think this is Sergei, a very competent wrench and nice bloke. The bloke with the glasses rides spoke some English and was able to interpret. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...naulRussia.jpg Ok. Finally a pic of a bike and a woman. It is of course a bike trip. Sorry forgot.:D |
Hi Chris
Great write up! We enjoyed our stay (oh and the biker bar beer) in Barnaul too. We're back in the UK so look forward to catching up with you in 2013. Debz |
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Good to hear you made it home ok. I thought you were heading towards South America. Yep, definitely looking forward to catching up in early 2013. All the best for the festive period, Chris |
Hi guys
Haven’t posted in a while. Been busy moving house, sorting matrimonial issues and riding the "parts donor" Transalp (an 87 shed: You'll recall the trip bike is an 88 model with a 98 bodykit) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p.../Bulgaria1.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p.../Bulgaria2.jpg from snowy Bulgaria (Doug's in Idilevo Riding, Fun, Adventures! | MotoSapiense ) to Istanbul/Turkey, where it was a bit less snowy, only just though! Met some great Turkish bikers from http://www.facebook.com/groups/kuzgunmotor/ also called http://www.facebook.com/groups/turkeybiker/ in Istanbul! Anyway, I digress. After sorting the bike and enjoying the R and R time it was time to head through the Altai region towards the border with Mongolia at Tashanta. There’s quite a few pictures. Hopefully they give a flavour of this beautiful part of the world. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ckOnBridge.jpg Truck on a bridge http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ettyValley.jpg Beautiful valley http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...10DuctTape.jpg I was impressed with myself! I managed to track down some real (Russian) duct tape. I needed it. The bike is held together with it and cable/zip ties :-) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ChipAndPin.jpg The new Russian chip and pin reader http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...anCyclists.jpg I met these nice Russian cyclists from Ekaterinburg on their summer vacation. The lady spoke good English and told me the Russian for tyre changer: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...Tyrechange.jpg This is where I probably was a bit heavy handed and blew out the sprocket carrier bearing which caused a few issues after I reached Ulaan Baatar. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...nOutOfFuel.jpg Spotted this outfit on the side of the road and pulled over. A couple of minutes later this young lad rocks up with a container of petrol, pours it in the tank, kicks the engine over and rides off. Russian Dnepr Outfit Altai Russia - YouTube In the next village, I spot him again with 2 girls: One in the chair and one on the back. Bikes = babes? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ficinAltai.jpg Wow, another road user, shortly before the checkpoint where I wasn’t permitted to ride my off-pavement “shortcut” any further. The Russian Army officer spoke Spanish (!) and mine was ok enough to be told I was riding too close to the Kazakh border. Bollocks, I had to ride all the way back to the main road! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...AltaiHouse.jpg Altai house http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ksonWozEre.jpg Clarkson/ Hammond/ May were ‘ere. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...RiverScene.jpg Altai river scene http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...AfricaTwin.jpg Overtook these Russian chaps on an Africa Twin. It had an eclectic mix of body panels. Why are they carrying a totally shagged rear tyre on the back? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ldcampsite.jpg Wild camp. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...owsInRiver.jpg Ok, looks like I’m riding the bridge… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...frontwheel.jpg Sunset just before Mongolia border. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...nearborder.jpg The next morning. I had just ridden 2 miles perpendicular to the paved road and pitched my tent, because I reckoned it would be better (and cheaper) than sleeping in the border town. Will be in touch again much more frequently than since the last instalment. See you later. |
Great photos as usual Chris, I cannot wait to be there, but what with the shoe fetish? :confused1:
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@ Mark: It's a Russian thing. Ladies wear the most outlandish heels, even to conservative day jobs. In Irkustk last year I saw nurses walking to work at a hospital in the morning wearing 5 inch leopard print stilettos. It can be distracting!
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Thanks for sharing,very interesting as always
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Here’s a couple more maps of my route between Almaty and the Russian/ Mongolia border at Tashanta with one or two comments of what happened (or didn’t) en route.
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...er2012map4.jpg Almaty to Russian border http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...er2012map5.jpg The Altai region of Russia Mongolia pictures coming next… |
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Now I'm single again, I'm able to look and admire women's shoes without any "guilt":innocent: Quote:
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Sorry, muy tres sorry. Haven't posted in a while. There's a genuine reason: After entering Mongolia I attached a soundsystem to my bike, like this dude's...
Mongolian bike with sound system - YouTube went for a swim... How To Not Cross A River In Mongolia - YouTube and became a cannibal... The human flesh gave me a bit of a funny turn :-( http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...olcannibal.jpg I've been sectioned, but they're letting me out next week, so maybe I'll be able to publish a bit more stuff then. cheers! |
Hi Chris...
Thanx ... The guy, filming everything was he german..? I ask, becauseI have seen the clip where you cross the river, several months ago - on a german forum... The TransAlp is impressing...And so is your Argali :-) ;-) Going for Mongolia in 2014. following all threads about it ....yours is always good for a laugh too.. :-) Keep em comming... |
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Hi mate I just googled "Argali" and now know the type of sheep Ernie is/was. :D He's sitting on the shelf at home with the export certificate (for which I was forced to pay usd21 export tax... no receipt received) that describes him as "Sheep skull/1". Yep, the "camera man" is German, called Moritz, website is 1World2Go | 1 World, 2 go.. The video has been around a while, so you could well have seen it before. The title was chosen by me and the strap line should read "And when you've really messed up, how to sort it out". Glad you like the RR :thumbup1: |
......pretty cheap for Ernie.....Argali , or Marco Polo sheep, named after Marco, as he was the first to descriebe the animal for the west, costs between 22.000 - 25.000 USD to hunt ! Ofcause one gets the fur too, included in the price...
Would love to find one myself ..!! :-) |
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Again, apologies for the late instalment of Brighty’s capers out east. Welcome to Mongolia.
Here’s the forcast: The weather was mainly Shiite with some Sunni intervals. This was allegedly the worst summer in terms of rain for many years. For us it was changeable. Everything from sun to cloud, rain storms, hail, sleet, snow, me and Moritz had it all. I ended up riding with Moritz, whom I had already hung out with in Barnaul after it turned out that that Germans get on even less with les escargot –munchers than the Pommies. We got on well, I think. I crossed the border from Tashanta to Tsagaannuur. Or rather, I tried to. I nearly never made it into Mongolia. I had a visa, but it wasn’t valid! Why? The Mongol matie in London forgot to sign it. So 6 hours at the border, with the head of the local immigration office uttering the words: “It is not the problem of the immigration service of Mongolia if the consular service of London is incompetent”. I was very lucky to be able to buy a new visa at the border. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rsatborder.jpg Mongol “rally” cars at the border. They’d each be at the border for about 36 hours. The time it took to process their import papers. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...hensinkA-1.jpg In Olgi we saw this ridiculous shed. He made it to Ulan Bataar via the southern route. His mates had to do a lot of pushing. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...hensinkB-1.jpg Another pic of this monstrous beast. Not only did he buy the entire bling catalogue, but he could carry about a 1000 catalogues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhzZkiJVgWY Mongolian bike with sound system - YouTube Mongolian bike stereo A local biker with “attitude” Myself and Moritz rode to Olgi then cut north to Ulangom. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...edriverbed.jpg Dried out river bed http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ndhisposse.jpg There’s lots of horses in Mongolia. And horse men. They were friendly enough. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...swmongolia.jpg Personality goes a long way http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...lterwozere.jpg Walter Colebatch woz ere. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...apictureof.jpg Near Walter’s sign, while taking a picture of this eagle I totally missed the pretty, not begging, polite girl looking at me: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rnmongolia.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...bleweather.jpg Changeable weather https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Sots5TRV4 Mongolians drunk on moped DSCN7449 - YouTube Mongolian drunks on moped https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYKwr0CfQUg mongolia moritz gopro079 - YouTube A lot of the roads were like this. Some were worse, not many better http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...lygotworse.jpg Here we still had some Russian food. It tasted great. Mongolian food varies between sh!te and non-existent. Just as sh!te as the Korean H!te beer. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...passinsnow.jpg Crossing a mountain pass in the snow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9YVK2x5_e0 mongolia moritz crossing stream dscn7458 - YouTube Moritz crossing stream http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...insthetrip.jpg At a junction from the dirt road and the pavement, not that far from Ulangom we stop for comfort break. There I spot Ernie and he joins the trip. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...hiefoncctv.jpg We end up leaving Ulangom late because Moritz’s tent was stolen off the back of his parked bike. The hotel had CCTV. This is the moment they spotted the thief. Somebody recognised him. He was later brought to the hotel by the police with the missing tent. I can’t explain why, but the left side of his face looked rather mashed in. Police brutality? Of course not… I suppose he won’t be thieving stuff again in a hurry, nor meeting any women, with his now, Neanderthal looks. We left at lunchtime, far too late, but… There was this little river across the main road… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6maYFQEnokk How To Not Cross A River In Mongolia - YouTube How not to cross a river… and when you’ve really messed up, how to sort it. |
G'day Brighty
Awesome story mate, I have read it before but your adventures are worth reading again! Question mate, how do you go for fuel on your Bike? Ive just bought a transalp 600 1999 model and am about to ride London to aktau, st Petersburg via Kazan and back to London. I'm guessing I've got similar amount of luggage as you and almost identical bike set up. I'm paranoid about running out of fuel, especially east turkey, Kazakhstan etc because I'm bloody hopeless when it comes to thy kind of stuff. Cheers mate Tom |
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I was getting about 5.5 or 6 litres for 100km riding at about 90km on easy gravel or pavement. My German buddy got 8 on his 650 Transalp, but I think that's because it needed a tune up. My African Queens tank holds 30 litres, so I was good for a lot of miles. You can always carry a spare plastic jerry can (or old oil can) or a couple of cola bottles (nozzle at pump smaller than hole, just), but make sure you put 2 in a plastic bag and knot it, before tying them on the bike. Single bottles will fall off (I know, I've tried!). Can't comment about availabilty of fuel where you're going (haven't been there on a bike), but Colebatch's waypoints in the N Asia section are a good guide. Fuel in 2012 in E Kaz was about £0.75/litre. In Turkey it's the most expensive in the world (?: £1.80/litre). Russia was £0.60 cheers Chris |
A day of dead ends north of Lake Khyargas…
After the little river incident (the Wet Place…) from the previous episode I checked the engine oil the following morning at the hotel. Well above max and that lovely milky colour we all dread. We managed to cobble together 2 ½ litres of oil and I was carrying a spare oil filter. I debated asking the hotel reception whether I was allowed to do an oil change at the hotel. As I wouldn’t necessarily like the answer, I did it anyway without asking! There was an old kettle around the back and I hid behind the laundry room.
Overnight I dried stuff including gaffer taping my gloves to the spotlight in the bathroom, narrowly avoiding burning the hotel down. Some video footage filmed and edited by Moritz that give you a flavour of what we encountered. Wild Mongolia - YouTube Funny camels at 2min... The post at 2.45 mins isn't a fencepost. We stuck it there to guide us after recceing the best place to cross the stream/terrain http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...08Hitebeer.jpg The (S)Hite beer mentioned in the previous episode. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ngdeadends.jpg Tracklog from Mapsource after spending a fun day trying to rejoin the Northern route from the Middle route because the Reiseknow paper map said there was one. We couldn't find it. All tracks lead to sheer drop-offs or dead ends. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps62c9c50d.jpg What a view! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...keKhyargas.jpg Lake Khyargas in the distance http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...herdeadend.jpg No way through! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ingtheview.jpg A moment of contemplation? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ockingshop.jpg I got the impression this was a knocking shop... The only building for 10s of miles around http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...N4318beer3.jpg Beer oclock? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...N4315beer1.jpg Easy does it. Don't spill any! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...N4317beer2.jpg Duff beer? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ikewithout.jpg A bike without a front wheel (nor forks) is only half a bike http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...unnylocal1.jpg Funny local man who even spoke a few words of German http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...unnylocal2.jpg :-) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...atfreecamp.jpg Another great campsite, although (yet another) storm blew up over night. My Vango tent held firm http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...iemongolia.jpg Ernie catching some rays http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...heirhorses.jpg Mongolians do like their horses |
G'day guy's
Looks like you've found some of the more scenic roads in Mongolia,look forward to more posts.
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A quick jolly over Easter last week in the southern Balkans on the Parts Donor bike
See post #13 at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...420#post417997 More Mongolian capers coming soon... |
Right guys
This is it. Finally, the final chapter. I need to get this out and get outta here. Too many nice Brit roads to ride, fun to have and this summer's trip to Siberia to plan, without having this ancient RR hanging over me any longer. Hope you've enjoyed it. It's good to get feedback. I now appreciate how hard people work to produce a good RR. These pics appear to be in no particular order and some are indeed a bit random, but the weather was very very changeable, although consistently shiite. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...gbythefire.jpg Chilling by the fire http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...eepycrawly.jpg Creep crawley http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...N7493girls.jpg Young girls (stunned by Moritz's good looks? ) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...pwmongolia.jpg Mongolia is one big campsite... My fav pic of the trip http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ellytubies.jpg What's with the Telly Tubbies? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...nkmongolia.jpg A happy Mongolian drunk http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...madItellya.jpg Barkin' http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...loveeandc1.jpg The car that Russ Malkin, E and C's prat friend rolled? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...loveeandc2.jpg It must be: Their names are on the door! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...curiousdog.jpg A friendly, curious dog http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...comeinguys.jpg Come in guys... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...nrainstorm.jpg Sleeping beauty sheltering from yet another rain storm http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...tertherain.jpg After the rain http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...sonsinaday.jpg 4 seasons in a day http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...uristeagle.jpg Tourist eagle http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...538niceass.jpg Arriving in Ulan Baatar: Mmmmm, nice definition http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...strunchion.jpg The second bloke has just stolen the copper's trunchion! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rstillugly.jpg Before and after: but still ugly! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...reypolnaja.jpg Jeffrey Polnaja from Indonesia on a charity RTW ride at the Oasis GH http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...wfronttyre.jpg Shagged MT21 and new K69 http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ikingapose.jpg Striking a pose http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...th600bucks.jpg At Customs convincing them my bike is worth only 600 bucks http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...rthewinter.jpg Stored in the Oasis cellar for the winter in advance of a 2013 Siberian ride Safe travels! See you on the road Brighty |
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