leaving vladivostok within 4 weeks to somewhere
 

Hi out there!

I have been landed here in vladivostok, russia, with my africa twin and want to know if someone will arrive here within the next 4 weeks. THis is the time i plan to stay here, because i must do some repair on my bike. Maybe we can go together somewhere, maybe south america, south east asia or australia? I have no definite plans!

Marco
http://www.schnueriger.net

hi!

sorry to say i won't be joining you - would love to, but this is not my moment for long distance travelling - next year perhaps.

i just wanted to ask, where did you travel from to get where you are? how long have you been travelling and how much have you spent on your journey?

i am hoping to (perhaps) do a rtw - travelling through the area you are in now and i'm in the process of gathering ideas and information to help me think about it and make a plan...

good luck and thanks for the inspiration.

zb
(simon)

Hi

I started in switzerland at the 11th of May. I drove all way up to germany, denmark, norway to the nothern cape. From there i drove to the east to Murmansk in Northwestern Russia.

In St. Petersburg i stopped for about 2 weeks, and after that i drove all way east. As i always tried to avoid the main roads, i was quite slow on my way. If you go to russia, i must urgently advise you to have enough time to visit lake Baikal and the Altai Mountains! The nature there is so beautiful and intact that i think i will go a second time to these places...

I arrived in Vladivostok about 4 weeks ago, but if you will be in a hurry, you can drive from europe to vladivostok in three or four weeks.

Russia is a very nice country for driving with motorcycle, in every city there are motorcycle clubs which will help you if have problems or just offer you their hospitality! (and of course the girls are very beautiful here :-)

Marco

hello marco. im jon from london uk. good to see youve got to western russia without to many problems. ime doing same trip next year fro england through europe then russia to get to canada. then down through central aamerica. where did you enter russia & did you have any problems with getting you & bike into there country. let me know. have safe journey marco & keep in touch.JON.

Hi Jon!

Good that you are planning such a trip, it will be no wasted time :-). I entered russia at the small border line between norway and russia. As far as i remember, there is only one border to russia, so if you would head up to the very north, it is the only possibility to go to russia (except finland of course). I did not have any problems, i just bought my visa for 6 months and told nobody something about my bike. At the border i received some papers, where one is a green customs declaration. Take a look at the expiry date, mine is already expired and maybe i will have some little problems at the customs when leaving russia. You can make the validity of it longer in every big city!

Greetings Marco

hya marco. jon again. do yoou know if its posserble from where you are to reach magaden by bike. ime going to be on road bike with trail tyres when necessary. did you have any real probs with roads. would it be a big mistake trying thiss journey on thiss type bike. & a person has told me that there are roads now built across impaserble swamps ?? let me know if poss. cheers JON. chat soon.

Hi Jon

What kind of bike do you have? To reach Magadan is possible. We came from the west and also wanted to go to magadan, but for some reasons (broken bikes etc.) we could not do that trip! We originally planned to go to ust-kut, from there taking a ship on the lena to yakutsk. But this was not possible, because we could not reach the northern baikal region from where we wanted to start...

So you have to drive to Yakutsk, and from there take the bad Kolyma-Trasse to Magadan, about 2000km without asphalt. We received very good information from Cristoph Wienecke who drove this road: http://www.terra-unlimited.de/

If you reach it, i think you will be one of the few...!

Marco

Oh, i forgot to tell you about the roads :-) I think it is no problem. I had no offroad experience before i did this trip, and if you drive straight to vladivostok, only the 2000 kms from Chitta to Chabarovsk are not asphalted (and some few hundred after Kansk). But if you go to magadan, i think you will have some problems, especially when it is raining all the time...

Marco

hello marco. thanx for nfo. ill ride to vladivoostok & if its to much probs getting to magadan ill fly or ship bike to anchorage from there. chat soon.JON.

Jon,

I've been trying to find a way to fly or ship a bike between Anchorage and Vladivostok (for next year), but thus far haven't been able to do so. If you find a way would you please let me know?

Thanks and good luck on your trip.

Mike
Idaho

marco,

thanks for the reply, good luck with the trip - keep us informed...

(mike,

i made some enquiries in anchorage (not exhaustive) and i think that DHL might be the way to do it. i'm sure that there's info elsewhere on the h.u. site about this subject.)

zb

(simon)

hello mike {idaho}.only cost effective way seems anchorage to magadan.. hello to everybody.JON.

Simon-

I emailed DHL and they responded they would only transport a motorcycle which had "never" had oil or gas in it. They suggested contacting DHL Danzas Air and Ocean (apparently a subsidiary), but that company has not responded to my email so far.

Jon-

Any suggestions on getting from Magadan to Vladivostok? And were you thinking of Mavial Magadan Air to get from Anchorage to Magadan? I've also emailed them about transporting a bike, but no response yet.

Thanks fo both of you for the suggestions.

Mike
Idaho

hya mike. y bother.. just ride west to europe...do it..let all be posertive for a change..?? **** it our lifes maped out anyway..thats why we do these things...>?????? enjoy. go for it..?? nuff said..see you somewhere in a nice place called RUSSIA..JON...love to all..

Hi Guys!

To return to my original topic, i will know stay maybe until the end of october in vladivostok. My fork is quite broken, and i did not see it first... After that i will probably leave to south korea, and if finance will be a problem, i have to work there a little bit :-)

Marco
http://www.schnueriger.net

Marco-

I'm sorry that I've gotten off your original topic for this thread but I thought it might be an opportunity to gather some info on getting to the Russian Far East. Are you in contact with the motorcycle club there in Vladivostok (I've read a lot of good things about them)? I'm glad you're enjoying your stay there.

Jon-

Heading west across Russia is exactly what I want to do, but the bother is finding a way to get from Anchorage to Russia. I can get myself there easily enough (Korean Air for example), but so far I haven't found a way to get the bike there. It's relatively easy from Vancouver or Seattle, but I much prefer Anchorage. And, no bike, no ride west. Much as I dislike it, there are sometimes details that have to be taken care of in advance, and getting the bike across the Pacific seems to be one of them. If I can do that, hopefully our paths will cross somewhere in Russia next year.

Mike
Idaho

hello marco. sorry to hear of your probs. i hope it dosent stop you going forward with your journey. imee sure youl sort it soon. JON. MIKE. hy mate sorry was bit hic burp last nite..ha ha.. ime sure u & bike can both fly to magadan from anchorage. but ime sure the guy who set this site up. grant johnson would solve it in mins.??? give him a shout. chat soon JON.

Anchorage to Vladivostock...hmm it may be easier to air freight to Japan and then fly yourself to Japan and use the ferry to Vlad, that seems to be the preffered route..not sure if it helps...

best of luck Jimmy

Guys, here are some hints:

liketoride2, the motorcycle club in vladivostok is ok, try to contact the living legend "Sinus" when you will head to vladivostok: http://www.sinus.vl.ru

jimmy, you are absolutely right, most motorcycle travellers leave to japan, and take a ship from there to some other place. I am sure that there are regular ships from every eastern port in america to japan, and from japan to vladivostok is a weekly ferry which costs approx. 100 Dollars. I do not want to go to japan because i have no carnet de passage, which is necessary for japan.

Marco

Marco, good evening
I am so sorry that I can't join you in Vladivostok (old age, pressure of work etc) but I do follow your trip as closely as possible. I hope that you will be able to sort out probs with you bike soon. Just a question, I cannot access your homepage (schnueriger.net)anymore, is it still on line? I hope very much that you are going to continue to report what you experience on your trip and I wish you good luck. Leo

Hi tremola!

Unfortunately the server on which my homepage was situtated broke down about one week ago... and of course, the only backups i had were on that same server :-) It was a harddisk crash, but maybe my friends in switzerland can restore something. It will take some time...

So, first i manage to break my bike and then my homepage dies by itself, let`s have a look at what is coming next http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

Marco

hello marco... sorry youve had these things happen but youl get through em..wen we last chatted it was on how too get into russia from europe. ime ging through poland then belarus & into russia that way...if i can help with forks let me know..JON.

Hi Jon!

Thanks a lot, but yesterday i received news, that they can repair my fork (eventually, i will only believe it when i see it)... After that, i still plan to go to south korea and from there to south america.

Marco

hya marco. u ok. hows work with bike going. hope your sorting it out ok. & dont let the girls take u of why your there dude...??sort bikee & gt going. chat soon jon...JON.

Like russians say - vsio normalna http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif My bike is already working like a charm and the girls really drive me crazy, but this is another problem :-) Next saturday i will probably leave vladivostok with tears in my eyes, but new adventures are waiting for me.

By the way, it is really incredible how those bikers in russia help you everywhere. Here in vladivostok they spent really a lot of time with my problems, and still they refused to accept payment... so i will buy some bottles of wodka and snacks and hope that i can say thanks that way!

Marco

Hya Marco. Wots Happning. Are YOu Still In Russia. ? Anyway Just Saying Hy & Have A Safe Journey.. Jon.

Hi there!

Yes, i`ve left vladivostok last saturday early in the morning. After two months staying there, i was quite happy to see something new, and korea is really interesting. Next morning i can pick up my bike from the garage, then i will drive one or two weeks around the country. Maybe i will work here two or three months, after that i still want to go to south america!

Best regards

Marco

Any problems with your paperwork getting out of Russia? Or were they just happy to see you leave? :-)

Hya Marco. Where are you now mate. Is the bike holding out ok & Hows xmas where you are.? take care mate & chat soon..Jon.

Hola!

I'm now in Valparaiso, Chile. My bike should arrive next week, i'll start here at the beginning of january!

Best wishes

Marco
http://www.schnueriger.net

Hy marco. sorry havent got intouch lately just like to say hope your fine & trips going well.Where are you now.. chat soon JON.