I’m now east of Irkutsk – past by about 100 miles as the road lies. It’s been a pretty good couple of days of riding, and the roads are becoming twisty now. There was even a hairpin today!
I didn’t realise there are mountains here, but there are. Beautiful ones too.
This may be good for the fun factor, but troubling as regards to the miles-per-day. It’s hard to get a sense of scale from the maps this far east because of the distortion that the projection gives. I hope this means that I don’t have as many miles to do as I thought, but I definitely have a few long days ahead.
I’m camped at a truck stop by Lake Baikal tonight – a good place to do an oil change in the morning. Then I can try for a 450-550 mile push.
The people here are fun, and the ‘celebrity factor’ continues. Today, just outside Irkutsk, some chap (with only one and-a-bit arms) gave me 500 Roubles, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water and a tin can with a picture of a cow on it. I’m curious as to what’s in the tin.
Some bloke gave me some loose change yesterday too. Maybe it’s what Siberians do when they meet travellers? Maybe I just look like a hungry, dirty drifter?
Android Tablet woes continue, though all may not be lost. It seems to work OK when plugged into the mains! I got a new charger today (for the bike) but that still doesn’t charge it. I suspect it’s a crappy charger, plus I think the battery on the tablet may be shafted. Hopefully I’ll be able to check/send emails. That’s the main concern at the moment… assuming I can find any WiFi facility out here.
I think I’ll plump for a hotel/motel tomorrow. I stink real bad, and I either have a cold or the pollen/dust is playing havoc with my immune system. If I get the oil change done plus 400+ miles then I’ll treat myself :).
It was a shame that Irkutsk was a wash out – it really rained. Lake Baikal is nice though. I saw the sun set behind the mountains next to the lake. Very pretty.
It looks like the next section is going to be woods, mountains & bears. I suspect I also need to check my fuel levels too. I’m making progress though. There are Chinese vans on the road, and I saw a Japanese van today! I’ve ridden a long way from home!