Russia is done and done. I’ve passed through Siberia, rounded Mongolia and China and I’m now sat in a hostel in Vladivostok. The bike is with the shipping company and my flight to Canada is on Tuesday. Sorted.
Cross Russia on a motorbike… tick.
Russia has been good fun, but this place is bloody huge. After getting the new sprockets and handlebars shipped from the UK to Omsk, I was able to put in some serious riding time an plough through Siberia. Riding for 10 hours each day really opens things up, and seeing the landscape change from day-to-day was a hoot. From the long straight roads east of Omsk, to the twisty wooded mountain roads near Irkutsk and then the vast mountain-ringed plains past Chita, there have been some stunning vistas. Always the trans-siberian railway for company.
Oh, and if anyone tries to tell you that the roads from Irkutsk to Vladivostok are bad, they are wrong. The roads are new and, for the most part, excellent. Some stretches were like a racetrack, yielding distances of up to 900Km per day. Regrettably, I passed by lake Baikal thinking I was running out of time. Oh well – next time I will stop for a swim.
Vladivostok essentially feels like an island, all but cut off from the rest of Russia and seemingly self-contained. It feels slightly odd being in a city again, and I must confess to it being an odd sensation sleeping in a bed. I almost miss sleeping rough in truck stop cafe car parks.
Where’s my goulash and tea?!
Three days here should be OK, but I have just learned that it might take about 30 days for the bike to reach Vancouver! Poop. It may be 5 weeks before I ride again, before I regain control of my own movements… before I regain freedom of will and road. I’ve been enjoying reading, but I think indeed to create some sort of project to keep me occupied for the forthcoming weeks. Time to ponder.