Trip through Turkey, Iran, Stans, Russia, Mongolia

If it can't be fixed with a hammer it must be electrical

(From "The Code of Motorcycle")

To touch again on the idea of traveling alone versus the feeling of loneliness. When you were riding solo, did you miss not having another person with you with which to share the experience? And when you were traveling with a group did it sometimes seem that it was hard to be by yourself, that you became a little irritated at alway being with others?

Love the report. Excellent mis of photos and words.

Holy smokes! I'm speechless, and that doesnt happen very often. Thanks for an amazing documentary. I'm thinking a similar trip is now on my "list".

Inspiration, And a great Source of Fernweh. Been there in 2008.

Thanks!

eustachius, really great pictures, thank you!

I have another camera question--where did you keep it while riding, in a tank bag or something? How did the camera survive the dust?

Great pics

Danke mein Freund für dieses tolle Geschichte. Wenn Sie jemals in den USA sind mit dem Fahrrad Sie haben einen Platz zu bleiben und etwas kaltes Bier warten auf Sie in Concord, NC.

Hi Blader54,

you say it. Travelling alone is great, for me at least, but sometimes you wish you could be with someone you know well. Especially in the evenings. And when you are travelling in a group, you enjoy the company, but at moments you'd rather be alone.

We want it all, as is the case with many other things, but we have to make decisions. Either one or the other.

After two and a half months solo, I was happy to meet my friends. And in Mongolia it's not such a bad idea not to be alone. It feels good to know that there is someone who can help in case of a breakdown or worse.

And if going together doesn't work, everyone is free to go separate ways. Don't make your trip a miserable experience because you think you have to stick together. For this reason, important, everyone has to carry all the things they need to continue the trip on their own.

Hi motoreiter,

most of the time I was carrying the camera in one of the many pockets, always in a small plastic bag. The camera survived the dust, it still works fine. The display is badly scratched, but I don't mind so much. I bought the camera cheaply second hand before the trip because I didn't want to leave with a brand-new expensive camera.

I wanted to go low-profile in everything I had with me - bike, saddle-bags, tent, sleeping-bag, etc. and use things I already had at home. The only stuff I got new for the trip was a helmet, jacket and pants, because I wanted to feel (fairly) comfortable during the trip.

Many, many thanks for this RR...This is a dream trip for many of us!!! Keep writing, reading this RR is an adiction!!!

It feels great that so many of you have been following so far. Sorry, there is no installment today for the simple reason that I was busy working in the garden. It's finally spring in Austria.

Thanks to your many positive replies, I feel highly motivated to continue my RR home across Russia in the next few days. So please, hang on.

Cheers

Eustachius

Maybe just one picture of my second bike, which I use very, very rarely.

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It's one of the first Ténérés, kickstart only.

Hi Paratrout,

das ist sehr nett und vielleicht trinken wir einmal ein kaltes Bier miteinander.

Take care

Eustachius

Looks like it could go places too.
It has more adv-aura than the new ones, my feeling.

+1 very wise words

Take your time, it is worth the wait.

Waypoints from Oasis to -nearly- Lake Baikal

Ulan Ude - Utylik (on Lake Baikal)

Hi Blackcaps,

thanks again for the waypoints. Any further comments?

A friendly handshake and good-bye, as so often.

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The road that leads us to Lake Baikal.

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Now what did you say? If you can't repair it with a hammer, it must be electrical. Russian working happily on his Lada or whatever it was.

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There was only one in our group who was brave enough to go for a swim. It wasn't me! Hans doesn't look very motivated either.



I'm trying to find a good way how to carry my extra front tire. Many overlanders put on new tires at the Oasis Guesthouse in UB and leave their old ones there. I got this Michelin T63 for a beer or two. I took it with me just in case. My front tire was wearing more quickly than the rear and I wanted to be on the safe side.
This was our last night together on a campsite at the lake. Many Russians on vacation. We would split the following day at Irkutsk. Hans wanted to take his time and visit friends on his way back, but first he had to have his car fixed at the Mitsubishi dealer in Irkutsk. The car behaved strangely and bottomed out on minor bumps. One of the rear coil springs had broken in two.




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Along the lake you can buy fish everywhere, well almost.

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And they love gardening.

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On the southern shore of the lake, smoked fish.

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Not as big as one might think. We tried them cold and warm and liked them better cold.





Not a very romantic place to say good-bye to Hans. He would go straight on to Irkutsk, Paul and me would take the road to Novosibirsk.



Paul had to recover from the shock of separation, in fact, we were pretty tired the three of us.

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We carried on towards Novosibirsk, it's the M53 all the way. 1,800kms from Irkutsk. Distances are huge, but as long as there is not too much traffic, it's like a meditation. There is nothing spectacular about these landscapes, you like them or you don't. I do. And we were lucky with the weather, at least most of the time.

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It was end of July, beginning of August and people were busy making their firewood.

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