Round The World 2006

Day 29

(still in a rush)

Made it to Volograd avoiding fines, but was stopped 3 times today. Have met an english speaking student and we are off out...hence the rush.

I admire a man that can carry his girlfriends handbag...it is a skill i am slowly learning!!!

Mum - going to pull lots of money out of the bank today and tomorrow....so dont worry.

Posted by mark stowe on 29/04/2006.
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Day 28

Had a lazy morning and cruised the local market...here i found a Russian road atlas (now my bible) and a 5p tennis ball (to cut in half and use as a plug).

Had a late breakfast in a cafe.....i got out my 'point it' book and ordered eggs and sausages. The 'Russian Girl' serving was very helpful!!

As i left town i was pulled by the cops...the first of 5 times today. He did not fine me. Number 4 cop did fine me...10 pounds for overtaking. They wanted to look at the bike and make themselves look busy. The 10 pound fine went straight in his pocket......

(in a rush, so making this brief)

Met a guy on an africa twin.....30 mins later i am surround by tools and bikes in a mate of his garage and we set about making the thermostat from the jacket work....in the end, we cut in out and soldered the ends together.

Stopped at Salsk for the night....had to get a taxi to follow to find the hotel!! Two old dears checked me in. The 5p tennis ball was really rubbish...it had no flex and was not up to the job. The water came out brown, so i was kinda glad it did not work!!! Slept well.

Posted by mark stowe on 29/04/2006.
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Day 27 (27.4.2006)

Left on the bike at about 1200 and was following Oleg and Max (his dog) in their green BMW. It was lashing with rain...a huge storm overnight still had not totally passed.

10km down the road i realised i had lost the cable for my heated jacket......in shear panic, i retraced my steps and found it laying the the back yard where i left the bike overnight. Phew....if i had lost that i would be in trouble!!!

Later on down the road, as i said goodbye to the Black sea and headed in-land, i ran the cable over and it stopped working...the thermostat bit was in a sorry state. Doh!!!

I was still folowing Oleg and we stopped for lucnch (1600 in the afternoon!!!!). He met a 'girlfriend' of his and we said our goodbyes. It was sad to see him go...once again i was in Russia on my own with only a poor map!!!

Russia and Turkey are different:
Turkey has cold food, water and women - but hot weather.
Russia has hot food, water and women - but cold weather. Oh, one more thing....the 'Rs' are back to front.

I arrived in Mykop and found what was once a state run hotel....as i went to my room, i met the cleaning ladies who supplied me with hot tea. The room was good - with a radio....a last, i did not have to watch rubbish TV and spent 20 minutes retuning the room TV to see if there was anything good on!!! This hotel is winning the smallest towel competition....

Posted by mark stowe on 29/04/2006.
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End of day 26

.....so, i said there may be vodka...how wrong could i be.

To re-create the evening i would have to:

1. Get me, Mark Tranchant, Chris Mayhew, Adam Atkins and Andy Hall (all Computer people) and meet outside my house at 2000.
2. Walk into town and buy some beers on the way.
3. Call in at the local hotel and go into their back room.
4. Strip naked, then dress in a towel. Turn laptop on and listen to some tunes.
5. Open beers, drink and smoke.
6. After each beer, jump in the plunge pool then sweat in the sauna.
7. When hungary, phone a brother (who is the local police man) and order a take away.
8. Continue drinking and sweating and walk home 3 hours later.

What a night my first night in Russia has been!!!

Posted by mark stowe on 26/04/2006.
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Day 26

Up at 0800 to get the bike through customs. The ship was half empty.....it took fours hours to get insurance and the right forms filled and signed etc.

The insurance cost me 26 pounds...not bad for 4 months i thought. The customs cost me 2 pounds. I think i had about 5 pounds worth of new paperwork...so i decided it was a worth while trade!!

I headed out of Sochi in the damp.....i only had a small amout of gas and no map....luckly the nav involved me following the coast road north.

Petrol is 40p a litre (65p cheaper than Turkey)...but the quality is questionable!!

I stopped at a small vilage and aked a cab driver where i can buy a map that goes further east than the one i had. 15minutes later i had half the village shouting at me and no sense was being made. I did manage to buy a road atlas that took me a bit further east than the one i had. 5 minutes later, i folded my map and left in a bit of a huff. Not sure the village people were that happy with me!!

The road from Sochi to Tyance is a switchback up and down climb with very slow moving lorries!!! This was slow going.

Stopped for some lunch...everthing is in Russian...i do not understand any of it!!! So, i ordered what the guy next to me had. It was good, but bland.

Riding 20 minutes later through a bigger town i was looking for a bank to get some cash. All of a sudden a green BMW is honking and shouting at me from the window....'do you remember me?'. He pulled over and got out......it was the guy that i met in Turkey when i was buying my ferry ticket!!

(As i was about to leave the shop where i bought my ferry ticket, two russian guys walked up to me and videoed me...they asked who, where etc. They were in Trabzon to go to a monastry 58km away for a Christian festival. Oleg gave me his number and told me to call him when i got to Sochi.)

Posted by mark stowe on 26/04/2006.
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Day 25

...to carry on....

loaded the bike and left port.....

It was now 0730 and i had a spot of food and then went up to the bridge to see what was going on up there. The third captain showed me around....it was at this point that i started feeling sick.

I left the bridge and went to find a sofa to sleep...i thought i can not be sick whilst asleep!!! I slept until 1600.

We were due to get in about 1900...but the bad weather had meant a slow crossing. The shipped docked at 2100.....this is when the waiting started.

By about 2300 i had had my passport stamped, but as we had arrived so late, i could not check the bike in.

Another night on the ship!!!!!!!!!

Posted by mark stowe on 26/04/2006.
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Day 24

Woke at 0800 and ate...eating was becoming big in my life....it was the only real thing to do!!

Omer arrived at 12 (just after i had eaten again) and he took me out of the port to show me Trabzon. Visited a house Atturturk once lived in and then he took me out for lunch!! More food!!!

Back at the ship i had my passport stamped and checked out with the customs people...i was now officially not in Turkey!!!

The ship was being loaded.....tons and tons of tomatoes, cucumbers and egg plant (cant spell the other word). The lorries were being umpacked and the fruit was being fork lifted the ship...i have never seen a ship so full!! I stayed up until 0700 (day 25) in the morning...watching the ship being loaded. Helping a bit. And the finally, at 0630 my bike was the last thing to be put on the ship before the doors were closed and we set off. In fact, we drifted for 15 minutes whilst the anchors were lifter then we set off!!!

Posted by mark stowe on 26/04/2006.
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Day 23

Up early to make sure i was at the ship for 0900.

When i got there there was nothing to do.....i had to wait until tomorrow for customs and passport control....this meant i had the whole of sunday to amuse myself. This did mean that i would get fed, watered and have somehwere to sleep for two days...all in the price of my 150 US dollar ticket.

The Chief Engineer showed me around the engines. I met most of the crew and generally made myself feel at home. The ship was being renovated and was in a bit if a state....but the crew were very friendy. I cleaned the bike, thelocal police car and caught up with some paper work.

Then, back on board i got chatting to a Turk who spoke English....he was called Omer and was the son of the ships owner. We spent hours talking about stuff and he was using this to improve his english.

I ate at 6...and then Omer returned and we continued talking. Finally, i got to met his Father (the owner) and after Omer explained what i was trying to do (bike around the world) and he had stopped laughing, he offered to take me out for dinner!!!

So....for my 150US dollar ticket i will get....5 meals, 2 night accomodation and now a meal out at a nice restaurant!!! It was getting better value by the minute!!!

Bed at 2200.....earplugs firmly in!!!