Since Leaving Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia

Mick Mac (2nd left) Isaac (third left) and Leo (back right) with family who let us camp at their hunt camp in Siberia (night before arriving in Yakutsk). Babushka (older woman in front) and her husband (far left) with daughter to the right of her, husband (fourth from left) and brother next to him and beside Leo.

Bottom half of sign reads Yakutsk 1056 kms and Magadan is 3177 kms. This is where we turned off the road to head to Magadan. Had we stayed straight, the top of the sign reads Vladivistock 1174 kms.

Carmen and Joe celebrating their wedding anniversary in Chita, Russia

Carmen toasting with the bubbly. Cheers Carmen and Joe!!!!

It's been over a week since I've blogged last and it has been busy. Once we left Ulaan Bataar (which was an extremely chaotic city), we headed in the direction of the Russian border where we camped between a town called Darkhan, Mongolia and the Russian/Mongolian border (within an hour and a half away). Camping was extremely cold as we were now heading back north. I laid in my tent looking for my hard drive when I remebered that I left it back at the hotel in Ulaan Bataar. I phoned home to mom (of course) and she was able to make arrangements to have it picked up by this courier service (never heard of) and the hotel in Mongolia. Thank God as even though the hard drive is only worth $89, the pictures we have all taken are invaluable. Now, I'm using my second hard drive and backing up everyone's photos. Anyway, we seemed to zip through the Mongolian side (yet there was at least 10 different checkpoints to go to in order to leave the country) however when we hit the Russian side, things seemed to move a little more slowly. We made it in about six hours total. As we continued to ride north, the temperatures were dropping drastically and the windshield factor was rising making it very cold for all of us and we hadn't changed clothes from the much warmer, southern Mongolian climate. We camped just off the road in a rutted field where a Russian farmer walked over and had a tea (chai in Russian) with some M&M's (that I had won from my Yak bet). No one really could understand him (or him us) but when he grabbed a few last M&M's and made the comment "adien a raga" or something to that effect, we realized he was saying "one for the road". We reached Chita, which seemed to be quite a large city, and after warm showers we headed downstairs for dinner and a night of drinks and dancing (mainly Carmen and Joe to Hotel California) in honour of Carmen and Joe's 30th wedding anniversary. I went to bed around 11 pm (exhausted) but heard from Leo (who was the last to head to bed around 1 am) that he was arm wrestling with a man who had earlier bought us all a round of vodka and we surmised was the pimp to a girl who was trying to chat up our table to no avail. We pushed on from Chita and camped once again not far from the roadway in a rock quarry. The area we were travelling through is deemed "high bandit territory" so we were well hidden off the road so that bandits didn't see us. Once again, temperatures were at the zero mark and when we awoke our bikes were covered with frost. We camped the next night as well as the Russian agent that Mick MacDonald used advised us that there was no hotel space available in Tynda and therefore there was no place to stay. We rode through Tynda and had a quick bite for lunch there the next day guided by a local biker who joined us and spoke English quite fluently. He lived in Tynda all his life and has travelled to Vladivistock but never to Magadan which he said was very cold this time of year. We stayed in a town past Tynda called Neremqui (or something like that). Mick T, Pat and Murray had headed out early after lunch to get there first. I followed behind with Isaac not far behind and Joe with Mick MacDonald. The roads were fairly treacherous as the roads were under construction and was the type of rugged, gravel and dirt-like conditions that one experiences just before a road is resurfaced. Many corragated bumps (mogels) that just beats the crap out of the bikes. I had just gone through a police checkpoint and went to the top of a hill believing a was a the turnoff for the hotel that we were to stay in when I decided to stop as I didn't get the directions that Mick Mac had given to some at lunch. Half an hour later, Isaac pulled up and we waited about an hour before turning back to go to the police checkpoint to wait for Joe and Mick Mac. Both were at the checkpoint when we arrived waiting for the troopie as Joe had left his passport inside and had blown through the checkpoint before returning once he realized what he'd done. Mick Mac said had he kept going they wouldn't have chased him but it is best not to take chances in Russia so he waited for the troopie. Mick Mack told Isaac the directions to the hotel so we kept going following a car that the police had instructed to take us to our hotel. We got about 5 kms down the road and their car broke down in the middle of nowhere. The guys went inside the car to what looked like the glove box and I thought to myself, "this doesn't look good" but they both came back (unarmed) and said the car broke down but the one guy would hop on the back of Isaac's bike and show us where our hotel was. The poor guy had a very thin jacket on, anklet socks, no gloves and Isaac seemed to hit several pot holes spraying him and making him lift up his legs so that he wouldn't keep getting sprayed. He took us down many dark back alleys and I once again thought we were doomed but we pulled up into this one alley when all of a sudden I saw the other bikes and was assured we were safe. Once again we all showered (hot showers) ate and fell into bed exhausted. The next day we were police escorted out of town. We had a late start as we somehow got separated from troopie but we headed out in very cold, rainy weather crossing a fairly steep muddy section in the road that almost took us all out. The rest of the day was spent on poor gravel dirt roads with potholes everywhere. We stopped for a late lunch at about 3:00 pm and decided to see if there was a small hotel in town as we had to wait for troopie to catch up with us. They could only go between 25-30 kms/hr on these road conditions being very careful about the axle. We stayed in a type of boarding/guest house for miners/workers and continued toward Yakutsk. Murray found an off the road quarry where we could camp for the night but upon entering we were greeted by a man in a van who said we could camp a little farther in at his hunt camp. What a beautiful spot. Mick T went fishing and duck hunting while Carmen whipped together a wonderful chicken dish for us and the people who were gracious enough to have us stay near their cabin. They were very lovely folks and we all enjoyed a meal together while Carmen and I visited with the one woman and her mother (called Babushka) taking pictures. They waived us off in the morning while we headed enroute to Yakutsk. We had 276 kms to cover on roads that we could not go any faster than 60 kms max and as low as 20 kms in some really rough areas. We got to the ferry crossing around 4:00 pm to find out that it leaves by 5pm. The troopie, Mick Mack, Carmen and Joe took the later crossing ferry and arrived approx one hour later than us at the hotel. It was so good to see them as there was some concern that they would have tos pend the night on the other side of the water. The hot showers and nice dinner made me instantly tired and I headed off to bed. Being up a 6 am has now become a ritual for me (oh how I wish I could sleep in) and we were to be at the bikes by 9 am to take them to get them washed. We have two days of rest here before heading out on the "Road of Bones". We have 5 nights scheduled (minimum depending on weather and road conditions)to camp and not only will it be extremely cold but rough. As soon as we leave Yakutsk, we are on "The Road of Bones". So, once again, until Magadan. I will update you as to how the Road of Bones is with lots of pictures but until then - goodnight!!!