From the nomadic steppes of Kazakhstan to the frenetic streets of Hanoi, Asia is a continent so full of intrigue, adventure, solace, and spirituality that it has fixated and confounded travelers for centuries.
Monday morning I arrived at the office of Dong Chun Ferry, Ltd and right away we got to work getting the bike released from customs. I handed over several documents for copying, and was kindly given access to a computer with a fast internet connection. After about an hour, I was handed over to the tender mercies of the Top Gun Kelly McGillis lookalike Katia, who...
With the bike tied up in customs, I had the weekend to dawdle in Vladivostok, taking in the pedestrian shopping areas, seafront, and sampling my first Russian cuisine. The hotel recommended to me by the helpful Roman at Dong Chun Ferry Ltd was the Moryak, providing basic accommodations at around US$45 per night. It was a short but uphill slog from the sea terminal...
I queued up at the Sokcho International Passenger Terminal for my ferry ticket to Zarubino, Russia, sweating in my riding gear among Korean, Japanese, Russian and Chinese travelers. I planned to enter Russia at Zarubino instead of the larger port of Vladivostok after hearing horror stories about the entrenched corruption at Vladik (that’s how Russians shorten...
Heading east from Yeoju, the surroundings became more mountainous and rural. I took a butt-break at Chiak-san National Park. (Link to Korean National Parks.) The road followed a wide river, which eventually joined another near this roadside stop. The road approaching Seoraksan climbed through steep 180-degree switchbacks with granite boulders on one side and dizzying...