I lit out from Ulaan Baatar with a fresh transit visa for Russia; the numerous small delays of the past month had left me with a scant few days to explore Mongolia, re-enter Russia and enter Kazakhstan. A quick taxi ride to the Russian embassy, and two days later (and US$250 lighter) I had two … Read more
From Ulan Ude I followed the main highway south, noticing that the rest areas and passes contain ovoos, or sacred stone cairns. 305″ >Rest area on the road from Ulan Ude to Mongolia. The ground surrounding the nearby ovoo was littered with thousands of coins.A few kilometers from the Russian border town I encountered a … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Heading east from Yeoju, the surroundings became more mountainous and rural. I took a butt-break at Chiak-san National Park. Chiak-san National Park(Link to Korean National Parks.) The road followed a wide river, which eventually joined another near this roadside stop. Rest stop between Chaik-san and Seoraksan National Parks.The road approaching Seoraksan climbed through steep 180-degree … Read more
The beach was only a few steps from the hotel, so while the bike was in transit I passed some time walking on the beach. This was a quiet family vacation spot, with long tidal flats instead of bodacious breakers. Beach on south Incheon island, Korea. Along the shore were small shops, ATV-rentals and restaurants … Read more
After an afternoon of culling photos, updating the journal, and sink-laundry I decided to venture deeper into nearby China Town in search of dinner. I walked past the street market where the tourists were just filtering in, and within a few dozen paces noticed a marked increase in the seediness of the neighborhood. Nearly every … Read more
With the bike crated and carted away, I was free to pursue more budget-friendly lodging options, and made my way toward the hostels of Main street. Shane at Richmond Motorsports gave me a lift to the Sky Train station, and soon I was riding the elevated rails north from the industrial area of Richmond, crossing … Read more
My freighting company had recommended I contact Richmond Motorsports to handle the crating of the motorcycle. I’d been in touch with them a few days before, and let them know they could expect to see me on Thursday afternoon. I found their store easily, and from my very first contact was treated very well. Multi-tasking … Read more