The Final Leg - Across Europe + Trip Costs

22-30th September: Our drive west to London started with the 4x4 track out of the Russian 4x4 competition area and continually improved from dirt roads, to country roads, two lane Russian highways with their usual unevenness, to Poland’s 4 lane toll freeway, then Germany’s 6 and 8 lane autobahns. The reality had hit us that the adventure was drawing to a close.

There would be no more visits from the Mongolian herdsmen, nor the Vodka drinking friendly Russians. Now we are just one of the many vehicles zapping along the highway a hurry to get somewhere. One does not even feel part of the country as you pass through. These super highways are contained within by long concrete barriers keeping out the surrounding world.

I had driven over 24 thousand kilometres when we arrived at the Latvian border, and only then, did one of the officials notice that my international drivers licence was valid up to 3,500 kilo, when our vehicles weighed 4490 kilo. (The GMV on the registration papers.) In Australia our standard licence is valid for 4,500 kilo, but not the international one. This I had also not noticed. After 2 hours of discussion the three stared official came out of the ‘Control’ building and said “One vehicle Latvia, one vehicle Ruski”. Bill fortunately had a truck licence hence he did not have a problem. When we said to the official “How do we get to London?” his response was “You can walk, or go by bus, but the vehicle stays in Russia”
“But…But.” Etc as I try to persuade him

“It is not my problem!” was his response as he walked away to prepare the deportation papers.

We had a young lady, one of the border control officials, translating for us, who I felt was a little on our side. With her help, I thought we may have a solution. What if we returned to ‘No mans land’ in the middle where the Duty Free Shop was, we could perhaps arrange for one of truck drivers to drive my vehicle across the border. The three stared official stated there were cameras watching and the paperwork had already been done, so that could not happen.

Our hearts sank, and as we were madly planning our next move to leave the truck in Russia and fly back to Australia to obtain the necessary paperwork, a second three stared official arrived on the scene. He seemed to grasp the situation and immediately arranged a driver from a passing van to jump in my truck and drive it to a holding area within Latvia. Lyn and I could now proceed to have our passports stamped and walk through the gates into Latvia.

Somewhere in this whole process we had become real people, not just another number in the procession through the border. That, and some fast, and friendly talking saved the day. This may also serve as a warning to other travellers to recognise the weight difference on our driver’s licences. Technically I am driving illegally in Europe – but only if I get caught!

As we approached the border from Russia into Latvia there was a long line of trucks but nothing like the 49 Kilometres that were waiting to enter Russia from Latvia. The distance we measured; and yes, 49 kilometres. There must have been thousands of trucks and one can only imaging the costs of all that freight standing idle for days. It is a fair indication of the exploding demand in Russia for foreign goods and the rapid growth of the economy.
Similarly from Germany to Poland the truck line stretched for 22 kilometres.
In the Netherlands we caught up with Fred Krijgsman. Fred, a freelance journalist and photographer for many 4x4 magazines, I have known for years having met him during events in Malaysia, New Zealand and many Outback Challenges. We camped in the trucks outside his house that his family has occupied for 98 years. The house and street were both narrow, the vehicles making an unusual addition to the old neighbourhood.

Following doing the Holland windmill thing, we headed south and crossed the English Channel by ferry. Feeling initially a little uncomfortable back on the right side of the road, we settle in quickly, and dropped in at Canterbury, Stonehenge, and Bath for the tourist thing on our way to Devon.


The vehicles are now cleaned. Bill’s prepared for the container journey back to Australia, and ours, left here to be collected when we return to continue our travels.


Camp 93-94: Simon & Liz Buck’s - Devon 4x4
Current Position: UK

Highlights: Not having to go back to Russia when Latvia would not accept my drivers licence, Holland, and catching up with friends in Holland and the UK,

Total Distance of trip: 25,500 Kilometres

Currently our plans are to return in February 2008 to spend 6 weeks exploring Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal, then in July/August to see Ireland and Scotland. The eventual plan is to return to Morocco in 2009 and cross the Sahara to Egypt and drive to Cape Town. Plans change…but I must start with a plan.

Many travellers would ask, “It must be expensive travelling like this?” I do not believe so.

Firstly we carried our own accommodation, and we only stayed in hotels for a total of 6 days in 4 months. Food we mostly purchased in local markets and prepared ourselves, or eat at small road side truck stops. Travelling in undeveloped Eastern Russia and Mongolia was the best, western Russia was a too much of a road trip. Our costs in Mongolia for food (and we eat well), drink (wine, beer, spirits) and entry to national parks etc was A$2.90 per person per day. Eastern Russia was probably around A$4.50 per person per day.

Hence fuel is the main expense:
Vladivostok to Magadan – 5,400Km, 900Lt, A$861.00. 17Lt/100Km or 16.5mpg. This section we were pushing fast!
Magadan to Mongolia – 5,950Km, 792Lt, A$849.00. 13Lt/100Km or 21mpg
Mongolia – 5250Km, 604Lts, A$1017.00. 13Lt/100Km or 21mpg.
Mongolia to St Petersburg – 7027Kms, 1008Lts, $698.00 12Lt/100Km or 23mpg.
St Petersburg to Devon(UK) – 4280Kms, 275Lts, $816.00


The trip has been great. The best experiences happened when they were not planned.

The friendship and help provided by the Orista Company in Port Vostochny during our three week delay in getting the vehicles.
The 3 Russian firemen who arrived at our camp site to go swimming, and ended up drinking mates.
Breakfast at the Zamackta Weather Station, after asking directions on logging tracks to Lake Baikal.
The numerous Mongolian herdsmen who dropped in to say ‘hello’ and finished asking us back to their ger camp.
The camel train that arrived out of the desert at our ‘isolated’ camp.
The invitations to the 4x4 competitions
And the people.

Until the next adventure
Cheers
Kym & Lyn

St Petersburg, The Vesskiy 4X4 Competition

18-21st September: St Petersburg is spectacular, and as I said with Moscow, a must see before you leave this planet. The city was built by Tsar Peter the Great in the 18th century as his summer residence and as a showcase city to the word. He achieved this and created perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Exotic and opulent buildings, canals and fountains. Without creating a tourist log, our highlight was the hermitage; the winter palace that is now a museum. Stocked full of Rubens, Rembrandts and the odd Leonardo da Vinci; thousands of other paintings; then there is the palace fittings; gold leafed roofs; malachite and lapis lazuli 2metre high vases; marble staircases, thousands of square metres of inlayed timber floors using up to 75 different timbers, etc etc. The photos we took only touch on the grandeur.
We spent the next day touring other sights, but being Wednesday many were closed, hence we headed out of town, but not before stopping in at the Piskaryovskoe Cemetery where half a million WWII victims are buried in mass graves. This is as a result of starvation when the Germans surrounded the city and tried to wipe St Petersburg from the face of the earth. Actually one million died in the 900 days of the siege; up to 30,000 died per day. Very moving as you stand overlooking the mass of symmetrically laid out head stones.

On to more exciting things, we had an invitation from Yuri Ovchinnikov, who runs the Ladoga 4x4 Trophy, to see one of the finals of the Russian 4x4 Challenge – The Vesskiy Forrest 4X4 Event. We arrived at the competition site around midnight some 300 kilometres from St Petersburg.

The vehicles were varied and some very impressive chain driven trucks with up to 3 winches weighing only 1300 kilo. The competition is very well run all ‘controlled’ by GPS tracking. Over 400 PS points, 280 Kilometres all to do in 52 hours, through mostly swamps, clay overgrown hills and chest deep rivers. Interesting is that all four levels of trucks, and the quad bikes do the same course. This is all done with only 5 competition managers/marshals.
Now we have a 4 day drive to London from Russia via Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Holland, France, and finally England. 4 days 8 countries.

Camp 86: Last Night in Russia near Latvian Border
Highlights: St Petersburg and its Hermitage Museum, Top Russian 4x4 Comp.

Total Distance to Date: 22,094 Kilometres

Moscow

12-18th September: Moscow is a dynamic city, I would put it as a must see (+ St Petersburg) in one’s life. For Australia, white mans history is so recent, here buildings and events are dated from the 13 hundreds. What I find impressive is that so much history is still intact.

We walked our legs off and metro’d (the underground train) for 3 days, and covered only some of the best. We paid our respects to Boris Yelsen, Khrushchev, Raisa Gorbachev, and Stalin’s second wife – Nadezhda at the cemetery. We walked the streets and marvelled at the upmarket shops in Arbat and the newly finished and remodelled GUM department store. Most impressive was viewing Russia’s Diamond collection of rough and cut Diamonds, and the hundreds of Gold and Platinum nuggets in the Kremlin. On top of our list were the old weapons and suits of armour in the Armoury.

Unfortunately Red Square was closed for the Military Tattoo Festival so we were unable to see neither the Square nor the embalmed Mr Lenin, not that he should be admired for the atrocities he committed.

We had an invitation to a local 4x4 club event some 180 kilometres north of Moscow towards St Petersburg, so we gratefully accepted. At club level the vehicles were not as well developed as our competition trucks, however their driving style was impressive. Using mostly UAZ 4x4’s, these were chopped, and lifted, and for tyres - Supper Swamper up to 36”x 14” but no lockers – yet! Power was not great but in the swamps these light weight vehicles and big tyres did well. Invariably on the hill climbs the small diffs often broke. With petrol engines well waterproofed, they proved their survival by driving through water that covered the bonnet.
At event presentation, I presented to one competitor an ‘Outback Challenge’ beanie. In a near standard UAZ with 33” tyres he drove with his brain through the course and I thought deserved recognition. He came 3rd in the competition, being beaten only by much modified vehicles. The club president also presented to the four of us club bandannas.
Now in an apartment in St Petersburg, we have two days to see the sights. Not really enough time, but we again have an invitation to see one of the top events in the 4x4 Competition World using highly modified vehicles. This is only 250K’s out of St Petersburg so we are going there, before we make the dash to the UK. We are unable to change the dates of our tickets as all flights are full for the next 20 days so we are confirmed to leave Heathrow on the 3rd October.

Camp 82-83: St. Petersburg private apartment

Highlights: Moscow Kremlin Museums, particularly Russian’s Diamond Fund and the Armoury, a local 4X4 Comp
Total Distance to Date: 21,300 Kilometres

Barnaul to Moscow

6-11th September 2007: And what a road trip is was. First a 435K day then 700,785, 840, 667, and our final run into Moscow at 400kilometres. It was Bill and Gay’s part of the trip that they were responsible for and they will led us across Russia, until I pick up the lead again as we exit Russia into Estonia and to the UK. The road conditions varied continually, but generally improved as we headed west into the more populated areas. It was agreed that we should cover this part of the country relatively quickly, giving us more time in Moscow. At least 4 days for the city, and Andrey from the Russian 4x4 magazine suggested the possibility of seeing a 4x4 competition on the weekend.

After leaving the city of Barnaul we travelled long flat roads by endless wheat fields. The fields although vast in size were intermingled with clumps of birch trees. The country is very flat on the 600 kilometres road from Novosibirsk to Omsk the height above sea level never changed by more than 5 metres, it was to be another 1500K before we saw a rise above 100metres.

We think of Australia as a big country – think again, because Russia is hard to comprehend the size.

I have always thought of the Urals Mountains as an impressive range; however it is mostly only low hills around 250 metres. What is impressive is that it divides Europe from Asia and stretches from the Artic Circle to the Caspian Sea. The oil and mineral wealth of this area is driving the Russian economy. In Tyumen, the economic centre of the Urals the sky line is filled with construction cranes. Beside the freeway the new vehicle show rooms of BMW, Skoda, Chrysler, and VW are as impressive as any I have ever seen. On the streets, the vehicles are just as impressive – Hummers, Porsche, VW Tourags etc.

Most of the major towns we bypass, but in Yekaterinburg we insist we stop, to sight the place that the Bolsheviks in 1918 murdered Tsar Nicholas II and the rest of the Romanov family. The original merchants building was destroyed in 1977 under orders from Boris Yeltin, but in its place, and to commemorate the above, is one of the most elaborate, and expensive Roman Orthodox Churches ever built. We meekly open the large wooden doors to be spellbound with the ornate gold facade stretching 5 stories or more up above us. Yekaterinburg has only been opened to foreigners since 1990 as it was of major importance to the military as a weapons developmental area and many of the rockets and planes are proudly on display in school yards and parks. In fact at the entrance to the city is a sample of the SAM rocket that shot down the American U2 spy plane during the height of the cold war in 1962.

It was Saturday night, and we walked the wide streets to find a rock band playing in the town centre. The music echoed around the buildings and large TV screens carried the pictures and advertisements. The old 18th and 19th century buildings intermingled with modern structures shows the richness of this city and surrounding area. It is the gateway to Siberia from the east and the mineral wealth of the Urals just to the west.



Camp 76-79: Hotel Milan, Moscow

Current Position: Moscow or /Mockba.
Highlights: 4,000 Kilometre Road Trip
Total Distance to Date: 20,400 Kilometres

Back in Russia

Monday 3rd August 2007 continued: The border crossing into Russia was uneventful. About 2 hours on the Mongolian side, and the same time on the Russian side. Each is separated by 25 kilometres of no mans land. Interesting the temporary import documents for the vehicles we waited 3 weeks to get in Port Voschney took only 20 minutes here. We paid 10,000T (A$10) in Mongolia for something, and in Russia 80RUB (A$3.20) for quarantine, and 250RUB (A$10.00) for the vehicle import documents.

Currently we are camped in Russia about 175 kilometres north of the border, beside a fast flowing river. Either side the steep craggy mountains stretch up their snow covered peaks. The mountains are covered with pine or conifer trees and the river banks by these large ‘cork wood’ trees. The cork woods are slowly changing their leaf colour from green to orange and red. It is great to see trees again.
We are now in the Altai Mountains and expect some spectacular rugged scenery.

Camp 68: Altai River Camp

Current Position: Back in Russia (Altai region)
Highlights: Uureg Nuur, Achit Nuur, Olgly a Kazakh city, A drinking session with a Kazakh family. Border crossing to Russia.
Total Distance to Date: 16,150 kilometres


Tuesday 4-6th September: Since leaving the GPS spaghetti roads of Mongolia, it is obvious we are back in a prosperous community. The two lane bitumen road arrived immediately at the Russian border, and has grown wider and smoother ever since. Into Barnaul and it had grown into a 6 lane freeway. The pace of society is reflected in the driving habits, they are all racing to meet their Maker; passing on top of hills, blind corners etc. Many times we have to move off the road for oncoming traffic and break as they move back in. Testimony is the many road side memorials that dot the roads; set atop with a steering wheel, a picture of the deceased and surrounded by plastic flowers.

Autumn is starting to happen, the white barked Birch trees are changing from green to gold. Occasionally as we drive we are showered with falling golden leaves. Moving north we leave the high mountains and are in more agricultural areas. The road follows one river valley after another. The small river we camped by a couple of days ago is now a vast river with cruise boats. It hurried down the last 1200metres in grade 2 to 5 rapids, now it must slow down; it is only 250 metres above sea level and still must travel over 4,000 kilometres to the Artic Sea.

The shops and markets are full of consumer items, advertising billboards blast their message to ‘buy me’. In reality it is like home, so unfortunately the road seems only a drive to be done. Such a change from the openness and peace of country Mongolia.

Since leaving the border three days ago we have tried to get registration of our visas at Police stations, Post offices, and even border control points but to no avail. It is a requirement that they must be registered within 3 days of arrival, so we opted to ‘shout’ ourselves a stay in a hotel and get registration. Hotel Siberia in Barnaul provided all that, and a very, very long hot shower. We do have a hot shower every night in the camper, but one always had to be conservative with the water as we only carry 60 litres.

Now totally refreshed we head tomorrow towards Moscow.

Camp 70: Actually Hotel Siberia in Barnaul.
Current Position: Barnaul- Russia
Highlights: Autumn Leaves, Staying in Hotel and 20 minute shower!

Total Distance to Date: 17,023 Kilometres

Mongolia 5 - West to the Border

Thursday 30th August: What a beautiful start to today. The three horsemen of yesterday evening arrived into our camp on a camel train. We ‘talked’ and shared tea and jam on bread.

We were each very impressed with our respective ‘machinea’ (car in Mongolian / Russian); they in our vehicles and us in their camel train. Finally after some Polaroid pics we all parted having touched another world.

Uvs Nuur is the largest fresh water lake in Mongolia, so large they call it a sea. Unfortunately it is very salty and devoid of any fish, surrounded by treeless desert we only stayed for our morning coffee break. As we approached Ulaangom, a small fresh water river flows into the desert from the surrounding mountains. On the river flood plain they are harvesting the native grasses and stacking them into huge piles on the back of trucks for winter feed. All this is done by hand, all very primitive by our standards.

Arriving at the markets in Ulaangom we had lunch at one of the many side stalls. One very large bowl of noodles and meat and that weak milky tea was 1,000T (A$1.00). The market stalls mostly sold Chinese imports, everything from generators to plastic kitchen wear, plus a vast cross section of clothing – Mongolian riding boots to Chinese children’s clothes, many with incorrect English spelt words. In the food hall we had many choices of meats again, this time we could also have chosen horse. Horse meat is dark orange red and was proudly displayed on the shelf above the horse head lying on the floor below. We bypassed that, and stayed with some lamb chops…well actually mutton ribs!

After updating the blog at the local internet, we purchased some fire wood for 1500T (A$1.50) and headed out of town. Just as we left town we noticed they were hand making bricks in the river bed and had them out in the sun to dry.

In Ulaangom we found the start of a bitumen road, the first we had seen for 5,000 kilometres. Travelling the stony desert plain we turned left off this new road onto a mountain valley track. This took us from the plain at 800metres up the valley to a mountain pass at 1,900metres, from here the country changed again completely. Now we are into grassy mountains as far as we can see. On the horizon in two directions are vast snow capped peaks. We are now entering the Mongolian Altai Mountain chain, this we will eventually follow into Russia.
Our camp was in a very private spot on the edge of Uureg Nuur (Lake). The water was mirror calm and reflected the 3,000metre mountains; unfortunately the air is hazy and disappointing for photography. The crystal clear water and rolled pebble beach was inviting us for a swim. Lyn, and with some encouragement, I indulged. As Lyn said “It was like a brain freeze from the legs up”.


Friday 31st August: Shortly after leaving the lake we passed some ancient burial sites containing ‘turkic balbals’. These are squat carved figurines from the 4th or 5th century. There were more of those piles of stones we had seen before but more elaborate, in wagon wheel pattern. Around the outside were then smaller circles again, and long lines of upright stones.
Crossing the next pass, on a very rough two wheeled track we climbed close to the Gods at 2,553metres. Spectacular views only marred by the haze. Proceeding down the other side I managed to get the vehicle bogged in some melting permafrost ground and had to be recovered by Bill’s winch.
Finally back into the valley (but still at 1500metres) we found two deer stones that are well preserved. We are becoming very proficient in archaeological discoveries.

Camp is by Achit Nuur (Lake), surrounded by those wondrous rugged mountains, and closer, grazing camels and horses. On the lake are magpie geese. Another magical orange sunset ends today.


Saturday 1st September: Following leaving the lake we crossed the only bridge we have seen for some time and began to follow the river valley. The river provides a micro climate in this semi arid area. Lush grasses grow beneath what I have guessed as cork wood trees. So lush is the area that the number of gers is significant. They are now Kazakh people in this area and their gers have a higher done than the Mongolian type. The Kazakhs migrate back and forth between Mongolia and Kazakhstan following the feed for their herds.

We give a lift to a family of four to the next village we are travelling to, but that plan falls apart as the town is on the other side of this major river, and there is no bridge. The track at this stage has all but disappeared and when he indicated that we can cross and puts his hand on TOP of the bull bar to indicate the water height, our immediate response is ‘No way’. The family then strangely and confidently continues with us on the hour drive to Olgly, the capital of this region.

Olgly is very different to other Mongolian towns, again that Kazakh influence. Gone are the gers in town, now we have mud over timber built square houses all with flat rooves. They are not, but they look like Mexican hacienda type. The markets also prove uninteresting to us, we think and hope we bought cow steak, but it could be horse!
Our plan to drive up the valley to the snow topped mountains was thwarted by being unable to cross that river, and also Bill’s decision that he did not want to drive back the 30 kilometres on the other side of the river from Olgly. Being Saturday, we had to kill some time as the border crossing is not open until Monday, hence we chose another valley in the border direction, but this proved an uninteresting drive in a mostly desert area.

Our camping spots have been breathtaking; tonight was just beside the track!


Sunday 2nd September: We were only 20 kilometres from the border so decided to go there just in case our information was wrong and it would be open. The border gates are definitely locked, and the small village of about 30 houses (actually huts) pretty much looked deserted. I chose to just back track 5 kilometres and pick a line up one of the treeless valleys where we would wait for the border to open tomorrow.

The afternoon drifted by until a singing herder on horseback dropped in to say hello. He was looking after his flock of 2,000 goats, and as the goats slowly walked by, he shared coffee with us. Eventually he left and we sat down to our afternoon drink. Within minutes the herder returns on his old motor bike with his son, two other relatives, a bottle of Vodka, and some dried uncooked goats meat. He is Kazakh, and from the ger further up the valley. Dauletchan, speaks Russian, has been a soldier for 3 years, studied vet science for four, been Mongolian boxing champion, and now happy he has his herd of goats. He pours the straight vodka into his shallow bowl, dips in his ring finger and flicked a drop to the sky, to the earth, and to the wind. With the vodka blessed the cup was passed around to all, each time being refilled.

Lyn and Gay are smart enough to say no after the first two, but Bill and I are building international bridges and continue. He wanted to buy my binoculars and I think is offering some goats in payment. I was still sober enough to resist. Bill was perhaps not so and in a profound gesture gave away his Outback Challenge beanie, AND his binoculars. We add another bottle from our store, and before I know it one of the brothers has also returned from the ger with more vodka. It was a good evening and Bill and I were staggering at the end. I am not quite sure how I still managed to cook dinner.

The next morning I am sure one of these vodka bottles was still sideways in my head.


Monday 3rd September: Dauletchan had invited us to visit his ger at 9am before we left for the border. Kazakh gers are far more colourful inside, and the walls were covered with very bright cloths. The timber roof supports were bright red against the white canvas, and these supports were interwoven with multi-colour belts of platted material. The inside was clean and very spacious. A pile of seven old style suitcases obviously were their clothes draws.

Dauletchan, had a wife, two sons and a daughter, I am not sure why, but last night I do recall he proudly showed us all that his nine year old son was circumcised!
His elder brother Ackmed also is married with two children. We all sit on the floor around the low table. On it, is a selection of sweets, the pastries we have seen cooked before in the animal fats, and some dried dairy product, which we have found to be not very pleasant tasting. The tea is very weak with yak milk. As we talk out come the vodka bottles, but we are smarter today and kindly refuse with the excuse that we have to drive across the border. Thankfully they accept this as a genuine excuse.


With the last of our Polaroid pictures taken of the family we depart Mongolia with great memories of a wide open country and friendly people.