I passed Mongolian immigration and climbed the mud hill, entering Siberia for the second time. I feared it was too early to arrive at Russian immigration because my grounds for being in the country were not exactly legitimate, so I dismounted Donkey and lit my stove for a brew, to feed some warmth through my […]
Update from Finland & Thoughts about Stage Two
Greetings from Finland! I have lots to blog about—8,000 km worth—and it’s going to take some time to catch up. But since I can’t take time out for now I’ll just avoid it with this brief digression. In a nutshell, my movements from the point of my last blog, Mongolia Part 1: The Gobi Desert […]
Soviet Apartment from the Outside
The soviet apartment in Vologda. It’s fascinating, for me at least, just walking around the cities and seeing all the little details of life in these old apartments.
Mongolia to Russia Update
Greetings from Stockholm, Sweden. Seasons have passed since my last blog and early snows of winter began to dust the woodlands of central Russia weeks ago. This writing hiatus hasn’t been due to idleness. Since departing China in July, I’ve cycled over 6,000 km through challenging conditions and with little rest until now, due to […]
Russian Far East Final Chapter
Tasseled, crimson cloth draped around the windows and Buddhist insignia dangled across the windshield. It seemed oddly placed in a Russian vehicle but it gave some character to the most uninspiring of all forms of transport. I hate buses! I thought, watching from the front seat as the driver veered off course, while texting on […]
Predators, Problems, and Perception
A few years in Japan will turn any man soft, life was too good, and I knew the transition from comfort back to the nomadic experience was going to be tough, but I’m not the kind of person who tiptoes into cold water. I needed a challenge that would allow me to take the plunge […]
Bound for Mainland Russia
About a third of the way up Sakhalin island the coastal road veers inland. Traffic reduces to the occasional Japanese 4×4 burning passed or Lada Nivas struggling almost as much as me on the bumpy road, though more regularly I’m disturbed by the thunderous, clanking steel racket of dumpsters and transporters hauling machinery and parts […]
Getting to Know Russia
I arrived in the small township of Nevelsk, on the west coast, exhausted and with first degree frostbite on two fingers on my right hand, and second degree frostbite on one blistered toe. I spent a few days recuperating, treating my extremities, and readjust my gear in an old, brick boarding house. Footsteps and chatter […]
Setting Out
When I arrived in Japan in January ’08, following the journey through Southeast Asia and China, it felt like a holiday. Everything seemed to function in this orderly and fair, democratic society. Now I awaken to new cultures, face new challenges. The holiday is over. I spent a few days preparing in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, though I still need to sort […]
Sayonara Nihon!
Greetings from the Russian Far East! I’m set to begin the second stage of my journey, albeit later than I had intended, because I’ve struggled to meet my own deadline with the complicated preparations for this leg pushing my start date deeper into winter and presenting a greater challenge to plan for. I intended to […]