The Russians are coming? No, it's me coming to them!

I arrived in Zarubino Russia yesterday morning after a smooth trip from Sokcho and rode the 220km to Vladivstok yesterday afternoon.

My first view of Russia (from the deck of the Dong Chun ferry) below was not that promising. Things were looking a little bleak and miserable and I really truly felt I was in a different world. Perhaps those grey stereotypical images the west portrays as Russia are true after all?

From all the looks the bike is getting, I am fairly certain this is the first Burgman in Vladivostok - the Russians are very curious and they all want to know how fast it will go.

Roads are a mix of good and bad - lots of roadwork - fuel around $1.00 per litre, not too bad. I've had a minor incident with the back panel on the Burgie coming loose (the pins broke in transit from Australia), falling on the road and getting all scratched up - I'll have to work out how to repair it.


Ferry ride was good but a little bribery and corruption was required to get me customs cleared - took me 6.5 hours from when the ferry docked till I was able to ride away, I've been told this is a record short time!


Coming in to Vladivostok itself I rode past the airport and was soon after overtaken by a SU24 (fighter plane) at very low attitude - the airports in Russia are used for both civil and military purposes. It was at this point I started to realise the majesty and might of the soviet military machine.

I was fortunate enough to stay in Vladivostok with Alexei (Shustrik from HUBB) and his partner who generously accommodated me for my first night. I found this to be typical of the Russians I met on the road, all prepared to share whatever they had with passing strangers.


However, as I needed to arrange for my visa registration I spent my second night downtown at the Hotel Primorya (translates as by the sea) .

Contrary to the generosity exhibited by the people I met and stayed with, the average Russians major concern is with theft - I have had to put the bike into secure guarded parking for every night I stayed in a city in Russia.

My mind is not yet made up regarding Russia - it is very different from the Asian countries I have visited and is really an extension of Europe, albeit a long way from home.



Vladivostok has been described by many as the San Francisco of the East. My experience of the city was rather more disappointing, especially after having arrived from the modernity and neatness and trimness of South Korea.

The large Stalinesque apartment blocks are omnipresent and the city has a mouldy run down air about it with dirt and rubbish strewn everywhere.

Hot water (which is delivered from a central heating system for the whole city) was shut down for summer repairs and the ground floor of each apartment block reeks of cat urine from the ubiquitous stray cats which inhabit the entrance foyers. Each individual apartment has two doors (a steel outer and regular inner) with a plethora of locks and deadbolts - the Russians are very conscious of their security. Alas I discovered this to be typical for every apartment I stayed in except for St Petersburg.

Will leave for Khabarovsk tomorrow - it should be a fairly straightforward 800km (500 mile) one day ride.

Korea - I came, I saw and I went - alas so quickly (29 May - 2nd June)

Busan to Sokcho - 750km

I'm now in Sokcho Korea, around 30km from the DMZ and North Korea. I rode up from Busan over 3 days. Friday was a 200km journey from Busan to Daegu.

The photo below shows me hitting the streets in Busan, struggling to find the way out of town and the correct route to Daegu.

I managed to get myself into trouble by cruising down the freeway (yep, unbeknownst to myself, like China, bikes are not allowed on freeways in Korea either) and was promptly escorted off by two of Korea's finest!

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On Friday night I stayed with John from the Burgman USA forum, and his wife Rachel, who most graciously invited me to stay in their home in Daegu - I had a great time and a great introduction to the very thriving bike scene and shops in Daegu.

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Saturday was a 250km journey to Uljin. I needed a cheap hotel so I stayed in a motel which turned out to be a "love hotel"! The pink lights in the hallway, pink towels, frilly doona and pillow cases and bidet in the bathroom (yep, managed to squirt myself in the eye again!) were dead giveaways. Unfortunately I think my hotel room was the only room with a single occupant!

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Just prior to Uljin I stopped at a scenic lookout to find two Korean riders (one on an R1, the other on an ST1300) there to greet me.

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Sunday I rode a further 200km up the coast to Sokcho and this morning I have taken the Burgie on board the ferry to Zarabino (Russian port south of Vladivostok) and I board in 2 hours.I really like Korea - far more modern and sophisticated than China - and a lot like Japan. All the shop ladies bow when you enter the store etc., and it is really, really clean!

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All along the coast there are lots (and lots) of seafood restaurants and many local tourists.

As you get closer to the DMZ a lot of the lesser used beachs are inaccessible, however. Large razor wire fences are permanently located to repel a potential invasion from the North - a stark reminder of just how fragile the peace is in Korea.

The roads are fantastically smooth and Korean drivers are very courteous and follow all the road rules - there really is no comparison.

Unfortunately the flip side of the coin is that it is also quite expensive too. Petrol is now around $1.80 a litre, 2.5 times the Chinese price. Given that the Burgie drinks twice as much fuel per kilometre as the Haobon, my fuel costs are now 5 times higher.

We'll soon see how that compares with Russia. In any case, I have filled the tank on the Burgie before taking the bike on board the ferry, just to ensure I have plenty in the tank in the event I can't buy fuel between Zarabino and Vladivostok.

The Burgie lives again - long live the Burgie.

Hi, just a quick note to update everyone.

After arriving in Korea yesterday I have been down to collect the Burgie this morning.

After some minor hiccups with paperwork and having to get Vicroads (local vehicle registration office in Australia) to fax through copies of the registration documents to Korean customs, Mr Lee of Eagle shipping took me down to customs to collect the bike. The bike arrived in perfect shape and undamaged despite my concerns about how well I had crated and packed it.

It took me a couple of hours to uncrate and reassemble it before paying all fees (total around US$500) and riding the bike out the gate and into Korea.

The Korean customs people, as usual wherever I go, were polite and helpful. One of them even gave me a copy of a book he has written but I will need to brush up on my hanguel first!

I'm now about to go and find the International post office to collect the fuel filter and will leave tomorrow morning for Sokcho, where I take the ferry to Vladivostok.

It's good to be back on the Burgie - much smoother and more comfortable than the Haobon, but of course it is far less nimble and feels quite ponderous initially - that feeling will hopefully disappear once I get used to riding it again.

Anyone for a career in customs clearance in Korea? - 28 May 2008

I'm here in Busan after a 300kmh maglev train ride from Shanghai to the airport and a short flight from Shanghai airport. I've paid my shipper's handling fees this afternoon and if all goes well I'll be riding the Burgie away sometime tomorrow.

Busan is wet and rainy and so is my pack. It's all pretty damp even after only getting caught in the rain for a few minutes, so everything is spread out on the floor of the Zen hostel to dry. Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny day in more ways than one. :-)

The Haobon is gone! Long live the mighty Haobon!.

The Haobon is gone! (sniff, snuffle)... Long live the mighty Haobon!.

It had to be! I feel so sad, as if I've lost a lifelong companion ... "Wilson, NO ... come back Wilson". Like Tom Hanks basketball, the Haobon has become my friend and companion in this foreign sea of non-English speakers.

I ended up selling it to a motorcycle repair man and his wife for AUD$150. They got a great deal, but frankly they were the only ones at all interested. I'm sure they will onsell it quickly and make a smart profit - good on them.

If I had been able to wait longer I'm sure I could have fetched a lot more but time doesn't allow me and overall my total cost for the Haobon for 1 month of riding has only been AUD$400, or $100 per week - excellent value.


I'm leaving Shanghai 9am tomorrow for Busan, Korea, and further adventures on the Burgie. :-)