Mongoliod

Just arrived in Mongolia. First thing I saw: a cow. On the way out of Russia I: met and camped with two frenchmen (well, a man and a woman) who are also cycling to Ulan Bator. Was given two eggs and two slices of kalbasa (phonetic) by a beautiful young buryat woman (buryat-siberian indigenous in the Ulan Ude area). Got water out of a well, because a store ran out of bottled. The scenery is getting dryer and dryer the further south I travel, and water is becoming more of a commodity and a worry. I've started to carry about 5 liters for every 100 km of travel. Crossing the border into Mongolia was ten times easier than I thought it was going to be (see below).

Details
Ulan Ude - Sukhbataar, Mongolia

The road out of Ulan Ude is beautifully paved and very flat for 100 km. The first big town is Goozisonersk, where I mistakingly did not buy water, this is the last town with water for 80 km. After leaving this town, which sits on Goose Lake, the hills start. No climb lasted longer than 4 km. The riding was serene at most points along this road, just beautiful steppes, mostly good pavement, and low wind (for me). Got water 40 km, outside of Kyakhta.

Border crossing: As of 08.30.2011. Kyakhta, Russia - Mongolia.

Cyclists - No need to hitch a ride, you are considered an automobile. I did not register my Visa while in Russia and found no trouble at all exiting the country. No visas are required for American citizens, so you just get a tiny little stamp and you're in Mongolia. Simple.

Staying at a hotel in Sukbathaar to figure out how to say hello in Mongolian, and where I am going to fit the thousands of paper bills I got from the bank exchange (1$ = 1242 Togrogs). 320 km to Ulan Bataar, where I will check in again.

Almost outta Russhia

Just made it to Ulan Ude, Russia. Staying at a nice hostel for 2 nights recovering from the first signs of saddle soar, and some kind of poison oaky rash on mi legs (not bad). Dipping in Lake Baikal was elegant. Why is it though that the only English word that a lot of Russians know sounds something like "Mutderfosser." After my, baptism-esque, dip in Baikal's Evian-esque waters I was distracted by two teenage fishermen on an inflatable dingy yelling this, effort at an English obsenity, in my direction. Time to wakey wakey, I guessy guess.

Details:

Irkutsk-Ulan Ude (450 km)

Riding out of Irkutsk was easy. Out of downtown, I followed the signs that stated Ulan Ude, which were scattered everywhere. The highway was called M-55. The road itself was mostly tarmac, with intermittent stretches of tar and gravel, and about 10 km out of 450, of dirt. The condition was not supreme, there were lots of bumps. Amenities never stretched themselves more than 50 km apart, so dying of hunger was not a issue. I did however tend to carry a lot of food, because I hadn't learned to ask - how far is the next town? But I know now how to say it - just as I am leaving Russia. Great smoked fish, and cedar pine nuts all along the road, sold by highway vendors. Babushkin - great town, great camping on the other side of the train tracks and on the Baikal shoreline. Meals at roadside cafe's: $2-6 - Borstch, bread and chai. Smoked Omul - $2. Bag of sweet breads (1 kg) ~ $3. Hostel in Ulan Ude $20, http://uuhostel.com/.

I am now in Ulan Ude, and will be riding out of here on Sunday, a two day journey to the Mongol border. I am hoping all of the border control business will go smoothly and I will enter with little to fret. I apologize for all of the misspellings and gramatical incorrections in this blog. Dad.

For now - sending some things back home. Tuning up the bicycle, and researching the next jaunt.

In Irkutsk, Bike Built

Zdrastvitye. I am in Russia. Yesmmm. I am really enjoying myself here. Yes ehmmm. No sarcasm intended at all. I am just tired from the longest train ride of my life. I met two young Russian chaps on this train ride, the Trans-Siberian, from Vladivostok to Irkutsk, who enjoyed the labor of giving. I have never felt so in debt to people I could only, merely say: hello, goodbye, good!, beer, I love you, and how much does this cost, to. We met a few Russian girls, one of which spoke spanish. I spoke in broken spanish to her and she translated to the rest of the group in Russian. Fantastico! (Herescho!)

I have arrived in Irkutsk to meet some of those stern Russian faces I've come to love. I put the bike together at the train station amid a mixed crowd of glaring Uzbec's, Kazakh's, Russki's, and Chinese. One thing I love about Russians is that they have one great mean mug, and they really aren't fazed by much. So I feel like I don't stand out like soar thumb, but I know in my heart that my untucked plaid shirt, dirty trucker's cap, and birkenstocks don't really mix with their Adidas athletic suits. We can all dream though, huh?

I will be riding along Lake Baikal, to Ulan Ude in the next few days and will check back in.

Spabsiba!

Training

Willy "the neat beast" McGee-hee, my personal trainer giving me some tips before leaving on the air-uh-plane. Leaving today!!!

Follow the trip via SPOT

Click on this link to get real time GPS data (updates every ten minutes) showing where I am in the trip:

http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=5fbFd/37.7625N/122.396W

or

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.7625,-122.396&ll=37.7625,-122.396&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

For those that don't know, a tiny SPOT machine allows me to do this:

If there is an emergency, I press one button, if everything is safe I press another, and it constantly uploads my location via a satellite system.

Map of Route

Here is a map of the route I will be taking, green and red lines.

Gear Check

Here is a list of everything I am bringing on the trip, minus the bicycle and bike supplies:

Upper Layers Goretex, Arcteryx Alpha SV. Patagonia Micropuff Jacket. Patagonia Micropuff Vest. Outdoor Research Microfleece. Patagonia Thermal Top. Cycling T-shirt. Long Sleeved Button Up. Bottom Layers Waterproof Cycling Pants. Patagonia Simple Guide Pants. REI Long Underwear. Cycling Shorts. Shoes Sidi MTB. 2 pairs cycling socks. 1 pair Smartwool warm socks. Birkenstocks!!!. Face Buff Big Ol' Rag thing. Smith Glasses. Prescrip. Glasses Sleeping Bag Books Medical Kit North Face Snowshoe, 0 F Synthetic Russian Translation Athletic Tape Pad Chinese Translation Ace Exped Synthetic, Regular Shantaram Teatree oil Tent Maps Neosporin MSR Hubba, Single Person Russia Bath Cooking Gear Mongolia Toothbrush MSR Whisperlite Intl. /Repair Kit/Fuel Bottle/ 4 Lighters China Toothpaste (2 small) Snowpeak, small pot kit Tibet Floss Lexan Spoon Nepal Sunscreen Leatherman Cameras Lipbalm Water Small Digital Headlamp 250 Iodine Tablets Canon AE1, 13 rolls of Film Repair Kit Foldable Container (for 20 liters) Case that holds all. Bailing Chord Solar Panel Ski Strap Solio, Small Tent repair pole Phone Seamseal iPhone Superglue Zip ties Thin Chord (50 ft.)

Really not all that much

Getting pumped, flying Sunday to Vladivostok

Blog iz Born

I am going to make this blog horrible. I enjoy ridin' bicyclet and I enjoy riding with heart and a hot hed. What I am proposing to do is to ride across a large section of Asia, from Vladivostok, Russia to Kathmandu, Nepal.