Volgograd: Insane & Yet Awesome

Russia, we are told, is cold and freezing. Coming from Canada however, where it is also suppose to be cold and permanently blanketed in snow, I liked to think I had some inkling as to what I would be in for. As cold as winter is, summer tends to match it.  Minus 30 something in winter? Embrace plus 30 in the summer.  Volgograd and the surrounding region still managed to knock my feet out from under me. Plus 42 and in full bikers gear. You could feel the sweat running down your legs into your boots.

The boys wanted to swim in the Volga, the North American in me screamed NO at the thought of what is actually dumped in the river. (We have since been told it is safe, yet, I do not regret my decision in the least)  :-P

Riding into a giant city in this heat is anything but an ideal biking paradise. Yet I was shocked.  Yes, the heat was insane, almost unbearable at times. And the movement of traffic appeared to follow the unspoken rules of children playing dinkies rather than following any type of logic.  However (and up until this point no other city in Russia has followed this), the cars would break to let me follow the boys as they zipped and zigged through the city.

Some even hung out the window to scream "otkooda??" (My horrible phonetic rendition of the Russian question "where are you from"), and it was here that I learned a loud honk of the horn is not cause to crash your bike, but rather someone wants to give you the thumbs up sign as they cruise by you.

We did not stop in the city, but wild camped shortly afterwards. We then rode out to the truck stop cafe on the side of the road, where we ordered breakfast and spent about an hour talking with the owners there.  Once again when we tried to pay and they refused, saying that we had entertained them, and pushing the matter seemed to only result in anger on their part. I really love this country, the people are wonderful, and the landscape amazing!

 

 

 

Posted via email from Unleash Your Adventure

Volgograd: Insane & Yet Awesome

Russia, we are told, is cold and freezing. Coming from Canada however, where it is also suppose to be cold and permanently blanketed in snow, I liked to think I had some inkling as to what I would be in for. As cold as winter is, summer tends to match it.  Minus 30 something in winter? Embrace plus 30 in the summer.  Volgograd and the surrounding region still managed to knock my feet out from under me. Plus 42 and in full bikers gear. You could feel the sweat running down your legs into your boots.

The boys wanted to swim in the Volga, the North American in me screamed NO at the thought of what is actually dumped in the river. (We have since been told it is safe, yet, I do not regret my decision in the least)  :-P

Riding into a giant city in this heat is anything but an ideal biking paradise. Yet I was shocked.  Yes, the heat was insane, almost unbearable at times. And the movement of traffic appeared to follow the unspoken rules of children playing dinkies rather than following any type of logic.  However (and up until this point no other city in Russia has followed this), the cars would break to let me follow the boys as they zipped and zigged through the city.

Some even hung out the window to scream "otkooda??" (My horrible phonetic rendition of the Russian question "where are you from"), and it was here that I learned a loud honk of the horn is not cause to crash your bike, but rather someone wants to give you the thumbs up sign as they cruise by you.

We did not stop in the city, but wild camped shortly afterwards. We then rode out to the truck stop cafe on the side of the road, where we ordered breakfast and spent about an hour talking with the owners there.  Once again when we tried to pay and they refused, saying that we had entertained them, and pushing the matter seemed to only result in anger on their part. I really love this country, the people are wonderful, and the landscape amazing!

 

 

 

Posted via email from Unleash Your Adventure

Rainy Rides & Russian Gas Stations

One would think the combination of the above two things would be something of a horror story. If the overall experience of overland motorcycle riding makes riding in the rain worth it in the long run, for the most part a rainy ride is something you want to avoid and drives you to take shelter if at all possible.

 

Russians are wonderfully warm and open hearted people, EXCEPT when required to work in the service industry. If Germany is a service desert, purchasing anything in Russia is an exercise in masochism.

 

Shortly after leaving Marina and her family our ride went from sunshine to rain, and our only point of shelter was the gas station. We decided to inject caffeine into our veins, as coffee makes everything more bearable.

 

The gas attendant brought us our coffees, and when I attempted to pay he flat out refused our money. He then brought us out Snickers. And chips. And a second round of coffees. Then when he discovered I was from Canada he called his sister in Canada (on his mobile phone) to ask her if we needed help with anything. (I do not even want to think about his phone bill). Then when we refused to anything else he filled a bag with more chocolate and chips and forced it onto the motorcycles.

 

As I write this I am terribly behind in the blog, this occurred the same day we left Marina, but the rest of the trip has been the same. The only thing we seem to have to worry about is being killed with kindness and being overfed.

 

Posted via email from Unleash Your Adventure

Destination: Marina & The Russian Black Sea Coast!

After leaving the Crimea we crossed over to Russia with the ferry. Despite a total time of 5 hours on the two borders, the procedure of leaving the Ukraine and entering Russia was relatively painless. Except of course for the heat. In plus 30 degrees weather our already questionable hygiene was further undermined as we found no shelter from the sun in the line ups. Our goal was Gelendzhik where the ever lovely Marina awaited us. The so lovely she even let me hug her despite the fact I had not showered in 3 days and had in fact, not changed my clothes in that same amount of time.  (Except for my underwear, they get changed everyday, a luxury I allow myself!)

In a reversal of roles (that I am beginning to understand is rather Russian), Marina and her family refused to accept any type of gift from us, but instead showered us with presents instead. Including sailor hats for the boys, who could not have been prouder of themselves, and they even insist on wearing them whenever we venture out in public without motorcycle gear.

Marina and her drunken sailors:

We did manage to convince Marina and her family to at least cook for them, and we exposed them to a delightful mix of Italian appetizers and Swiss Rösti for the main dish. 

We also drank wine from the region, but the family also demonstrated another aspect of Russia that we have yet to adjust to, NO ONE DRINKS! As I am writing this we have been in the country for almost a month, and we have yet to drink our first glass of vodka. A glass of wine, one glass of beer, perhaps two, but the stereotype of Russia as a land of drinkers has been tested and found wanting.

Despite an amazing itinerary that she had planned for us, one aspect we were not looking forward to was a date with the immigration police.  But alas, for that story you must wait! I'm saving it for much later! Instead I leave you with pictures of Marina's first bike ride, where I managed to give myself a black eye (please do not ask) and she became a bike convert!

Height of stupidity:

 

 

Posted via email from Unleash Your Adventure