European Russia and Ukraine.

In Russia at the border. Beautiful day, and I'm finally heading west.

Near the city of Chelyabinsk or as they called it in Soviet times, "Tractorville" for self explanatory reasons. In the photo above I am finally crossing the Urals, thus entering Europe from Asia. High rolling hills rather than mountains, lush green farmland. It's about 2900 km. from Petropavlosk to the Ukrainian border.

A Subway Restaurant at the side of the road near Ufa. I stayed out of the cities and stayed at truck stops and country motels where I could find them. At the end of the day one always seemed to turn up.

The Volga Region is a vast agriculturally rich area, much more populated than the far east and Siberia with plenty of large cities. Often in the distance you can see the large hulking smokestack remains of failed Soviet industries.

At a rest stop near Samara where there is a Lada factory. A truck load of Ladas off to the dealerships.

Decent roads compared to the far east and Siberia. I only met four bikers coming the other way, but it was still early in the season for Europeans heading east.

On the edge of Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, where the Russians fought an epic battle with the Nazis during the second world war, the beginning of the end for Hitler.

Turn off towards Rostov on Don with Moscow to the north. It's about a days drive south to Chechnya where the Russians are still having political problems. I am heading to the Ukrainian border crossing north of Rostov on Don.

Near the Ukrainian border.

I had some problems leaving Russia. The customs slip I had for importing a vehicle into Russia that I had filled out when entering from Japan a year earlier was out of date. After about a five hour wait and lots of pleasant conversation, they allowed me through. I could have left earlier if I had come across with some cash, but I decided that I had already payed plenty for the visa (it's expensive) and that I could wait them out. I spent my time reading up on the Ukraine and charting my trip on the map. Finally they came down with my papers, we shook hands, and I was on my way. It's all a big game!

In the Ukraine, finally. As much as I enjoyed Russia (I would go back), it was refreshing to get out from under the the bureaucratic blanket that seemed to be omnipresent, perhaps a throwback to Communist times. Also from here west there are no more visa problems. They are easily available at the borders.

Ukraine is like a big garden, the largest country fully enclosed in Europe. Not without reason is it called the breadbasket of Europe.

Green and lush, with pretty little country churches.

The roads and the level of prosperity seemed to be a little better than in Russia.

I did run into a little problem with a few guys trying to rush me for money at a gas station, and with a quite ignorant cop looking for some easy money, but was able to deal with both cases without much problem. God there are some stupid people around! Luckily they are a very very small minority.

Lviv, Ukraine's loveliest city, in the Ukrainian speaking western heartland. In the eastern area of the Ukraine, Russian is the working language.

The old town is a world heritage site and the city of 745000 as yet remains one of the continent's best kept secrets.

Ladies enjoying the moment.

Overview of the city and surrounding countryside.

The Hotel George, the best value hotel I had on the whole trip. Thirty-one dollars a night, all you can eat breakfast included. I parked at the front door.

The famous colonnaded lobby gave this place an atmosphere that money alone just can't buy.

The corridors.

The rooms.
Off to Krakow Poland a half day drive, after a three day break in Lviv.

A-Petropavlosk, Kazakhstan, B-Novoshakhtinsk (Border Crossing), L'viv, Ukraine. Distance 4200kms..

Back in the (former) USSR, Kazakhstan Redoubt

Returned to Kazakhstan in early May of 2011 to continue the journey west. My bike had been shipped from Petropavlosk, where I left off in September, to Almaty in the south, and stored by my good friend Yeldos.

Pictured above on the patio of the Eldoro Restaurant from right to left, Yeldos, myself and Andrej Bormasters, a Finnish motorcycle traveller who had come up from South Korea the previous year on his way home to Finland and had met Simon and Monica. He happened to be in Almaty on business in May.

Maury, Yeldo's business partner and manager of the Eldoro Restaurant in Shymkent, on the patio of the Eldoro. Elena is on the left.

While I was in Almaty Yeldos was opening a new restaurant at the edge of the city, specializing in "plov", a fried rice specialty in Central Asia. It was delicious!


Yeldos and Maury with Mohammed, an Algerian expat working in Almaty. There is a fascinating mix of people from all over working in Almaty taking advantage of the business opportunities provided by the booming economy, based on oil wealth.

Elena and her sister, Eldoro Restaurant.

My last photo with two great people that I was lucky to have met in Kazakhstan.



On my way north, leaving from the front of the Eldoro, heading to Petropavlosk and the Russian border, two and one half days to the north. It was difficult to leave!

North Central Kazakhstan, rolling steppe, lots of wide open space and a good highway.

Spring seeding was in full swing south of Petropavlosk, much like you'd see during springtime on the prairies at home.



Eighty km. or so south of Petropavlosk I had another accursed flat tire. A police car came by, flagged down a small truck and three semi drivers to help lift the bike. In short order I was at a tire repair shop, the tire fixed by the fellows pictured above and happily resting for the night in the motel behind them after a great meal in the attached restaurant. Neither the truck driver nor the tire repair men would accept any money for their troubles!


Arrived in Petopavlosk the next morning. Above is the park behind the hotel where I stayed, the hotel in the background. Sixty km. from the Russian border, the city and it's surroundings has a very Siberian feel to it

The vast majority of the people are ethnic Russians. This area was at least until recently home to a lot of farmers of German descent brought in during the time of Catherine the Great to farm the rich agricultural land.

My friend Alexander and his beautiful granddaughter Sasha. Alexander was very kind and helpful to me the previous September

Gorgeous child.

Goodbye Kazakhstan. All the Stans were interesting to me and we met good people everywhere, but I must say that Kazakhstan and it's people will always hold a special place in my heart! I was sorry to leave. Off to European Russia next.

A- Almaty, B-Petropavlosk.

Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, to Moscow

Out for supper by the riverbank in the friendly town of Turkul with Hamid and Bakhadir. Hamid is an English teacher and relative of Bakhadir. They were both incredibly helpful to me in rounding up a replacement tube for my tire.

Hamid and friend with a going away gift from his photo shop.

Bakhadir is the proud owner of an Internet cafe in Turtkul, and with Hamid and others is trying to open a small library with english books on the upper floor.

While I was in this area, I found out that my bank had cancelled my visa card due to some notion that someone was misusing it. It was quite problematic, for because of the good black market rates, I was travelling on cash in Uzbekistan and was getting down on funds. I had a debit card, but it couldn't always be used. Toll free numbers to my bank were unavailable here and the bank at first was quite anal about the whole thing!

One of Bakhadir's family members who worked at his business.


Hamid, Bakhadir, myself, with staff and family outside the cafe. I can't say enough about the good people of Turtkul. They were gracious, very kind and helpful! I hope some day I can return the favour to one of them!

I backtracked a day and a half to Tashkent the capital of Uzbekistan. Above a photo of a very impressive Korean lady who had covered the thousands of kms. from Vladivostok by moped!! Something for some of the "tough" motorcycle types to think about!

Approaching Tashkent, I was pulled over by the local constabulary for doing 95 in a 80 km. zone. The only sign that I had seen way back on the freeway had said 90 km/hr.. It was something like out of a movie set in the southern USA! Anyway, they said it was a big problem and that the fine was $100, to which I said that that was a big problem indeed, because I had enough money for gasoline to get to Moscow and that if I payed them $100, I would not get to Moscow!! Anyway, long story short, in the end I offered them my coat in lieu of the fine and they took a good long look at me, gave me my license and passport back, and sent me on my way none the poorer. There is a much different policing system in these parts from what we are used to!

Crossed back into Kazakhstan near Tashkent and then proceeded to the city of Shymkent, a days drive. Met up there with Maury, the business partner of our friend Yeldos, the owner of the Eldoro Restaurant in Almaty. Above is a photo of a lovely hotel run by Yeldos and Maury outside of Shymkent where I stayed for a couple of nights.


Dinner is set at the hotel, where we ate in the apple orchard.

Arica, an Israeli businessman and friend of Maury's.

Maury and Anastasia, great people!!

I was able to resolve my money issues in Shymkent (I discovered Western Union), and had new tubes sent by Yeldos on the overnight train. After 5 days I headed north on a 2.5 day drive to the Russian border.

Central Kazakhstan, south of Astana. Lots of wide open spaces, and the road was fairly good, but it was starting to get cold.



The Hotel Kyzyl Zhar, where I stayed in Petropavlosk, a very Siberian like ethnic Russian city, 60 km. from the Russian border.

I ran into snow squalls outside of the city on the way up, was not feeling all that great and my "mojo" was low. There was a direct two night train to Moscow from here and after a couple of nights in the hotel I decided it was time to call it quits for the year and go home. After making arrangements for the bike, in mid september 2010 I caught the train to Moscow.

Red Square, St. Basel's Cathedral, the Kremlin, and Lenin's Mausoleum on the right. This is the centre of Russian power. It looked smaller than I had imagined after watching the troops and tanks parade through on Tv every Mayday during communist times.



The domes of St. Basel's, built in the 16th century.


Street scene a short walk from the Kremlin. Lots of great little restaurants and prosperous looking people, very European.

The Napoleon Hostel where I spent my last few days in Moscow before returning to Canada on the 24th of September, 2010. 20,000 km. done so far, back to Kazakhstan in May of 2011 when spring has come to continue the trip.