John & Mick's BIG AdventureRussian for the uninitiated
Day 14 – 391 kms (4916 total)
June arrived with grey skies and we left Anapa and headed east (again), the clouds soon parted and we spent most of the day riding along very straight & long, Russian roads, with police checkpoints dotting the route every few kilometers.
We reached Kropotkin by 2pm and stopped out of town for our first Russian meal of borscht, (soup to the uninitiated). Very filling! We dropped into town to get more cash from the bank and find an internet café.
Some helpful lads, took us to find one, but it was “broken”.
When we returned to the bikes, an eager young policemen asked for our papers (Documenti!!) and then ordered us to follow him into the basement of the police HQ to meet his boss.
After a few curt words, we were escorted across the road to a large police building with large steel doors and metal bars, and greeted by men with kalashnikovs.
Whilst we stood around in the 30 degree heat, various people pawed through our passports looking puzzled. They found one good looking police lady to fire a few questions at us, like, whats your name. I pointed to my T-shirt where John & Mick were printed on it. She cracked a small smile eventually, an hour later, they let us go. Relief.
After another checkpoint on the border of the town, we rode another 70Km to Armavir.
Apparently we needed our immigration papers stamped at an hotel within three days of arrival, we thought it prudent to do so, but, it seems none of these places know of it, or have a “stamp”. So we have settled for a receipt and hope it will suffice.
Meanwhile, a fork seal has gone on Mick’s bike and John’s appears to be weeping too. Oh won’t that be fun !
Its all flat land here with huge fields marked out with hedgerows. Hedgerows with a difference though. They are 10 metre wide strips of trees bordering each field. The fields themselves seem to be marked out in 50 or 100 hectare chunks. Very big, very neat and very square.
Nothing else to look at… apart from the wimin that is.
Hi Mick and John hope you are both keeping well and enjoying yourselves. Sounds like it could be a bumpy ride with those leaky fork seals. Certainly enjoying your stories of you journey so-far. Take care .
Gordon & Beverley
Hi mate following your progress all the best of luck have a wonderful trip
Ian and kate | 5 June 07 | #Sounds fascinating. I will make sure Nadia reads about Russia! I envy you the trip – keep on enjoying it and tell us all about it.
Russian Roger | 5 June 07 | #Commenting is closed for this article.