So I'm on my trip from England through Scandinavia, into Russia and Mongolia. I'm currently in Sweden and will be crossing into Russia around 13/06/2013.

So a little bit of nerves are setting in as always people are giving horror story's...

We are driving by 4x4 Nissan and the route is from Finland, into Russia through St Petersburg, Moscow and then heading towards Mongolia, Ulaanbatar, if we have time to Magadan, before returning across Russia to Europe.

So any last minutes tips please, or any up to date information on the route?

Basicly just to hear some positives rather then the constant 'storys' from people who have never been to these places...

Read the threads and response here from those that have done it for the first time, along with the experienced old hats.

I did it for the first time last year and had never ridden across borders, in fact my total experience of driving/riding in foreign countries was a Tarago minivan in New Zealand and a half day scooter hire on Santorini - hardly worth writing home about and English is the only language I speak.

I found it all quite easy in the end - just don't forget your insurance when crossing the border.

Horror stories??

I reckon Russia is safer than the UK.

Been travelling in Russia for 20 years. NEVER had anything stolen. A mate travelled here last year and left his bike in the street in central Moscow without a security chain or disc lock or anything, for 3 days and 3 nights and it wasnt even touched.

You couldnt do that in London, let alone any other city in the UK.

Use basic common sense, take basic precautions, DONT treat locals as if they are to be feared or you are superior to them. I come back to Russia every summer to travel. Find it a fantastically welcoming and friendly place.

Like the UK, the bigger the city, the less people are interested in you as they have their own busy lives. The smaller the towns you travel through the more interesting you are to them, and the hospitality rapidly becomes warmer than ANYTHING you will experience int he west.

I recommend you stray from main roads, as they (the main roads) are the most boring, least friendly, least interesting (most generic) parts of the country. Again, think of the UK ... you cant drive up the M1-M6 and say you have seen England ... its the small towns and villages that are the REAL England. Russia is no different.

Its a big country and there are a MILLION different routes you can take to cross it. Dont confine yourself to thinking there is just one. If you do, then you are automatically locking yourself onto the most boring route across the country. If you do see only one route across the country, you run the risk that your potential journey of adventure and a discovery of another country and culture becomes nothing more than a Russian highway endurance test. I cannot stress that enough.

Russians themselves will fill you with horror stories - that the people in the next town, next province, next country etc are all bandits. Ignore them.

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Cysne, I'd happily try and balance my emotions with you. I'll be there in 10 days and am too excited. A bit of hesitation might relax me a bit.


It's a fact of travelling in some regions or just dealing with people. Groups of people are always warning you of the other groups who are warning you of the first group. It's always funny to learn of all the apparent bullets you dodged while too busy being treated like an old friend to notice.

It's great to get the reassurance from the folks that have preceeded you. I too will be following in your footsteps next year. But you have to accept problems do arise and it's all part of the adventure. If things ran absolutely smoothly then you can't bore people with jaw dropping adventures on your return. Good luck on your travels everyone.

Hello

Met a Russian biker from Sachalin on his way to Moskow, communikation was difficult but he told me not to stop between Khabarovsk and Chita, 2 Bikers were killed in this part of the country.
Wanted to ask him if I could stop for gas,but there was the language barrier.
:confused1:
How do you do that?
Do I show fear of locals by not camping along the main road or taking my helmet and tankbag with valuables into the shop instead of leaving it on the bike; Do I show superior by beeing surpriced when they expect me to shit in the wooden sheed in the field with no running water in the motel but still asking 700 rubel for a bed, or could the mechanik in Kabarovsk read my mind,although I was still smiling, when he destoyed a brand new heavyduty tube when he replaced my tires, or when he wanted to clench the 120 chain before the wheel was mounted,not even bothering that original is 110, then on my insisting getting angry then measureing on the bike on the central stand with the swingarm relaxt, finally the chain was thight as hell and he didn't understand what was wrong.
Maybe I should have been more pleased when he showed pictures of him and his buddies in "Wehrmachts Uniform mit Hackenkreuz"
I just told him I'm Swiss not German,have nothing in common with that.
Well, then I am guilty.

I wouldn't say Russia is as bad as the Russians itself claim it to be, but that sounds to me a bit to optimistic.
It's a big country with good and bad people.

I came to Russia with the same open mind as I did in every other country in the last 2 years of this trip,
but they are just trying so hard to give me a bad impression of Russia

So is it just me?
What do I do wrong

sushi

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I cant answer that without meeting you or travelling with you.

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"Your Welcome" in response to "Thank You" is not universal - even in English speaking countries - for example Australians will say "No Worries" if they say anything at all.

Just relax and accept the country for what it is - I would suggest complaining about the plumbing of $20 hotel is part of the issue.

As Walter said to me once - it is probably the only place in the world you can knock on someones door at 9pm, not speak the language and get help.

When our bike broke down - we got all the help in the world to rescue the bike and get to accommodation. When we arrived at 1 in the morning there was food and hot tea. After that amongst the best two weeks I have ever had in my life and friends that I will have life.

Hello
Yeah, every IGA has this "special" person who will never see its picture on the wall of the employees of the month.
But you're wright, now I've stoped using any form of communication, as the locals do and it works,feels like I'm in the movie "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm_Bodies_(film)".
I felt so sorry for the woman I forced to smile and say bashalsta, must have been a horrible experience for them. Will never do it again.
But the fact that so far in every third place they tried to cheat by raising the price for a bed once I've seen and liked it, still bothers me.
The hospitality sounds great unless you don't want it,for whatever reason.
Yesterday I almost had a fight with a guy who pulled constantly on my jacket while I tried to explain him that I'm not interested in coming to his party nor his sauna.
Well just 4000km of this shithole till the border of the EU.
sushi

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http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

Yes and everything Walter said above. And I left my bike in the streets of many Russian cities for more than one night with no issue.

Put this way I wouldn't let my wife walk in downtown Vancouver by herself at 9pm. If was any of the Russian cities we stayed in I would have told to go by herself.

In Mongolia beware of petty theft though particularly in UB ie don't leave things straped to the bike that are easily nicked. A number of people we met on bikes had stuff stolen from them.

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Hello Cysne,

when I entered Russia the first time in 1992 I was also a bit like you ...

but I found the people so welcoming and friendly that I lost all my fear within a few days.

Then I returned in 1997/1999/2000/2003 and traveled to remote corners of the biggest country on the planet. I had very little problems, but two things I want to tell you .... stay away from drunk strangers - dont drink with strangers .... park your car at night in an autostolyanca (paid parking) as the locals do.

enjoy Russia

mika

Following up on what Craig Iedema said ...

Mongolia is a different country. People are less smiley and less overtly friendly than in Russia. And UB is the petty crime and pickpocket capital of the WORLD. So be more cautious in Mongolia, especially in ULAANBAATAR. In Mongolia, keep your valuables in zipped pockets.

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Thanks for the words, just what I wanted to here from people who have been there.

Sorry examples of the horror storys as you say;

Bandits, Armed muggings, mafia, etc from people who are never been. Gets a little wearing constantly having to tell people otherwise (for the last 6 months!) makes you start to wonder...

Really appreciate your honesty, thanks.

Ho hum...as others have said, read any number of ride reports about trips in Russia and you won't see many (any?) horror stories.

And sad to say, many Russians are the worst at spreading this kind of story. Many of my Russian colleagues apparently never expected me to return from my trip to Magadan a couple of years ago, because in their view everyone in the Far East is some kind of horrible criminal.

But of course this is not a license to shut your brain off while travelling in Russia--use common sense. For example, if you wild camp, don't do it right on the side of the road where every ne'er-do-well that drives by will see you.

Just to add my tupp'orth from 1996.
We were given a document that was being handed out to staff of a big UK financial consultant (big name but don't remember which), that was piling into Moscow for post-Soviet glasnost. This paper said, in black and white, avoid being in a non-company car in Moscow because the police would stop all foreign-looking people and threaten an injection with AIDS virus if substantial bribes weren't paid.
Well, luckily all 4 of us were of like mind to see this was rubbish, but one took a few Zippo lighters "just in case."

In those days (maybe it's still the same), 3 foreign motorbikes parked in a town would immediately attract a big crowd, and big crowds quickly attracted the police, who were always helpful.
In Ukraine and in Russia.

We were staying in homestays and had the addresses with us written in Cyrillic.
We'd show that to the police when they arrived and they'd escort us right to the front door.
The first time, in Kiev, after following the Landcruiser through the city, one of our number offered the copper one of the Zippo lighters.
He waved his hands in some consternation saying "No no no!"

There was a burdgeoning bikers' scene in those days that always took us under their wing, specially in St. Pete. Maybe it's still the same.

The St.Petersburg family who arranged our homestays insisted there was no way to travel by road from Kiev to Moscow. The road was controlled by mafia - they rob everyone - there's nowhere to stay overnight - no petrol - no water, no tarmac.....
Well, when we successfully arrived in Moscow and phoned them, they were gracious enough to agree "things must be changing for the better."
At the police checkpoints along the road in Ukraine approaching the Russian border, the police would say "impossible to travel beyond the border, Mafia control everything, rob everyone, turn back now."

Yep, I'd agree with that, but it depends a bit on your own outlook.
One of our number was a serious Scottish drinker - a real Scot. (In his 50s like me).
He handled the Russian drunks no problem, it was often very entertaining.
But I think without a doubt, if he hadn't been with us we would not have had the skills to connect socially with the heavy drinkers that we met. And we would have steered clear of them.

It was a great trip - 3 weeks.

-Someone above mentioned other countries. It always seems it's the people living in the country that mostly tell you it's dangerous. Including the U.S.
While I was cycling around small-town America people would say "On your own? Isn't that dangerous? You'll get robbed!!"
And yet, a child's football, 'stolen' overnight from a front garden, was the front-page news in the local paper.....

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