Not really ... beer (and food) tends to be basic in the BAM end of the world. There is no problem finding food and beer in the shops in the towns and villages along the way .. just expect the usual tuborg, kuler, 2 litre plastic bottles of ochakovo and sibirskaya korona, rather than boutique beers.

http://creativecan.com/wp-content/up...ona3_thumb.jpg

**** man, I've read through your blogs about the bam at least 5 times each. You talk about the physical challenges regularly, but only now do you reveal the ultimate challenge, mediocre beer!

At least it will be better than most Australian beers and a shedload cheaper.

On a more serious note thanks for your willingness to share information and help people. You deserve to be bought the best beer possible.

There's nothing wrong with Sibirskaya Corona, or Tuborg for that matter.

I was probably just overdramasizing my love for a good baltic porter at the expense of the beers colebatch mentioned. I'm sure I will enjoy sibirskaya korona amongst others on plenty of occasions. If I find stepan razin porter i'll be filling my panniers and do my best to take a pint glass along with me.

Our paths may just cross again!! Heading out in May to cycle back... should be in Mongolia June/July...

Make mine a Westvleteren XII then !

Sure thing, we can drink it in the middle of the vitim bridge!

I almost organised a few westy 12 a year or so ago, but didn't for cost reasons. I think I've got about 50 or so bottles of at least comparable trappist style ale under the house that I've brewed, but I'm waiting a couple months before I try one. It was tasting promising, but possibly closer to a rochefort 9 (between the 8 and 10).


Back on topic, I'm assuming that maps are best to organise in russia? I don't think it will really be neccesary but spreading a paper map over the floor in the tent at night while having a beer is always nice.

Yes the only decent paper maps of Russia seem to be published in Russia and in Cyrillic. Book shops here have pretty decent map sections. Are you passing thru Moscow en route?

I'm flying into khabarovsk as my first arrival point where I'll probably get on the transsiberian for 48hrs of language practice, beer drinking and getting antsy before getting on the bike at Ulan-Ude.

Do you know of any online shops that would carry a suitable map? I'd love to have a map before I go so I can mark it with different notes and landmarks as well as transliterate it for some alphabet practice. Otherwise I was planning to grab one in Khabvarovsk or Ulan-Ude. Probably Khabarovsk so I have something extra to do while sitting on a train for so long

What are you looking for a map of? I doubt you'll find anything detailed of the BAM or anything east of Yakutsk anywhere, including in Moscow (at least I've never seen any). I've seen a couple of maps of the Road of Bones online, that's probably about as good as you'll get for that area.

For just a basic atlas, you shouldn't have any problem finding one in Khabarovsk or Ulan Ude.

I was hoping for something with some details of the BAM like towns along the way etc. Is that going to be too much of a challenge to find?

Colebatch would be able to say better than me, but all of the Russian atlases that I've seen cover that area at a scale of 1:3,000,000 to 1:6,000,000, which is not very detailed but which does show towns, rivers, etc.

Yes I personally think the more recently printed, revised annually, detailed road atlases are still the best bet. I have a very detailed 20 page atlas covering just the Road of Bones / Kolyma Highway between Yakutsk and Magadan, but its largely out of date (from the early 1990s) and therefore not a lot of use.

Thanks Motoreiter and Colebatch. I'll know what to look for. I might just make some detailed notes on a printed map for myself as an atlas will be pretty heavy and bulky.

Getting some things done, one being a journal/blog that I'll update on the road. It's not the slickest website but I've used it a few times before and it is easy to set up updates via draft emails that are sent when net access is available. www.crazyguyonabike.com/bam2013

My visa invitation has been processed and I'll be going into the consulate on monday to drop off documents.

I also had an email from someone who may end up riding the first bit with me but we've only just made contact.

Looking forward to hearing the sound of a motorbike interrupting the nature before meeting some of you on the track.