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25 Aug 2017
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Contributing Member
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
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The Kazakstan pavilion is 8 floors of interactive and educational fun. There was a crazy circus act too.
 Astana-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Astana-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Astana-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Astana-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Kazakstan_-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Astana-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Astana-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Astana-28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Leaving the park we set out for the taxi stand. There are very few real taxi’s here as most are regular people with a “uber-like” app. The guys at the stand told us the price was 3 times what we paid to get there and we only planned to go 1/2 way back. A local women overheard our conversation with the drivers and she came over to us. She said she would book us a cab on her app and even walked 200 m over to the main road to make sure we got the right car. She took quite a bit of verbal abuse from the drivers, but shook it off. We were headed to the “famous” (not sure why it is just a mall) Khan Shatyr mall. Lots of high end shops and not much else. There is a beach on the top floor with sand from the Maldives. Now back to the hotel for Monday night Game of Thrones fix!
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25 Aug 2017
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Contributing Member
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It is August 1 today and we can enter Russia on the second. We are headed to Omsk, but we have to make a detour to Petropavl since the border south of Omsk is open only to Nationals of Russia and Kazakhstan.
 Screen Shot 2017-08-01 at 20.25.32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
So we want to get as far north as possible today. It is 497 km to Petropavl, but if the road is terrible we will get as far as Kokshetau in 310 km.
 Screen Shot 2017-08-01 at 20.25.03 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
It turns out the first 200 km are on a perfect 6 lane toll (not for bikes) highway. Just before Kokshetau is turns to 4 lanes, but after it is a good 2 lane road.
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25 Aug 2017
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Contributing Member
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As usual we did draw a bit of attention when we stopped for lunch!
 Kazakstan_-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
It was stating to get a bit warm at 29 again and about 70 km from Petropavl Sara noted her voltage meter (always at 14.2-14.3) was at 13.4 and dropping steadily. Finally the stator has had it. Well we managed to get to the city, drive around for 45 minutes trying to find a non by the hours hotel, and not have the bike die. I did wait in one spot while 2 of the guys rode about and finally found a nice place with a good spot to work on the bike and I managed to get there without the fan turning on and killing the bike. We let the bike cool off and then hooked up the GS 911 to confirm the issue. Dan is an expert now #7 for stator changes and 2 in the last month. It all went smoothly luckily and on start up charge is 14.2!
 Petrpavl-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Petrpavl by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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25 Aug 2017
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Contributing Member
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We found a surprisingly good Chinese place for dinner and then walked the pedestrian zone. It was packed with people on a Tuesday night.
 Kazakstan_ by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Kazakstan_-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Petrpavl-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Petrpavl-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Tomorrow we leave Kazakhstan and again despite everyone telling us we would be pulled over constantly and hassled by police we did not get pulled over even once and in fact the police we saw never gave us a second look. That said we did follow the posted signs to the letter just like the locals. When it says 30 km/h they ARE going 30. WE were never stopped in Kyrgyzstan either.
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25 Aug 2017
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Contributing Member
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Today we want to get half way to Novosibirsk as Orvar has arranged service at BMW there in 2 days time. This means at least 450 km and the border. Our objective was Tatarsk in 461 km as we knew there were a few hotels listed here.
 Screen Shot 2017-08-02 at 22.37.43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We are not sure what to expect for the border crossing as we have heard it can take up to 4 hours. Our friend Wolfgang crossed from Latvia yesterday and he said it was 2 1/2 hours. We do not have to do customs clearance since we did it when we entered the “customs” zone in Kyrgyzstan and this covers us to the Mongolian border. It is 126 km from Petropavl to the border of Kazakhstan on a mostly good paved road.
When you arrive at the gate you pass the line of vehicles and go to the front. Here there is an officer in a booth who wants to see your passport, Kazakhstan tourist card, and customs form. They give you a small piece of paper to get stamped to give to the gate guard on exit. They then let 5-6 vehicles thru the gate at a time to drive 200 m to the border station. Here you park and go inside to get the passport exit stamp. Back outside the officers have dogs and very briefly look in the boxes. Interestingly they have never at any border asked to look in Trevor’s top box or Dan’s Tank bag. Then you are free to go, but first they wanted a photo of us and so we got one too. Now you ride 200 m to the gate and hand over the small scrap with the stamp.
 IMG_9399 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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25 Aug 2017
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You then pass the “you have crossed the border of the Russian federation” sign and you ride a km to the next gate. Here again you pass the line of vehicles and ride up to the gate. Here the officer wants to see your passport and Russian visa and hands over a tourist card to fill out. (ours was in English, but Wolfgang yesterday had only Russian…Much easier to fill in all the boxes for us). He even helped us to answer a few items that did not translate well. After he checks your work he also hands you the usual small scrap of paper for the exit. We had to wait a few minutes before we got thru the gate to ride 300 m to the border station. Here you go in and hand over your passport, tourist card, and vehicle registration and get an entry stamp. Outside the officers wanted to look thru the luggage and even wanted to look under Dan’s seat ( a first). They asked me if I had a gun or narcotics….UH no. They were all very friendly, warm, and nice…. not as advertised at all. All done in under an hour. You ride 300 m to the exit gate and the young officer was very smiley and friendly taking our small stamped paper and welcoming us to Russia.
 Tatarsk-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tatarsk by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Just outside the gate are several trailers where you can buy your vehicle insurance. This is 15 USD for a month and the 3 of us all had it done in 20 min. Orvar has a green card and it is valid in Russia.
 Tatarsk-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tatarsk-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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25 Aug 2017
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Now to make some miles as we have 335 km to go and it is 12 noon. The road is very good and 2 lanes, but there is a lot of truck traffic. We stopped in Marjanowka 110 km from the border and drove 5 km to the town centre as there was a bank there to get Rubles so we could get some lunch.
 Tatarsk2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Gas stations take visa, but sometimes the cashier will not let you use it unless you pray the exact number of liters and so you always have to have cash as back up. You hand them your biggest bill and say full and they usually will turn on the pump. Making friends at the gas station as usual.
 Russia Novosibirsk-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
From here there is several sections with construction stoppages but we managed to time them pretty well to get to the front of the line when it was our directions turn to go. We had to stop for break from the droning monotony about 100 km from Tatarsk and picked ourselves up with an ice cream. The town is off the highway about 8 km and we headed for one of the places listed in the GPS. It had enclosed parking and was clean and pretty cheap. 11$ each with breakfast.
 FILE3722 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We had a very comfortable night actually and after adjusting all our devices we are all on the correct time now.
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26 Aug 2017
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Today is errand day. Orvar’s 800 was in for “20,000 km BMW Certified service” and the 650 to check out why the new speed sensor is on the fritz. (They said they reset the sensor, but the light was back on 4 blocks later and still is). Yesterday the dash was a Christmas tree with the red Sensor warning, the yellow bulb warning, and the blue high beam warning. The bulb went today, but we got a Bosch one at the gas station to replace it today. There is no way they did anything but change the oil. The plastics were not off for sure. This is the air filter they said they replaced when we took it out 3 days later in Barnaul.
 Russia Barnaul-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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26 Aug 2017
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Contributing Member
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We then all walked 2 km to the alpine store for Orvar to get a sleep sac and warm socks to combat his summer sleeping bag issue and then to the mall for some new T shirts= throw out old ones.
 Novosibirsk-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Then back to our Fav spot!
 Novosibirsk-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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26 Aug 2017
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Contributing Member
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For a bit of sight seeing today we took a taxi across the river about 13 km for 3$ to the Glory Memorial to WW2.
 Russia Novosibirsk-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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26 Aug 2017
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Then we sorted the metro out for the ride back. This meant we could make a second trip to the mall as Dan had not found anything yesterday.
 Russia Novosibirsk-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Novosibirsk-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Another memorial near the hotel.
 Novosibirsk-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Russia Novosibirsk-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We had an amazingly good Japanese meal also very near the hotel.
 Russia Novosibirsk by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
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helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
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