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5 Aug 2015
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It wasn't all plain-sailing from there since Dam's car had a flat.
And as Daniel rode into Ulaangom alone, he discovered that the truck had got stuck in the sand.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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5 Aug 2015
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X-rays at the local hospital show, as suspected, nothing was broken and I'm prescribed an interesting cocktail of supplements and painkillers.
Whilst I'm at the hospital, Dam's brother, Baathar appears with two large gentlemen and escort me to the dispensary and then to a hotel. It's the State Festival in Ulaangom and no hotel rooms had been available but they have found us a room in a guest house. One room, two beds, shared toilet, no shower.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
Last edited by Wildman; 5 Aug 2015 at 16:28.
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5 Aug 2015
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Dam tells us that he'll return at 10:00 the next morning. We enquire at midday and he messages that he has a busy day and can't come. The challenge that we have is that we don't know where my motorcycle is. Baathar texts at 14:15 that a driver will be with us within the hour. The driver never arrives. We chase at 18:00, resigned to spending another night in Ulaangom. No response.
We go for dinner but, due to the Festival, no restaurants are open. We discover that the bike is at Autoservice Badaa but there's no addresses or street names in Ulaangom and no one, not even the police, know where it is. We buy Kimchi and eat at 21:00. A frustrating day but these people wouldn't let me pay for anything yesterday; their hospitality knows no bounds.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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5 Aug 2015
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166 miles from Ulaangom towards Burgaasatyn Ortoo (only 23 miles from each other)
At 00:47, there's a knock on our hotel room door. It's Dam. He says, "We get motorcycle now". And we did. Autoservice Badaa was less than a mile away.
Dam had been racing that day as part of the Festival and Daniel and I fully understand. He'd come back to his home town from Moscow, where he works, to participate in the festivities. He was beautifully dressed in white silk with a broad-rimmed hat and leather riding boots.
After we collect the bike, he takes some photographs and we hug and kiss (a local custom). I'm very grateful that this gentleman became a part of our life.
The next day we find pristine tarmac. Pretty soon I realise that my steering is not right. I'd noticed and commented to Daniel on a "clunkiness" over previous days but under heavy braking on a paved road, the bars wobble uncontrollably. Daniel takes a ride and it's clear that my steering head bolt is loose. I'd had new steering head bearings fitted immediately before leaving on the trip. Had the bolt shaken loose or was it not properly tightened in the first place? We'll never know.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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5 Aug 2015
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We got carried away with the paved road, in the hope that it was heading where we wanted to go which was south. It wasn't showing on any map or GPS being so new. Unfortunately, the road slowly turned east. We headed back and stopped at a great little cafe and met lovely people.
They showed us a shortcut to our destination. Just follow the telegraph poles was the clear message.
It soon became clear that whilst this was a great shortcut for lightweight bikes, ours were struggling as the terrain became more and more ... you've guessed it ... sandy! Daniel rode on to see if it improved. He returned to say that it got worse so we turned back after 5kms.
As we headed back towards town.
Daniel's first drop of the trip although, in his defence, he was now carrying my heavy bag and I, his lighter one. That's what good riding buddies do!
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
Last edited by Wildman; 31 Aug 2015 at 20:57.
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5 Aug 2015
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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5 Aug 2015
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116 miles from Burgaasatayn Ortoo to Khovd
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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5 Aug 2015
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135 miles from Khovd to Ulgii
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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5 Aug 2015
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We get our only, "Over the boots" water crossing.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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5 Aug 2015
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
Last edited by Wildman; 5 Aug 2015 at 21:13.
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5 Aug 2015
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Ahem.
Believe it or not, the wind blew me over. Honest.
The last 60kms into Ulgii are paved.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
Last edited by Wildman; 5 Aug 2015 at 20:15.
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5 Aug 2015
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2 days, 715 miles from Ulgii to Rubtsovsk
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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3 days, 948 miles through Kazakhstan to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan
We put in some big miles so as not be rushed at the end. Three days of dodging potholes, thunderstorms and the notorious Kazakh police.
We made it.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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Dropping off the bikes in Bishkek.
A group of Italian riders had just arrived to start their trip from Bishkek.
One of them was 80 years old. Inspirational.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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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)
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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!
![Five books by Graham Field!](/stuff/grahamfield/graham-field-2021-280.jpg)
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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