I thought I'd share some notes on my experience of getting from Vlad to Vancouver with an XT600E. I know there's a lot of similar stuff on here, but this is at least current as of late August 2009. I rode from Vladivostok to Zarubino, took the Dong Chun ferry to Sokcho, South Korea, and sent the bike by air from Seoul to Vancouver BC.

There is a Dong Chun ferry ticket office in Vladivostok in the big white building behind the train station in Primorye, about 5 minutes walk from Hotel Vladivostok. The office is on the second floor. You can buy your passenger ticket and kick off the bike process with V5 etc, but don't actually buy a bike ticket.

I recommend buying a first class ticket as this means you share a cabin for 4 (my cabin was empty apart from me) but economy means sleeping on the floor in an open public area with about 20 others.

The ferry is currently running Wednesday and Saturday.

Vlad to Zarubino is an easy 4 hour ride with mostly good or ok tarmac and a few short sections of muddy gravel with bad potholes. From Vlad go north towards Ussirysk on the M60, turn left at Razdolnoye then follow the road to Khasan (XACAH).

Don't miss the only sign for a left turn to Zarubino at a fairly major junction.

The ferry port is hard to miss as you'll see it when you ride in. There is an office to the right of the main gate which doesn't open till 13:00. Be at the front of the queue before a coach load of Koreans arrives.

There is a fairly decent food shop nearby, and a bank in the same building as the port office.

At 13:00 enter the office, hand over your docs at the first window and pay 250 rubles. You get a ticket that allows you entrance to the port. Ride your bike in, bearing left and keeping left of the train tracks. Park up next to the big building and wait in the waiting room.

To the left of the front door (looking from inside) is a hut with two windows. The first opens at 2pm. Pay 700 rubles and go to the next window where you get a real ticket. Wait in the waiting area.

Someone will come for you and take you to the office where the bill of lading is being prepared. You fill in a customs declaration and pay 1500 rubles. Go and wait some more.

Eventually someone tells you to take the bike to the ferry. A soldier will look in your panniers etc, then you drive up the ramp. The crew tell you where to park and strap your bike down for you. Return to the waiting area.

Someone will bring you a completed bill of lading. Hold on to it.

At 16:30 the customs check opens. Stick your bags on the scanner. I wasn't asked to remove my jacket, nor were my pockets checked or scanned.

Pass through a brief immigration and passport check. There is a duty free shop with a small selection of booze and a bar of chocolate.

Go onto the boat, if you're in first class get your room key at the reception desk. Behind you are some forms you will need to complete before disembarking.

The ferry has a restaurant (but the food is korean), a shop, vending machines for drinks, and will exchange currency (rubles and dollars to korean won). The cabin has 4 bunk beds, a sink and a tv, and is quite comfortable. At midnight they switch 2 hours back to Korean time so breakfast will be 2 hours later than you think if you don't change your watch. Breakfast is korean and is not breakfast....

The ferry arrives about 11am. Leave on foot, go through customs, immigration and passport control, and look out for the Sokcho customs office at the end of the corridor. Immediately next door is the Dong Chun ferry office, but there's no sign just a grey door.

The dong chun staff (probably a Miss Choi) will take you round to unload the bike which you ride into the customs building.

Back in the office pay 323 US dollars for the bike shipment. Then go away and come back at 13:00.

The port building has an ATM which does not accept foregin cards. Foreign cards are only accepted in machines with a "global" sign on them.

Your mobile phone probably won't work in Korea.

If you are using Wendy Choi (which you should be) give her a call from the phone in the Dong Chun office.

I had the bike trucked to Seoul because I'm on a tight schedule. The truck arrives, you ride onto a pallet and are lifted by a fork lift onto the truck. Driver straps the bike down, you jump in the passenger seat and ride for about 3 hours to the crating company building near gimpo airport in Seoul.

The crating boys masure up and make the bottom part of the crate. Roll the bike on, put it on the centre stand, remove front wheel, then rear wheel, then drop it onto its belly, drop the bars down, remove mirrors, mudguards etc to get it as small as possible.

The craters strap the bike to the platform, then you can pile on your panniers and bike gear and bits and pieces, staying within the size of the platform. The craters will finsih the crate. Bugger off to your hotel, contact wendy, get an invoice, pay her (no credit cards, only cash) and that's it.

I'll add details of gettin out of Vancouver when I do it.

The total cost for the bike shipment was $2291. That's for an XT600E with panniers and quite a lot of kit from Seoul to Vancouver, including the costs for the flight, the crating and all other incidental charges, and the truck ride from Sokcho which came in at $350.

In fact here's a full breakdown, in us dollars. I don't know what some of these are but you have to pay them:-

Air freight 1485.90 (3.90 per kg)
fsc/ssc 91.44 (0.24/kg)
dangerous handling charge 52.00
crating 161.00
certification 50.00
customs 50.00
handling 50.00
trucking 350.00

Total 2290.34

Wendy is brilliant and made the whole thing totally effortless and stress free. I had to do practically nothing. The truck arrives, the craters do their thing, everything else happens while you're not there. It's so easy, as is the ferry where people come and tell you what to do next, it really is a breeze.

Total cost about 3000 dollars, but don't forget your own flight.

The big variable would be air freight. With a heavier bike, and if you can't pack it down as small, it will go up. I believe mine came in at 2.3 cubic metres. I don't really understand it but if the size goes above a certain level you get charged according to that size even though your weight is actually less. Or something.

Anyway, it was all very easy, especially with Wendy's help. I found it very difficult beforehand to get information on the likely cost or the procedure so I hope this heps someone. I forgot to get gps locations, but really you won't need them, it's all so easy.

Cheers.
Al