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BennyBeanBears Travels
Episode 18
On Friday the 23rd we rolled up to the border ready to cross as soon as it opened at 9am. Well, that was optimistic to say the least. It was after 10.30 before the first of us were allowed into the border compound and could begin the process of exiting Mongolia, not as easy as one would think. At least me, being a stuffed toy, don't add to the paper work involved. The process proved to be quicker than it sometimes is and about 40mins later we drove off out of the country coming to the actual border fence some 10k’s up the road. At that point some Russian guard came out took the passport and car papers and disappeared for 20 mins before actually opening the gate, letting us into Russia and returning the papers. This was only a checkpoint, the border post was 20k’s further on and the process considerably longer.
An hour or more later with papers stamped and passports too, but with still both halves of the immigration card, the guard at the gate checked it all again then opened the gate and told us to stop again at the immigration post 300m down the road. This involved another wait outside a little square wooden box where there was an almost invisible sign saying 'Immigration". Here he took one half of our immigration cards and stamped our passports yet again. Now we had only 10 days to get to Latvia nearly 6000 k’s away. The ten days includes your entry and exit days.
It was a very pretty drive down through the Altai region on a road that has been much improved since my humans drove this way 15 years ago. Mind you, the road was still far from good but it is mostly tarmac with plenty of large potholes and many short, extremely rough gravel sections. The trees are beginning to turn yellow with autumn just days away. The road follows a river valley, sometimes high above the stream, other times beside it. At one point while my humans were enjoying a cup of tea we watched some rafters zoom past very quickly, the stream is flowing so fast.
This Altai region is very mountainous with the highest mountain in the region around 6000m, making it the highest mountain in Russia and much higher than Elbrus, in the north Caucasus that is the highest in Europe.
As we passed through this region the car began giving even more trouble so our progress was not at all what we would have liked. Along the way we came across a French couple whom we’d met back at the Oasis in UB. They too, had problems and could only go 2k’s at a time and had been doing so for many days. Their problem was a fuel pump one that they were hoping they could get attended to in Binsk, some 200k’s or more further on after we’d seen them.
When the car stalled in the middle of an intersection on the outskirts of Novosibirsk it refused to start again. After much ‘under the bonnet’ goings on D decided that the ‘in tank’ fuel pump had packed up. It was at this point that a young local man, who spoke reasonable English, came on the scene. He was most helpful. He knew a garage where we could take the car, he found us a tow rope and arranged a tow to the garage from a passing motorist. That sort of thing happens a lot in Russia. All this on a Saturday afternoon, imagine trying to get anything done in Australia at such a time.
Once at the garage we, well I sat and supervised as you can well imagine, while my humans unpacked the car, where on earth does all this stuff come from? Everything had to come out to get at this ‘in tank’ fuel pump. Anyway it was got out, a second hand one that would fit was located and adapted, it came from a Lada, and fitted, all on a Saturday evening. After 9pm by the time it was finished. The threatening rain had not materialized fortunately as everything, including me was sitting out in the long grass and weeds awaiting re-loading. As evening and darkness came on the mosquitoes came out in force and hungry beggars they were too, and very nearly the size of grasshoppers according to L. She isn’t nearly as found of them as they appear to be of her.
It was while L was sitting on a box amongst the possessions and long grass that she decided that the Russians seem to have little idea of the concept of a lawn. Only on very rare occasions have we seen anyone attacking the rampant weeds and grass with a whipper snipper or lawn mower. L was later to ponder this and remarked that in the former Soviet states such as Poland and the Baltic states even around the worst of the housing unit blocks the grass is cut and the shrubs and trees trimmed and some semblance of order and community exists but in the Russian Federation no one seems to take any interest at all in improving the vicinity of their housing unit. There is rubbish and rubble strewn everywhere, the grass and weeds grow unchecked with just little dirt (or very muddy and wet if it’s been raining) trails lead through this havoc to the entrance of the housing units. There seems to be absolutely no community spirit or willingness to get together and do something to improve the surroundings. Perhaps the Soviet system killed all this spirit and still, more than 20 years on, it has not yet resurfaced.
Anyway, with the new petrol pump fitted we were off again. In order to drive across Russia within our 10 day visa requirement and not knowing what was likely to go wrong next, but sure as hell something would, D was driving at all hours. He would have a sleep when tired and start off again when he woke no matter what time this was. We got through Omsk and Ishim OK, and then came across about the worst road we’ve had the whole trip. It was only about 13k’s but took a good 45 mins to cover in the pitch dark and tipping rain. Fortunately at that time there was very little traffic, not the endless queue of trucks that happens 20 hours a day.
We were making quite good progress and we were all quite optimistic and looking forward to crossing the Urals, from Asia back into Europe, when of course something had to go wrong again. D had noticed that one of the rear tyres had a little bulge so he changed it for the spare. Then, when we stopped for a rest at the foot of the Urals west of Chelyabinsk D saw that the spare had developed a huge bulge. Might have happened as we came on the ring road around Chelyabinsk when we hit one hell of a pot hole, even I rattled, that’s not easy for stuffed toy. There had been no avoiding it whilst travelling in a line of traffic at 30k’s an hour.
The upshot of this tyre thing was that we had to backtrack into Chelyabinsk and locate another tyre. Unfortunately D couldn’t get a Michelin as he wanted but had to settle for a Bridgestone that was more expensive than the Michelin we had got in Murmansk. L spent a frustrating 2 hours to change money at the bank, normally a quick and very easy process. It was after 8pm by the time we were back on the road again. After a few hours sleep my humans were quite disappointed to have to cross the mountains in the dark but fearing further breakdowns they didn’t want to waste time either.
What next! Well we made it around Ufa. The car is still stalling for no apparent reason, the new petrol pump didn’t cure that and it has begun missing, sometimes quite badly. While sitting in a most awkward spot outside Ufa waiting for the car to start again we did help out some passing motorist who stopped to ask directions of us. After studying our maps and Sat-nav he thanked us profusely and off he went. He was heading in Kazakhstan, that much we did work out. We even almost made it to Kazan before the next thing went wrong. The starter motor packed up. The car had stalled as we approached a set of traffic lights then wouldn’t start.
David had gone over to a nearby village, there is usually a nearby village in Russia, and someone he met there took him someplace where they tested the starter motor and told him there wasn’t anything wrong with it. So he came back muttering to himself, and sure enough, it didn’t start. After more mutterings and testing he was still certain it was the starter motor. By this time it was getting quite late and dark. Another young chap had stopped to offer help. He was heading home to Kazan so he took D with him while L and I stayed with the car. They came back in the afternoon of the next day with the starter motor fixed. Only took D 10 minutes to fit it and we were off again. The young man who had taken him into Kazan had also put him up for the night and brought him back the next day, we had been 60k’s out of Kazan.
From here we made it to the border in two full days of travelling and managed to exit Russia with time to spare. That was a relief.
We travelled down through Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland on minor roads often in pouring rain. We took the autobans across Germany in constant drizzle and speeds of up to 130k’s ph, for those that wanted to travel at that speed. The autumn colours are spreading in the forests, the potato digging appeared to be in full swing despite the adverse conditions. The apple trees are loaded with ripening fruit and we saw cart loads of apples being transported along the roads. Perhaps they are going for crushing for juice or cider. The hay making season is in full swing and there are massive stacks of silage wrapped in white plastic in most fields.
It wasn’t until we reached Holland that the rain finally abated some 5 days later, or was it 6, and the sun was damn hot: It was by this time that my humans had decided that the car ran more smoothly with the fuel tank at least half full, so we hadn’t been letting it get low. But, then, there we were on a Dutch motorway with the car stalled and the autobahn safety car pulls up behind us. The driver must be the only Dutch person who doesn’t speak English. D got the car going again but it only went about a kilometer and stopped again, he tried to explain to the safety man why it wouldn’t keep going but couldn’t make him understand, nor could we find out how far it was to the next services. After we’d made it a couple more k’s the breakdown truck turned up, the safety man had called it. The car was loaded onto the truck and taken to the nearest service station where, once we’d filled up with fuel again it went fine. We had been extremely lucky that this breakdown service on the Autobahns in Holland is free. The fuel had been over half full and my humans had intended to fill up at the next services anyway.
Without anything more untoward happening we made it to the ferry terminal in Dunkerque where L booked us on an early ferry to Dover and finally we made it back to Arundel, arriving there the day before Heather, our hostess, left with her friend Dawn for a week in Sicily. So that now we are taking care of Trevor the cat whilst H is away. D is wrestling with the problems with the car, the gearbox problem is the major one as on-one seems ever to have encountered it’s like before.
Apart from the numerous car problems other things have packed up too. The inverter that we use to charge all sorts of things packed up months ago, the sat-nav tweeks off and on frequently, perhaps there’s a broken wire in the cable, and for some reason it doesn’t always read the maps right, that one is a real pain. The new electric jug packed up, fortunately the old one had kept going though it’s only held together with insulation tape. D’s volt metre died, it needed new batteries that we couldn’t find, and the small gas camping stove has minor problems. I’m sure there’s more but can’t think of them at present.
We made it back safely to the UK so things aren’t all that bad after all, just very frustrating and Central Asia will have to wait for next year, too late in the season now even if the car gets fixed quickly.
I have added a few videos, they are long and boring I fear but we don't have a means of editing them. They will however, give you some idea of the road conditions.
© Lynette Regan September 9, 2013
On Friday the 23rd we rolled up to the border ready to cross as soon as it opened at 9am. Well, that was optimistic to say the least. It was after 10.30 before the first of us were allowed into the border compound and could begin the process of exiting Mongolia, not as easy as one would think. At least me, being a stuffed toy, don't add to the paper work involved. The process proved to be quicker than it sometimes is and about 40mins later we drove off out of the country coming to the actual border fence some 10k’s up the road. At that point some Russian guard came out took the passport and car papers and disappeared for 20 mins before actually opening the gate, letting us into Russia and returning the papers. This was only a checkpoint, the border post was 20k’s further on and the process considerably longer.
An hour or more later with papers stamped and passports too, but with still both halves of the immigration card, the guard at the gate checked it all again then opened the gate and told us to stop again at the immigration post 300m down the road. This involved another wait outside a little square wooden box where there was an almost invisible sign saying 'Immigration". Here he took one half of our immigration cards and stamped our passports yet again. Now we had only 10 days to get to Latvia nearly 6000 k’s away. The ten days includes your entry and exit days.
It was a very pretty drive down through the Altai region on a road that has been much improved since my humans drove this way 15 years ago. Mind you, the road was still far from good but it is mostly tarmac with plenty of large potholes and many short, extremely rough gravel sections. The trees are beginning to turn yellow with autumn just days away. The road follows a river valley, sometimes high above the stream, other times beside it. At one point while my humans were enjoying a cup of tea we watched some rafters zoom past very quickly, the stream is flowing so fast.
This Altai region is very mountainous with the highest mountain in the region around 6000m, making it the highest mountain in Russia and much higher than Elbrus, in the north Caucasus that is the highest in Europe.
As we passed through this region the car began giving even more trouble so our progress was not at all what we would have liked. Along the way we came across a French couple whom we’d met back at the Oasis in UB. They too, had problems and could only go 2k’s at a time and had been doing so for many days. Their problem was a fuel pump one that they were hoping they could get attended to in Binsk, some 200k’s or more further on after we’d seen them.
When the car stalled in the middle of an intersection on the outskirts of Novosibirsk it refused to start again. After much ‘under the bonnet’ goings on D decided that the ‘in tank’ fuel pump had packed up. It was at this point that a young local man, who spoke reasonable English, came on the scene. He was most helpful. He knew a garage where we could take the car, he found us a tow rope and arranged a tow to the garage from a passing motorist. That sort of thing happens a lot in Russia. All this on a Saturday afternoon, imagine trying to get anything done in Australia at such a time.
Once at the garage we, well I sat and supervised as you can well imagine, while my humans unpacked the car, where on earth does all this stuff come from? Everything had to come out to get at this ‘in tank’ fuel pump. Anyway it was got out, a second hand one that would fit was located and adapted, it came from a Lada, and fitted, all on a Saturday evening. After 9pm by the time it was finished. The threatening rain had not materialized fortunately as everything, including me was sitting out in the long grass and weeds awaiting re-loading. As evening and darkness came on the mosquitoes came out in force and hungry beggars they were too, and very nearly the size of grasshoppers according to L. She isn’t nearly as found of them as they appear to be of her.
It was while L was sitting on a box amongst the possessions and long grass that she decided that the Russians seem to have little idea of the concept of a lawn. Only on very rare occasions have we seen anyone attacking the rampant weeds and grass with a whipper snipper or lawn mower. L was later to ponder this and remarked that in the former Soviet states such as Poland and the Baltic states even around the worst of the housing unit blocks the grass is cut and the shrubs and trees trimmed and some semblance of order and community exists but in the Russian Federation no one seems to take any interest at all in improving the vicinity of their housing unit. There is rubbish and rubble strewn everywhere, the grass and weeds grow unchecked with just little dirt (or very muddy and wet if it’s been raining) trails lead through this havoc to the entrance of the housing units. There seems to be absolutely no community spirit or willingness to get together and do something to improve the surroundings. Perhaps the Soviet system killed all this spirit and still, more than 20 years on, it has not yet resurfaced.
Anyway, with the new petrol pump fitted we were off again. In order to drive across Russia within our 10 day visa requirement and not knowing what was likely to go wrong next, but sure as hell something would, D was driving at all hours. He would have a sleep when tired and start off again when he woke no matter what time this was. We got through Omsk and Ishim OK, and then came across about the worst road we’ve had the whole trip. It was only about 13k’s but took a good 45 mins to cover in the pitch dark and tipping rain. Fortunately at that time there was very little traffic, not the endless queue of trucks that happens 20 hours a day.
We were making quite good progress and we were all quite optimistic and looking forward to crossing the Urals, from Asia back into Europe, when of course something had to go wrong again. D had noticed that one of the rear tyres had a little bulge so he changed it for the spare. Then, when we stopped for a rest at the foot of the Urals west of Chelyabinsk D saw that the spare had developed a huge bulge. Might have happened as we came on the ring road around Chelyabinsk when we hit one hell of a pot hole, even I rattled, that’s not easy for stuffed toy. There had been no avoiding it whilst travelling in a line of traffic at 30k’s an hour.
The upshot of this tyre thing was that we had to backtrack into Chelyabinsk and locate another tyre. Unfortunately D couldn’t get a Michelin as he wanted but had to settle for a Bridgestone that was more expensive than the Michelin we had got in Murmansk. L spent a frustrating 2 hours to change money at the bank, normally a quick and very easy process. It was after 8pm by the time we were back on the road again. After a few hours sleep my humans were quite disappointed to have to cross the mountains in the dark but fearing further breakdowns they didn’t want to waste time either.
What next! Well we made it around Ufa. The car is still stalling for no apparent reason, the new petrol pump didn’t cure that and it has begun missing, sometimes quite badly. While sitting in a most awkward spot outside Ufa waiting for the car to start again we did help out some passing motorist who stopped to ask directions of us. After studying our maps and Sat-nav he thanked us profusely and off he went. He was heading in Kazakhstan, that much we did work out. We even almost made it to Kazan before the next thing went wrong. The starter motor packed up. The car had stalled as we approached a set of traffic lights then wouldn’t start.
David had gone over to a nearby village, there is usually a nearby village in Russia, and someone he met there took him someplace where they tested the starter motor and told him there wasn’t anything wrong with it. So he came back muttering to himself, and sure enough, it didn’t start. After more mutterings and testing he was still certain it was the starter motor. By this time it was getting quite late and dark. Another young chap had stopped to offer help. He was heading home to Kazan so he took D with him while L and I stayed with the car. They came back in the afternoon of the next day with the starter motor fixed. Only took D 10 minutes to fit it and we were off again. The young man who had taken him into Kazan had also put him up for the night and brought him back the next day, we had been 60k’s out of Kazan.
From here we made it to the border in two full days of travelling and managed to exit Russia with time to spare. That was a relief.
We travelled down through Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland on minor roads often in pouring rain. We took the autobans across Germany in constant drizzle and speeds of up to 130k’s ph, for those that wanted to travel at that speed. The autumn colours are spreading in the forests, the potato digging appeared to be in full swing despite the adverse conditions. The apple trees are loaded with ripening fruit and we saw cart loads of apples being transported along the roads. Perhaps they are going for crushing for juice or cider. The hay making season is in full swing and there are massive stacks of silage wrapped in white plastic in most fields.
It wasn’t until we reached Holland that the rain finally abated some 5 days later, or was it 6, and the sun was damn hot: It was by this time that my humans had decided that the car ran more smoothly with the fuel tank at least half full, so we hadn’t been letting it get low. But, then, there we were on a Dutch motorway with the car stalled and the autobahn safety car pulls up behind us. The driver must be the only Dutch person who doesn’t speak English. D got the car going again but it only went about a kilometer and stopped again, he tried to explain to the safety man why it wouldn’t keep going but couldn’t make him understand, nor could we find out how far it was to the next services. After we’d made it a couple more k’s the breakdown truck turned up, the safety man had called it. The car was loaded onto the truck and taken to the nearest service station where, once we’d filled up with fuel again it went fine. We had been extremely lucky that this breakdown service on the Autobahns in Holland is free. The fuel had been over half full and my humans had intended to fill up at the next services anyway.
Without anything more untoward happening we made it to the ferry terminal in Dunkerque where L booked us on an early ferry to Dover and finally we made it back to Arundel, arriving there the day before Heather, our hostess, left with her friend Dawn for a week in Sicily. So that now we are taking care of Trevor the cat whilst H is away. D is wrestling with the problems with the car, the gearbox problem is the major one as on-one seems ever to have encountered it’s like before.
Apart from the numerous car problems other things have packed up too. The inverter that we use to charge all sorts of things packed up months ago, the sat-nav tweeks off and on frequently, perhaps there’s a broken wire in the cable, and for some reason it doesn’t always read the maps right, that one is a real pain. The new electric jug packed up, fortunately the old one had kept going though it’s only held together with insulation tape. D’s volt metre died, it needed new batteries that we couldn’t find, and the small gas camping stove has minor problems. I’m sure there’s more but can’t think of them at present.
We made it back safely to the UK so things aren’t all that bad after all, just very frustrating and Central Asia will have to wait for next year, too late in the season now even if the car gets fixed quickly.
I have added a few videos, they are long and boring I fear but we don't have a means of editing them. They will however, give you some idea of the road conditions.
© Lynette Regan September 9, 2013
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