Russia > The Trans-Siberian Highway

It had been noisy in the bar/restaurant for a long time. Music played late into the night. This is probably the only nightlife spot in the village. Last night we were a bit worried about our car, parked right in front of the bar. Surely no one would tamper with it in a drunken stupor. Fortunately, Brutus was still there in good shape, waiting for us. We also heard from the motorcyclists. They stayed overnight in Chita and today they’ll see how far they can get. It’s not entirely certain whether they will reach Mogocha as well. Just as we’re about to leave, three Russian guys come out of the café. “Where are you from?” All three are holding beers and already seem tipsy (or still are). It’s half past eight in the morning. From Nertchinsk we drive about twenty kilometers to the Trans-Siberian Highway. This highway is the only connection to the east, linking Chita with Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. The road is excellent. We drive east at about 100 kilometers per hour. Occasionally the road has settled in places, so we have to ease off the gas. Traffic is sparse; I expected a lot more vehicles on this road. Even truck traffic is limited, perhaps because it’s Sunday. The landscape is rolling, with many trees. Remarkable, since just across the border in Mongolia there were almost no trees. How can there be such a big difference in landscape over such a relatively short distance? It can’t be due to elevation. In Mongolia, the lowest point is about 500 meters; here it’s not much lower. Between the trees, a kind of heath grows. The purple hue stands out beautifully among the green. However, there are strikingly many dead trees on the hills, sometimes entire forests. We have no idea why. Could it be acid rain or climate change? There are few places to eat along the route. Most villages are several kilometers off the main road, situated along the railway line. The highway was built later. At half past two, we arrive in Mogocha, today’s overnight stop. Thanks to the good road, we made good progress today. The navigation shows only one hotel, so we head there. With the help of the cleaning lady, who speaks a little English, we book a room.

Russia - Thanks to the help of some yurt residents we got the car free again

We also hear from the motorcyclists—they are still 170 kilometers from Mogocha. They’ll make it today too, so we reserve a room for them as well. In the evening, at dinner, we meet Marco. He’s from Slovenia and studied in Denmark. Before starting work, he is traveling the world until his money runs out. He’s also heading to Vladivostok and plans to fly to South America in the winter months to continue riding on a local motorbike. He expects to travel for about a year.