From Kazakhstan to Mongolia… and back.
This year I have decided to explore another far country… far from Europe, but close when you live in Kazakhstan!
Day #1 – Karaganda – 647km (402mi)
Weather was perfect for the first day of the trip. It was a nice memory as I arrived last year by the same road.
Day #2 – Pavlodar – 490km (304mi)
Good riding day, despite some crazy road work: next year a new highway should be open.
Day #3 – Novosibirsk – 610km (379mi)
What a day! half of the way under heavy rain… luckily it stop for a while giving me the opportunity to have a walk in the center of this huge city.
Day #4 – Krasnoyarsk – 843km (524mi)
“Same shit different day!”… one more rainy day, from start to finish… pity to not be able to enjoy the landscape.
Day #5 – Tulun – 678km (421mi)
Finally the sky was better, keeping the rider dry… except for the last 10km, when a thunderstorm stop me for a while.
Day #6 – Irkutsk – 423km (263mi)
Let’s wear my favorite costume!
Day #7 – Irkutsk
After few days riding under the rain, a day off is welcome! I enjoyed the famous Siberian city of Irkutsk.
Day #8 – Ulan-Ude – 481km (299mi)
Ulan-Ude is the capital of the Republic of Buryatia. On the Sovetov Square (Ploshchad Sovetov) is the largest Lenin’s head ever built.
Day #9 – Ulaanbaatar – 614km (381mi)
The resume of the day: “we all learn from our mistakes”. The beginning of the day was nice, till we arrived at the Russia / Mongolia border. There I discover that I have a trouble with my custom documents… not a big issue, but it took 12 hours of bureaucracy to be finally authorized to continue the trip after payment of a small fine. We enter in Mongolia by midnight. I decide to continue the road by night and finally reach Ulaanbaatar by 5am!
Let’s sleep.
Day #10 – Ulaanbaatar
This afternoon was dedicated to a long walk in the capital of Mongolia. This is the largest city of Mongolia with around 1.5 million people, which is half of the country’s population.
Day #11 – Ulaanbaatar
Today, visit of the National Museum of Mongolian History, the best way to learn and understand this amazing country, and the Choijin Lama Museum, a surprising monastery in the middle of the skycrappers.
Day #12 – Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex
I took the bike for a short ride of 60km to go to the Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex. It’s an amazing statue made of stainless steel, 30 meters high. There is also a museum mostly dedicated to archeological exposition from the Khaan period, XIII and XIV centuries.
Day #13 – Kharkhorin – 367km (228mi)
Erdene Zuu Monastery, built in 1585.
Day #14 – Arvaikheer – 157km (97mi)
Today is the first off road riding day. Another adventure begin.
Day #15 – 46°06’52.7″N 98°31’51.0″E – 501km (311mi)
After a full day of off road ride, I found a camp spot for the night, and set the tent just before a storm. Fortunately, the morning give us a wonderful landscape to begin the day.
Day #16 – Altai – 203km (126mi)
Altai is the capital of the Govi-Altai province. It’s situated in western Mongolia, at 2200m above sea level.
Day #17 – Khovd – 468km (291mi)
Capital of Khovd Province, 1395m above sea level.
Day #18 – Ölgii – 240km (149mi)
Ölgii is the capital of Bayan-Ölgii Province, 1710m above sea level. It’s the last city before the western Mongolian/Russian border crossing Tsaagannuur.
Day #19 – Biysk – 760km (472mi)
After crossing the Mongolian/Russian border I got a rear tire puncture. The tire is not in a good shape. I decide to change the initial itinerary and to try to find a new tire in a large city, witch seems to be Barnaul.
Day #20 – Barnaul – 185km (115mi)
I look for a tire in Barnaul without success. I fix it with an inside patch found in an automotive shop and I buy few more for safety.
Day #21 – Pavlodar – 594km (369mi)
On the way to Pavlodar, I make a stop along the road and a group of riders on their way to the Altai mountains stop to meet me.
Day #22 – Karaganda – 467km (290mi)
After two stops to temporary fix the damaged tire, I finally reach Karaganda. Time to have rest, meet good friends and find a new tire.
Day #23 – Karaganda
Today I let the bike at the hotel and took a taxi to visit KTM shop in Astana. They are open on WE and have tires in stock. I found exactly what I needed… finally!
Day #24 – Karaganda
Today, mounting of the new tire on the bike and then spent afternoon in the city with a girl friend of mine.
Day #25 – Mynaral – 643km (400mi)
This is the end… last day of this amazing trip. Sad that it’s already finished, and happy to have made it.
Impatient to be in 2019 for another adventure!
In resume:
9559km (5940mi) – 25 days (20 days riding) from June 30th to July 24th 2018
