The news catches with Ana and Baptiste in a Siberian stalov. They’ve stopped to borsch and stretch their legs. A client overhears their conversation in French and bursts into a French ballad. These Russians love the French, and as harsh their life is out here, they aren’t hopeless. To help with their mood, the Russians … Read more
I decide to crawl back to Severobaikalsk, driving as gingerly as I can, so the ride back takes me twice as much as it did in the morning. On the way I have plenty of time to ponder my options. Time and money have become an issue. It’s Sunday afternoon; an attempt to find in … Read more
About 3 a.m. I am awaken by freezing cold. I roll from one side to the other until 5, when I feel I cannot lay horizontally anymore. The sun will only come up after 8; waiting for it, I keep busy with the only thing that can warms me up – a pot of tea. … Read more
Most people considering crossing Siberia by train take the famous Trans-Siberian. I am doing it on a KTM 690 Enduro motorcycle with a damaged frame.
Thursday 15th of August. In Ulaanbaatar the weather is shit for a walk around town, but as I’m leaving for Magadan, I couldn’t care less. I kiss Ana for good-bye, and in the heat of the moment we forget to capture it on a camera. If everything goes well we’ll reunite in circa 20 days. … Read more
August in Mongolia. As the summer heat settles in, the landscape is overflown with colour. The steppe is in full swing, desert flowers unfold, slim grasses thrust through the mould the colour of cappuccino. A few hours after dawn, perched on a steep hill of 45 degree cheeks, our light green tent is whining under … Read more
Mongolian summers are short and brutal, like a day at Romaniacs. Since we’ve came, the road kept pushing us forward, the steppe unrolled its deceiving monotony, until we got lost in the guts of this endless and bottomless Mongolia. When your wheels and thoughts are stuck in mud, both me and Ana have discovered, one … Read more
Last night the wind swirled and howled like an orphaned beast. In this vast steppe there’s no tree, no mountain to stand in the way of nature’s unleashed forces. Cows mooed, horses sputtered, and a toddler cried in his yurt. His grand grandmother cuddled him and put him back to sleep, making sure that his … Read more
Can’t really put my finger on it… nervousness, excitement, adrenaline rush, a bit of fear. We feel like we’re about to pass an important exam. It’s Mongolia. It opens up ahead like a huge mass of oblivion that can swallow you into its deceptively beautiful guts. It dares you to leave the Man’s world behind, … Read more
In Bishkek we are couchsurfing with TC Berker, originar from Ankara and currently teaching Journalism and New Media to the Kyrgyz. Before ringing his doorbell we take a breather in Balikci, a small town on the banks of Isik-kul lake. A quick lunch in a local shack is in order. We also shop for some … Read more