when the going get tough...

The following morning we got up relatively early and had a big breakfast. It had been raining heavily.

Irbis was going to guide us, in his 4 wheel drive van,  into the mountains,  with his brother-in-law and his uncle.

Vladimir decided that I should go on the truck as the tracks would be extremely muddy and treacherous for my skills. Alistair was also confined to the truck but then at the last minute was included in the ride. 

Anton, once again, had to babysit me. And once again I told him he should ride, I did not mind to be on the van with Irbis and his family, but Anton didn’t seem to mind, taking his “babysitting” role seriously and being his usual sweet and thoughtful self.

The rest of the gang got ready on the bikes, while Irbis loaded an electric chain saw, food, water and a lot of stuff, at the back of the van. 

I queried about the chain saw and found out that this would be used to cut fallen trees that may block our way to the mountains. This was going to be an interesting expedition! 

We had a radio on the van and each of the other riders a radio in case of problem.

So we set off. The drive in the van was “interesting”. On several occasions, holding to a handle and screaming,  I really thought either the van was going to end up upside down or lying on its side.

The tracks and whatever it is we followed, were very muddy from the overnight storms and tough going.

After a while, in a very deep muddy track, the van got sucked and stuck in the deep gravel and water. We could not get it out on our own and radioed the bikers for help. 

Vladimir and Alistair soon joined us. 

Andrey, as usual, had thrown himself into this adventure with great enthusiasm, at top speed, and vanished somewhere into the forest. We just hoped the many wolves and bears that lived in the woods would not find and eat him!

 After a lot of pulling and pushing and shovelling (we also had a shovel in the truck!) we managed to get the van out of its predicament.

We resumed our drive and Irbis took us to various viewpoints and spots of interest. “Andrey the Fearless” reappeared from nowhere, still alive and visibly happy and pleased with himself, not having found any bear to wrestle with, and totally unfazed by his various crashes in the mud. 

Irbis took us to a deep vertical cave of about 200 or 300 meters deep. We even saw the carcass of a small deer inside. If you don’t know where those caves are, it would be easy to fall inside. There are few of those vertical caves in those hills!

At one of our frequent stops, Anton asked me: 

- “Vladimir vs Chuck Norris, what 'you think? “ We stared at Vladimir lifting one of the bikes as if it were a plastic toy, as the side stand was sinking into the mud. … 

- “ Vladimir would eat Chuck Norris for breakfast and use his bones as toothpicks! “ I said. 

- “Come on! We need to find something more interesting… like Vladimir vs Predator, now, that would be worth watching? “ 

As we started laughing and watching “Action Man” Vladimir, we explained to him… “Why? Why?” he asked laughing. I think he was a little bit puzzled.

We continued climbing  until the top of a mountain. We had an amazing view from there. We were told we were the first foreigners to come there.

On the way, we found the carcass of a cow that had been recently killed and eaten by wolves, according to Irbis.

Back in the move again, by early afternoon, we reached a spot in the forest where we could not possibly drive or ride any further into the forest without serious use of the chainsaw! So we stopped for lunch.

Irbis and his family produced food, foldable chairs, cooking pot and started a fire for cooking our lunch. 

While they cooked, we walked to the top of the hill with Anton and Alistair, while Andrey, tired of disappearing into the woods with his bike, decided, instead, to give some business advice to Vladimir. 

After lunch, Andrey once again took off at the speed of light and disappeared into the forest, Vladimir rode fast behind us and Alistair tried to follow him. They soon disappeared in the forest. 

By radio they managed to find each other and their way to the van, thanks to Irbis’ instructions. Navigation in those hills was very difficult, all seems the same and it is very easy to get lost.

At some point Alistair’s bike got stuck so deep into the mud that all the guys in the van had to help to lift the bike. 

By about 4 or 5pm we were back to the farm. The "small" excursion had taken most of the day!

We had an early dinner at Irbis’ house and it was then time to make our goodbye. His family had been very welcoming and it had been amazing to spend time with them and learn a bit more about the Altai culture. 

We then loaded the bikes with our luggage and made our way back to the main gravel road. Luckily, that day, we had not much mileage to do. 

Joining the M52, we stopped in a hotel by the side of the road. 
Our communal shower there was… interesting. As soon as I stepped inside the cubicle, the whole shower nearly fell off. It was not bolted to the wall! I managed to shower quickly in the very precarious cubicle and warned the guys about this.

We then had few beers on the terrace and it was time to go to bed.

Into the heart of the Altai

After a fabulous breakfast that included yet more cheese, we strapped our bags into the motorbikes and got back on the gravel roads and tracks. They were fairly easy to ride and I tried to apply all the advice given by Vladimir who kept watching me in his mirrors. I struggled to find the correct standing position. I will get there in the end. But they say that practice make perfect, I am going to get a lot of practice in this trip I guess!

Mid-morning, we stopped at a small village and visited a little museum. It covered, among other thing, the discovery of the Denisova cave that we would visit later.  Evidence of a new prehistoric species of human ancestors was found there.

As usual in these small villages, you would never know that this house is actually a museum, as there seemed to be no signs! Vladimir bought us ice-cream and then we were back on the gravel roads.

It was a short ride to our next camp for the night. Again, off the gravel road, we could see absolutely nothing that could indicate the place. It covered a massive building / hotel, lots of wooden chalets, a pool, river and, we found out later, much more!

We had lunch there, then a small rest. 

Vladimir had an excursion on the motorbikes planned for us, up a mountain to visit a waterfall. So we soon got back into our motorcycle gear and rode the bikes into the gravel road then off a little track. 

Andrew the Fearless took the track ahead of everyone, at the speed of light, flying through and disappearing into the forest. Alistair followed more carefully. I was behind him but soon got into difficulty. The track was very narrow, and has very deep ruts and gutters all over. In one steep section, the barely 20cm track I should ride was inclined toward a deep gutter and I just couldn’t get over it. Vladimir tried to encourage me, but at this stage, I was petrified.

We turned my bike back and, with Alistair coming back, Vladimir asked Anton to take me back to the hotel. Alistair decided to come with me too. Although I told Anton he could go on and we could go back on our own with Alistair, he refused. He was taking to baby-sitting me very seriously!

I felt angry and disappointed with myself, and sorry that Anton couldn’t have his fun up the mountain on his bike.

Andrey had totally disappeared, so Vladimir went up after him.

On the way back we crossed a small stream with soft gravel on a bend, Alistair passed first and I followed. While we rode up a hill I saw in my mirrors Anton taking a tumble and dropping his bike in the water. I couldn’t help but have a very uncharitable chuckle in my helmet.

Back at the hotel/holiday camp/reindeer farm/SPA etc… we visited the place.

The reindeers get their horns chopped off once a year. They are then boiled (the horns not the reindeers!) and left to dry. They are then sold to South Korea where they are used a medicine. Some Russians consider that the horns have indeed some health benefit. So the water that has been used to boil the horns is used for baths. When we looked at one bath the water just looked muddy, but lots of old folks seem to enjoy those!

After getting caught in a violent sudden storm, the rain calmed down and we got back to the main building/hotel for dinner. Anton showed us pictures of his 4 months old son Mishka. We talked about our jobs, the future, and the news… What always surprises me, when travelling and meeting people, is how similar we all are. I find Russians especially are very similar to Europeans in our views of the world and way of life. There have been constant negative views of Russia on the news and the reality is very different. I even had a colleague asking me if going on holiday to Russia was safe!

Several hours after our return, Vladimir and Andrey finally came back at dusk. They had gone all the way up and continued as far on the bikes as possible, to the waterfall. By the time they came back, the kitchen had closed and, unfazed, they replaced dinner by a couple of beers. We joined in, it would be rude not to! J  Apparently the storm bypassed them and they had no rain.

The following morning, Wednesday 1^st of July, we were back on the road after a hearty breakfast.

Once again, the gravel road was reasonably manageable, and I tried once again to stand up in the correct position and steer the bike using my weigh on the foot pegs, with mixed success but getting much faster on the soft stuff than I ever dared in the past. I was learning fast and trying to keep up with Vladimir.

By mid morning we stopped for a coffee at Ust-Kan. We spent a night there last year on our way to Mongolia. There is a new hotel at the entrance of the town that was not there last year. So many memories!

 Back on the road, by early afternoon, we pulled on the side. A man in a Russian van was waiting for us, by a small farm track. The van did not look like much, but Anton later told me that these vans were used in the army, once upon a time, and were 4 wheels drive. They were like tractors with the engine inside, in the middle of the 2 front seats! It was boiling hot inside once the engine started!

After Vladimir had few words with Sirbis, the man in the van, we followed him down a grassy muddy track for about a mile, then across a green valley to a few wood buildings. This was the home of Sirbis, our host.  One of the buildings was the traditional hexagonal low walls and pointy hexagonal roof. This was their summerhouse. We had seen similar constructions at the Altai Museum in Gorno-Altaysk.

The second wooden building was our home for the night, with terrace, a small entrance, a large living room and 2 bedrooms. I took one room with Alistair and the rest of the gang went for the other one. After a quick change we went to the kitchen / diner building for a late lunch. We were presented with various local dishes.

The soup was with potatoes and what seemed to be small cuts of lamb fat. There was a large dish full of lamb cutlets and what looked like mini sausages and were made of offal; more followed, potatoes, meat and more that I cannot remember. All this, like always, washed down with plenty of tea.

The views around where magnificent, surrounded by mountains.

We were planning a ride to the mountains, with Irbis to guide us in his van. Without a guide, it would be impossible to find our way, as only herders go there in the summer to take their animals (cows, horses, etc…) to pasture. However, Irbis suggested doing it the next morning. This was a good decision as a massive storm arrived late afternoon and we would have been caught in.

We lazed around until dinner, with Andrey giving frequent business advice to Vladimir, who is too polite to tell him to mind his own business and Anton and us just chatting around and reading.

The evening passed quietly with a light dinner. We were then invited to to the family summerhouse (the hexagonal one!) to listen to Irbis’ brother in law singing, by the wood fire, as he was a talented throat singer. It was brilliant. We definitely were in the heart of the Altai!

Video compliment of Anton Dessiatov. 

Back to Siberia - the beginning of the tour

As I watch from the view point of the Katu-Yarik pass, I ask Anton, standing next to meet smoking, which way we go from there. He points to what looks like a very steep bad goat track down the edge of the mountain into the valley.

“Jesus! Christ!” my jaw drops to the floor. That’s a road? Anton laugh and tries to reassure me by saying : “It’s actually not as steep as it looks”. What he failed to tell me was that cars that are not 4 wheel drive have to be pulled up by a tractor; that sort of track!

But let’s start from the beginning! If you followed my adventures last year, you would know that just before we crossed into Mongolia, in a campsite, we met with Russian bikers. The guys were Vladimir and Anton. Vladimir is a professional motocross racer, and one of the best in Siberia, Anton is a computer programmer from Tomsk, and was helping with translation. My Russian is very basic!

The guys were so nice and interesting, I thought it would be nice to discover the stunning Altai with them. Vladimir was starting a guided tour company: Altai Moto  ( see www.altai-moto.com and www.altai-moto.ru for details).

So in the last few months I sorted the visas and plane tickets, and on Sunday 28^th of June, at 8am, we landed in Gorno-Altaysk, the capital city of the Altai Republic, Russia.

Anton was there to pick us up. After losing 5 hours night with time change, we were dropped to a chalet in Manzherok, for a rest.

After a snooze, Anton came to pick us up again, on a 4x4 driven by Boris. Boris is part of the 4x4 club and a good friend of Vladimir.

We went to the moto-house, which is still under construction, to meet with the rest of the gang. Vladimir welcomed us and we were also introduced to Andrey, who would also join us in the tour. Andrey appeared quiet and observant. He is from northern Siberia and wanted to visit the region. He had never been off-road so would match our level of riding, or so I thought! But we would find out soon that this was  "Andrey the Fearless"! 

Vladimir was his usual friendly, smiling and exuberant self. Standing next to him I felt like a hobbit. He is tall!

We also had the 1^st meeting with our bikes. Anton brought his own Honda XR650L, while the rest of us would be on Suzuki Djebel 250 (and 200cc for me as I am too short for the 250!). Vladimir got the 200cc Djebel few months ago for me, as the 250s where too tall.

We then went to visit the Altai Museum, as this would show us all about the culture and ancients site we would be visiting during our trip. It was a very interesting visit and well worth it to start understand the traditions and way of life in the Altai.

It also had a good selection of local fauna, among them bears, wolves an big cats! 

The weather was splendid with not a cloud in the sky.

Then it was time to get back to the moto-house for a very traditional Russian BBQ!

We got talking with Boris who showed us pictures of his “4x4 club” expedition to Mongolia last year. 3 of their cars got so stuck in the mountains that they had to be pulled out by helicopter! Very expensive!

The following morning we got to the moto-house, and after loading our bags to our bikes, we first rode to Gorno-Altaysk, to check if our border permits were available. Unfortunately it was not meant to be. Maybe next time! It was time to hit the road.

Our riding formation was to be the same for the entire trip. Vladimir first, then me, then Alistair, Andrey and Anton as sweeper.

On this first day we rode north West, leaving the republic of Altai to get into the Altai Krai. It was an easy day with mainly asphalt or good gravel roads, getting to know our little bikes.

Our stop for the night was a cheese farm down a little track! Yes, this was heaven for me! The farm had few  cabins for guests. The weather was incredibly hot and we were happy to remove all our motorcycle gear and change into shorts.

We put on our swimwear and had a walk to the river for a swim. After that we came back for a shower and dinner.

I got out the French saucisson I brought with me for an aperitif. We exchanged some of it for some home made cheese.

Dinner included a variety of cheeses made at the farm. It was glorious!

Vladimir took the opportunity, that evening, to show us how to stand up correctly in the foot pegs and how to ride off-road. It was a very useful lesson. Many years ago we did a BMW off-road weekend session in Wales, but I don’t remember being told all what Vladimir said. From then on he was going to keep a very watchful eye on me! 

It was our first day on the road, the weather was superb, the company brilliant, the motorbikes perfect, what else could I wish for?