Sirocco Overland 2013 Expedition: UK - Vladivostok (Siberia) Adventure

Sirocco

Explorer
Are you sure about the one-way-ticket? :wings:

The trip from Calais to Bremen will take you about 10 to 12 hours.

Dinner will be ready at 8pm.

Please let me know, if you are delate. :smiley_drive:

Anyway.
Tea or coffee for breakfast?
Eggs scrambled, sunny side up, cooked or any other style?
Bacon?
Ham?
No toast! I'll bring fresh socalled Brötchen!
Pancake covered with bananas filled up with sirup?
Porridge is not available. Sorry about this.

Please let me know. :sombrero:

Thanks Kurt :D One way? not sure! getting nervous now! 6 days to go!

Google maps says 6 hours. I figured 8 or 9. maybe too ambitious?

Coffee/Bacon/Pancakes... mmmm :)

G
 

Arlo

Adventurer
Well, Google Maps has no idea about speeding up to 100km/h towing a Sankey on freezed roads!
Just give me a call if you are late.
The chicken might be too late on the stove.

Coffee/Bacon/Pancakes, anything else for breakfast?
 

Arlo

Adventurer
Have a look at the front door of the vessel. It has to be closed when leaving the port! :Wow1:

Actually we got 4" of snow here in Bremen.

7:30 AM will be the Dover leaving time?

Have a look for icey road conditions in the western part of Germany. The more you will enter the North, the more snow covers the regions.
Mayby it makes sense to ride through the Netherlands?

Read the road conditions at that time, please.
 

Scott Brady

Founder
Enjoy the adventure! Your route will be a ton of fun and a great mix of culture and challenge. Having driven most of that route, I am happy to send any GPS tracks or details that might assist.
 

Sirocco

Explorer
Enjoy the adventure! Your route will be a ton of fun and a great mix of culture and challenge. Having driven most of that route, I am happy to send any GPS tracks or details that might assist.

Thanks Scott,

We are using OSM mapping and Walter Colebach's waypoints (over on the HUBB) think I have it covered. Its going to be mainly asphalt through Europe onto Georgia.

Did you cross into Turkmenistan by any chance? I'm toying with the idea of a 5 day transit visa from KAZ through to UZB using the little known border near the Caspian Sea.

G
 

Sirocco

Explorer
Have a look at the front door of the vessel. It has to be closed when leaving the port! :Wow1:

Actually we got 4" of snow here in Bremen.

7:30 AM will be the Dover leaving time?

Have a look for icey road conditions in the western part of Germany. The more you will enter the North, the more snow covers the regions.
Mayby it makes sense to ride through the Netherlands?

Read the road conditions at that time, please.

Will do, thanks Kurt. 0730 is leaving Dover, lands 1000 local time I think.

G
 

Scott Brady

Founder
Thanks Scott,

We are using OSM mapping and Walter Colebach's waypoints (over on the HUBB) think I have it covered. Its going to be mainly asphalt through Europe onto Georgia.

Did you cross into Turkmenistan by any chance? I'm toying with the idea of a 5 day transit visa from KAZ through to UZB using the little known border near the Caspian Sea.

G

We did and had a five day tourist visa with a govt. minder. Turkmenistan is certainly worth the visit and is surreal. The Darvaza gas crater is impressive too. The challenge in 2010 was the crossing into Uzbekistan and the complete lack of fuel in the northern part of the country. We had to smuggle fuel in from Turkmenistan and then drive nearly 800km without resupply to Samarkand. I really enjoyed the Uzbek people.
 

Sirocco

Explorer
We did and had a five day tourist visa with a govt. minder. Turkmenistan is certainly worth the visit and is surreal. The Darvaza gas crater is impressive too. The challenge in 2010 was the crossing into Uzbekistan and the complete lack of fuel in the northern part of the country. We had to smuggle fuel in from Turkmenistan and then drive nearly 800km without resupply to Samarkand. I really enjoyed the Uzbek people.

That is good news. Which border crossing did you take into Turkmenistan? I think we will make some enquiries in Ankara when we get to the embassy. I hear there can be a bit of a vehicle import charge on a 5 day transit visa. more than the norm. Looking forward to Central Asia and the Pamirs :)

G
 

Scott Brady

Founder
We came in at Türkmenbaşy, after crossing the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan.

There is a greater charge for the five day, but it is not extreme. The vehicle import charge is mostly dependent upon where you are driving. Fuel prices are so cheap in the country that they assign a road tax based on the miles travelled.

I am glad you are going to Turkmenistan - the place is a trip (in a good way).
 

Sirocco

Explorer
We came in at Türkmenbaşy, after crossing the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan.

There is a greater charge for the five day, but it is not extreme. The vehicle import charge is mostly dependent upon where you are driving. Fuel prices are so cheap in the country that they assign a road tax based on the miles travelled.

I am glad you are going to Turkmenistan - the place is a trip (in a good way).

I didn't fancy the ferry after some of the things I read so we are going around through Georgia/Astrakhan then south and will try the border with Turkmenistan/KAZ and re-enter UZB after visiting Davaza/Ashgabat etc. :)

G
 

Scott Brady

Founder
The ferry was bad, but not nearly as bad as we thought (based on traveler's accounts). It seems the ferry is much like border crossings. Some people really suck at border crossing. I smile, laugh, joke and ensure all of my documents are perfecto. . .

Your route is not a bad one, but you should reconsider the ferry - very adventurous ;)

Georgia is awesome too BTW. What friendly people. Tbilisi was sweet.
 

Sirocco

Explorer
The ferry was bad, but not nearly as bad as we thought (based on traveler's accounts). It seems the ferry is much like border crossings. Some people really suck at border crossing.

I hadn't thought of that, makes sense. Think I would rather the drive around. May even visit Volgograd should time allow :)

G
 

Scott Brady

Founder
I did just remember how hot it was on that ferry. The pillow on my bed was still soaked-through with the sweat of the previous occupant :Wow1:

Yeah, don't second-guess your route. Russia is awesome and the people are great.
 

Sirocco

Explorer
3 days to go...

for those following and on facebook it may be better to 'like' our page as I can text people back home to update our status and even post a few pics. Where I can find the time and WiFi I will update our website and facebook 1st, then copy over to here on ExPo if I have the time.

We have started to get snow here in the UK now and Norway is getting bad up north. One of the tunnels on the E6 is out as a lorry carrying cheese caught fire!

Looking forward to staying with Kurt on Sunday night and onto Copenhagen then Norway in February.

G
 

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