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Ulaan
Baatar to Moscow
Wednesday,
September 06, 2006
While we were
waiting for the clutch plate in Zamin Uud,
Tamara went to Ulaan Baatar to meet with
Dave and wait for us but as the wait became
longer and longer she decided to ship her
bike to either Moscow or Istanbul where we
would meet up. But she was stonewalled with
a shipping regulation that only allows for a
limit of 160 kg per package. When I heard
this I just couldn’t believe it. It sounded
like another ‘regulation’ that allows
railway management a vehicle for a bribe.
Max came
through with an answer again. We had tried
to go to the American Citizens’ Services
section of the US Embassy but found it
closed because of Labor Day so we headed
back downtown. It was nearly lunch time so
we found a small restaurant and while
eating, I watched a man photograph Max.
“Want to buy a bike?” I asked. He was a
photographer from Belgium who spends several
months each year in Mongolia. His Mongolian
friend lives in Arlington, VA and they
connect up in UB each year.
Our
discussion of course revolved around the
trip and I brought up the fact that parts
problems and repairs had so delayed the trip
that we had to ship Max to Moscow to be
professionally fixed but I was having
trouble finding a freight forwarder who
could arrange the permits and other
documents we needed. “Follow me.” Ganna
first took us to the international ticketing
office where we would buy passage on the
Moscow train. Then he introduced me to
Enkhbold at E Trans Co. at the international
freight terminal.
He told me
that he would have to get permission to ship
a package heavier than 160 kg, that the
sidecar had to be removed from the bike and
that both pieces would have to be crated.
Not what I wanted to hear but at least we
could get the bike to Moscow on the Friday
train. If I would come back tomorrow at
noon, he would have answers.
On Tuesday
morning, September 05, Janet had to go to
the bank and get funds to pay for train
tickets, check on the Letter of Invitation
for the new Russian visa, go to the Russian
Embassy and get the visa application as well
as run a couple of other errands. I had to
go to the US Embassy and see if I could
apply there for Social Security and then go
to the train station to get a final
determination on shipping the bike.
Enkhbold’s assistant told me that the
shipping charges would be $650.00 but that
included everything, including the crates,
that I should come back tomorrow at noon and
prepare Max.
When I got
back to Gana’s Guesthouse, Janet told me
that the Letter of Invitation had not been
sent, that the visa company had waited until
confirmation of payment was received form
American Express. Here was another major
delay and I was pissed. We had sent the
application via e-mail on August 27th had
paid extra for same day processing and had
authorized them to send the original letters
by FedEx or DHL. Now the dates would be off
because we had initially wanted to enter
Russia on September 5th. Further, it would
take two days to get the visa and that meant
that we would miss the Friday train and have
to take the Tuesday or maybe the following
Friday’s train. Was I so bad in a prior
live that my karma was screwing up this
trip?
Since July
17th we have ridden a total of eleven days.
The rest of the time we have been camped out
in hotels waiting for spare parts, repairs
and now a second Russian visa. Furthermore,
Max’s clutch is acting up again—funny sounds
coming from ‘down there’ somewhere!
I am trying
to stay positive about the trip, Max and our
circumstances but sometimes I think I’m
loosing the battle. I keep thinking about
the past and what I or Jim or Frank could
have done differently that would have
mitigated our problems. Rather than to have
tried to do this trip on the cheap; should I
have bought a different bike? Why did I
believe Gerald when he said the Chang could
make a round the world trip? I believed Jim
when he told me that the BMW engine would
substantially improve the reliability of the
bike, that an older transmission was better
than the one in the bike when we were in
Beijing and that a new clutch would be
better than the one originally installed.
Why couldn’t we make any of the carburetors
at Frank’s shop work? Why were all the
cables failing when I had ridden Changs for
two years without a single failure?
I now
understand what the old barnstormers, who
flew early planes at fairs, meant when they
used to talk about holding their equipment
together with bailing wire. That’s what I
have done with Max. On Monday, Max’s
throttle cable broke (it was a new one
installed in Beijing in July). Because of
the Bing carbs, the cable must be bent
around the throttle linkage and then wired
together because there is no other way to
actuate the carb. This has to be done to
both carbs. The clutch adjustment bolt and
nut are wired together to provide some
semblance of stability and the left carb is
wired to the cylinder to prevent it from
falling off.
Fifty-two
days on the road, eleven days total riding,
four days of camping, forty-one days in
hotels, three cities visited, one historical
site visited and over $800.00 in freight
costs for Max—not what I had envisioned as
adventure riding!
We will get
the Russian visa, we will get to Moscow and
we will have Max checked out by professional
mechanics, not roadside experts who claim to
be able to fix anything. Depending on their
prognosis, we will have a couple of
decisions to make not the least of which is
to trade Max in on another, more reliable
bike that will afford us the chance to RIDE!
If it is
decided that we cannot continue with Max we
are faced with two major issues to be
solved. The first is equipment. The
sidecar allows us to carry a large tent and
two large mattresses, 32” X 9” when rolled
up. We can get rid of some things but these
three items are essential. The second issue
is the seats. Our Bar seats would somehow
have to be fitted onto a new bike because I
think we would be more than reluctant to
give them up. At the same time, Janet and I
are committed to finishing this ride if it
means we have to do it on a bicycle (well,
maybe not that committed).
So, that’s
where things stand today. We expect word
from the visa company about the Letter of
Invitation, I have to tell the freight
people that we will send Max to Moscow, but
not until we have the visa in hand.
Wednesday,
September 06, 2006
We found out
yesterday that the visa company, so
efficient in the past, had still not sent
the letters of invitation. Now they
required a form to be faxed back to them
authorizing shipment by UPS. Of course
Janet countered by saying that a form wasn’t
needed for the last visa, that this e-mail
would serve as authorization and please ship
the letters immediately. Considering that
it takes four to five days for UPS to
deliver to UB and that the trains to Moscow
on Tuesday and Friday and if the letters are
sent, it looks like we are stuck here until
the 15th. Another serious impact on our now
destroyed schedule.
When Janet
returned from the Internet Café, she had
stopped at one of the small stores that dot
the warren of small roads and streets that
separate the building within the major
blocks of the city. So proud that she had
found a large slice of ham that we could
share for breakfast. I looked at the meat
and it certainly looked like ham but the
picture of the horse on the label gave me
pause. “Is it ham or horse,” I asked? “OH,
my god!” We have drunk mare’s milk, eaten
all manner of strange food in China, why
should it matter. We will try it in the
morning.
I had heard
about the Black Market in UB. Evidently it
had, at one time been an actual black market
where illegal trade was carried out. Today
it is one of two large markets selling just
about everything. But it can be a dangerous
place as well. We have heard about the
pickpockets and purse snatchers who abound
in the area. And then we met Michael, he is
a commando in the Italian Army who has just
returned from Iraq where he was stationed
for six months. While shopping at the
market, he was approached and surrounded by
four men. One stepped on his foot as a
distraction while another tried to slit his
waist-pouch with a knife to get at his
money. Within seconds, two of the men found
themselves on the ground with some injury
while the other two had disappeared into the
crowd. “Not too difficult for me but if you
go to the market, be careful,” he said with
a satisfied smile.
Knowing that
there are places like the Black Market where
there are thieves and cheats allows us to
take precautions: don’t carry too much
money, keep valuables in interior pockets,
be aware of people around us and so on but I
find that I carry a distrust of most people
who approach me with offers of help or
assistance. Maybe this is a hangover from
our years in China or from the international
travel I have done where taxi drivers have
taken me for a ‘ride’.
I do
understand that people who are native to the
third world have to make money any way they
can and if this involves thievery or
cheating, so be it. But it is my attitude
toward people in general that bothers me and
while I have ample experience to support my
distrust, I also have substantial experience
to compensate it:
•
Certainly, some of my close business friends
in China, who have had ample opportunity to
demand money or favors, never once used
their position nor assistance for personal
gain.
• I
had to fight to buy a lunch or dinner for
Zhang Xiao Wie’s employees in Erenhot and
they certainly were in a position to seek
recompense.
•
Agi and Shogi from Zamin Uud who provided so
much assistance simply because they wanted
to help the old foreigners could have asked
for money.
•
Onko who has followed us from Zamin Uud to
Ulaan Baatar, who has acted as translator,
guide and companion could have asked for
remuneration.
But the
simple fact remains that they didn’t.
Shopkeepers have withheld 100 Turgrit notes
(about $.08) in returning change,
restaurants have over charged and beggars
have demanded money but these incidents are
insignificant in comparison to the help we
have received. Yet, my distrust lingers and
I know I have to deal with it; I have to
regain a balance and establish a new
perspective because I don’t like the one I
now carry.
I have
mentioned, while talking with the many
people who want to know about us, Max and
the trip, that we have been having parts and
mechanical problems. Several have suggested
that I go to the Black Market because they
sell motorcycle parts there, especially Ural
parts. The Russian Ural is basically the
same as a Chang Jiang and it may well be
that I can find higher quality cables and
other needed components. This may be our
Saturday excursion.
Thursday,
September 07, 2006
It’s getting
colder here with nighttime temperatures
dipping into the minus numbers. Last night
was forecasted to be -10C. I remember
telling someone that if the weather got to
cold we would simply make a left turn and
head south but that is a bit difficult with
a broke bike and 650 km of desert road
ahead. So we have to wait and find out what
the visa company is doing with our letters
of invitation. Later this morning, Janet
has to check her e-mail for information.
 It
is just getting light, about 7:00 am.
There
is no sign of a sunrise so it must be
cloudy.
No, it was
SNOWING! Small, tiny flakes of snow and a
lot of them. It must have just started
because the ground is not totally wet. I
watched as the snow started to accumulate on
the taxi parked next to the building
opposite our kitchen window.
I woke
Janet. “What time is it?” she asked. “It’s
about 8:00 and it’s snowing,” I answered.
“Blaghh, snowing?” It was snowing harder
now and was starting to accumulate on the
concrete window sills. We were equipped for
warm and hot weather not cold, wet or
certainly snowy conditions.
By 10:00 am
the snow had stopped but it was still cold.
Janet went off to the internet café to check
her e-mail for word about the letters of
invitation. The company, Visa to Russia,
confirmed that they had sent the originals,
eleven days after they were ordered. This
meant that they should arrive in UB on
Monday or Tuesday, next week. She also
checked with the Russian Embassy—$160 each
for two day processing. This meant that we
would have to buy our tickets on Wednesday
the 13th if we wanted to the train on the
15th without actually having the visas in
hand.
It also meant
that if Visa to Russia used the original
dates we had requested (entry on the 5th),
that eleven of the 30 days that the visa was
valid would be wasted. This would
significantly impact our time in Moscow to
get Max repaired and still leave us time to
exit Russia without penalty.
Visa to
Russia had send Janet a .pdf copy of her
letter in invitation just in case the
Embassy would accept it instead of an
Original. Maybe they have also sent me a
copy. The internet café I use has a
printer; it was worth a try. We cranked up
Max and headed off. They had sent me the
same .pdf file. There was a problem, it
wouldn’t download. We would just have to
wait.
Resolved to
the fact that we were stuck in UB for
another nine days Janet wanted to go grocery
shopping. As we approached Peace Street,
the main road through UB, I heard a serious
grinding sound coming from the
transmission/clutch area. Janet heard it as
well, “That sounds serious,” she said. Son
of a bitch!
I had no
choice, I pulled out into traffic and as
soon as I could, made a ‘U’ turn and pulled
into the State Department Store where we
normally did our shopping and stopped. The
only thing that came to mind was when the
mechanic, who originally reinstalled the
clutch when we first arrived in UB, didn’t
adequately tighten the six bolts holding the
clutch assembly to the flywheel. This meant
that I would have to remove the transmission
to check. Now it was cold and the first
snow had fallen. I needed a warm day.
To say I
sulked for the rest of the day is putting it
mildly. The frustration, anger and self
recrimination I feel is not good. I know my
blood pressure is up and that is not good.
I want to blame everyone for the troubles we
had encountered yet I know this is
counterproductive. I keep thinking of the
money that we are paying for the guesthouse
should be used for gas and oil as we move
south to the Middle East or to pay for
ferries to Libya or from Jordan to Egypt. I
even went so far as to consider buying a
Russian Jeep and finishing the trip in a
4X4. But that is absolutely unacceptable.
I can only
hope that I get a warm day tomorrow so I can
pull the tranny and see if my suspicions are
correct and that I don’t have a more serious
problem.
Friday,
September 08, 2006
Guess what,
it’s snowing again. The forecast is for
more cold weather.
Jim
introduced me to Vladimir, the BMW dealer in
Moscow. Our original intent was to go there
and have him put a new timing belt into my
engine but when we arrived in Beijing to
have the final adjustments made to the
bikes, he had found a replacement. Over the
following weeks, I had corresponded with
Vladimir and told him about the delays.
With the new clutch/transmission problems, I
sent the following e-mail to him:
Vladimir, it
looks like we will be shipping the bike as
baggage on the train from Ulaan Baatar and
should arrive in Moscow on Monday, September
18, at 4:15 pm.
The Mongolian
railway authorities required that I separate
the sidecar and bike and crate them. This,
of course, means that I will have to hire a
truck to transport the bike from the railway
station to your shop. Any assistance you
can provide with this will be very much
appreciated. I would also appreciate your
assistance in suggesting inexpensive
lodging, preferably near your dealership.
If you have
been reading any of the posts I have written
on our website (www.draginrun.com) you know
that I have been having a lot of problems
with my clutch and maybe with my
transmission. I can only hope you are
equipped to service the transmission if it
is not functioning properly, I don’t think
the clutch will be a problem for you.
In addition
to the clutch/transmission problems, I would
appreciate your servicing the following
1. A
general service including checking the
valves, carb balance, timing, points, plugs,
etc.
2.
Change the clutch cable to the correct one
so I have the opportunity to adjust (the
Chinese cables are of very poor quality
3.
Change the throttle cables to ones that will
work with the Bing carbs I have installed
4. I
think I want to buy all new Russian tubes
and tires (3.75/19), the Chinese tires are
very soft and have a tendency to wear
quickly.
5.
Install the communications system
6. I
will need all fluids changed and will need
to purchase at least two extra oil filters.
7.
Suggest additional spare parts you think I
need to complete the trip.
Once your
mechanics have looked at the bike, I would
like them to make an assessment as to its
reliability and if, in their expert opinion,
it is capable of completing our round the
world tour. If not, I will have to make the
decision to either buy a new (used)
motorcycle or cancel the trip.
Unfortunately, most of the parts I have been
dragging for you have either worn away or
were destroyed in the desert. However, I do
have an extra spare or two that I will leave
with you for your Ural project.
It had
finally come to decision time. Fix Max and
ensure his reliability to complete the trip,
buy a new bike or cancel the trip! I talked
with Janet and we agreed to look at all our
options.
The truth of
the matter is that it is no one’s fault.
Jim and his guys have done all that could be
expected; Gerald, the CJ guru could probably
make a CJ run under water and shipping
mistakes will occur. The problem with me is
that all of these problems came at once and
instead of acting rationally, I simply
reacted.
So enough, it
is time to move on.
Best regards,
Jack
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