YAKUTSK, Russia

                                           

I spent my first day in Yakutsk just catching up on regular life stuff.  Doing laundry, and washing each piece of our riding suits one by one.  Two hours in the machine for each piece, so 8 hours all up just for Walter and my suits.  Then I needed to do regular laundry as well. It sounds boring but when you live on the road, an opportunity to spend quality time with a washing machine is a wonderful thing...  ;-)

While doing so, Walter went out and met with some friends and contacts. One of them is Tatiana, his French friend Arnaud’s wife.. as well as Yulia and her husband Ivan.

He came back late that night and said they have asked us to visit a traditional Yakut village festival area the next day.

They have this huge festival in June for summer games etc., which we obviously missed.  But there is no question by the size of the place and all of structures left behind that it is quite an event!  So much emphasis on each of the 12 months, seasons, and shaman culture.

We later learn that Yulia’s grandmother is a Shaman, but Yulia didn’t want to pursue that path for herself due to the strict codes of no marriage, children, etc.

However, the connection explains her passion for fixing up one of the totem poles!

And enlisting her husband to help!  Smart woman..

I enjoy having a look around the property and imagining what it must be like in June.

I think some contestants must have left their horses behind!

We are then invited to another section of this park to see what the traditional people are up to this day.

There is a gathering and celebration, and they allow us to watch.

First up, this gorgeous man caught my eye… hey, isn't this the guy on the totem pole shown above?

Gee whiz he is good looking in a Yakutia elder sort of way!!  I can just imagine him with grandchildren singing a traditional song to put them to sleep at night..  I wonder if I can adopt him.

He certainly has a ‘presence’ about him.

We enter - women on the left, men on the right.. as we are blessed with horsetail cleansing.

The traditional dressed women gather…

And a small ceremony begins.

I don’t understand a word, and not sure what it’s about. And Walter is good with Russian language, but he’s not able to interpret, so I just enjoy and get what I can from it.  For me, I love their dress. Has an American Indian feel to it, yet distinctive to their own.

We are treated to lunch brought by Yulia and Tatiana.. just gorgeous, simple good food.

And I thought interesting when I was walking past a day tent brought by a family, which just happened to be filled with Reindeer skin..  Sure!  Don't you lay skins in your tent when you go for a family picnic?

After lunch, Mr. Gorgeous man, comes up to me and wants me to follow..

He takes me to this temporary structure, I look inside and it’s filled with ice! Certainly didn’t expect that!

Must be left over from last season.  (Don’t mind the drunk having a sleep in the hay there.. every family has one, that's just part of life.. ;-)

It was a warm day, so I took advantage of what he showed me!

The women are still singing away.

We get ready to go, but not until we make an offering.  Yulia had saved some of our lunch, and she takes us to a tree.

There is a traditional horse milk drink, and some of the little pancakes. She says some words, and we all contribute bits of food around the tree.

Respect and thanks to the land that has provided for us I would assume!

Later, Tatiana has us over to her house for dinner that night.

We got the greatest surprise.. Pumpkin soup!!  I never would have expected that!  And it was so darn good.. As was the rest of her meal. Stuffed peppers, eggplant and capsicum salad. all sooo good!

We enjoy hanging out with her. She is very kind, a very special lady. I look at her and I think of Pocahontas.  She also seems to have the "presence", very calming.

Tanya has arranged for Walter and I to meet with a friend of hers who has a new Yakut beauty magazine.  The next day we meet at her office for an interview.

This lady also speaks good English as she has had a few years in America, selling cosmetics for Mary Kay of all things!

And then Tatiana gave me a wonderful present.  A necklace with the symbol of Yakutia.  I love it so much.  After so much time spent riding through and really getting to know this region, what a thoughtful and perfect gift that I will treasure!

Later that night, Yulia and her family have invited me over for dinner at their house, followed by a traditional Russian Banya (sauna).

Walter had already done it, and I knew it would be hot. But not sure what else to expect.  I didn’t take my camera along, because I thought it was not going be a place for a camera! But I do have some iphone images to share.

What a beautiful meal.. again!!  That large piece of pasta is folding up many times into a bowl, and then her veggies and meat go on top. It was divine!

Can we just discuss the cuteness of their puppy!!  It’s name is Strike.. another Russian dog with an English name.. striking!

Into the sauna we go..  Yulia doesn’t speak English, I don’t speak Russian but we had an excellent girls night!

I get what she is trying to tell me most of the time.. through sign language, books, symbols, etc.  We get there!

She gets me all set up in my robe, and we go in and she points to the temperature… 120!!!

Lord have mercy, what am I in for..

She pours water over the hot rocks to make really thick steam, and then she comes in with these branches and beats me all over my legs and my back!  Walter told me this is to improve circulation. Okay Okay, I’ve got good circulation!

We are in for only 2-3 minutes, and then out for a rest. She says we do this 5 times.  Oh dear…  in between we have Russian beer. She tells me this is better than water, not sure why… and we eat little forest berries they have been hunting and collecting.

In again, and again, I am bright red and sweating like crazy. She says, “Harasho, harasho!!  (Good good), Need to sweat!! If I understood her right, many people don’t sweat well, but I’ve got plenty of good sweat! 

Finally we finish, and I get a big drenching of freezing cold water.  Whew!  I get dressed and go outside into the cold air, and I continue to sweat.  Surely after a big washdown of the cold water, plus standing outside in cool air I would stop sweating at some point.  I go into the house to get my things to leave, and I continue to sweat. I am embarrassed, but she keeps saying “Harasho!”

Say good bye to kitty cat, who’s resting on…. A bear?!

  

KHANDYGA TO YAKUTSK

Walter did carry on that night so as to meet his French friend Arnaud, who was staying in the next town called Khandyga, but needed to move on the next morning.

I arrived in the rain about 9 AM, and called Walter to get instruction of where to go.

Arnaud was just ready to leave and they would meet me instead.

As upset as I was the night before, I was really glad Walter got to move on to town and meet his friend. He arrived after midnight, found Arnaud staying in the Gulag Museum for free, and they ended up camping out on the museum floor. They had a couple beers, shared stories and info about each other’s trips so far. However, no shower as promised!  No warm bed!!  I am so glad I stopped at Anya’s… it worked out for the best!

Arnaud’s passion and study are of the Russian Gulag’s. We managed to visit one first, as Walter likes to point out to him.. but Arnaud has a goal to visit several.  I worry about him going alone as the road to the one Gulag we visited was really difficult.  I wouldn't think anyone should go in there alone even in a car!  But it sounds that Arnaud is an experienced adventurer and he said he'd walk if he can't ride his motorcycle through. So he moved on down the road in the rain (thank goodness it was him and not me!), and we settled into the guest house. 

 

Doesn’t look like much on the outside, as usual with Russian style. But it was darn nice inside! It makes this culture even more of a surprise..  In this very small town, while at the window, I didn't get a photo, but a large Lexus 4WD pulled in, clean as could be.  I have passed that many Toyota Landcruisers and Lexus' here in Russia, even that huge Cadillac Escalade 4WD - on those crazy roads.  There is such a misconception this country is struggling.  There are plenty of wealthy people here!

I had a very long hot shower… and pulled everything in from the bike.  Every single little thing was soaked right through. Every waterproof bag I had didn’t work.  So I laid everything out in the room to let it dry.

Since it was still early in the day, we head off to the shops to find some food.  We wanted a café, but again there wasn’t one open at the time, so I opted to make a meal since we have a kitchen available! 

Our eyes were too big for our stomachs.. I made a big pot of soup, got a loaf of bread, butter and cheese and grilled them up to go with the soup.  Even celebrated with a bottle of wine!  Life is good again!! (wine was yuk, but it did the job..)

On the way back this man stops me and wants to give me some berries,  they don’t taste like blueberries, not sure what they are.. but he was excited to share and I did not want to disappoint!

I love how self-sufficient the people are. They all have gorgeous gardens, so plentiful and perfect!  And rather than a hobby, it’s just part of life here!

They must have it down to a fine art, because their gardens look so perfect and healthy as they have such a short window of season to grow anything.  That is why we mainly eat tomatoes and cucumbers.  They are ready and available now. Always growing quickly, and there is so much you can do with them for winter.. Jarring and pickling.

Walter wants to take me to the Gulag Museum.. now that I have actually visited a real Gulag. It will help to make more sense of what I was looking at.

Below is a map of known Gulags across the country.  When I did a google search, I was surprised to learn there are still some Gulags in operation, but apparently only used as correctional facilities.  The majority of them are abandoned now.

I was also surprised how far and wide these things are.  Look at the one at the top right corner of the photo, it’s on a very far north island, and as far down as China!

The word on top of the map says “Gulag”.  I'm still struggling with reading things, but this one is easy...

The director brought an interpreter over to help us understand.

I think I saw this building at the Gulag was visited. And here is the actual blue print!

Also shown is a list of how many people are estimated to be prisoners in the gulag system.. ending with approximately 12 million by 1953.  That is a massive amount of people in controlled forced labor.  It is so hard to fathom...the cruelty, as well as the logistics of controlling them.

Stalin didn’t create it, but he was the main abuser of the system.  Once he was gone, they began closing, but as mentioned earlier, most men who went in never got to go home and see their families again…

Well, we had a nice rest day, learned a lot and enjoyed watching the rain finish with blue skies returning again..

Imagining all those who died while building the Road of Bones, and all the suffering they went through. I was able to recuperate after only one horrible day, whereas they went through years and years of horrible days. I should never complain… about anything… honestly…!

Up early we must get 60 km down the road to catch a 9 AM ferry.  They tell us in town if it’s full, it might leave at 8 AM, and we know the road to get there is not good.  So we leave extra early to be sure.

Either the road wasn’t as bad as expected, or I am getting used to some BAD roads being better than other BAD roads... But there she is, we got it!

Hmmm, I don’t much like the position of the loading ramp.

Walter reminds me, momentum is my friend..again..

The ferry had to reposition to load a big truck, lucky for me… now it’s easy!

Once the truck and the Wazik’s were on board, we can get on! (this is the nickname for the Russian vans we see everywhere.  My spelling is wrong, but that’s how it sounds, so I will use it this way for blogging.. ;-) 

I found a lovely little friend as I do… I love animals!!  And I would take this little dog with me if I could!!  We had a good time on the boat.. She stayed at my feet most of the time, unless the little girl in the Waziik was throwing food out the window.

 Walter is in a good mood, he feels the need to do some wind-swepped modeling!

Thank goodness, we’re nearly there.. I am ready to ride again!

Finally back on the road after that chilly little ferry ride.

The road is just being graded, and it is nice and soft sand and gravel… bummer!

As usual I start off hating it, but then I end up getting used to it and we trail on down the road.

We have quite a long day riding ahead, the graders had finished and we were back onto roads whose conditions continuously changed.  Sandy, gravel, mud, ridges, corrugation to the hilt.. but made good time for the most part.

We are coming close to Yakutsk, a large town where Walter has friends and where we stay for a couple days.

He gives me a heads up only 20 km to the big ferry crossing the river into town.

Yay!  Only 20  km to go, no worries!

And then the road turns to full on thick soft sand – really bad!!  I tried to go fast, but I was tired and wasn’t up for the fishtailing everywhere.  It was a seriously long 20 km..  I would get going and something big would slow me down. I look down at the gps, and didn’t even accomplish a kilometre. 

This is mentally challenging.  I would do anything just to get off the bike.  Cars close to town are going fast, stirring up so much dust, I can’t see at all..  I am completely dehydrated with sand and dust filling my mouth and nose.

I hated that stretch.  It brought me very close to tears.. So close to ferry yet so far…

I finally arrived,  glad to find that I didn’t miss the ferry.  I had imagined that since it took me so long to get there that poor Walter wouldn't have been too pleased with me. But even after waiting quite a long time for me there,  he was kind and said “Well done, that road would’ve thrown a lot of people”.  I felt better… I got my bike on the boat, and settled in while the others loaded.

This cute little very shy boy, slowly made his way out of the family Wazik, and came up to me.

He sign languages that he wants to shake my hand and have a look at the bike. So polite!

He really is shy… and he ran back to the Wazik.

Later on, he came out with family who wanted me to photograph his sister I assume as well.

Then the others came out of their cars and we were surrounded.

I’m looking a bit rough, but looking forward to a somewhat relaxing ferry ride…

Once off the boat, we ride into Yakutsk to the town square, where Walter has arranged to meet his friends.

Parked on the pavers in the square, we turn off the bikes, while Walter makes his call.  The town square is a gathering point for locals, children are roller-skating, parents are walking through with strollers.  It takes only moments and we are surrounded by people taking photos of us on their cameraphones.

I felt famous!!  Maybe I should take off my helmet.! When I do, you hear the people go, “ohhh”.. Do I look that bad or are they surprised to see a woman under there!  I guess the first one ;-)

Walter’s friends took photos of our arrival as well..  his good friend Bolot who has a wealth of insight about Yakutia  www.askyakutia.com  (If you need to know ANYTHING about Yakutia, please contact him). He's also on my Facebook friends you can connect there )

Also, another new arrival from an amazing Italian cyclist who had just completed the road of bones on a push bike!! with a bike trailer!!  (those must be the tracks we had seen on the road!) And I thought I had it rough...  Daniele Robino.. He kindly supplied me with the following photos - thank you Daniele!!  For more information on his adventures go to www.danielerobino.it  

Before we could go anywhere and enjoy a beer, we needed to wash all the caked on dust off our bikes and bags. 

Nothing like a car wash with a very low pressure - pressure washer!  

I think we finished up around 11 pm...  after another very full day - Time for a beer!!

End ROAD OF BONES - Cold Mountain Road Russia

We had ridden 150 km from Tomtor and crossed the big river. Walter doesn’t tell me, but we actually still have a full day’s ride ahead of us.  It’s 3 or 4 in the afternoon by time we had crossed the river at Kyubeme and started the main road again.

He does tell me there is some of the most beautiful scenery of the whole trip coming up..  So what was all that we have been riding through for days?

I’m not all impressed with the state of the wood bridges on the maintained “main” road through this region!  But I do pop right over on them now with much less fear.

I’m getting more of an attitude not to worry about what I ride over.  If it looks bad, I give it more throttle and it seems to work itself out.  Momentum is my friend is what Walter says, and he’s right.

Before I would stop and look and try to figure out the best, safest or smartest move.. go too slowly, carefully and still screw up.. Now it’s just do it!

It’s been raining since we started the river crossing.  Not really an issue when you are drenched with cold river water, but it would be nice now that we are on the road to dry out.

By the looks of those clouds, it’s not going to stop raining any time soon.

I am really shivering. Actually it’s gone beyond shivering, I am SHAKING in a big way.  Big shakes.. so much I look at my arms moving up and down and wonder if that is for real??

I am using my heated hand grips up to 100% heat, but they are doing little good.

I do have a heated jacket, however, my tank bag, where I plug it in had broken at the very beginning on the gulag road.  I’ve been just strapping it on the back ever since.

On one of the many times Walter stops to wait for me a passer by stops to chat with him, as they usually do.  We are still in a part of the world where they don’t see many foreigners if at all.

They tell him the weather is good up ahead.  This blew me away what he said next.. “Sherri, see the clouds behind us, they look far worse than the clouds ahead of us”.  I look back and I look forward, then I look back again, and there isn’t the slightest bit of difference!  But he was dead serious! He’s either trying to talk himself into a positive outlook or trying to convince me so I can keep going. I wasn’t doing too good, but I ain’t that stupid!!

On top of my wet gear soaked through to the bone, I cannot put my visor down in the rain, because it fogs up so bad.  So open face, hit by rain constantly in my eyes, shaking uncontrollably… When is the next stop?

At this point he says, 250 km.. I think the look on my face, made a look on his face, and I knew I was in trouble.

He finally finds a bit of shelter from an old building his friend Arnaud had erected for a French movie.

We pull in and there is one little spot where I can add my heated jacket.  We rig a way for me to put the tank bag up front again, and I plug in.

It’s a huge relief to feel the heat starting up.. My clothes are still completely wet, but I was hoping for at least warm wet clothes instead of cold.

This is getting harder and harder.  The jacket is doing little good.  From what I can tell I have got it up to full power, as well as my heated hand grips, and my body just will not stop shaking…

This guy is doing it tough as well.

Crap, more water.. as if my feet had an option to get warmer before…

But yes, looking back at the photos now, it is beautiful country.  I really want to find a way to enjoy this!!

As hours and kilometres roll on, my breathing is changing.  I don’t know why, I have never experienced this sort of long term wet cold before.. I have had a good life, and have always had a way to warm up in the past.  Out here, there is no choice whatsoever, but to keep going.  Nowhere to stop even if we could.

I guess to describe my breathing, it was really big intake and really big out.  As if I had just finished a big run.. that was weird.. I’m just sitting on my bike.  Is it physical or mental?

I remembered a story in Australia, about a Mt. Everest Adventurer that got into trouble on his way down the mountain if I remember right.  He got so bad that his team left him for dead if they were to survive.

The most incredible story about survival I had heard and he said he made it through the blistery night in open environment all by himself by controlling his breathing through Yoga practice.

I tried to do this… for however long, and then I realized I was breathing big again.

How did that man do it through Mt. Everest temperature is beyond me!

We come to a big mountain pass.  Walter pulls me over and says to wait… he has been down this road before, and he wants to take photos, but he will go around the bend and up the road and wave for me when he’s ready.

This part looks okay but around the corner, I come into strife.  The road got way skinnier, there was a small river running through the middle of it, and with the crumbly sides and no protection, I was getting upset.

This is the one road, the only road through this part of the country.  So when I had to then tuck to the side to allow a fuel delivery truck past, the breathing picked up a bit and I stopped.  Walter came up next to me, saw my trouble and walked with me until I got past the bad bit.. There was this gully patch in the road, I took it too slow and I stalled.  Hardly able to move from the fear of falling off that crumbly cliff. I got the motor going again and made it to the end.. I was breathing so hard, I thought I might drop the bike.. So I pulled over, put the stand down and actually got off the bike… Walter pulled up next to me, and I didn’t want him to, because then I went into full on crying and hyperventilating at the same time.

It’s ridiculous, I am embarrassed.  I look at that road, and I don’t think it was any worse than any of the other tough bits we’ve been through.. Why am I breaking down??  I still don’t know, maybe from being cold and wet for that long, body temperature dropped enough to change my already minimal bravery levels??  My knees are knocking, by body shakes are turning into freaky convulsions..

But he supported me, and I thank him for that.  He is really patient with me and I feel bad because he is really cold and wet too.  Even worse than me, he forgot his heating jacket in England!

Who am I to complain??

So I get myself together and we go again.

Yay, I finally get a nice solid bridge to cross!!  So glad Walter got a photo of it, they are not common in this country so far!!  You can barely see me on the bridge, but I'm there.. ;-)

It is getting so late.. I don’t know what time it is, but it is getting darker and in this part of the world, it must be after 10 or 11 pm.

After many hours of being pelted in the face with rain, and a wet slippery muddy puddly road, I am using all my mental resources available to cope.

Finally we come across a few houses.  It is not the goal destination that Walter was aiming for.. but when he checks on me, I say I have to stop.   He says there is no accommodation, here not even a shop.

But I see a couple houses and there are lights on, can we at least ask?

A young man pulls up and they talk for a while, and I get the impression that there is nowhere to stay.

Walter says it’s only 80 km to go, and can we make it – with promises that the guest house there has a hot shower for as long as I want to take one..?  I said yes and we started on again.. until I did the figures in my head.. I am only going 40 km/hr.  That means it’s 2 more hours on this road and I honestly and truly don’t think I can make it.. It’s not smart, it’s been dangerous all day, but add another layer to it of darkness, already well beyond what I should have been doing.. So I just stop and say, “I have to find a way to stay here.”

We go back, he finds the same young man,, who then calls a lady out, and she agrees to take me in.  We park my bike in the shed, two more young boys pull up in a van, jump into the shed with me and just watch me unpack.  I wasn’t comfortable with this.. but what are my options??

Then Walter says, I’m going to leave you here and continue on.  What??  You are going to leave me here alone with these 2 young men in hunting clothes who are staring at me??? 

Yep – see ya!

He was cold and had just as bad a day as me, so I went into the house.  The boys had learned a little English from school.. I was dripping wet, I want to get out of my clothes.. they bring me a chair and shut the porch door.  “Chai?”  “Excuse me, Chai”?  Da!!(yes!!) I yell through the door.

I manage through my shaking to get my gear off and my other pack open for dry clothes.

All up it was a 500 km day soaked to the bone in freezing cold rain…

I come out and the boys are waiting right there at the door to escort me into the kitchen.. I was no longer afraid of them, they were truly just thrilled to have an English speaking visitor, and had many questions!

Mom (Anya), had made a big pot of  soup, she lays out the table with chai, soup, bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, sauces, cheese, and homemade baklava just coming out of the overn! It’s after midnight!  Are you all eating this?  She didn’t, but the boys did of coarse.. I would have loved to have more, but the soup was all I could do..

Turns out they still have a night ahead of them, there is a disco nearby and after they ate, they got styled up and left..  How weird is that?? I am in a little pocket of houses, with no accommodation or shops, but there is a disco? 

Anton, Anya’s son, gives up his room for me, and I go to bed.. I must have looked horribly pathetic, but I was darn grateful.

They ask me before they leave what time I will go in the morning, and I say 7.

Next morning, after nearly 5.5 hours of sleep, I am quietly packing up and putting my wet riding clothes on again, and I hear the alarm.  Young Anton, who went to the disco until 4, wakes up and makes me a cup of tea.. oh the guilt!! But what a good boy!!

We have tea together in the kitchen along with Anya’s homemade baklava.  I thank him and I go to my room to give them money.  He says no, It’s free.  I insist and pay.. They took in a stranger in the night, fed me so well, gave me big warm bed, and never have I been so grateful for that.  I get to the shed and ready the bike.  Anya wakes and comes out to see me off.  What a blessing these two were to me.. I got so much out of my short stay with them.  And that young Anton.. who gave me a whole stash of his mother’s baklava for the road... I could bottle him up and take him home!