Taking the long way home from Japan to Frome, UK

Category: new friends (Page 2 of 2)

Mongolia Pt. 1

So after having crossed over into Mongolia we drove south to the large town of Darkhan and stayed at a hotel to shower and use the internet. That evening we went to a local Korean restaurant and ordered way too much and then had an utterly sleepless night due to a party in the next door room. It was the morning after that we found the back window of the car open and nothing but our very dirty laundry stolen!

We then drove south towards to Ulaanbaatar. Having stopped off for lunch at a beautiful spot by the road we also took the opportunity to dry out the awning and Sir Lawrence of Arabia (the tent) that had both received a soaking at Lake Baikal. The view was breathtaking so we ended up driving further away from the main road on an old track and found a peaceful and utterly hidden spot. We have yet to camp anywhere quite as beautiful and, to be honest, I’ll be surprised if we find anywhere quite as gorgeous again.

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Russia: Time-lapse movies

Since arriving in Russia, we’ve been driving in convoy with a Japanese couple we met on the ferry. Aside from making some new friends, it also gave us the chance to mount our camera on their car and make some time-lapse films. Neither of us were really sure what to expect, but they came out really well and give a good sense of the landscape.

Russian Roulette

I have a Russian friend in Tokyo who thinks we are crazy to drive and camp here. She kept saying that it is really dangerous….that Russians are violent and she will fear for our lives!

I hope it’s not controversial to say that Russians are rather brusk on first meeting. No one smiles; customer service is non-existant (I’m not exaggerating – you are treated with utter disdain); the language is harsh; the men are heavy set and strong; the women stern and the Russian ‘stare’ is unwavering. After spending so long in Japan, it’s an absolute culture shock.

 

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Living the Eastern Dream

I should forwarn you that you won’t come away with any mystic Eastern insights on the meaning of life (You’ll need to read Herman Hesse or Kahil Gibran et al for that.) Merely, a small insight into life on board the Korean-run ferry ‘Eastern Dream’ that sails between Sakaiminato, Japan and Vladivostok, Russia, via Donghae, South Korea.

And to be honest you won’t learn much about that either.

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“We are literally on top of a mountain!”

So having bought a 4WD car we thought it might be a good idea to make sure that the 4WD actually works. We had obviously tested that the switch worked but hadn’t taken Totty over anything higher than the odd kerb or two. After a bit of internet research we found a 4WD centre just an hour or so from Tokyo. We decided to book a place and also to take advantage of the camping that they offered too. The place is called Bronco (ブロンコ) (http://www.bronco4x4.net).

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Meeting Naoko-san and visiting our Land Cruiser

Whilst we purchased our Land Cruiser FJ62 about a month ago, part of the deal was that it would receive a full overhaul to a) fix a few broken parts and b) get it ready for the journey. So, since buying the car, it’s spent the whole time at the garage. We’ve been keen (desperately so in fact) to visit our car and see how things have been going, but felt a bit ‘silly’ going to visit for no reason other than sentimental ones! As it turned out we were given a great excuse as Ikegaya-san had recently met a fellow ‘overlander;’ Naoko-san, and kindly arranged for us all to meet her at Utilitas HQ.

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