conversation with my fellow moto
travellers, I discovered that one of
them was actually a Russian national
who now lives in Canada. This would
prove to be amazing luck as he was
able to translate for the group and
help us through the lengthy paper-
work process.
The guards were relatively relaxed
and had little interest in what was on
our bikes or in our luggage. On initial
entry you will receive a three-month
temporary import for your motorcy-
cle, stated on the import slip you must
always keep on you. After almost fives
hours we were through and the final
task of bargaining for local insurance
was all that remained. There are small
demountable huts located along the
first few kilometres of highway selling
insurance. I had my doubts as to the
coverage it would provide. However,
it is required and relatively cheap.
Before leaving Australia, I had been
unable to obtain maps for my Garmin
sat nav for Russia. The Canadian
group had been more successful and
found someone selling them on ama-
zon. As I turned off the main road to
find my hotel, it quickly became ap-
parent just how much of an inconve-
nience not having my sat nav ‘friend’
may be for the next 10,000kms. Even-
tually finding it down some quite du-
bious looking streets, I was greeted by
a couple of fellow guests smoking at
the front of the hotel. The usual ques-
tions of where I am from, where am I
going, what made it more surprising
was that I had found someone in this
small-town speaking English.
After checking in, again with staff
that spoke perfect English, I located
the amazon maps and was set for my
first solo ride the following day. The
road to Moscow from the Western bor-
der is new and in excellent condition.
This was yet another surprise, as I had
expected much worse. The blacktop
was smooth and almost deserted. I
cruised into Moscow early on a Satur-
day afternoon with almost no traffic.
TRAVERSE 26
Moscow is a stunning city. It oozes
style and the architecture can easily
keep you entertained for days. The
most surprising thing was the Europe-
an vibe felt throughout the city. Where
was the cold war, iron curtain, city full
of miserable looking people and grey
skies I had been expecting? I had in-
advertently arrived during the finals
of the World Cup, so there were many
more foreign tourists to be found;
however, it didn’t seem as crowded
and hectic as I imagined it would.
Meeting up once again with the Ca-
nadian riders, we spent time exploring
the city including the infamous Krem-
lin. A stunning example of excess and
power, beautiful nonetheless. Having
a local with us to explain the culture
and history was incredibly fortunate
and without that I would have been
much less informed about this amaz-
ing city and it’s past. I would highly
recommend taking a tour of some
kind when you first arrive.
Heading out of Moscow towards