Japan: Nagoya/Seto-The Finish Line

As got closer towards the finish line, Joel and I were quiet in the van, filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness with our stomachs and throbbing hearts in the back of our throats. The finish line was at our yard where our van was prepped for the rally, the where the journey began for the van was where it was going to end for us.

It was in the middle of the work day, but everyone took an hour of their time stopping work and preparing a welcome back at the finish line. All of our co-workers, some friends and family were all there. It was amazing to see their faces, but more so people were suprised to see how much Joel and I had physically changed. People were commenting on Joel’s huge beard and how large and crazy my hair gotten as well as how tan I had become.

Our crazy adventure was all thanks to the dream of one man, our boss and dear friend Steven Smith. Here he is with his son Josh and us at the finish line.

13 Countries, more than 15,000km, 9 weeks later, Joel and I had experienced the rare opportunity of seeing the world behind the wheel in making history of driving a small 660cc van from London all the way back to Japan. They had scrambled to make the warmest of welcomes, and we even got cake!

Japan: Tokai-Hokuriku to Nagoya- The Final Home Stretch

Joel and I filled the tank for the van, and hit the road. Originally Toyama and Nagoya used to take a lot longer by car, but just June of this year they had finished a new highway that went straight through the mountains that separated the two cities. Our hearts were filled both with excitement and nervousness as we looked around noticing that our journey was coming to an end. We had been away for 9 weeks, people and the scenery had changed as well as us, and we weren’t sure how the it was going to mix.

One of the many tunnels on the Tokai-Hokuriku Highway, some of them up to 13-14kms long. Definitely not a place to try holding your breath for a wish.

The van was gliding on the paved roads eating into the KM that separated us from home. We were pumping music through the iPod when suddenly the music started sounding distorted, and our battery light was on, we were losing power. Our moods suddenly sank 28km outside of Nagoya and yet another problem.

We opened the engine compartment and found that our alternator belt had slipped off, luckily it was still in one piece and we just had to re-tighten a few things and we were up and running. The last of the set backs, we crossed our fingers and kept going.

Japan: Takaoka, Toyama- So close, yet so far away

With the sun setting and humid yet cool sea-air flowing through the van heading towards the highway, we immediately got on the phone to tell our boss that we were on our way home.

Right as I was on the phone saying how we had been sorted out at Customs and on our way home, our car started overheating, it was already dark and no garage was going to be open. I had spoken too soon, we’d be staying another night away. The coolant was boiling and the engine wasn’t very hot, Joel got on the phone to try and describe the problem to our mechanic and they thought our water pump was broken.

Getting used to the hospitality abroad, Joel and I had trouble finding help, a lady at a gas station was hesitant. But luckily at the convience store across the street, Joel had spotted a guy in a Daihatsu Mechanic’s outfit.

Hori-san was interested to hear our story, and immediately got on the phone with one of his friends who knew about a Subaru dealership. He couldn’t really help diagnose our problem, especially since we were in the parking lot, and he just got off of work, but he did draw us a map to where the closest Subaru Dealership, it actually was really close. We had no choice but to grab some grub and go there the first thing the next morning. Another set back, we were just hoping for this to be our last.

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Joel and I finally got to the Subaru dealership with a few stops to cool down the anti-freeze that was boiling. After a few hours, it boiled down to our coolant hoses being clogged and not being attached very well, so they replaced our hoses before noon and we were finally on our way.

Japan: Fushiki, Toyama, More Customs

After two nights at sea, we noticed the rocking of the ship and the speed had decreased. After breakfast we noticed the coast and more people heading to deck. We were finally back in Japan! Here’s a photo of Joel with the coast of Fushiki Port in the back.

In the back of our heads, we still knew we had quite a bit to take care of after immigration with customs and the van. Joel got on the phone right away when we heard that we might not be able to leave that day. It seems that the Japanese Custom’s Office needed a new invoice of inventory of all items in the van.

This is Joel on the phone with our Branch Administrator Yukiko re-organizing and itemizing all of our belongings including things we had gotten abroad including new clothes, tools, and souvenirs quite the time consuming process to be faxed to their office.

The Custom’s people were really nice and managed to get the inventory, and cram us in for inspection for the offices closed.

Lall finally given the clear to leave the ferry.

A lot of this was thanks to Sakai-San, Yukiko from our office and Joel who had a better grip on Japanese than I did to help explain the whole situation. The sun was setting and we were filled with excitement that only a 3 hour highway ride out to Nagoya was the only thing that was keeping us from our own beds at home.

Bell Rus/Majuro- Ferry to Fushiki, Toyama

Lallie finally made on the boat and we set sail. It was interesting when we went to the car port to get a few things from the car, the ferry that was previously loaded with cars, was barely full on the way back. This time our van and maybe 3 other containers where the only things in the whole boat’s cargo hold.

Joel and our new friend Keiji on the front of the ferry before settling sail, hardly believing we’d be seeing the Sea Terminal from the boat because of the commotion of the whole day.

It was hard to believe that our journey was coming to an end, the smell of the Sea and the rocking of the ferry was reminiscent of how Joel and I were trying to get through our heads what would the journey be like ahead of us when we were taking the Dover Ferry from the UK to France- the only difference is that this ferry ride was a good 2 nights.

According to our new friend Keiji, student at Ritsumeikan Univeristy in Kyoto, who’s 20 day holiday was coming to an end, had ridden this ferry a couple of times before and said we’d lucked out. Last time people were extremely sea sick from rough waters.

The ferry was actually a lot nicer than I expected. The ferry had a full mess hall, disco, music lounge, bar, convience store (that was inconviently closed most the time) and movie room. Most the time Joel and I spent was outside on the deck, reading or resting.

Joel and I had a room to ourselves, meals included, and also a lot of travelers who spoke English going to Japan or returning. We traded stories as usual, most of which had traveled on the Trans-Siberian by Rail and Joel and I joked as how we were pretty much following them by car the whole journey.

Keiji, Joel, Me, Professor Suda and her husband, Hendrick and a Swiss Traveler who’s name I forgot.

On our last night, since Joel and I had lived in Japan for quite a while, as well as our New Zealand raised, (although born in Osaka, and going to school in Kyoto now) had a discussion with other travelers about places to visit in Japan. Towards the end of the night, a Japanese man approached us with his wife and they ended up living only 10 minutes away from Joel’s apartment, and he goes jogging every morning near mine. They’re pictured above.

What are the chances of meeting people who live down the street from you on a ferry from Russia to Japan? My guess is highly unlikely.

Vladivostok: Customs Craziness thanks to Coincidences at the Car Wash

Lallie’s rough look before a good pressure wash.

Lall’s had a rough time, we actually hadn’t washed her once since the launch in London, and it was time to make her shine for customs clearance according to what we heard from other people’s experiences.

This is Mark, our Russian Miracle Worker at the Sea Terminal with the RUS in the background. Some people’s hospitality and generosity can be unbelievable.

Unfortunately that’s the only thing we knew about the customs paperwork. Luckily when one of the employee’s by the name of Mark at the car wash noticed our Mongol Rally stickers. Joel goes through the whole schpeel of our journey and our current dilemma with having no clue as to what to do to get our van on board.

Mark mentioned that he had helped a Scottish Guy in a Land Cruiser that was traveling for 3 years from London, and had helped him with his customs’s paperwork and getting his vehicle on a ferry. He also spoke the most English of the people we had met so far and he was also willing to help. The startling thing was that they had 3 busy days, and we had less than 10 hours.

Mark met us the first thing on Monday morning to sort out situation, he was a constant chronic smoker and I was suspicious as to if this story was too good to be true (yet again). Mark mentioned that he had a few friends in customs, and was willing to go with us at the Sea Terminal to sort out the ferry, and all the paperwork, for free. Joel and I were already tired of being in Russia and just wanted to get home, unless we wanted to deal with it on our own and risk being in town for another week, we had no real other option other than to trust him.

Mark and Joel on some of the various walks going between the ATM, customs offices, and the Sea Terminal, all not very close to each other.

Things were quite the rush, especially since traffic was horrible and we had to cram Mark in and have me ride in our make shift seat from luggage and tackle boxes in the back. It was a blur of going to the Custom’s Office which was a good 3km from the Port, stopping by the cashier to pay for the port tax for the van, going to another office where we had to prove that we paid our port tax, the ferry office, and several other offices of Sea Terminal Offices that had no English or Japanese speaking staff, and Mark lacked the English to try and explain it all.

Before you know it, its around 4 o’clock, Joel and I hand our keys to customs after we got all this paper work done. What strings Mark pulled and what we accomplished was anything short of a miracle. We as well as Lallie got on the ferry in time safe and sound, no problems all thanks to the kind and generosity of Mark. If Joel and I hadn’t gone to that exact car wash at that time, who knows if Joel and I would still be in Russia.

Thanks for everything, especially taking a day away from work in order to help us out. And sorry I doubted you. Something’s you just can’t be to sure about, and have to leave to chance. It just looks like luck was on our side this time.

Vladivostok: Around the City

On top of having a full cargo load, the Bell RUS/Majuro from Fushiki, Toyama Japan comes full load, including all the walking space and pool areas filled with Japanese Exported Cars, they manually take each car the main deck by crane, and drive the rest off the car hold.

Revolutionary Square, with Power Wheel rentals for kids to race around.

We had made the ferry reservations but wouldn’t pay until actually on the ship. The van had to clear customs and the ferry office had no English support for figuring things out. Things were up in the air, and all the government offices were closed until Monday. At least the ferry didn’t set sail until the late evening but with that plus our trip nearing and end looming over our heads all Joel and I could do was wait.

Rob, Chris, Joel and Ken (or I think that’s what their names were), Ken traveling the Trans-Siberian to Moscow, and the others doing our route in reverse back to London.

Joel and I were trying to sort things out looking up stuff on the Internet for English Customs information at the Post Office. Unfortunately we came up short, but bumped into some guys who just finished teaching English in Korea and were on their way towards Moscow and one team taking a Land Cruiser towards London, the exact opposite route which Joel and I had taken.

With everything looming over our heads and missing home, the weekend was going to be long.

Final Trans-Siberian Highway, Race to the Sea Terminal

A landmark on the outside of Usurisk, a town right before Vladivostok.

For the most part Joel and I didn’t want to over stay our welcome since Ke was feeding us at his really expensive restaurant, and he also let us do our laundry. Even though the ferry wasn’t until Monday, we were advised to make it to Vladivostok and talk to the ferry company and sort out customs and getting on the ferry.

It took us about a day and a half, and for the most part the roads were smooth all the way in. Joel and I had our last camping meal and took off hoping for no more problems with van until we made it to at least the port.

We didn’t really think twice knowing that driving down on a Friday that traffic would be as bad as it was,  people usually spend weekends in Vladivostok especially from Khabarovsk. The Sea Terminal office was going to close at 6pm, and Joel and I had only gotten into the outskirts with even more thickening traffic.

 

Revolutionary City Center Square of Vladivostok

I was phoning the office to have them wait just a bit longer since we were in bumper to bumper with only 15 minutes to go. Gas running near empty Joel and I hoped that our reserve would last and wouldn’t be in downtown traffic using our jerry cans.

We parked at the first opening we saw a good 200m from the station and sprinted, hoping that the person waiting for us was still there. Grabbed our stuff sprinted to the office to barely make our reservations. Grant it we arrived around 6:15pm and the staff waiting for us wasn’t too happy but at least we had our spots on the ferry.

Khabarovsk: Ferry not on Friday, Sightseeing

Ke was great in giving us a place to stay for the night, but we found out early in the morning that our ferry actually didn’t leave until Monday which was a good 5 days away, and Vladivostok was only a day and a half away. We explained our situation to Ke and he actually enjoyed our company, since he lived by himself in a really large and by far the nicest apartment Joel and I had ever seen.

Ke’s family runs Khabarovsk’s first and best Chinese restaurant Syangan, he’s been over looking the business now for around 7 years, and he’s only 24. He studied 1 year in London and about 2 years in Vancouver studying English. On top of that he’s invested quite a bit in city’s real estate and owns a bit of land and a few buildings which he rents out. That would explain his amazing apartment that looked over the river, the photo above is the view from his place. No to mention he’s been living in Russia since he was 13, and in fully fluent in Russian and Mandarin Chinese.

Here’s Joel and I at Syangan, Ke’s family’s restaurant, real posh and expensive, yet Ke was happy to pay for the bill regardless of how much we insisted.

Look of the main town square of Khabarovsk.

Ke told us about how Khabarovsk’s economy is booming especially with Japanese Import Cars, the logging and oil industries doing well especially being just down the river from China and Harbin where a lot of this part of Siberian Russia does trade with China.

Ke invited us out to meet his friends, to tell our stories and how far we’ve come. Most of the time he was interpreting for us the whole time. It was interesting to tell a story, then wait for Ke to explain it in Russian and see their reactions to our adventures. Everyone else treated us to dinner as well, but this was by far the easiest time we’ve had in Russia, and can’t thank everyone especially Ke enough for their hospitality.

Eastern Siberia: Escort out of Khabarovsk and (Chinese) Russian Hospitality

It had been awhile since Joel and I were in a large city, and by far Khabarovsk was the nicest and the city with the most development of all the cities we’ve seen so far. We found ourselves in the same situation of trying to find our way towards Vladivostok but got caught in the middle of the city.

Joel and I stopped at the town square after some bum directions from the gas stand we asked at, and I approached a man to ask if he spoke English and indicated that he only spoke a bit of English. Then suddenly in perfect English I hear, "Do you need some help?" it was a young asian man who was more than willing to help us out and ended up showing us the way out of the city.

Ke to the right of Joel, Alexander to the left who took a few photos of us at a gas stand at the edge of the city.

It was getting dark and Joel and I were hungry and tired, to show our appreciation we asked if we could treat him to dinner. Ke was so enthusiastic to hear of our journey and where we were planning on going that he ended up paying for our bill and offering us a place to stay for the night.