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Martin Burlund
I am a somewhat young Danish traveller, who decided to save up some money, quit my jobs and go with my bike around the World. Up until now, I have driven to North Cape from Copenhagen (2500km), taken the ferry to the Russian border, biked to Murmansk and taken the train to Irkutsk. After going to the Olkhon island in the Bajkal Lake, I am turning around and going down through Mongolia and so far, Beijing is my target. Vegsurfer
Travel Blog Posts
October 25th 2011
"Early up and you go early to bed, that's the way for a little farmer boy". Those are some words from a Danish song and that one sure goes for North Koreans as well. Maybe it is a kind of shock treatment, to keep us in a drouse through our stay as the hotel phone alarm goes off at 6:30 like South Korea just invaded Pyongyang. But no, it's the Chinese's time to get up and get in the bus. I ate breakfast alone in an almost empty restaurant no.1, which is the restaurant, where western people eat. This is where I saw a buffet, so this is where I eat. But where was everybody? In this buffet there was pancakes, toast, butter, jam, porridge, twisty donut bread and a guy only to make omelettes. And ... read more
October 24th 2011
North Korea. I am going to fucking North Korea. It immediately dawns on me that had I not paid the 1000 dollars for this trip, there would have been a lot of regretting to do. The feeling of being in North Korea is just fantastic. Sure I contribute money to some people, who will probably not do any good with those money, but don't we all sometimes, when we buy all our burgers and bananas n'shit? This is my conclusion for now as the train rolls over Yalu river from the Chinese border city of Dandong to its North Korean sister city Sinouji on the other side of the river. There is propaganda, there is brown uniformed soldiers with AK-47's stopping people to check their documents. There is buildings, not in the best shape, but not ... read more
October 14th 2011
October 14th I woke up on the floor of a hard seat coupe in a train heading to North Korea. Wet sprays stinted in my face disturbed me and I heard the old man laugh hard as it happened time after time. Down the corridor I saw the young English speaking Chinese woman washing her mother with a cloth. It was water from this cloth that had awoken me and gave the old man a humerous start to the day. This surreal scene is made even more surreal in my universe because it is my birthday and, just to clear that out of the way, this day means something to me. I am not one of those "Well it's just another day of the year" people, or the "You only get one day older" people. October ... read more
September 26th 2011
The only one who would have made it through the Gobi without the others would have been Ed. I was still not experienced enough to fix a puncture in a gippy. I would maybe have made it in some hours, but I will never find out. Guy would however have finished last unless he took a hitch ride in a dodgy desert truck all the way to the border. Guy never tried big trips on a bike before and he is a compulsive smoker. He bought a cheap, used bike in Attila store and tied his bag to the back of his bike with some bungee chords and just went out there in a shirt and some pants. Brave Guy. I was damn patient waiting for Guy, as he was falling off like a pear in ... read more
September 16th 2011
It was not going to be easy to bike through Gobi, I decided. There is a way, which is paved a third of the way, and that one did not cut through the central Gobi, where all the sand dunes are found. I was on my way to pick up my bike and get going straight south when I got a message. "Dear Martin. If you can come to my goodbye party tonight I would be really happy. It will start at 1930 at the Pegasus Studio. Hugs, Elisabeth" Elisabeth from Denmark is my new good friend, whom I met in UB. We worked together for years in the same Copenhagen neighborhood and have several mutual Facebook friends, but never met each other before. This night Elisabeth was the bringer of a message from Faith. I ... read more
August 28th 2011
Proud of my decision to fare to Beijing all the way on bike I left the heavenly island of Olkhon. The way back did not seem so awful as going there. I did 135 kilometer and slept 40 km from Bayandai. In the morning I was woken up by chattering and dangling buckets. Camping in Russia in August brings along a great risk of colliding with mushroom and berry hunters. I made it to Bayandai fairly easy, and was kind of looking forward to the straight path back to Irkutsk. But a fierce face wind wanted it different. I could barely make it to Irkutsk as my bike would rather go backwards than forwards, but a text from beautiful Vaselina inviting me to sleep at her place certainly made my bones work as hard as they ... read more
August 22nd 2011
It was way too late to get out of a big city like Irkutsk. Especially because I could not even find my way out. The traffic was horrible for a biker not accustomed to Irkutsk traffic. Decidedly I went out to Olkhon as my couchsurfer friend Stefan had recommended it. He told me that I in particular should stay in a hostel called Nikita's. I had a book I needed to swap, so I was going the 300 k out there to do that. I took many a detour and when I was finally on the right course, it was really dark. Tatiana had been right. I should have waited until next day. I found a spot of forest between the noisy state road leading to Bayandai and some industry. I was actually not displeased with ... read more
August 16th 2011
I had contacts right, left, up and down in Irkutsk. My host Tatiana, Teddy the conductor from the train, Vaselina the hot girl from my coupe and then I run into an Austrian-Romanian couple from the train on the city's most prestigous hotel, where I was using the internet section. I agreed with the couple to meet up later when we got settled, Tatiana would meet later, Teddy only had time the next day and it was a little too early to write Vaselina, I thought. Well, I was alone then. noone to take care of poor Martin. I biked around the city, which has in the center only low houses, many built in wood with very decorative design. In a supermarket I finally found fuel for my homemade alcohol-stove, but I had no idea how ... read more
Russian Train Notes Part Deuce
Published: September 16th 2011Europe » Russia » Northwest » Saint Petersburg » Pushkin
August 9th 2011
Fresh and clean I jumped on the Bajkal train to Irkutsk, which is the only train departing from St. Petersburg beyond Moscow. In fact the rail arches around Moscow and Nischny Novgorod, going to towns called Vologda and Kirov, before joining the original transsiberian route in Jekaterinenburg. This meant I was the only foreigner on the train until Jekaterinenburg, so I felt it to be a bit more original than what other tourists might experience. Getting my bike on the train was again no trouble. The conductor couple were two young 20-year-old kids from Irkutsk and one of them, calling himself Teddy, was a bike fan. So he carried in my bike and it was put in a perfect place in the smoking compartment at the end of the cabin. Teddy also gave me decines to ... read more
Finding Old and New Friends in St. Petersburg
Published: September 16th 2011Europe » Russia » Northwest » Saint Petersburg » Pushkin
August 5th 2011
We are some, when in St. Petersburg, we feel like hovering a bit over the ground as we go along the prospects. This was the idea of Chester (an IT-specialist at the Danish School of Journalism) and I have always felt exactly the same way. Chester got married with a broad from here, and I certainly also made myself acquainted with some of the female half of the population when I once resided in ‘the Venice of the north’. Maybe this is what makes western men fly along the canals. As for me this stop would be about finding some of these old good-looking friends, whom I first met seven years ago. I have two good friends from back in the days - both women, both very attractive. But I had lost both their contacts as ... read more
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