Spaced-Out with Siberian Green!

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NEW PHOTOS: Just to let you know that today I managed to add loads of new pics to previous blog entries going all the way back to France in July... Enjoy!

Day 92, 31st August

Barabinsk - Ubinskoe - Kargat

Woke up a bit spaced! It had been another rainy night with a little storm. We were late on the road, about eleven, it was very cloudy, but with no rain today. The first café we stopped at for coffee and gretchka was strange. It was like a hillbilly place with three weird girls lazing about. I wondered about the long winters in places like this and what people do to amuse themselves?

Like yesterday, the roadsides and fields were brimming with marijuana plants, it felt like a crime not to stop and pick off the sweet-smelling sticky heads, well, we did actually, a few dozen! We also met our first cycle tourist in a long time, Boris, a Russian guy, who was cycling from Vladivostok to Lisbon where he had a job waiting for him - then back to Vladivostok next year! He actually knew we were on the road because he had a newspaper cutting of us with him!!

Further on, at our last café stop for the day, we heard from some truckers that there were two other cyclists about 30-50 kms behind us, so it seems that Rory and Toby may catch up with us tomorrow?

We found a field to camp in and I made a “special” mashed-potato while Scott filled half a bottle of vodka with “buds” to ferment for drinking when we arrive in Irkutsk. Shortly after eating, a mellowing effect consumed our bodies, and we chilled-out nicely as it went dark watching again the psychedelic screen-show on the roofs of our tents…

Total Miles: 5242.98 Todays Miles: 74.25 Average speed: 14.2 Time on bike: 5:13


Day 93, 1st September

Kargat - Čulym - Kočenevo

It’s now three months since we hit the road. More rain again last night. As I was packing up I saw the two other guys pass on the road. Within 5 miles of cycling fast, we caught them up and gave then a shock! The group was together again. We stopped at a café to eat, drink, and chat - then were on the long, straight road again.

Rory’s leg was causing him minor problems, they had met Boris too, and they had also discovered Mother Nature’s herb at the side of the road - you had to be stupid not to notice it! We picked more, and more, until we had plastic bags under our bugees bulging with the stuff - I mean, what were we expecting to do with all that weed?

At the last café we bought some butter, then after 80 miles we found an idyllic spot to camp and began to cook up our magic brews and began to get stoned out of our tiny little trees. Later, Scott couldn’t even manage to walk to his tent 10 feet away, and Toby was completely monged out! I had some quite amazing journeys too, all within the comfort of my own tent.

NOTICE: Legality of Marijuana in Russia. We found that the general consensus was that the police were more interested in the smuggling of un-official Vodka than to control a ‘weak’ strain of marijuana. Besides, young people couldn’t understand the concept of boiling up weed when vodka was so cheap and much easier to obtain on a street corner kiosk. Nevertheless, I suggest you use you own common sense, keep a low profile, and never attempt to take any weed over a border, that’s just asking for trouble!

Total Miles: 5325.67 Todays Miles: 82.69 Average speed: 15.1 Time on bike: 5:27

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Photos

Fields of Marijuana !
Welcome back to the group Rory. The guy beams as he stands in the fields of Siberian marijuana, enough to last a lunchtime!

Toby gets in on the act too!
A moment when "Too many cooks"... Don't spoil the broth. Tobes fixes up a Marijuana-Madras Diablo Special!

Depressing Reality
Siberian roads during the daytime can be an ultimatly miserable experience.

A new Beer
Every few hundred miles the berr labels change, I particularly like this un-decipherable one.

Comments

[adamski]

blah
hi there man. where exactly is it in siberia. to the nearest sq foot. i want to go there now!!