interrupter and that will take 5 days and I will have to spend it in a cell.MMMM me thinks (with the thought of the orange boiler suite) this is not going well so with the best blagging skills I have I say I have no money and there is a part broken on the bike that I need to get fixed in Russia. If I go back that will take 2 days and my Russian visa will start to run out. Now he is trying to help me so he makes a couple of calls and we go upstairs I sit and wait for a
while. We then go into see the boss he looks about 12 but I explain all again he looks through the passport and I think he gets what I am doing he say ok you may go but this is a big problem you must enter and exit on the visa dates. I say I am very sorry. The passport is stamped and I am off to Russia. A short 10Kms ride to the customs post over the bridge. Lots of smile’s for the Russian guys with a fag hanging out the corner of their mouth. He says stop and points me to the passport control the Woman behind the window askes for my passport and bike Doc’s and gives me a from to fill in. Well its far too windy for me to do so I look as if I don’t know what I am doing she says something in Russian and she fills it in for me. Cool that worked nicely. Couple of stamps and I’m done. Russia was the easiest border to cross they have got it just right all done from one office on the computer. I’m off riding in RUSSIA. A dream for a long time manly due to the fact that when I was in the Army involved in the so called Cold War Russia was somewhere that we would probably never go but here I am riding my bike I Russia. I get to a cross roads that I have planned to turn left at and there is a policeman that tells me no I must go right something to with a bridge an extra 40kms and day light is starting to fade. I hustle on and get to Astrakhan and ride around trying to find my planned hotel and it’s now dark some of the back streets that I need up riding are real shanty town stuff, dogs, mud and rubbish. I can’t find the Hotel B & B so I end up in the hotel Zamok and its ok bike parked outside the front door lots of cameras and a security guard. A beer (or 3) chicken and chips Russian style and I’m done for the night.