We leave the Vlad Motor Inn, on the northern outskirts of Vladivostok, ready for a long day (with only a 30 day Russian visa, we need to motor to cross Russia, Mongolia, re-enter Russia and exit before the end of the 30 days) and excited to be starting this leg of our trip. The weather is not the best (just very wet fog again) but we are grateful it isn’t raining.
Just left Vladivostok city limits
Typical Soviet era apartments along the way
Beautifully painted houses brighten our dreary day
95% of cars in this area are right hand drive, reportedly a major cause of accidents
Such a good road this A-370!!
First road works
No time to wait for the steam roller
Where we had an early dinner outside Luchegorsk
Just south of Luchegorsk – it’s getting brighter!
Luchegorsk city limit monument
I have pinned a gostinitsa on our MapsMe – will they have a room for us we wonder?
Heading to Astoriya Gostinitsa (yellow and cream house) for the night, Luchegorsk
All I could find in the news about Luchegorsk that evening were articles on the town having being besieged by an invasion of 36 hungry bears back in Sept 2015! I am glad we weren’t there then.
We made good progress on day 1, having covered 470kms so we plan on covering only 270kms today and have the whole afternoon to visit Khabarovsk.
Our early morning fog north of Luchegorsk
Beautiful birch forests north of Luchegorsk
Typical Russian house, Dormidontovka
Old Russian church, Dormidontovka
Look!!!!! Blue skies!!!
Khabarovsk city limit monument
Lenin Square, Khabarovsk
In front of the Grado-Khabarovsk Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God
Memorial to victims of WWII from Khabarovsk – so many dead…yet wars still continue…
Close up of the Memorial to victims of WWII from Khabarovsk – was there anyone left in the city?!
Spaso-Transfiguration cathedral, Khabarovsk
Street vendors, Khabarovsk
Bringing power to your home, Khabarovsk
One of many parks we walked through in Khabarovsk
Lenin street, Khabarovsk
Army Surplus store selling camouflage and equipment, Khabarovsk
I thought I’d make the most of the wifi here to share these photos with you now (no time for much commentary this time) as we don’t know what it will be like further along the Trans-Siberian Highway.
Anyway, all is well with us both, the road has been great, people friendly as always, the food pretty good too and I even had a cup of my favourite coffee from Ethiopia in Khabarovsk!! Life is good. And once again, thank you to our faithful followers for your messages and comments – it is great to feel connected to you all. Don’t expect to hear from us for a few days now. Til next time…
– Anne
2slowspeeds 
What a mix – beautiful old buildings – ugly apartments – good roads – and the potential of ravenous bears waiting behind the tee line for slow motorcycles! Stay safe.
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Haha, we decided to give the honey for sale by the side of the road a miss!! Don’t want to attract those bears!!
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Oh how fascinating ! Love the contrasts- city, countryside and a feeling of peace. Life is great . Throttle on and stay safe. xxxxx
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Life certainly is great! Even just enjoyed some Siberian dumplings for dinner. Xxxx
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Loving this part of your trip already! Looking forward to the next blog and photos. Stay safe xx
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Thank you! Will keep them coming as internet permits. Xx
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Just remember that even both of you can go faster (just) than a hungry bear and you’ll both be ok. If it’s in front of you, u-turns and run is the best option. I’m having my sofa reinforced against marauding bears and the like just in case. Nice pics, nice weather, we’re sweltering in blighty.
Keep safe and throttle on.
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Saw a very hungry black bear today on the outskirts of town- it had been run over and lay dead with rush hour traffic zooming past :-(. Keep cool where you are!!
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TKU, not only for such an interesting blog – as always – but also for the breath of damp air riding through the fog : most welcome in the 30c+ we have been experiencing here. xx
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That is crazy heat you!are having!! I hope it cools down enough at night. Take care!! Xxx
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Love the Russian churches. Hope you have time to take in some Old Slavonic liturgy at some point. I experienced the beautiful chant in Tallinn recently. Hope the road remains good and that the skies clear…
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That would be lovely to experience – will let you know.
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All the above comments ring so true with how I felt reading this blog! Love it :)) Anne, je suppose que tu parles en Russe de temps en temps, Дa?
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Oui, tous les jours mais j’ai du mal à comprendre ce qu’on me répond – très frustrant et des fois amusant!!!
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Amazing photo journal thank you! Agree the Russian churches are glorious and just love the photo of you at Grado-Khabarovsk Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God. xx
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Thank you Bev. Still trying to perfect the selfies though – haha!! Xx
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Great stories & photos – continue to enjoy & to amuse us with your updates. Take care. X
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Thank you luv, will do!! Xx
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