Sunday
September 4, 2005. 
This will be our last full day in Russia.
Around 8 o'clockNeil and Mark leave, the Defender being towed. To the border is over three hundred
kilometres and that's quite a job.
The rest of us leave around ten.
We can travel more quickly and therefore have time to spend during another splendid day.
Folkert asks me to lead, because I planned the route in OziCe. I have some maps available and got directions from Neil.
Till Kandalaksha really not much of a challenge. Just one road and one turn-off.
In Kandalaksha again we will refuel at the Statoil. We fill up completely because it is not certain that
we can refuel before getting into Finland.
At twelve we arrive at the fuelling station, at a quarter past one we leave. Travel goes well. Main road
to the south and then we must turn off to the right somewhere. All this is according my plot and as a cross-check I confirmed the routing with Lisa and Vaughn. I gave them the position of the hotel which Neil in turn gave to me, and they plotted it in their Garmin GPS. The track that is indicated by their Garmin corresponds exactly to what I have planned. Ttherefore that must be correct.
The junction is the start of a dirt-track. At first I miss the turn of. After turning back we follow this miserable road.
Is this the main road to the border? It must be. According the map and GPS we are right on track although there are large breaches and deep pits.
The first kilometre or so, even a private car is driving along but than halts.
We encounter two more cars but that is all.
Must have been quite a challenge for Neil and Mark. From time to time even solo it is a full blown job.
After an hour and a half we stop for a short coffee break. We discuss the situation because the road worsens. According to the map and GPS we still are on track so we decide to go on. A bit down the road we have to pass a bridge and the darn thing doesn't look like it's the Golden Gate Bridge.
Lisa even prefers to walk across.
A couple of times we pass along what we think is a monument of war.
The road looks more and more deserted however. Than eventually: Asphalt. That looks good.
We follow this road for some distance, but it turns northbound instead of going west. No indicators or whatever to be seen, we turn back to the junction. Also according to the GPS of Vaughn and Lisa we have to find another road. And that we find back at the spot we reached the asphalt.
After a kilometre there is a bridge that no longer is a bridge.
That's an old story. Having done so many crossings, this is neither a problem. And we continue the track. Sometimes that really is very bad. We pass many bridges or what's left of them.
One bridge is entirely gone but there are two giant iron pipes, lying side by side in the riverbed, the space in between is filled with stones and PSP. Peanuts to get to the other side.
And that railway-crossing. Simply the bald rails. Just bump across. This track is used, you can see it because of the blank iron. Fortunately no train.
Afterwards we pass a kind of barracks. Totally deserted. There, however, a beautiful asphalt road starts. Then all of a sudden a closed gate across the road. Sh...Chips, hope we can get that open.
Out of nowhere an astonished guard emerges. He says something in Russian. I do not understand him of course. I put a big smile on my face and tell him as politely as I can in perfect Dutch that we have to go to Karelia. A 'what do you mean'-look is my part. Again a perfect sentence in plain Russian. Same procedure at my side, smile, look polite but now I say "Rovaniemi". And try to look as innocent as possible.
He gives in, opens the gate and we are on the nice road, continuing for the border.
30 kilometres down this road we find the ' hotel '.
Anyway we find Neil's and Mark's car near a building under construction. There we hear that we have taken a route which twenty years ago has been replaced by a new one. Unfortunately that's not on our fairly recent maps.
Our presumption is confirmed. The hotel is everything except ready.
Fortunately there is a shower. We must be extremely economical with warm water, but we can freshen up nicely. For four of us a room is available to put their air matrasses in and where they can sleep. We choose to stay in our own car.
Late that night we get diner. Meatballs in a cover of dough. It tastes very well but it is all we get. We drift to bed fairly early. Tomorrow at 7 o'clock breakfast. Neil wants to be at the border by 8 o'clock.
Monday September 5, 2005.
Did not sleep very well. It rained several times during the night and one way or another that annoyed me.... but it is dry when we rise. Breakfast is good.
Then to the border. Ten kilometres further down the road we came yesterday.
Quarter to eight we are at the first gate. There we pass smoothly and another ten kilometres further down the road is the real border.
Neil and Mark are checked first. We are third. Neil and Mark get checked thoroughly. Mark even has to
open the roof-tents. Afterwards they come in with their first aid kit that is checked bit by bit.
Fortunately no problems.
Same procedure for us. Atmosphere is relaxed. The first aid kit is checked, but I don't have to take it inside.
One of the men glances over the front seats and turns away but then looks again.
Attracted by the white shine of another small first aid box, stored under the passenger frontseat. In there we have some zovirax, tablets against headaches, some Norit and some painkillers because of Yvonne's bad back. All on doctor's prescription and a medicine-passport goes with them.
The guard is alarmed and calls some others in. Later we discover that the painkillers are considered to be classified as 'strong medicine' and this is not allowed at all. We have to stay, the tablets, 15 or so, are confiscated. I try to explain why we have these tablets and that we got them on doctor's prescription. It doesn't matter.
In the meantime the rest of the group gets checked and can leave. We must stay.
At that moment a 40-series Toyota build 1979 arrives and, as we find out later, in there is a Finnish female border official. Being of duty, Sanne (as she is introduced to us) is returning from a short trip to Russia, buying cigarettes and diesel-fuel. The Russians know her and ask her to mediate because she understands and speaks Russian and English. Otherwise they have to wait for an interpreter from Kandalaksha or even worse Monchegorsk or Murmansk. And that could take hours or even a day. Of course we gladly agree.
It takes over five hours to complete lots of forms, all written by hand. By hand! Even the copies.
Honest. All this because we have not marked on the border declaration-form that we are carrying strong medicine. We deny that it is strong medicine and keep saying that we didn't want to smuggle or something alike, which is also true. Fortunately the atmosphere is rather relaxed.
Jokes (which we don't understand) are told and there are laughs. We are not considered being criminals but stupid blundering tourists and now got caught.
Also the presence of Sanne helps. At a certain moment we even get coffee.
Eventually we can leave. Sanne refuses any compensation for her time. She says she was glad to do this and for her it was also an experience. With a firm handshake and obviously heartfelt: "welcome at your next travel in Russia", we say farewell to the Russians. Yvonne received an assignation to appear before court in Murmansk on October 14th 2005 at 2.00 PM. But she has immediately signed a declaration that she refers from her right being heard and requests being informed by mail about the outcome. Therefore she does not have to be present.
After all I think we were lucky getting away like this.
When we get to the Finnish border we are greeted as if we were acquaintances and asked if we had a difficult time. 'Our ' Finnish Sanne has told the tale already and one sympathises with us. We want to thank her once again but she refuses any kind of compensation, saying that she found it nice to do and that she regarded it being obvious.
Leaving the customs-building we are called by mobile phone. Firstly Folkert and later Neil. How we are getting on. In short wording we tell the story and Neil tells he has tried, by means of the Russian ' hotel boss ', to arrange something but obviously did not succeed.
Around six o'clock tired, but relieved, we reach the camp area near Haparanda, 'Wild Lapland' where we stayed before. Mark and children are not there. They are in a hotel in the city. Tomorrow the Defender will be repaired and if possible they will be en route around three PM.
Tuesday September 6.
A long day after a cold, cold night. In fact everyone has been freezing. Going to bed, stars were
twinkling in a clear sky and that promised a cold night.
When we get out of bed everything is white. It is cooooocold. Luckily there is no wind and this way the
cold can be endured well.
After breakfast we take a nice hot shower and by that time the sun has gained sufficient altitude to make it more pleasant.
We do not dawdle long wrapping up. We have more than 600 k's to go to Docksta. However, Docksta?
Neil wants us to go to Norrfallsviken, about 25 kilometer beyond.
That camp-site is located about 15 k's from the main road, not suffering from the noise caused by the trucks passing along, as Docksta is.
Concerning the ride there is not a lot to tell about. We must press on to obtain a reasonable average.
There still are many road building activities and you also pass many build-up areas. Actually we only pause two times.
In the afternoon it gets difficult. The eyes become heavy. The sun is shining continuously on the windshield and the purr of the engine makes me sleepy. Yvonne wants to take over however, and this way I can do a little nap.
Around five o'clock we reach the camp-site in Docksta. The caravan still intact. We throw some stuff we don't need any longer on board and change clothes. Then we go on for the camp-site in Norrfallsviken. At the reception we tell we want to visit the group and that we will leave around ten this evening. We are allowed to enter the campsite.
It is a bit of a search because it is a huge camp-site. Then we see Neil's car and a bit further Folkert and Netty.
Alex is not there not yet and also Vaughn and Lisa are missing.
Neil tells us Mark will not get here by tonight. Although he got en route but leaving Rovaniemi at about three o'clock he won't be able to make it here.
Half an hour later Vaughn and Lisa arrive.
They took a wrong turnoff somewhere and got of the road. No damage done and Vaughn was able to winch them out there, but then got an argument with the owner of the trees he had put the tree strap around as an anchor. Therefore he was in a bad mood.
A bit later Alex arrives. He lost time because he has problems with the indicators.
Something is wrong and they do not work. The circuit-breaker is okay. Must be the indicator-relay.
After dinner we start a campfire. There is a lot to talk about. By ten o'clock we say farewell and return to our own caravan after promises from both sides about sending photographs.
Starting at Docksta and returning here we have driven 3275 km. There are big differences in distances covered per day. Max was 680 km on this last day, min was 3,74 km in that terribly soft and later on rocky area with mudpits on August 30.
We still have two more weeks to spend and will travel via Norway to the south.
So we can recover a bit of what we have lived through.
We will look back on this trip with great pleasure.
With the population we have had little contact but the contact which we had was pleasant, even at the border when we left Russia.
The country is very particular. The two cities visited, in our eyes are very poor and dull, but it was striking that people here in general are well dressed and in a good condition.
The landscape we passed through was mainly woody with a soil varying from rock to sand to mud.
From being very firm to very boggy . If you like river crossings: rivers are abundant.
You want to light a campfire? There is plenty of wood and you really don't have to demolish trees.
Dead wood lying around wherever you look.
According Neil we have been enormously lucky.
We hardly had any rain. Each and every day the sun was shining and the temperature was reasonable.
Will we recommend this trip. Yes, no doubt.
Will we do it one more time? Possibly, but there is a lot more to explore in this world
This will be our last full day in Russia.
Around 8 o'clockNeil and Mark leave, the Defender being towed. To the border is over three hundred
kilometres and that's quite a job.
The rest of us leave around ten.
We can travel more quickly and therefore have time to spend during another splendid day.
Folkert asks me to lead, because I planned the route in OziCe. I have some maps available and got directions from Neil.
Till Kandalaksha really not much of a challenge. Just one road and one turn-off.
In Kandalaksha again we will refuel at the Statoil. We fill up completely because it is not certain that
we can refuel before getting into Finland.
At twelve we arrive at the fuelling station, at a quarter past one we leave. Travel goes well. Main road
to the south and then we must turn off to the right somewhere. All this is according my plot and as a cross-check I confirmed the routing with Lisa and Vaughn. I gave them the position of the hotel which Neil in turn gave to me, and they plotted it in their Garmin GPS. The track that is indicated by their Garmin corresponds exactly to what I have planned. Ttherefore that must be correct.
The junction is the start of a dirt-track. At first I miss the turn of. After turning back we follow this miserable road.
Is this the main road to the border? It must be. According the map and GPS we are right on track although there are large breaches and deep pits.
The first kilometre or so, even a private car is driving along but than halts.
We encounter two more cars but that is all.
Must have been quite a challenge for Neil and Mark. From time to time even solo it is a full blown job.
After an hour and a half we stop for a short coffee break. We discuss the situation because the road worsens. According to the map and GPS we still are on track so we decide to go on. A bit down the road we have to pass a bridge and the darn thing doesn't look like it's the Golden Gate Bridge.
Lisa even prefers to walk across.
 |
 |
 |
A couple of times we pass along what we think is a monument of war.
The road looks more and more deserted however. Than eventually: Asphalt. That looks good.
We follow this road for some distance, but it turns northbound instead of going west. No indicators or whatever to be seen, we turn back to the junction. Also according to the GPS of Vaughn and Lisa we have to find another road. And that we find back at the spot we reached the asphalt.
After a kilometre there is a bridge that no longer is a bridge.
That's an old story. Having done so many crossings, this is neither a problem. And we continue the track. Sometimes that really is very bad. We pass many bridges or what's left of them.
One bridge is entirely gone but there are two giant iron pipes, lying side by side in the riverbed, the space in between is filled with stones and PSP. Peanuts to get to the other side.
And that railway-crossing. Simply the bald rails. Just bump across. This track is used, you can see it because of the blank iron. Fortunately no train.
Afterwards we pass a kind of barracks. Totally deserted. There, however, a beautiful asphalt road starts. Then all of a sudden a closed gate across the road. Sh...Chips, hope we can get that open.
Out of nowhere an astonished guard emerges. He says something in Russian. I do not understand him of course. I put a big smile on my face and tell him as politely as I can in perfect Dutch that we have to go to Karelia. A 'what do you mean'-look is my part. Again a perfect sentence in plain Russian. Same procedure at my side, smile, look polite but now I say "Rovaniemi". And try to look as innocent as possible.
He gives in, opens the gate and we are on the nice road, continuing for the border.
30 kilometres down this road we find the ' hotel '.
Anyway we find Neil's and Mark's car near a building under construction. There we hear that we have taken a route which twenty years ago has been replaced by a new one. Unfortunately that's not on our fairly recent maps.
Our presumption is confirmed. The hotel is everything except ready.
Fortunately there is a shower. We must be extremely economical with warm water, but we can freshen up nicely. For four of us a room is available to put their air matrasses in and where they can sleep. We choose to stay in our own car.
Late that night we get diner. Meatballs in a cover of dough. It tastes very well but it is all we get. We drift to bed fairly early. Tomorrow at 7 o'clock breakfast. Neil wants to be at the border by 8 o'clock.
Monday September 5, 2005.
Did not sleep very well. It rained several times during the night and one way or another that annoyed me.... but it is dry when we rise. Breakfast is good.
Then to the border. Ten kilometres further down the road we came yesterday.
Quarter to eight we are at the first gate. There we pass smoothly and another ten kilometres further down the road is the real border.
Neil and Mark are checked first. We are third. Neil and Mark get checked thoroughly. Mark even has to
open the roof-tents. Afterwards they come in with their first aid kit that is checked bit by bit.
Fortunately no problems.
Same procedure for us. Atmosphere is relaxed. The first aid kit is checked, but I don't have to take it inside.
One of the men glances over the front seats and turns away but then looks again.
Attracted by the white shine of another small first aid box, stored under the passenger frontseat. In there we have some zovirax, tablets against headaches, some Norit and some painkillers because of Yvonne's bad back. All on doctor's prescription and a medicine-passport goes with them.
The guard is alarmed and calls some others in. Later we discover that the painkillers are considered to be classified as 'strong medicine' and this is not allowed at all. We have to stay, the tablets, 15 or so, are confiscated. I try to explain why we have these tablets and that we got them on doctor's prescription. It doesn't matter.
In the meantime the rest of the group gets checked and can leave. We must stay.
At that moment a 40-series Toyota build 1979 arrives and, as we find out later, in there is a Finnish female border official. Being of duty, Sanne (as she is introduced to us) is returning from a short trip to Russia, buying cigarettes and diesel-fuel. The Russians know her and ask her to mediate because she understands and speaks Russian and English. Otherwise they have to wait for an interpreter from Kandalaksha or even worse Monchegorsk or Murmansk. And that could take hours or even a day. Of course we gladly agree.
It takes over five hours to complete lots of forms, all written by hand. By hand! Even the copies.
Honest. All this because we have not marked on the border declaration-form that we are carrying strong medicine. We deny that it is strong medicine and keep saying that we didn't want to smuggle or something alike, which is also true. Fortunately the atmosphere is rather relaxed.
Jokes (which we don't understand) are told and there are laughs. We are not considered being criminals but stupid blundering tourists and now got caught.
Also the presence of Sanne helps. At a certain moment we even get coffee.
Eventually we can leave. Sanne refuses any compensation for her time. She says she was glad to do this and for her it was also an experience. With a firm handshake and obviously heartfelt: "welcome at your next travel in Russia", we say farewell to the Russians. Yvonne received an assignation to appear before court in Murmansk on October 14th 2005 at 2.00 PM. But she has immediately signed a declaration that she refers from her right being heard and requests being informed by mail about the outcome. Therefore she does not have to be present.
After all I think we were lucky getting away like this.
When we get to the Finnish border we are greeted as if we were acquaintances and asked if we had a difficult time. 'Our ' Finnish Sanne has told the tale already and one sympathises with us. We want to thank her once again but she refuses any kind of compensation, saying that she found it nice to do and that she regarded it being obvious.
Leaving the customs-building we are called by mobile phone. Firstly Folkert and later Neil. How we are getting on. In short wording we tell the story and Neil tells he has tried, by means of the Russian ' hotel boss ', to arrange something but obviously did not succeed.
Around six o'clock tired, but relieved, we reach the camp area near Haparanda, 'Wild Lapland' where we stayed before. Mark and children are not there. They are in a hotel in the city. Tomorrow the Defender will be repaired and if possible they will be en route around three PM.
Tuesday September 6.
A long day after a cold, cold night. In fact everyone has been freezing. Going to bed, stars were
twinkling in a clear sky and that promised a cold night.
When we get out of bed everything is white. It is cooooocold. Luckily there is no wind and this way the
cold can be endured well.
 |
 |
 |
After breakfast we take a nice hot shower and by that time the sun has gained sufficient altitude to make it more pleasant.
We do not dawdle long wrapping up. We have more than 600 k's to go to Docksta. However, Docksta?
Neil wants us to go to Norrfallsviken, about 25 kilometer beyond.
That camp-site is located about 15 k's from the main road, not suffering from the noise caused by the trucks passing along, as Docksta is.
Concerning the ride there is not a lot to tell about. We must press on to obtain a reasonable average.
There still are many road building activities and you also pass many build-up areas. Actually we only pause two times.
In the afternoon it gets difficult. The eyes become heavy. The sun is shining continuously on the windshield and the purr of the engine makes me sleepy. Yvonne wants to take over however, and this way I can do a little nap.
Around five o'clock we reach the camp-site in Docksta. The caravan still intact. We throw some stuff we don't need any longer on board and change clothes. Then we go on for the camp-site in Norrfallsviken. At the reception we tell we want to visit the group and that we will leave around ten this evening. We are allowed to enter the campsite.
It is a bit of a search because it is a huge camp-site. Then we see Neil's car and a bit further Folkert and Netty.
Alex is not there not yet and also Vaughn and Lisa are missing.
Neil tells us Mark will not get here by tonight. Although he got en route but leaving Rovaniemi at about three o'clock he won't be able to make it here.
Half an hour later Vaughn and Lisa arrive.
They took a wrong turnoff somewhere and got of the road. No damage done and Vaughn was able to winch them out there, but then got an argument with the owner of the trees he had put the tree strap around as an anchor. Therefore he was in a bad mood.
A bit later Alex arrives. He lost time because he has problems with the indicators.
Something is wrong and they do not work. The circuit-breaker is okay. Must be the indicator-relay.
After dinner we start a campfire. There is a lot to talk about. By ten o'clock we say farewell and return to our own caravan after promises from both sides about sending photographs.
Conclusion.
First of all thanks to our travel companions for allowing us to use
some of thier photos.Starting at Docksta and returning here we have driven 3275 km. There are big differences in distances covered per day. Max was 680 km on this last day, min was 3,74 km in that terribly soft and later on rocky area with mudpits on August 30.
We still have two more weeks to spend and will travel via Norway to the south.
So we can recover a bit of what we have lived through.
We will look back on this trip with great pleasure.
With the population we have had little contact but the contact which we had was pleasant, even at the border when we left Russia.
The country is very particular. The two cities visited, in our eyes are very poor and dull, but it was striking that people here in general are well dressed and in a good condition.
The landscape we passed through was mainly woody with a soil varying from rock to sand to mud.
From being very firm to very boggy . If you like river crossings: rivers are abundant.
You want to light a campfire? There is plenty of wood and you really don't have to demolish trees.
Dead wood lying around wherever you look.
According Neil we have been enormously lucky.
We hardly had any rain. Each and every day the sun was shining and the temperature was reasonable.
Will we recommend this trip. Yes, no doubt.
Will we do it one more time? Possibly, but there is a lot more to explore in this world
Aftermath:
How ended the story related to our problem with the painkillers at the border?
Soon after we arrived at home we received a cablemessage, saying Yvonne had to show up in Murmansk to attent her case before court, despite her declaration.
To avoid any complication we handed this over to insurance who assigned a lawyer.
In Februari 2006 the problem still was not solved, and because we want to travel to Kazakhstan later this year, passing through Russia, we started to try to put some pressure on. We tried to get the messages we had received in the mean time (cables and letters) translated and to call the Russian court in Murmansk (language!!) or pay a visit to the Russian Ambassy (sorry sir, we cannot help you). Meantime we found out in one of the letters that we had to pay a fine and for four times we tried to pay by bank. But for some reason this payment was refused. Even the commercial branch of our bank gave it a try but was not able to transfer the money.
Finally we have been saved by Frank de Wit. He is Dutch, living near Murmask and owner of Kola-Travel, a travel organisation in Monchegorsk. He arranges trips - hiking, biking, rafting, 4wheeling - at Kola Peninsula and surrounding area.
He read about our story on these webpages and send us an email letting us know he enjoyed the story from which he learned a lot.
When he found out our problem was still not solved he offered to try to arrange it for us. His wife, being Russian and visiting Murmansk almost on a weekly basis, should be able to get this solved without much effort.
As you can understand we were delighted.
There were some difficulties getting the copies to her, but once that was solved we received message that the fine was payed at the court and that there were no more problems. She found out there was a fault in the instructions to transfer the money. Therefore the transfer was refused every time.
Now, thanks to this wonderfull people we can start to prepare our trip to Kazakhstan without having to fear any problem.
The fine we had to pay? Do you have a chair to sit in so you don't fall over? 6 euro and 70 cents ( approx 10 USD) all costs included !!!
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