Trans-East Expedition Stage Four 2009: Siberia, Lake Baikal, Mongolia
3,500 kilometers through Siberia and Mongolia
POWER & MAGIC OF TAIGA – On the road on Siberian soil
As part of our 30-year expedition “The Great Journey”, we are embarking on a multi-year adventure from Germany to Burma (Myanmar): 25.000 km by bike from Germany to Austria, via Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Moldavia, Transnistria, Ukraine, the Crimean Peninsula, western Russia and Kazakhstan to Siberia, on horseback to the reindeer people in Mongolia, onwards by bike through the land of Genghis Khan, then through China and finally on an elephant through Myanmar.
We continued our great cycling adventure in Siberia: 3,500 kilometers of cycling and 17,000 meters of altitude over Siberian and Mongolian mountain landscapes. Crossing the legendary taiga, the largest contiguous forest on earth. Exploration of Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal. With a historic steam locomotive along the cliffs of the holy sea. Threatened by highwaymen. Stopped by breakdowns. Put to flight by millions of mosquitoes and ticks. Hundreds of kilometers of gravel and clay roads against wind force six. Thieves, extraordinary helpfulness and extreme poverty. Deep friendships and immersion in a foreign, fascinating culture. Sunshine and icy hailstorms. Heat and snowfall. Evenings around the campfire. Solitude and cities such as Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Ulan Ude and Ulan Bator. Buddhist temples and Orthodox churches. The eternal expanse of the Mongolian steppe. The strong will of the adventurers, coupled with a high level of motivation, allowed the cranks of their bikes to circle undeterred over all hurdles and obstacles.
An extraordinary book in which the authors manage to forge a link between adventure and profundity.
In this captivating story, we report on the fourth stage of their trans-East expedition. Fantastic adventures and profound experiences take the reader on an adventurous, moving journey through the heart of Siberia and Mongolia.
“What is loud, what makes noise, is not always the truth. Sometimes it is the quiet voices, gestures, facial expressions, a wink or intuition that point us in the right direction.” Denis Katzer
On 206 pages we have written in detail about our
experiences – you can read about them in the diaries section:
TRANS-EAST EXPEDITION stage 4
Now also as a book available in our store.
