Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Ostrovto, Russia to Vilnius, Lithuania

30SEP - Out of Russia today via Karsava, Latvia, forty miles Southwest of Ostrov. Dealing with Russian Customs wasn't too bad. The Latvia Customs folks wanted to see the original title for the bike. I have certified copies, that have worked all over the world but they demanded the 'original'. Must have been a senior moment, for the life of me I couldn't remember where I'd hidden my original documents. The thought of being stuck in Russia while trying to get a duplicate title issued and sent to me was chilling. We arrived in Vladivostok on 25 August and I was allowed to bring the bike into Russia with out showing them the original title. The Russians let me ride out of the country by showing them the import documents. 38 days later and 6,616 miles from Vladivostok I can't get cleared for entry into Latvia.

I'd gone through all the paperwork the night before after reading that Russian Customs could be tough. Then I remembered where I'd hidden the original title. Relief doesn't explain it. The entire border crossing, both countries took ninety minutes.  Wow!  In Central  America we've spent five hours crossing a border. (Central America is one part of the world I have no intetest in ever visiting again. Mexico anytime.)

When we left Ostrov it was 56 degrees and by the time we reached Vilnius, 241 Sunny miles later it was 61.

Just to recap, we left Reno on 6August and 7,981 miles later we're in Vilnius, Lithuania and will head for Warsaw, Poland in the morning.

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