DUMES 404-S Camper Conversion
Jeroen Steeman ©1995.

First published in the Unimog Globetrotter Club magazine,
the following chronicle was written and faxed by Jan, who
together with Koen van Geleuken and Onno had completed
an Unimog journey from Heerlen, the Netherlands, starting
May 5, 1995, through Germany, Poland and Russia to the
border of Mongolia, June 14, 1995.


TRIP REPORT

  • DEPART HEERLEN 5/12 AT 20:30, AFTER A GOOD DINNER MEAL. KM 129,055. 5/13 POLISH BORDER 18:50 WITH TRAFFIC JAM 1.5 KM. THROUGH BORDER POST 21:15; POLISH/BELARUS BORDER 5/14 AT 09:00. HAD TO GO TO OTHER BORDER POST (FOR TRUCKERS). TRAFFIC JAM 2.5 KM BUT COULD PASS THE TRUCKS. INSPECTION TOOK 1HR+1HR PAPERWORK. 5/16 CHANGED KOENS RADIATOR. MADE CAMO AFTER WE WERE STUCK IN MUD PATCH IN FIELD. DUG US OUT NEXT MORNIG, DEPART 09:20. ARRIVE MUSKVA 19:00 AND OVERNIGHTED 2X AT 3 AM AT PARKING WITHOUT SHOWER ETC. MADE IT A "REST" DAY AND DID SOME "UNIMOG CARE". ONNO WAS ARRESTED FOR HAVING A LARGE DAGGER TYPE KNIFE; WAS FREE AFTER 5 HRS. WE CONTACTED DUTCH EMBASSY IN THE MEANTIME. DAGGER WAS KEPT BY POLICE. 5/19 LOST EACH OTHER ENROUTE, JOINED AFTER 4 HRS! AT LUNCH KOENS UNIMOG WAS HOPELESSLY STUCK IN MUD, RESCUED BY ME. DIESEL PRICE ~R1000 =HFL 0.33! (20 CENTS/LTR!) OVERNIGHT NEAR VOLODARSK (N. NOVOGROD) 5/20 FILLED WATER TANKS WITH 230+160 LTR FROM ARTESIAN WELL AT KOLCHOZ HELPED BY NINA, A BULGARIAN/RUS GERMAN WOMAN (MY AGE). KOEN FINED BY POLICE FOR OVERTAKING IN SINGLE LANE. AT R100,000 =HFL 33F (US$20). AT RIVER CROSSING NEAR KAZAN TRAFFIC QUEING; RETURNED TO MAKE CAMP NEARBY AND MAKE CROSSING NEXT DAY. 5/21 MADE A "NAVIGATION ERROR" AND DIVERTED TOO MUCH OF THE MAIN ROAD. HAD TO ASK FOR RE-ROUTING AND HAD TO CONTINUE FOR AN EXTRA 200 KM'S. LOOSING TIME EVERY DAY NOW. PROGRESS IS TOO SLOW. HAD TO MAKE A "ROUND THE TABLE CONFERENCE" TOO SPEAK OUT ON SOME CONFLICTS IN THE GROUP, HOPEFUL SOLVED NOW! FIRST KOEN TIRE PUNCTURE. FOLLOWED LATER IN THE DAY BY MY UNIMOG'S BRAKE LINE FAILURE. HAD IT REPAIRED THE NEXT DAY AFTER "WILD CAMPING" ADJACENT TO MILITARY AIRFIELD! NEAR PERM. REACHED YEKATERINBURG AT 18:00 AND CAMPED IN WOODS.

  • IMPESSIONS UNTIL TODAY: RUSSIA IS LIKE SOME AFRICAN STATES BUT WITH EUROPEANS LIVING THERE. COUNTRYSIDE IS LIKE LUXEMBOURG AND SOUTH BAVARIA, BUT WITH LARGE PLOTS. WELL SETUP WOODS AND TREES LINING ALONG THE ROADS. FARMERS LIVE VERY BASIC IN BAD BUILDED, STONE BUILT HOUSES, THE WOODEN ONES ARE NICER AND BETTER (PRIVATE?) AND LOOK MORE TRADITIONAL. PLENTY TRUCKS (EX-ARMY) ON ROADS AND OFTEN USED FOR BUS-TRANSPORT. ROADS ARE FROM VERY GOOD (DUAL) TO VERY VERY BAD (SAND/MUD TRACKS) AND POTHOLES, BIGGER THAN IRELAND! LOT OF TAR IS USED WHICH IS MELTING IN THE SUNNY WEATHER. TEMPERATURE IS OK BUT THE FLIES ARE THERE IN THE EVENING, SO WE HAVE A FIRE ON. FOOD IS BASIC AND SHOPPING IN "SUPERMARKET" IS DONE WITH "PAY FIRST AT CASHIER" SYSTEM AND TAKES LOTS OF TIME! EVERY 60-80 KM A POLICE POST BUT NOT ALLWAYS MANNED NOWADAYS; THEY SOMETIME WANT TO LOOK AT OUR PAPERS BUT THE UNIMOGS HAVE ATTENTION TOO! FRIENDLY GUYS MOST OF THE TIME AND OUR "NON-SPEAK RUSKI" SAVES A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS! THE CAR PAPERS THEY CANNOT READ BUT ACCEPT WHAT WE OFFER THEM. WILD CAMPING IS WITHOUT PROBLEMS UNTIL NOW AND SOMETIMES WE HAVE A VERY NICE SPOT. GETTING WATER IS DIFFICULT; THE PETROL STATIONS DO NOT HAVE A MAIN CONNECTION SO WE HAVE TO USE PUMPS AND BUCKETS, ONE A WEEK, AMAZINGLY.

  • 5/24 SHOPPPING IN YEKATERINBURG AND DECIDED TO TAKE THE ROUTE THROUGH CIS ONLY AVOIDING KAZACHSTAN ON OUR WAY TO OMSK. 5/25 AT POLICE POST I ACCIDENTLY HIT KOEN'S BUMPER AND PULLED IT AROUND THE CORNER; IT NEEDS SOME WELDING, AFTER KOEN BENT IT BACK BY RIDING AGAINST A BIRCH TREE. ARRIVED AT OMSK AT 18:00 AND MADE CAMP AFTER 40 KM ON THE NOVOSIBIRSK ROAD; NICE SPOT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BIRCH PATCH IN LARGE ACRES OF PLOUGHED FIELDS. TRIED TO CAMP NEAR RIVER TO HAVE A DIP BUT IT WAS BROWN AND MUDDY TYPE OF WATER, WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT. HEARED ON "RADIO NL" THAT AJAX HAD BECOME EUROPEAN CHAMPION, SO WE CAN TELL THE RUSSIANS AT THE CHECKPOINTS THAT WE ARE FROM HOLLAND -AJAX! WE NOTICED AFTER DINNER THAT KOENS UNIMOG WAS BROKEN AT A SUSPENSION POINT. SO A WELDING JOB IS IN THE PLANNING FOR THE 26TH. AT NOON THAT DAY WE FOUND A WELDER BUT WE HAD TO WAIT FOR THE LUNCH-BREAK; JOB WAS DONE AT 15:30. AFTER OMSK THE ROAD CHANGED TO GRAVEL WHICH CONTINUED UNTIL 260 KM ALONG "M-21". 5/27 AS THE BREAD WAS FINISHED WE MADE PANCAKES FOR BREAKFAST; LATER IN THE AFTERNOON WE PASSED NOVOSIBIRSK, A HUGE AND GOOD-LOOKING MODERN TOWN. MADE CAMP AFTER 40 KM; AGAIN A LOT OF MOSQUITOS! MILLIONS OF THEM! THE DIESEL WAS CHEAP AT R700 =HFL 0.24/LTR! (14 CENTS/LTR!)

  • 5/28 AFTER KEMEROUD THE M-53 IMPROVED, EVEN WITH CENTER LINES AND SIDE POLES. IN MARINSK WE HAD TO DRIVE RIGHT THROUGH THE CITY AND BACKWARD LOOKING INDUSTRIAL SUBURBS. THE FIRST RAIN SINCE WE ARE IN THE CIS, EVEN WITH HAILSTORMS (STONES BIG AS DICES). THE LANDSCAPE CHANGES A LITTLE BY MORE HILLY STRETCHES AND MORE UNCULTIVATED LAND, THOUGH IN GENERAL THE SCENERIES REMAIN THE SAME. MADE CAMP AFTER BEEN STUCK IN MUD. BUT MOVED TO ANOTHER SPOT AFTER ONNO HAD A ROUGH ENCOUNTER WITH SOME LOCALS (POACHERS?). 5/29 SHOPPING IN ACINSK AND AT PETROL STATION MET A (MAFIA?) BUSINESS-MAN WITH VERY GOOD LOOKING WIFE. BOTH WERE MORE WESTERN THAN WE. CLOTHES (TOP BRANDS) AND CAR AND RADIOS (CHEVROLET VOYAGER AND 140 MHZ TRANSCEIVER). HIS (AMERICAN) ENGLISH SPEAKING BOSS WANTED TO SELL US A TRANSCEIVER FOR USD $570 BUT WE WERE NOT INTERESTED. ENGINE OIL REFILLING AT 4 LTR/7,500 KM UNTIL NOW. 5/30 AT KANSK WE DID SOME SHOPPING BUT THE YOUTH PLAYING ON THE STREET WERE A NUISANCE. THE REAR (RED) REFLECTORS WERE PULLED OFF THE CAR I NOTICED WHILE LEAVING. LEAVING THE CITY WE WERE STOPPED AT THE GAI-POLICE POST (TRAFFIC POLICE) AND ONE GUY MADE A FUSS ABOUT OUR VISA. KOEN AND I HAD TO GO WITH THEM TO A VISA SPECIALIST. THE DATES AND THE FACT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE STAMPS OF THE POLICE AT MAJOR TOWNS WERE ENOUGH TO KEEP US OVERNIGHT TO SORT THINGS OUT THE NEXT DAY. WE COULD 'CAMP' AT THE SIDE OF THE GAI-POLICE POST, BUT THE TRAFFIC MADE SLEEPING NOT EASY. THE NEXT DAY, 5/31, WE HAD SORTED THINGS OUT AFTER PAYING A FINE AT R22,000 =HFL 8 =P.P. WE GOT A STAMP IN THE VISA FOR THE NIGHT 5/30-31. IN IRKUTSK WE HAVE TO OBTAIN ANOTHER ONE. WE TRIED TO FIND A SECONDARY ROAD FROM TASET TO BRATSK BUT COULDN'T FIND IT SO WE ARE CONTINUING ON THE M-53 TO TULUN--IRKUTSK, WHERE WE ARRIVED LATE AFTERNOON ON THE 6/7.

  • IN THE HOTEL INTOURIST THEY DIDN'T KNOW OUR RESERVATION BOOKING AND THEY SAID THE HOTEL WAS FULL. WE DIDN'T ACCEPT THAT AND WAITED FOR AN HOUR AFTER WE SUDDENLY GOT OUR KEYS! THE NEXT DAY WE DID SOME SHOPPING AND SIGHTSEEING, ONNO ON HIS OWN, AND LATER WE HEADED FOR LAKE BAIKAL BUT COULDN'T REACH IT BEFORE DARK. THE NEXT DAY WE REACHED IT AND STAYED OVERNIGHT IN A NATIONAL PARK. KOEN'S GHETTO BLASTER PLUS TWO FLASHLIGHTS WERE STOLEN OUT OF HIS CAR DURING A VISIT OF THE THREE OF US TO AN AMERICAN (!) PARK RANGER. AFTER LOADING THE CARS WITH 'PROVIAND' AT IRKUTSK WE HEADED FOR ULAN-UDE (VERCHNE-UDINSK, RUS.) WHERE WE ALSO HAD A HOTEL BOOKING. THIS TIME IT WORKED SLIGHTLY BETTER, BUT WE COULDN'T PARK OUR CARS SAFELY SO THE INTOURIST-LADY MOVED US TO ANOTHER (LARGER) HOTEL WITH PARKING LOT (GUARDED) BUT WITHOUT WARM WATER! IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE YEARLY MAINTENANCE WEEK, AFTER SWITCHING OFF THE CITY'S CENTRAL HEATING. THE COLD WATER WAS SIBERIAN COLD SO NO SHOWER FOR ME; BETTER TO TAKE IT IN THE UNIMOG!

  • ONNO WENT ON A CITY PHOTO-TOUR WHILE WE TRIED AND SUCEEDED TO PHONE IRL AND NL, VIA OPERATOR. MADE A WALK THROUGH TOWN AND HAD A DINNER IN THE HOTEL AFTER BEING NOT ABLE TO FIND A PLACE AND HAVE A BEER. WE ORDERED A SECOND MAIN COURSE BECAUSE ONE WAS NOT ENOUGH!! AFTER AN EXTRA BEER I TRIED TO PHONE IRL TO GIVE CLAIRE THE CORRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER OF THE HOTEL ROOM BUT GOT HER SISTER ON THE LINE. HAD A GOOD CHAT WITH HER FOR THE 3 MINUTES, PREPAID. LATER CLAIRE SUPRISED ME WITH AN EARLY MORNING CALL AT 06:15 (TIME DIFF: +8) AND THAT WAS A "GOOD OLD CHAT" THAT I ENJOYED, ALTHOUGH I WAS A LITTLE SLEEPY! RUSSIAN VISA HAS TO BE EXTENDED COMMING TUESDAY AND THEN WE LEAVE AFTER HAVING A SMALL WELDING JOB (BUMPER OF KOEN AND MY DOOR LOCK) DONE IN TOWN. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE MONGOLIAN BORDER ON THE 6/14; DISTANCE 330 KM CAN BE DONE AFTER A LONG DAYS TRIP. NEXT TEL/FAX CALL OUT OF ULAAN-BATAR, I THINK/HOPE; TWO WEEKS FROM NOW. SAY HELLO TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND I HOPE EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL WITH ALL OF YOU... JAN


Published with permission, Unimog Globetrotter Club ©1995.