Motorcycle diaries: A thrilling dangerous ride from Riyadh to Russia

Khaled Ali Asiri, 40, is an easy rider. Last year he completed 17,000 kilometers on his motorcycle during a solo trip to Russia. This year he hopes to take his motorbike, along with two fellow enthusiasts, on an even longer journey. They hope to span 22,000 kilometers over three continents.
You intend to go on a long trip, called “Trip of dialogue for peace. From and to the country of peace”. What is that?
“The idea came while I was reading about Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s project of dialogue for peace. I liked it very much and decided to take the trip after Eid Al-Fitr. The name I gave it was inspired by the great humanitarian project. We will start from Riyadh to Dubai, where the motorcycles will be shipped to Iran. From Iran we will begin our motorcycle journey by heading for Turkmenistan, then Kazakhstan, then Russia. We will cross this country from south to north on our way to the northernmost point on the globe, which is the north of Norway. From there we will go via Europe’s northeastern area to Spain and Portugal. From there we will traverse northern Africa, starting in Morocco. We will return to Riyadh through Jordan after we traversed 22,000 kilometers in 60 days.”

This is not your first road trip. You’ve completed an overland journey to Russia?
I received an invitation from a motorcyclist group in Russia for a festival in St. Petersburg. I got excited and did some research online. I found there was a way to reach the city overland and I decided to make the trip on my motorcycle.

Who funded the trip?
Funding was an obstacle that I overcame by being prudent. I was very careful when spending money on food, drinks and accommodation so I could complete the journey.

What about difficulties at the borders?
There were no difficulties, except at the Syrian borders. Most border officials let me pass without problems and some of them asked me to advance when I was in a long queue of cars.

What did your family think of your trip?
They rejected the idea completely because of the unstable situation and the lack of security in Syria. They tried to talk me out of it. Some members of my family were crying when I left as though I was not coming back.

What luggage did you take with you? And what about food supplies?
I had a copy of the holy Qur’an and a Saudi flag to raise during the festival. I brought some winter clothes, a tent, a mattress to sleep on, and a toolkit for the motorcycle, a camera and a laptop. I was of course carrying water all the time. For food I always had fruit, cheese and some bread in the motorcycle’s bag.

What was your driving speed?
I never exceeded 120 km per hour, except in Syria where I exceeded 200 km. Most of the time I drove between 50 and 70 km per hour because of speed limits especially on rural roads in Europe.

When did the trip start? What routes did you take and how many kilometers did you travel?
The trip started on 10 June last year and it took one month, including the three days I spent at the Russian festival. The route I took was through Jordan, Turkey and Syria and across the center and east of Europe. I traversed 17,000 kilometers passing through 27 countries.

Did you meet prominent people during the trip? What was their impression?
When I arrived in St. Petersburg, in the north of Russia, the city governor received me. He said he was happy that I responded to the invitation. He had some pictures taken with us. A well-known announcer in Russia took a picture with me and said that in the radio coverage of the event there was a focus on the man who had arrived from the desert after solely traversing 17,000 kilometers. The Russians I met seemed happy to meet me in general. Many called me Aladdin and Sinbad.

You were the only Saudi and Arab who participated in the Russian motorcycle festival. What was the event about?
It is one of the biggest motorcycle events in Russia. It was held in St. Petersburg where participants (without the visitors) numbered more than 6,000. It went on for three days and showcased rare motorcycles; there were motorcycle sport shows and contests. I won the one on the most beautiful motorcycle. However, the main event was a motorcycle parade for all participants. They would form two lines and ride through the city with the crowds on both sides of the roads. In the front were the organizing country’s bikers who held the Russian flag. I came directly behind them, as I traversed the longest distance to take part in the event – the city governor also honored me for this after the parade – then the rest of the riders.

Adventures from the road
Khaled Ali Asiri cites numerous experiences that he encountered during the overland trip. They were mind-boggling, scary and some even life threatening. Apart from Almighty Allah’s guard, his presence of mind and cool demeanor helped Asiri a lot in getting out of these dangerous situations safely.
“The first difficulty was the extreme temperatures in Riyadh that I avoided by traveling at night. On my way to Jordan, I traveled through intense sand storms that almost made me cancel the trip. The worst storms hit me while I drove through northern Nufud desert between Hail and Jouf. That 340 km distance took me seven hours to complete. Had I not been familiar with this vast inhabited terrain where there are no gasoline stations, my motorcycle’s fuel would have been drained. I had a few liters of petrol in a separate container.
When I stopped at the gasoline station near Jordan’s border with Syria, a worker at the pump asked me where I was going. When I told him that my next destination was Syria, he seemed deeply surprised to hear that I was traveling through Syria alone. “Do you think they would allow you to enter Syria?” he asked. He knew well that the entry was strictly restricted to Syrian nationals and that a large number of Arab nationals had already been sent back from the border checkpoint. At that time, the four-month old Syrian crisis had worsened. But I did not pay any heed to his words and continued my journey. When I reached the border, I found the Jordanian worker’s suspicions proved to be true.
“I was denied entry at the first checkpoint. The guards insisted on deliberately complicating the procedures. At one time an officer told me that I was not permitted to take my helmet with me to Syria. Another official said that entry with impossible with a Magellan GPS device. Later on, he would not allow me to bring a laptop and camera.
“I did not get fed up with these guys who created complications one after the other. I handled the situation smartly by flattering the officials until they gave in and permitted me to enter Syria. I had to spend more than seven long hours to turn the situation in my favor at the checkpoint. At last, the Syrian immigration officials let me pass the checkpoint on the condition that I cross the border of the country before nightfall and not tour the Syrian cities.
“When I finally entered Syria, I feared being killed. I saw armored vehicles and troops patrolling the streets. Alarmingly, there were several checkpoints with a lot of security men who were armed to teeth and in plain civilian clothes. It was imperative for me to cross Syria within a short span of time. Therefore, most of the day, I sped at 200 km per hour, the maximum speed of a motorcycle. I had to reach the Turkish border before night. I was afraid of being killed while speeding and the officer’s warning was reverberating in my ears. (To be continued online)

To read the complete story, please visit: www.arabnews.com/lifestyle
“I managed to cross the border and enter Turkey. I decided to travel through mountains and near lakes, away from main roads and highways. This was to enjoy the picturesque scenes in between mountains and along banks of rivers and lagoons on the one hand and to have an intimate interaction with the village people on the other hand. This route nearly killed me when a strong storm suddenly hit the area. The two-lane road, which passes along the largest lake in Turkey, was full of trucks speeding in both directions. After some time, when darkness fell, the cloudy sky began to shower. There were no service roads or even sidewalks along that agricultural road.
I was in the midst of heavy downpour and darkness while riding the motorcycle and had no way to take the side road or halt the vehicle so as to wear my raincoat. I was not sure whether there was a dirt road or swamp on the roadside, and therefore moved forward in the rear light of the trailer in front of me. When I slowed down, all the vehicles and trucks behind me followed suit. I was totally helpless and could not overtake the truck in front of me or avoid the truck just behind me on that terrible night. I narrowly escaped after my motorcycle almost got sandwiched between the two trucks.”
In Romania, a gang of road thieves robbed Asiri. The country is notorious for its gangs and bandits.
“Several truck drivers whom I met in a ferry while crossing Danube River on my way from Bulgaria to Romania warned me about this danger. While I was riding my motorcycle on an agricultural road that evening, all of a sudden I spotted three cars that approached my motorcycle and stopped me. I was not in a position to speed away, mainly because of the bad condition of the road in the rugged terrain. Any bid to escape was dangerous because there were about 10 robbers in the gang. I was afraid of what would happen if I dared to do so.
“I was determined to handle the situation. I parked my motorcycle and approached them with a smile. They were talking amongst each other in a frightening voice. I could not understand what they were saying. When I approached one of them, he pushed me forcefully on my shoulder. I tried to ignore it and managed to maintain a smiling face. I tried to interact with them through sign language because none of them could speak English. Soon I realized that they wanted all my personal belongings, including money, motorcycle and even my clothes. In a calm and composed manner, I told that I did not have any money.
“I had hidden my cash on my person in various places, including my socks. There were a few local currency notes and some bankcards in my purse. They began checking me and snatched my purse. They did not take that small amount of money. They then asked me to open the rear box of the motorcycle. To avoid further embarrassment, I gave them the souvenirs that I brought from the Kingdom to present to those who had to entertain me in Russia. We then exchanged smiles and they wished me safe trip to my destination in Russia.”
After taking part in the Russian festival, Asiri had worked out a plan for his return via a route covering regions in northern Europe.
“I set out toward Finland. After nearly 100 km from St. Petersburg, the venue of the festival, I got lost. There was no digital map available then on Magellan GPS. I had access to only the map of St. Petersburg, in addition to the map of Europe and some Asian countries. The maps in print did not help me as all the signboards were in Russian.
“Eventually, I ended up in houses of farmers in a north Russian forest area. There was not even a paved road and my motorcycle got stuck in the dirt. My tourist visa to Russia was for a limited period of time and I had to get out of the country before its expiry. I didn’t know where I was then. The many peasants and shepherds I met couldn’t understand what I was saying, just like I could not understand their language. I saw the astonishment in their eyes when they found an Arab young man in their village.
“I almost lost hope to get out of this vast forest of huge trees and safely reach the road leading to Finland. When I was immersed in thought about my predicament, a Russian shepherd approached me and helped me to get my motorcycle out of the dirt. He gave me water and then guided me to the route by which I could reach the road leading to Finland. When I reached an area where there was coverage for cell phone, I texted one of the organizers of the festival. I asked him to send me a text, asking whoever I would show it to, to guide me towards Finland. With this, local residents gave me directions when I showed them the text message in Russian.
“When I reached Finland, I had no cash on me and also I found that my credit card and bankcards were not working. That put me in another predicament as I didn't know how I could continue traveling without any cash to eat and refill gasoline and pay for the necessary repair work of the motorcycle. I remembered the Finnish motorcyclists who took part in the Russian festival. They had asked me to give them a call when I was passing through Finland on my return. One of them took me to his house where I received a warm reception.
“The Saudi bank officials I contacted, informed me that they suspended transactions of the banking cards after they suspected foul play. They noticed that the cards were being used in many countries one after another within a short period of time. At last, they came to the conclusion that the cards were being stolen and so they suspended their operation sometime after I used it in Russia. After my phone call, the banks restored the use of all cards.
In Istanbul, Turkey, Asiri searched for a low-cost hotel to stay overnight. He had heard that open air camping was highly risky and dangerous in Turkey, especially in Istanbul.
“The motel I chose had no parking area, so I had to park my motorcycle in a government parking area at quite a distance from the hotel. I was told this parking area was safe and would be closed after midnight.
“When I reached my room, I wanted to download the photos from my camera to my laptop. But my camera was still in my motorcycle box. I headed back for the parking area and found a few young men and a pickup van parked close to my motorcycle. I realized that these youths were planning to steal my two-wheeler. I then took the motorcycle to the motel and parked in front. I gave some cash to the receptionist as remuneration to gueard it. I promised him to give more money if he took care of it overnight. Nevertheless, the incident kept me awake all night.”
Upon arrival in Latakia, Syria, Asiri found that demonstrators supporting the Assad regime occupied all roads to Damascus. Policemen were doing everything possible to organize the pro-regime march. Asiri found all roads and entry points closed off. All of a sudden, he found himself amidst the protesters under the intense heat of the scorching sun.
“They put Syrian flags on my motorcycle, made me hold a picture of Bashar Assad and forced me to sing with them ‘We will sacrifice for you with our soul and blood, O Bashar’ and other songs and chants that I repeated with them out of fear of the situation. My desire to run away from the scorching sun, and the excessive thirst that I suffered for more than five straight hours added to the seriousness of the situation. This was my case until I found an escape. I sought permission from an officer at a checkpoint to allow me pass, dodging the demonstrators. After a short distance, I looked around to make sure that none of the demonstrators were watching me. Then, I removed all the flags and pictures that the supporters of Assad had fastened to my clothes and motorcycle for fear of a backlash from anti-Assad protestors. I would certainly meet them in Homs, the hotbed of the anti-regime forces, where I was heading for on my way to Riyadh.
The most fabulous encounter that Khaled Asiri had during his trip was aboard a ferry from Finland to Sweden.
“The fellow traveler in my cabin was a Swedish Jew. When I told him about my name and country or origin, he did not seem to take much interest, but left the cabin quickly and came back after sometime. Then, I expressed my desire to know about him. He said, ‘I am Swedish but you may not want to know about my religion.’ Then I explained to him that we, the Muslims from Saudi Arabia, like to coexist with followers of other religions. The neighbor of our Prophet (peace be upon him) was a Jew and the Prophet used to fulfill his responsibilities toward neighbors. While I was explaining this, I heard a knock at the door. It was a crewmember of the ship, who told the Swedish man there was another cabin ready for him as per his request. To the surprise of the crewmember, the Swedish Jew said that he did not want to change cabins after all. I told him that if my presence were a disturbance for him, then I would take the other cabin. He smiled, asked me to sit down and complete the conversation about Islam and its characteristics. When we completed conversation, he took his necklace that Jews wear as a religious symbol and presented it to me. The Jew then told me, ‘Don't blame me for thinking that all Muslims have a hostile attitude toward followers of other religions, especially Jews. That was why I concealed from you that I am a Jew. But after listening to your kind words, I want to hear more about Islam and its lofty ideals.’ After this, we had dinner together and continued talking until we fell asleep.
“When the ferry reached Sweden, he woke me up and we hugged warmly before bidding farewell. He apologized for behaving rudely in the beginning. He also added, ‘It is a great honor for me to acquaint with an Arab Muslim gentleman like you. Our interaction was instrumental in tremendously changing my wrong perception about the followers of Islam, especially about Saudis, and remove many misgivings.’”

— [email protected]