Suhashini L

May 29, 20232 min read

Day 148 - Amur-Zeya Confluence, Where Russia Meets China: A 10-Hour Journey to Blagoveshchensk

Updated: Oct 1, 2023

Day 148 (29 May 2023) - Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk, Russia

DAY 148 (29 MAY 2023) – Today, I left for a 10 hour (751 km) journey from Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk. On the way, I stopped by a village just off the highway, in the district of Smidovichsky.

I met some friendly locals who were quite surprised to see a foreigner in their neighbourhood!

I continued my long journey through a mostly empty highway surrounded by nothing but wide swaths of green grass and small trees! At one point, I stopped at a stall at the side of the road and bought a bottle of pure honey at a price of R350 (RM20.10).

I also stopped at several rest areas to have lunch and take a short rest. I met some friendly Russians, many who were surprised to see a foreigner in their country!

I managed to fuel up my motorbike at a roofless mini petrol bunk with nothing but 2 petrol pumps!

At one point, I stopped by on a bridge at the side of the highway to enjoy the view and take some photos. I had forgotten to put my bike stand and the bike fell sideways! I had to gather help from 2 lorry drivers who were passing by just to lift up this heavy machine! Thankfully, there were no damages on the motorbike!

After a 9 hour journey, I arrived at Pushkin Mini Hotel in Blagoveshchensk. I met the owners of the hotel, Mr Jima and Madam Tanya. This lovely couple treated me to dinner at a restaurant within the hotel. They were very well-versed in English, so we had no problems communicating.

During our conversations, I got to know that they have both visited Malaysia before, particularly the Murugan temple at Batu Caves, where I started my bike tour – what a small world! Mr Jima is also very knowledgeable in History and speaks good Mandarin too!

I spoke about my journey so far and the objectives of my tour. They shared the same concerns about global warming and were very supportive of my endeavour. They were both interested in organizing a tree-planting activity with me tomorrow.

Mr Jima also took me to the Amur River Embankment. The other side of the river, at just 100-150 meters away from edge of the bank, is the Chinese city called Heihe. At night this city is so brightly lit and looks beautiful from the Russian side of the border!

The ‘Amur’ river, also known as ‘Heilong’ in China, is the world’s 10th longest river, and flows for over 4000 km starting in Mongolia and forming the border between north-east China and south-east Russia.

While the river is mostly surrounded with vast regions of grasslands and forests, this part of the Amur River serves as the border between the city of Blagoveshchensk in Russia and the city of Heihe in China.