Tours in Arnhem and Chisinau and other places

Mihai Cecan from Chisinau, Moldova is one of the few well-educated young men who have not left the country to find a better future elsewhere. Moldova and most other ex-Soviet Republics are sub-optimal for building a future. Even as close as in the civilized Czech Republic, someone can do well if he takes € 800 a month. The citizens are friendly and hospitable. On the left and especially on the right there is a tendency for nationalism as we do not know it.

Government in the broadest sense is super bureaucratic and highly corrupt. Maybe Mihai (Mike) is an idealist. Maybe a nationalist. But a nationalist with his own apartment.
But one of his revenue models to make ends meet is 'Ural Tours'. Mihai has an apple-green Ural combination with which he organizes tours for tourists. Recently he also started doing something with a Vespa scooter. He's an IT person. Makes texts for the local TV channel and has a bunch of scribble chores on the side. But things are not going bad with Ural Tours. He organizes city tours and has even explored the countryside with three Urals and four tourists. For Mihai and his generation - Mihai is in his thirties - the Urals and Dneprs are the means of transportation of one or two generations before. But they are starting to get nostalgic about it. His accountant was impressed.

You can therefore earn money with tourists in a Russian sidecar combination. And what works in Moldova - sort of - should work much better in the Netherlands. However?

Arnhem Sidecar Tours

Bart van Arnhem sidecar tours has purchased a totally restored side valve for this. Because if you have a classic Russian tricycle as an employee, it is of course important that it does not go on strike at unexpected moments. The restoration was done through Richard Busweiler at his Moldovan business partner. And it doesn't work like many ex-Soviet geniuses with the French battle. The end result is therefore perfect. And certainly not a bargain. But as Nico Aaldering once said: “You forget the price. You continue to enjoy the quality ”. And those are true words. Not only new, original parts were used in the construction of the span. But those parts were also checked and approved before installation. That is the big difference, because in terms of quality, tolerances and finish there is a world, a universe of difference between many things. On the basis of the Soviet planned economy, it was all about numbers. For nothing else. And for example non-hardened gears in the cardan housing? They simply counted in the production.

Looking around carefree

In the meantime, neither Mihai nor Bart have had to interrupt a tour due to bad luck. Their earnings model is marginal. Mihai wants to communicate positivity. Actually, Bart too. So now there is a choice between the Moldovan capital Chisinau (think of Assen with capes) and the Moldavian countryside or the region around Arnhem, where the memory of WWII always provides good starting points for the tour. And that is not world news. But endearing.

The tour guides

Mihai in Chisinau, Moldova: http://www.ural.md/
Bart in Arnhem, The Netherlands: Arnhemsidecartours.com
Hans Koopman organizes classic tours on the Veluwe: http://www.classicbiketours.nl. There you ride with a group of classic motorcycles from Hans and you swap partners along the way.

To read:

False flat in the Ural
Nothing is true, everything is possible
From Baku to Batumi

Arnhem Ghost town
Living in Arnhem
It doesn't get any better

In Moldova

in Arhem

In the Veluwe

And in Amsterdam

If there are more sidecar knights, they may report