The key facts
- Ivan Chesnokov covered about 3,000 km through China, Vietnam and Laos; last contact was on October 16 at 14:05 Moscow time from Thailand's Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
- He had about 1,000 euros in cash, a phone without a SIM card (contact via Wi-Fi), and no medical insurance.
- His wife Anna is preparing an appeal to the Russian embassy; on October 21 volunteers plan to survey the area between Prachuap Khiri Khan, Hua Hin and Chumphon.
Blogger stops making contact in Thailand
Russian blogger and tattoo artist from Moscow Ivan Chesnokov has gone missing during a solo bicycle journey, SHOT reports citing a Life.ru publication. The man covered about three thousand kilometers and has not been in contact for several days; his location has stopped showing on the tracker.
Route and final days
According to the traveler's wife Anna, on September 16 Ivan flew to Guangzhou, China, and set off on a route through Vietnam and Laos. He rode about 150 kilometers each day and regularly kept in touch with his family. The last message arrived on October 16 at 14:05 Moscow time from Thailand's Prachuap Khiri Khan province. After that his geolocation disappeared and he cannot be reached. That day he planned to spend the night in a tent and continue toward Phuket; the route was then to pass through Malaysia and Singapore.
Travel conditions
The blogger had about a thousand euros in cash and a phone without a SIM card — he used Wi-Fi to contact his loved ones. The traveler did not take out medical insurance.
The search
His relatives fear that something may have happened to Ivan on the road. His wife Anna is preparing an appeal to the Russian embassy but cannot go on the search herself — she has two children with her in Moscow, one of whom is nine years old. According to her, on October 21 volunteers plan to gather in Thailand to survey the territory between Prachuap Khiri Khan, Hua Hin and Chumphon.
A similar case ended well
Earlier, Life.ru reported the disappearance of another Russian bicycle traveler — 30-year-old Saratov resident Denis Chernoval, who set off on June 19 intending to reach Southeast Asia. After crossing the border between China and Tajikistan he stopped making contact — his last communication with his family was on August 3. Russian diplomats in Dushanbe joined the search; later embassy staff contacted Chernoval and established his whereabouts — he turned out to be in Tajikistan, and nothing threatens his life or health.
