2 micras, 7 people and the finish line
// August 25th, 2010 // Comments Off // Uncategorized
It has been an eventful week, and some more.. This post is going to be looong.
We left Astana for Semey and the Russian border, one night camping, then we got to the border the next day at noon-ish. Met 5 other teams at the border, spent 5 hours at the border crossing, not to shabby. Drove to Barnaul, found the first and best hotel in town. Turned out everyone had done the same, there were about 10 teams there, all aiming for the russian – mongolian border monday morning. Had some beer and food in Barnaul.
Slept in and headed towards the Mongol border on Saturday afternoon. We were 10 cars convoying, it was quite the spectacle, all the russians loved it. Met some girls in a Daihatsu Hijet at a petrol station on our way out of town. The car was named Bertha, and is the most awesome car ever. The girls driving it are all right.
We found a nice campsite after 4-5 hours of driving, had a nice meal and got proper drunk. Found out the next day that the girls in Bertha had a table, so we decided to convoy with them. There were 3 of them, Avril, Debbie and Nic. The locals said it was cold at the border, so on the Sunday we decided to camp 100km from the border. Found a nice spot by a river. Turns out the locals have had a party there the night before, we found fresh goat blood, the head and the feet from the quite recently slaughtered animal. After removing that, the campsite was awesome.
Getting on to the road from the campsite turned out to be a mission. The Micras were fine, cause they are awesome, but the Hijet struggled a bit. So we had to stop a russian man in a 4×4 and push the car up a steep hill while he were pulling, we got Bertha out of trouble eventually. We arrived at the border 11am, monday.
This particular border are closed on weekends and opening hours on weekdays are 9-12 and 14-18. We didnt make it through the first day, so we had to camp there with about 30 other rally cars. The altitude at the border is about 2400m. It was freezing at night, when we woke up we had quite a bit of snow outside our tent. It is quite harsh going from 45 to -2 degrees in two days. That night was horrible, and probably the lowest point of the rally for me.
Anyways, we got into customs at the russian side of the border the next day, everything went fine, par from me being banned from Russia. Apparently i entered Russia twice on a single entry visa, but whatever, they let me go after 15 minutes, no big deal.
As soon as we hit the Mongolian part of no mans land between the two countries the road went from tarmac to dirt track with potholes. The weather were a bit nicer on the Mongolian side, but it was still freezing. I finally got to use my thermals, awesome. We got held back another night at this side, now because of the import tax money from the Adventurist not being payed. We were free to go do stuff in the border town, but we had to wait for the veichle.
We rented a nice little room were we slept for the night, the three teams that ended up convoying all the way to the end, Isaac and me, Oli and Ceilidh and the compact pussycat 3, Debbie, Avril and Nic. Our hosts made us some awesome dumplings. Dumplings are pretty much the only thing you can get in rural Mongolia. They love mutton.
We were set free from the compound at the border wednesday a bit after noon. When we got to the first town, the road split into about a million options, so we pulled over a local and asked for directions to the next town, Ölgiy. He said to follow him, and so we did. He took us over a crazy mountain pass, we had to floor it in 1st gear to get up and it felt like the car would tip over, it was fantastic. He stopped at the top of the mountain and pulled out a bottle of vodka which we had to drink, because, as he explained it, it makes you a better driver. We finished the bottle.
After the town of Ölgiy we all had a go in Bertha, and i have to say, she is the most fantastic car ever.
We made it almost all the way to the town of Khovd that night, after another crazy mountain pass and some river crossings we found a truck stop. We had some dumplings, and the lovely people living there helped us find a campsite outside. A lovely little campsite next to a river. The next morning we did see that it was their slaughtering ground, heads and feet all over the place, sweet.
A quick word about the roads in Mongolia. Apart from 400km around UlanBataar, there are no roads in Mongolia, just random tracks. And as there are no roads, there are no roadsigns. The map says there is one main road, that is a lie. There is a valley with a million different roads. We got lost quite a lot. The trick is to ask the locals, that is, whenever you can find a local.
Whatever, we headed for Khovd, they had set up a mongol rally camp there where they had showers. We had our first shower for about a week. We sent Bertha to the hospital as one of her springs were broken. We left and headed towards Altai, found a campsite with quite a few mosquitos. Debbie got 15 bites on her face alone.
Friday morning we got and five minutes later we were on the road, the mossies were quite active that morning so we decided to find another place to have breakfast. So when Oli busted another wheel we stopped. Oli busted 7 or 8 wheels all in all, we didn’t have a single flat, we finished with the same 4 wheels that left Goodwood. We did however use our one and only jerry can that day, although it was on a local that had ran out of petrol. We also stopped to pick up a local and took him to Altai. When we got to Altai Bertha had to go to the hospital again, this time for two broken shocks. Both shocks in the front were broken.
Left Altai and headed towards Bayanhongor Saturday morning, we were making great time when we suddenly lost Bertha. After waiting for half an hour we decided to turn back. She´d had enough, the front drivers shock and suspension were gone, and the wheel were in a funny angle. It was the end of bertha. We were 100km outside Altai when this happened, there were hardly any reception, so what we had to do was wrap some wire round a phone and use tent poles as an antenna. This actually worked and we phoned the Adventurist to have them send a truck to pick up Bertha. After a 5 hour wait and a meal they arrived, and after a rather emotional moment bertha was off. We decided to continue with the members of “the Compact Pussycat 3″ in the Micras. Nicola and Avril in our car, and Debbie in Oliver and Ceilidhs. It was a snug fit. Respect to the 4 boys in the Ford Ka that drove 4 people all the way from Goodwood to Ulanbataar.. We did another 60 miles that day, but we were a long way from reaching our destination of Baynhongor.
We decided to mission it sunday morning, we headed off at 7.30 in the morning and the target were Avrayheer 200km past Bayanhongor and about 450 km from Ulanbataar. There was another river crossing that morning, the biggest we had it turned out. We got help from the locals, they told us where to drive and we did make it over, although we had water pouring in the doors. We lost Oliver, Ceilidh and Debbie after this. We met up with them in Bayanhongor, and set sails for Avrayheer. About 2 minutes outside Bayanhongor we lost them again, and we ended up on a track quite far away from the main “road”. After about 2 hours going about 25km an hour we made it back to the main track.
The road between Bayanhongor and Avrayheer were crazy, and we were running a bit late so we had to drive most of it in the dark. It was scary, but we made it to town at about 10ish. We found a cheap, dirty and crappy hotel. It was horrible. We met up with the others in town the next morning.
After Avrayheer they had tarmac roads all the way in to Ulanbataar, although they had massive potholes that could potentially kill your car and your whole family, the road were okay. Monday afternoon, 23 of august 2010, at about 7 we made it to the finish line in Ulanbataar. Bliss! 4 people the last 1000km, on the worst roads you have ever seen, no spare tires used. All we needed were an oil change, after we did that in Kazakhstan we had no problems what so ever.
Mongolia is amazing, and Ulanbataar even more amazing after driving through the nothingness that is Mongolia. Ulanbataar is a proper big city with modern buildings and all the stuff that a modern big city has to offer. It couldn’t be more different from rural Mongolia.
I am sure i have forgotten a lot of important stuff, and we don´t have any pictures at the moment because we forgot the camera at the hostel in Ulanbataar, they will be uploaded later. There might be stuff from the video diary uploaded later as well.
I will quit here, because this is turning in to one long blog post.
More stuff later.
-K
Share on FacebookRockin through Kazakhstan
// August 11th, 2010 // Comments Off // Uncategorized
Short update.
After fixing our car in Atyrau we have basically been doing a whole lot of driving. 3 days of hardcore driving took us from Atyrau to Astana, we drove just a bit over 1500 miles(2500ish km). A good 13-14 hours on the road every day. A bit tiring, but whatever.
It has been me and Isaac for the last few days, we pulled over an ambulance one night and camped with them, but we have pretty much been all on our own. The car seems perfect now, glad that is over. We also found petrol cans in a supermarket in Kazakhstan, so we are all set for Mongolia.
We are in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. We met up with Oli and Ceilidh again, which is good. We are having a marvelous day off here, the city is amazing.
Tomorrow we are heading towards Semey and the Russian border again. We hope to be at the Mongol border at monday. We are actually starting to see the end of this crazy trip.
Donate money to the charity.
Might be the last blog before we reach Ulanbataar.
-K
Share on FacebookLeaving Ukraine, though Russia and break down in Kazakhstan
// August 7th, 2010 // Comments Off // Uncategorized
We are nakered.
Massive wait at the border and another $20 to leave Ukraine followed by a longer more thorough Russian border entry fortunately without bribes!
Met up with 4 other ralliers from 2 teams 2 american skydivers and some bristolians on their honeymoon. Stayed the night in a creepy honey moon suite with kenneth there was only one bed and the motel staff were disgusted by the whole thing. Next day Convoy past volgograd were we lost the bristol guys. camping down a dirt track off the highway.
We met up with 2 more teams at the kazak border after a 4-5 hours and a 10km no mans land between Russia and Kazakhstan we were through again without bribes.
Still way to hot reaching 45 degrees at one point. There is nothing like a heat wave in a desert. About 60 miles in the 5 car convoy found a spot to camp next to a train tack to throw a party for Ceilidh. It was ridiculous.
Up bright and early to reach Atyrau to find some local cash and petrol. Things started getting interesting here. Our car randomly ignores the gas pedal causing frequent stops. Oli’s car gets a flat. Another car looses the exhaust and finally a jimney’s shock absorbers receive one to many shocks and fall off. The roads out of town are terrible. Going 30 mph on a kazak super highway feels like 1o0 mph back home with 2 hump camels roaming about.
After scraping into town we fins a garage to fix us all up so we head to the center to find somewhere to stay. In Kazakhstan your car horn is means everything from all directions all the time. Stressful.
After getting lost in town we eventually randomly bumped into the rest of the gang. Sadly our car trouble reared its ugly head again so everyone has left Atyrau 2 teams to Uzbekistan and 2 north into kazakhstan.
Good news is our car doesn’t need a new fuel pump so we can leave in the morning bad news is eveyone has gone ahead. With a lot of luck we might catch up one day
Isaac
Share on FacebookKiev and a massive mission
// August 2nd, 2010 // Comments Off // Uncategorized
First of all, Ukrainian policemen are awesome. We have been stopped speeding twice, quite significantly, without getting fined. Oli and Ceilidh got pulled over once and had to pay 300 hryvina. The policemen that pulled us over just shook their heads when they found out we were going to Mongolia, and you could clearly see that they were thinking “what a bunch of idiots”…
We spent a glorious day in Kiev, which is a fantastic city. We walked around the city for hours, stopping for drinks and food on the way. A perfect day off!
On sunday we set off for Donets’k, where we were lucky enough to find a couchsurfer that would have us for the day. By the way, it is incredibly warm in Ukraine, about 40 in the day, Our cars does not like the heat, and we had our first bit of car trouble after 10 hours of driving towards Donets’k. Oli had to change the car battery, and we thought our car was dying, but it was just a bit thirsty and hot. After a rest and a drink she was ready to go and good as new again.
The drive turned out to be much longer then what we thought. we started at 8 from Kiev, and got to Avdiika outside Donets’k at around midnight. We did about 470 miles, which is about 750 km. We have done about 2500 miles or 4000km all in all now. We are nearing in on a third of the journey.
We stayed at Yuris mates house,Volodiva, for the day, and decided to leave early tuesday morning for the russian border and Volgograd, where we have arranged to stay at another couchsurfers house. So another 500 km tomorrow, on better roads we have heard.
If everything goes according to plan we will make it into Kazakhstan on thursay, but it won’t. so staurday i guess…
-K
Share on Facebookit’s getting fun
// July 31st, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized
After Prague we left early in the morning for Slovakia, which Oli described as boring Czech Republic. He turned out to be right. Not much happened that day. We drove for about 8 hours, and did 350 miles, about 560 km. We drove through pretty much all of the Czech Republic and all of Slovakia. Slovakia had brand spanking new motorways with no cars on, a bit weird. We found a campsite and stayed there for the night.
The day after we headed for the Ukrainian border. We drove through a little bit of southern Poland, which were beautiful and full off shiny happy people, and from there to the Ukrainian border.
The border was fun, the border guard found something he didn’t like about the documents for our car. So he told us we had to give him a “big present” to get in, or ”back to England”. We offered him 50 dollars, he took 25, what a legend. The roads in Ukraine are shit or a brand spanking new motorway. There are no ok roads. We made our way in to L’viv, and driving there were mental. The roads were cobbled and about 300 years old. The Micra were shaking like never before, but we made it and found a really nice hostel where we spent the night.
On friday we set sails for Kiev, and after driving around L’viv for an hour we found a way out of the town, apparently they don’t believe in signs in Ukraine. The driving in Ukraine is a bit different, on the motorway you have to watch out for pedestrians, bikers and horses and carriages. But most of the time its just a bit more crazy then home.
We stopped for petrol, and the clerk at the petrol station fueled up for us wiped our windows, just as a service. I tipped him two dollars, and i have never seen a happier man in my life. He told me his name were Igor, and wondered where we were going, we told him Mongolia, he laughed and thought we were idiots. Then he told told me the name of the town he lived in and that he had three daughters, and I am pretty sure he wanted me to come back an marry one of them.
Also we got pulled over by LAPD, doing 106km in what a think was a 60 zone. The cop smiled and said take it easy. Didn’t even have to bribe him, rude.
We got into Kiev last night, and we decided to stay another day, and head for Donets’k early tomorrow morning. Kiev is massive and awesome.
Soon the Russian border, that is gonna be crazy.
Thanks to the people donating, we appreciate it.
laters
-K
Share on FacebookChillin in Prague
// July 28th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized
So after the Hague we decided to not do very much driving every day. So we spent one night sleeping at a rest stop in germany, and the next morning we drove to the Czech Republic. We went to a castle near Klenova, south of Plzen, and attended a party for all the ralliers there. And to be honest, that was the real kick off. So far it has been very comfortable.
After the Czechout party on monday we went to Prague, to Eliska, one of Isaacs friends. We were fortunate enough to stay at her house for the night. Cool, thank you very much Eliska! And also, Prague is a really nice city. Massive and quite scary to drive in, but nice.
The driving so far has been normal and fine, just like driving in Norway or England. No problems. I guess it gets way worse when we cross into Ukraine in a couple of days. I have heard the roads will be worse.
We have done about 1000 miles so far, which is about 1600 km. In a couple of days we will have to start adding up miles way way faster. But i think we are fine for now.
Today we are heading for Slovakia, to meet another one of Isaacs friends, David. He lives outside Zilina, just over the border.
So to sum up, everything is just golden at the moment, and Czech beer is great. Might be another blog tomorrow.
-K
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1st leg. A bit of a detour…
// July 25th, 2010 // Comments Off // Uncategorized
We are now in The Hague, in Holland. And yes it is way of course..
But first things first. We set off from Bristol after spending the night at the legend Matt Chinnocks house. We had a bit to many ciders the day before, so we were both horribly hung over and grumpy. But we made it to the racetrack, Goodwood motor circuit outside Brighton. We got there at about 11, met up with the other car we are driving in convoi with, Isaacs brother Oliver and Ceilidh.
There were about 350 cars of diffierent sorts, ambulances, fire trucks, vans and small lovely cars like ours. There must have been something like 50 micras, and i heard that most of them made it all the way to Ulan Bataar last year. Nice to know.
Just before we set of on our lap of honor we phoned up a friend in Holland. So basically we just said that 4 ralliers are coming to sleep at your house. See you later. By the way, thank you Jonna, you are fantastic!
After the lap of honor we set off towards Dover and the ferry to France. The motorway down there were good fun, cars from the rally overtaking each other, honking their horns and getting looks from all the other drivers. It was quite the spectacle.
When we got to Calais we drove all the way to The Hague in one go, and we arrived at about 1. The micra is great, a really good drive. We did about 467 miles, which is about 750 km, which is good considering all the waiting at the racetrack and ferry ride and all that mumbo jumbo.
Today we are just relaxing here in Holland for a while, before setting sail for the Czech Republic where we are attending the Czechout party on monday. And thats only 550 miles(910km), and in two days thats almost nothing. Its after that it really kicks off….
And finally a few words about the charity bit. Thanks again to all our sponsors, but we do need a little more help reaching our goal of 1000£. Just click donate now, all the money goes straight to the charity, we never see it so we don’t even have a chance to bum you over.
I might add some pictures and/or videos if i can find the time later.
Might not be a new blog for a few days, all depending if we can find internet really.
-K
Share on FacebookCharity & Thanks
// July 22nd, 2010 // Comments Off // Uncategorized
As some of you might know we need to raise £1000 for charity as well as deliver the car. Thanks to two huge donations we are well on our way to reaching our target.
Our first donation, a massive 200 beans comes from a buddy Pål Bratlie and http://www.isotak.no/ Cheers Pål!
Raising the bar to even greater heights Mr Kevin Curran a family friend donated a Whopping £400 to our efforts. Thanks very much Kevin.
We were blown away by the generosity of you both. Just £400 to go hopefully you will inspire a few more donations.
Thanks again!
Isaac and Kenneth
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