SMS Update

Mon 17 Aug 6.00 pm. Still about 400 miles from UB. No chance of making it tonite. Bogged down with suspension problems. Now aiming for tomorrow. Cars are taking a battering - totally unsuitable for these roads but drive is excellent. Many teams have had to abandon their quest. Next stop UB.@

SMS Update

Thu 6 Aug 10 am. Arrived @ Madinyat border crossing to Kyrgykstan - our 13th border & 6th time zone - only to find it is CLOSED. We now have to make our way to anothter post 80 miles away. Car 3 has no starter motor. Every time it stops we jump out of our cars & push it much to the amusement of locals - a routine we will now have to perform all the way to Mongolia. People are very nice to us. We have also met several other teams. C U soon@

Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan - Slowly but Surely....!

We've set up for the night in Adijon, Uzbekistan where we have managed to find quite a nice hotel after sleeping rough for the last few days. We are hoping to get to the neighbouring Kyrgyzstan tomorrow evening, by which time our journey will have taken us 5500 miles, 6 time zones and 13 borders from our start in Goodwood!

Our biggest problem at the moment is still the speed at which we are progressing. Local bureaucracy and corrupt police mean that our journey is taking longer than expected. Car troubles are also more frequent now as the terrain is getting worse, although luckily my car seems to be running well, immune to the roads for the moment! Car 1 has unfortunately lost its starter motor. This means that from here all the way to Mongolia we all have to roll up our sleeves and push start the car every time it stops! One of the cars also lost its sump guard which ruptured the fuel tank, so we wasted half a day back in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

The heat is also increasing dramatically as we progress, with temperatures yesterday going over 40 degrees. I have to say I will never take a refrigerator for granted when I get back home; it is very difficult to get cold water here, and when you rarely do find cold bottled water it heats up within seconds of being in the car!

 But we're pushing on hoping to cover some good ground over the next few days so watch this space!