Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
total distance covered from the start line at Goodwood to the finish line in Ulaanbaatar... 8,213 miles.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
at the finish line. We have done it ladies and gents...the first ever Reliant Robin to drive to Mongolia. With the up's and the down's, breakdowns and pure 'what the heck is going on' moments, it's been the most incredible epic adventure we have both taken part in. Shear determination and a huge amount of help from our friends and family has pushed us to the end. Reliant Robin. Mongolia. 2011. Done.
Darkhan-Uul, Mongolia
we are about 2 hours outside UB, have spent a couple of nights chilling out by the rivers. Went swimming, made big fires and drank copious amounts of vodka and cheap beer. Had to do a few quick repairs to Sheila as the front steering arm was only held in with 1 dodgy bolt (instead of 2!) we also ran into a couple of other teams so have been chilling out with them and seeing the sights...including taking a visit to a bow makers workshop...one of only 5 masters in Mongoia so was pretty special! Packing up camp now and heading of the finish line. Last hurdle guys, lets do this!!
Tov, Mongolia
after 6 hours at the border and a huge whirlwind of paper work we are finally here...hello Mongolia!!!!!
Nizhneudinsk, Russia
So it was a fairly leisurely drive. Heading to Ulan Ude, about 1am, casual chat, pete's night mix cd, steady 50 mph......and the road disappeared. As if someone had moved it for a joke. We flew of the end of the road to thrash down into a 9 inch deep dip that spat us back up, across the track sideways where we slid along the edge of the bank and came to rest at a 45 degree angle teetering over the edge, not daring to breathe, incase the whole thing went rolling down a hill. No sign anywhere warning us of the apparent lack of road. Having been pulled off the edge, we had to change the swing arm due to it being bent. This as well caused yet more stress it was not a strait swap. There was a moment as I lay under the car in the wet and mud with no apparent solution, where I thought I'd rather be in england, sat watching a movie eating fish an chips with my beautiful girl friend before snuggling up in bed. But then my resolved kicked in. So we now have a 10 inch front wheel with no brakes and a pedal that's harder than putting your foot through concrete. Apparently russia saved the worst till last. But this car IS going to Mongolia. And there's shit all your poor excuse for roads can do about it. Onward!
Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia
woke again this morning feeling like we were sleeping inside an oven...it's freezing at night and so hot in the day, mad! Had a slight issue with the left hand rear leaf spring breaking at about 50mph today but Andy handled the sudden loss of control well! Also, forgot to mention that yesterday we had a brown trouser moment involving a rather savage 'S' bend in the Siberian mountains...two particular 90 degree corners managed to have Sheila up on two wheels one side, then again up on the other side...which doesn't add up very well when you only have three wheels to start with. The stunt was controlled with both Andy and me grabbing the steering wheel and screaming...it's all about counter-weights with team MechSpesh. En-route to lake baikal now, in need of a shower (a wash in the worlds deepest and largest lake will do though)
Krasnoyarsk, Russia
about 70kms from the city. Found a good camp spot for the night in the forest, nice clear sky, full moon, got a fire going and have cheap beer to hand. Beautiful!!
Novosibirsk, Russia
an interesting night in the city last night...started with a shop stop to stock up on essentials... baby wipes and beer. Returned to the car to find that our rubber chicken mascot strapped to the front grill had been ripped off leaving the wire mesh hanging off...thieving bastards!! 2 minutes later and some kindly local chap started fixing it for us without even asking! He then proceeded to ask us in Russian and a series of hand gestures if we wanted any heroin...you get the picture. On that note, we decided it may have been a rough part of the city so, after getting lost for an hour, found our way onto the open road again. We also randomly ran into the Irish lads in the transit ambulance...haven't seen another team since Volgograd and was a nice surprise!
Tyumen, Russia
so we are back on the road!! And its all down to the help of our Russian friends. If it wasn't for them we would still be beside the road and shit out of luck. They truly taught us the meaning of Russian hospitality. A special thank you to Serg for stopping in the first place. A massive thanks to Anya for putting us up and putting up with us. And a huge thanks to Marsha and Pasha for there logistical genius who crushed customs with brilliance. And to everyone else thank you for showing us an amazing time in Ekaterinsburg, you will be missed and we hope to see you again someday. Well on our way to Omsk after a somewhat intense check point experience that cost me the best part of 400 dollars. But I'll tell you about that one when I return home. It's good to be back on the road ladies and gents :D
Sverdlovskaya oblast, Russia
what a day!!! Have been running about filling in forms for customs, TNT delivery, banks, more customs, storage security and yet more customs! Finally have the parts in the car and are on the way to the Robin...BOOM!! thank you so so much to everyone who helped organise the chaos here in Russia and back in England, you have saved our asses!
