Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Just had an amazing afternoon at the Blue Skies Ger Camp in the city run by the Christina Noble Foundation. These are the official charity of the rally and it was great to see how all our hard work (fun) raising money for the orphanage is being used. It was amazing seeing the setup and then spending a few hours playing with all the kids who were more than keen to show us there footy, volleyball and karate skills! Once again, many many thanks from us all for sponsoring us along the route and I can tell you now the money is most definitely being put to good use.
Tonight is the final party night laid on by the rally team and there are plenty of teams here now so I'm sure it will be a good affair with Mongolian music, food, beer and dancing! And that's just us! Sore heads in the morning I'm sure.@
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
We've only gone and finished!!! All is well, although the finish line as we expected was a bit of an anti-climax. At the finish line the vultures were circling (locals) and anything they could buy or steal before we handed the vehicle over they would. Did make a few extra beer tokens though! Just had the worst curry in the world but it filled a hole and we are going to have a few beers tonight before sorting our lives out tom. Next step, the journey home. Thanks to all who have checked in along the way and massive thanks if you have sponsored as well. Let's wait and see what else happens along the way!! Good girl Christine!!!
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Well, not quite there yet. We could of made it in tonight however we decided to stop 30 miles away and camp one more time, use up the last of our tuna pasta surprise meals and even have the last bag of sweeties brought all the way from the uk which were hid at the back of the food cupboard. Bens even broken out the celebratory hip flask full of the finest whisky smuggled all the way through Iran etc to here. Just to keep us on our toes the Alternator belt snapped a few miles back but the team jumped into action, put the spare on and cruised on. We will be at the finish line nice and early tom then sort ourselves out for the next stage, the trip home! Many a beer to be had first though on Saturday nights final closing party. Nothing planned for Sunday other than a hangover!
Ovorkhangai, Mongolia
270 miles to go. Come on Christine, you can do it ya little beast you.
Bayanhongor, Mongolia
these have to be the worst roads known to man. Averaging around 15 mph and sometimes as little as 5! The place is so huge and empty it's hard to comprehend that people live in the middle of all this. Having fun still, although got a very very sore arse! 6 weeks of sitting down hasnt done our fitness much good! Only 2 days left though hopefully and we have been told the roads get better further towards UB, although I doubt that. Christine is doing well, front shock still swinging in the wind but she is plodding on, fingers crossed she will hold out!!
Govi-Altai, Mongolia
At the moment we are averaging 15 miles an hour going over the roads in Mongolia, they are truly shocking. It's like one long continual cattle grid where the roads are so corrugated. If we manage to get upto 30 mph it's a very rare occurrence. At this rate we should reach the capital, Ulaanbaatar for fri night or quite possibly sat morning. On a good note, the place is stunning and so huge it's quite surreal. You travel for hours on end and seemingly go no-where. The mountains stay in the distance and it feels as if we are on a bumpy conveyor belt driving but staying in the same place. Last nights camp saw a truly stunning sunset however and it was so quiet with no wind you could hear the pulse in your earcanal!
Khovd, Mongolia
well first day in Mongolia, we have snapped our front left shock absorber. 200 miles in and 950 left to the finish, we are goin to battle on and worry about it later. Staying at a ger camp ( yurt ) for the night with a load of other teams and just had a run into town for beers. All is well and Christine is behaving herself apart from the shock. Just about to get some local feed, kind of expecting sheeps skull and testicles so we shall see. Prob another 10 teams camping with us and we have the better of the problems. Smashed sumps, dodgy gearboxes, blown tyres. We are keeping our fingers crossed for the rest of the trip!
Bayan Olgii, Mongolia
We've made it into Mongolia!!!! Took all day processing and clearing customs, 10 hours to be precise but finally we are here! We thought it would take all day and we were right. There was 3 other teams as well as ourselves at the border of Mongolia, locked in a holding pen waiting to be processed. Around 6 ish we were starting to get worried when all of a sudden another 10 cars arrived! This put the authorities into a right muddle as they were supposed to finish at 6 and all of a sudden the offices were bedlam. The guys who had arrived were demanding to be put through as Sunday was a day off for customs which meant they would be stuck until Monday, which meant calm old us who had been waiting patiently all day was put on hold until they had calmed and organised the rabble who had arrived. Luckily our paperwork was just about finished and we were let through around 8 in the evening. Miraculously, when the other teams all agreed to pay 50 dollars each for the guards overtime they were rushed through and came out just behind us. The wonders of the American dollar!! Mugs. Anyway, we are in, it's stunning but bloody cold. Woke this morning with the van covered in ice and the lake opposite iced over as well. Roads are no surprise, awful but it will be an amazing 5 day drive to the capital now. Catch ya soon!
Altai Republic, Russia
Yet another epic 3 shift drive taking us from the low farmlands of Russia into the quite stunning mountains of the east of the country. Not too much to report, all is well, we have beer bought as draught from a local shop and spaghetti Bol on the cooker. Tom we will defo be at the border of Mongolia so hopefully the rumours of long waits into the country won't be true. Hope your all having a good time at home! Getting cold here that's for sure...
Rubtsovsk, Russia
One more border to go! We made it into Russia with relative ease, got lost in the first city we hit, found the road and cruised through to where we sit now, chilling in a farmers field with a brew and some sweets. Nothing remotely interesting happened in Kazakhstan and to top it off, it started pissing down at 4 in the morning yesterday while me and ben were outside in our beds. Bugger.
Hopefully, with one more day of extreme driving we should make Mongolia fri night or sat morn. On a plus note, the Russia border guards have been the hottest to date. Not holdin much hope for the Mongolians.
