MADE IT!!!!

Wednesday 10th August 12.49 GMT - 20.49 Local Time

We've made it - crossed the finish line - PARTY!!!

En-route

TUESDAY 10th August

Well, we got let out this morning for good behaviour and are on our way to Ulaan Bataar.  Driving through the steppe, dusty roads, cattle, sheep, horses in vast grassy landscape.  Just stopped for coffee and "buuz" (meat filled dumplings) - very tasty.  Onward and upward, further reports to follow ........

Taking the ...........!!!

What was I saying about the home strait??? 

Got through the border okay - after the Russkies eventually let us out of the country after 2 hours - some Russian "bird" very suspicious as Graham doesn't look like his passport photo (we have Tinah to thank for that for bringing him into the 21st Century!!). Graham had to sort out some documentation for the car - thought everything was going too smoothly.

11.55 GMT (19.55 Local time)

Graham and Miguel very frustrated - Alfonso and I, well, 13 ltr of Temperanillo may help.  Apparently our Spanish chums have a problem with the age of their car.  Graham nowhere to be seen. 

12.50 GMT (20.50 local time)

Graham and Miguel still "gone", 300km still to go to Ulaan Bataar - and we're being held in a hostel.   This is all very bizarre.....................

Mongolia !!!

7.00 a.m. GMT - Crossed the border - 30°.  Having ham and red wine picnic with father and son team from Bilbao.  Soon to be on our way in convoy with Alfonso & Miguel - last phase now.  Couple days sightseeing in Ulaan Bataar then HOME!!!!

Irkutsk

Had decided to head for Irkutsk today but roads bad and progress slow - tired and fatigued.  Stopped 150 miles from destination. Must sleep.

Krasnojarsk

Krasnojarsk -

603 miles today in 14 hours on the road. Quite, sunny and peaceful.  Camped by a peasant village in the siberian forest west of Krasnojarsk - 1000 miles to Irkutsk - getting close. Going like the clappers as the Mongolian visa says we have to enter the country BEFORE 21st August - think we should do it although the car is suffering.  Siberia - AWESOME. 

Kurgan - Omsk

Friday 5th August - 

OmsK and another 400 miles plus under our belt. Eating at a truck stop then camp.  We are now at GMT + 6 hrs!!

Ufa - Kurgan

Wednesday 3rd August :

Well so much for the micro brewery and sausage bar - got to Saratov (after 637 miles!!) far too late and nothing  open.  Ended up sleeping in the car!!  Never mind - early start Wednesday morning and headed for Ufa.  Managed to get a twin room in a motel £30 and £20 for supper (salad start, bbq pig and ruski beer) - not bad seeing as it was all done in sign language!! So far we have been stopped by the police 4 times! Supper was delicious by the way.  The time difference is 5 hours - so we've made good progress.

Thursday 4th August :

Alpine scenery beautiful but rutted roads and big fast trucks scary - feel like we're in a proper rally now.  464 miles later and we arrive at Kurgan in Siberia and are looking for a campsite for the night.  Found one - 'tis old soviet butlins!! 11.00 p.m. (6.00 p.m. UK) and the "Kamp Kommandant" has closed the bar - he'd never last in an Allendale pub!  Time for bed - further updates to come.

Russia - at last

After five days in Kiev with the Russian Authorities not allowingi us to alter our visa entry dates, we eventually crossed the border this morning - not without a slight mishap.  The border police thought we were exporting the Citroen to Russie and we ended up sleeping in the car in the border police compound!  Anyway, eventually got through and are on our way to Saratov having passed through Kursk.  Apparently they have a micro-brewery there and a "local sausage bar" so hopefully a good night awaits us.

En Route

Well the send off from Allendale seems such a long time ago.  We arrived at Grahams sister's Friday evening and had a lovely relaxing night before the onslaught.  8.00 a.m. start to Goodwood and what a party atmosphere.  Some of the vehicles were really whacky - we're extremely tame - and just about the oldest!!  After leaving Goodwood we travelled to Folkestone and arrived in Calais via Eurostar about 9.00 pm local time.  A couple of hours drive and we got our head down in Eindhoven, Holland.  

Another early start and great progress was made via Colditz (a necessary stop off!) to Legnica (Poland) just south of Lublin.  After another early start today (Monday) we had a long wait at the Ukraine border before settling at Lviv.  Unfortunately not too good a place so again, en route to Kiev.