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Team Alliance are back in the UK after 4 weeks and 1 day of an unforgettable trip - delivering an ex NHS Front Line Ambulance to a hospital in Darkhan, Mongolia as part of the 2010 Mongol Rally.  As soon as we get our luggage back (it did not make the transfer in Moscow), we will download some photos.

Delivered the Ambulance to Darkhan Hospital

On Thursday, we delivered the ambulance 220Km from Ulaanbaatar to Darkhan hospital.  Just a simple hand over the keys - not on your life, first we are met on the outskirts of the town by a deputation of local government dignitaries and a television crew. 


After a couple of obligatory Vodkas and a few speeches, we set off on a cavalcade tour of Darkhan - Blues & twos on for the whole time, before arriving at the hospital for the official handover.  Everyone from the senior medical staff to the hospital porters was there, and they all wanted to look inside the ambulance - at the same time. 


We were trying to remove the extra seat and the sink unit that Marcus had installed for the trip, but in the end we gave up as we couldn't get near it.  Much more in the way of handshakes, speeches and interviews by the TV reporter and it was off to lunch with the Mayor, Vice Mayor and the other dignitaries. 


We eventually escaped and were driven the 220Km and 3 hour trip back to UB.  What a day, talk about finishing on a high!

DONE IT!!!!

Team Alliance, complete with Mercedes Ambulance in excellent working order, have arrived in Ulaanbaatar, at 2 AM on Monday 16th August!!!


Everone is very tired after a marathon day, starting with a wake up call at 6 AM on Sunday morning, a 220 Km trip from Ulan Ude to the Russian/Mongolian border, a 6.5 hour border crossing plus a 320 Km journey through the magnificent Mongolian landscape to Ulaanbaatar. We were met at the Mongolian border by some friends of Marcus, who had brought with them a senior customs officer from Ulaanbaatar to help. Even with his influence we took around 5 hours to get clearance, another team from a different Mongol rally were still there when we left, deswpite them arriving before us. So a big thanks to Narag. On route to Ulaanbaatar, we stopped off at the Hospital in Darkhan, where we were treated to a civic reception by the local health authority dignitories and medical staff. They were really excited at getting the Team Alliance Mercedes Ambulance, we will get it spruced up, removing the travel modifications and making it look like an ambulance again. Today we will find the Adventurists HQ and find out what we will be doing.


An afternoon in Ulan Ude

Marcus and I decided to have a look at the town centre today and while standing around a lady came up to us and asked if she could help.  It turned out that she was a retired mathamatician called Natasha. She decided that we needed a tour guide and volunteered herself for the job.  I think she also wanted to practice her English.  Toured the town, the main square has the biggest Lenins head statue in the world. Being a saturday, wedding day in Ulan Ude, the square was full of wedding cars, with a constant procession of brides & grooms getting their pics taken in front of the "Head".


We ended up at a Bhudist Monastary on a hill overlooking Ulan Ude, with a terrific view of the entire city.  My camera was attached to my belt and must have come off in the taxi - I am more annoyed at losing the pictures that were on it.

Thanks

Now that the end of this amazing adventure is in sight, we would like to thank all of our sponsors, without whos help this would not have been possible.  Rather than single out individual contributors, we would like to think of this as a real team effort, so to all of you who have had a hand in the Team Alliance 2010 Mongol Rally project to get this Front Line Ambulance thousands of miles to Mongolia, WELL DONE! from Marcus, Jim & Craig

Roads

The roads in Russia, especially the grandly named M53 (see below) are the worst roads that I have ever seen, bar none.


Kemerovo to Krasnoyarsk

Good start to the day with an 8.45am departure from Kemerovo.  Determined to do a good 500Km to make a big dent in the run to Irkutsk.  Roads poor as far as Marinsk but the surface improved, though still twisty with big gradients up and down the mountains.  Why do we always get stuck behind an ancient russian truck labouring away in the uphill sections? 

Came across an unusual situation today - Road resurfacing in progress while two way traffic flowed.  In the middle of it we were dodging around tarmac laying machines and wagons full of the stuff, plus traffic coming the other way including a 40 tonne arctic.

Made our 500Km - all the way to Krasnoyarsk, leaving only 1070Km to Irkutsk, another 550Km around the bottom of lake Baikal to Ulan Ude, then about 150 to 200Km to the mongolian border. I can't remember off hand, but I think it is about 400Km to Ulaanbaatar from the border. 

Oh! and we lost another hour today, missed the banks again.

I do not know when the next update will be - just as soon as I find another WiFi site.

Novosibirsk to Kemerovo

Monday sees us off to a late start again after our am arrival last night, sorry this morning.  Everybody tired so we had an easy day with just a 260Km drive to Kemerovo.  Craig texted Suzie and she found us a good hotel which the useless Garmin satnav actually managed to find without trouble for a change, Thanks Suzie! Saw the remnants of what looked like a bad car accident that had occurred a few minutes before we arrived, one car in a field with what looked like a body close by.  Lots of people & police in attendance so we did not stop.  Saw a sign saying 1700Km to Irkutsk - that really felt good.  Tomorrow after a good nights rest, we will aim for 500Km at least, if the roads allow.


Omsk to Novosibirsk


Sunday, we had a late start due to trying to get dollars changed into roubles, without success, The intention was to break the journey to Novosibirsk, but we decided to carry straight through and arrived about 30 minutes ago, at 1.30 am, monday morning.  Everybody is totally shattered, so good night!

kurgan to Omsk

Left Kurgan Sat morning with hopes of a quick trip to Omsk, worked out greatv until we arrived at the Russian/Kazakhstan border - took an hour to get6 into Kaz, then an uneventual trip across Kaz until the out border, Kaz guards were ok and spoke good english, but the Russian side was a different story, only one little jumped up prat soke english, a proper jobsworth, Anyway, 1.5 hours later and we could continue on to Omsk.  Craig struck up a rapore with a policeman, who was at the hotel for his mother in laws 50th birthday party; which we were invited to join.  The copper swapped football shirts with Craig  By tje way, we lost another hour.