Team Bee Lucky

Lucy Osborne
Of Bee Lucky
On the The Mongol Rally 2008
HIGHLIGHT ON MAP
MORE FROM

Mongolia

"Travelling around Mongolia with your own car or motorcycle-without a driver-is not recomended.  What look like main roads on the map are often little more than tyre tracks in the dirt, sand or mud and there is hardly a signpost in the whole country."     *Lonely Planet 2008*   

Definitely true, especially when you choose roads barely marked on the map to begin with.  Sometimes we could scarcely discern the tracks we were trying to follow while at other times we were on 8 lane dirt highways-when one lane got too rutted people had simply made another!  When we first entered Mongolia we followed a fairly obvious track that ended abruptly in a huge fence, several hours later we disovered the impossiblity of driving in the dark when there is no road.  Poor Tadpole was driven halfway up a steep rocky hill, stalling continually in protest, she was then ploughed into a ridge leaving a large dent in her front (oops!).  We only managed to find the track again when another foolhardy car drove along it. In the morning we stumbled across the other Fiesta and set off in convoy.  Due to the nomadic nature of the people the roads are also nomadic meaning that many tracks lead to nowhere.  We navigated by compass and helpful shepherds, following tracks in the direction of their rather vague hand gestures.  Several times we had to push both cars out of the sand and rather worryingly at one point we ended up in a rocky canyon with definitely no track!  Tadpole continued to prove her amphibious nature, bravely fording no fewer than 4 rivers.  When it rained the tracks turned to mud baths that we slid rather than drove along praying that we wouldn't get stuck as no one was keen on the thought of pushing.

It wasn't long before we had our first offer of cheese and vodka at 10am in the morning-we needed both to try and cancel out the revolting flavours of each.  Vodka is a staple in the Mongolian diet and it didn't seem to matter what time of day it was at least half of the men we met would be drunk.  One night we made the mistake of camping too near a town and were soon joined by five young vodka bearing men trying to get us to join in whilst they downed half a bottle at a time seemingly to impress us-we moved our cars.  Everybody wanted to stop and talk to us whenever we stopped. We shared our tea with a nomadic family and gave cuddly toys to the children who were ecstatic. 

The other Fiesta (rather aptly named Shitbox) lost its exhaust and so sounded like an authentic rally car-unfortunately this gave the driver a headache so when we next hit civilisation we attempted to find a mechanic.  We were directed to a ger with several vehicles outside and managed to find a man who could barely stand due to the amount of vodka in his system.  Needless to say we were slightly alarmed when he started getting out welding equipment and rapidly retreated to a safe distance praying his breath wouldn't spontaneously combust as he proceeded to weld the exhaust back on.  This wasn't the end of the trouble for Shitbox, she needed more welding later on (thankfully by a sober man) as a rear suspension coil snapped and by the time we reached Ulaanbaatar her front wheels were barely being held on!  Tadpole on the other hand is a true soldier, all of her problems could be solved by turning the music up and singing louder (There is definitely something to be said for being cluless).

The scenery in Mongolia cannot be done justice with words but we'll vainly attempt to paint a picture for you (really you must visit). Think snow capped mountains, lush green valleys dotted with gers and full of purple flowers, herds of horses, yaks, cows, sheep and goats all attended by traditionally dressed shepherds on horses, alpine forests, stormy skies, vast lakes, eagles and buzzards swooping to within a few metres of the car and being able to see for miles without sighting a human.  We decided no visit to Mongolia could be complete without a night in a ger so we paid a visit to Khorgun Nuur National Park. Here we climbed an extinct volcano whose crater took our breath away (in more ways than one). Spending the night in a ger was bliss, lying horizontal was a strange sensation having slept in the car for so long it actually felt like we were tipped backwards and for the first time since arriving in Mongolia we didn't wake up freezing cold with blocks of ice for feet (the previous morning Hamish and Sara's tent zip had frozen closed). 

9 days after entering Mongolia we found ourselves on the approach to Ulaanbaatar.  Entering the city with emotions running high it was rather a culture shock to be faced with other cars, and plenty of them, naturally driving like maniacs.  At one point we nearly lost Shitbox to a bus.  Pulling up at Dave's bar we gratefully received our free beer and had a celebratory full english breakfast (despite it being four in the afternoon).  This morning we said a very fond farewell to Tadpole, our favourite car in the whole world, she looked slightly naked after we stole the number plates.  The next stage of our journey may prove the most perilous yet, on September 11th we are headed home in an Aeroflot Tupolev jet!

Beatrice Heller
Of Bee Lucky
On the The Mongol Rally 2008
HIGHLIGHT ON MAP
MORE FROM

Kazakhstan & Russia

We met up with fellow Ford Fiesta ralliers on our first night in Almaty. At 2am having drunk far too much to drive we came to the realisation that we had nowhere to stay. Deciding that the car was preferable to a park bench we camped up for the night on Almaty's main street. We were rudely awoken by the parking attendant at 8am and proceeded to have our breakfast on the pavement as commuters hurried past. We undertook a planned mechanic trip with the Fiesta couple and a team of four Irish boys. It turned out our diagnosis of needing a new fuel filter (not difficult to diagnose having seen some of the 'petrol' we had put in the car) was correct. The look on everyone's faces as black gunge dripped out of our filter confirmed our suspicions. Whilst everyone else waited patiently at the garage we were whisked off by the mechanic in his blacked-out four wheel drive and treated to drinks en route to finding a fuel filter. It was late afternoon by the time all the cars were finished so we headed back into Almaty for another night. At midnight when everybody else had retired to their respective hotels we felt it was time for pudding. In a 24hr supermarket we located the bakery section and selected a delicious looking banoffi pie. Having asked for one piece we began to panic when the bakery lady, having cut and wrapped it, proceeded to box up the entire rest of the cake and attach it to the already cut piece. Frantically trying to explain we only wanted one piece we were soon surrounded by 12 bakery attendants all informing us we must buy the whole 14 inch cake. Half an hour later we were leaving the supermarket crying with laughter at the ridiculous parcel we carried in our arms. 

Once again we were woken by the parking attendant and after a breakfast of cake set off in a 3 car convoy for the 3 day trip through Kazakhstan to Russia. We managed to dispose of the rest of the cake as the others gladly accepted it for their breakfast too. Stopping for the night in a lavender field we fixed up our car exhaust with cable ties while everyone else set up camp. With no tent our camp takes an unsurprisingly short amount of time to sort and falling asleep by counting shooting stars definitely has a plus side even if it is a little chilly. 

The next morning we agreed to swap i-pods with the boys first warning them that they may not appreciate our taste in music. However within seconds of receiving ours they were driving off with Julie Andrew's 'Lonely Goat Herd' blaring out of their sound system as they sang along. We spent another night under the stars before making a dash for the border the next day. This took us through the delightful town of Semey where between 1949 and 1989 the Soviet military exploded 460 nuclear bombs leaving untold radiation damage that continues to affect the population to this day. Just outside Semey Lucy had an interesting encounter with the Kazakh police as she was caught filming the boys asking a policeman for directions. She was hauled inside the police hut accused of being James Bond (as apparently England and Kazakhstan are at war) and commanded to delete the tape as handcuffs were brandished in her face. Escaping intact  we reached the border as it was getting dark so decided to camp up and head through the next day.

The border took 5hrs and another proposal to cross and 2 years after swearing we would never go back to Russia here we are again! Even the Russian weather is miserable so we spent last night playing scrabble in the boys luxurious 8 person tent/ mansion. Playing against 3 teams that had never played before we managed to win in spectacular style. Finding this internet cafe has caused a stir in the town of Barnaul. At first nobody would speak to the 8 filthy looking delinquents (us) as we tried to ask for directions. We finally cornered a girl in a shop who couldn't escape due to being stuck behind a till and she very kindly printed us a map. Note to self: odd socks, flip flops, torn dirty jeans, smelling t-shirts and dubious looking fleeces don't make a good impression.

Tomorrow we are hoping to cross the border into Mongolia- final leg here we come! 

Beatrice Heller
Of Bee Lucky
On the The Mongol Rally 2008
HIGHLIGHT ON MAP
MORE FROM

Kyrgyzstan

The drive from Osh to Bishkek was worthy of Top Gear's 'world's best drive'. On smooth tarmac we passed nomadic yurts in summer pastures, stunning mountain lakes and took on 180 degree hairpin bends down a crumbling gorge. Tadpole was complaining about the distinctly black looking petrol we had had no choice to feed her earlier on so climbing the mountain passes did prove a little tricky but she ploughed on.

Yesterday saw us getting to know the police a little too well. Lucy's first encounter for speeding saw a $100 fine be reduced to $20 with a smile and by waving our last dollars in front of them. We escaped a second speeding fine by acting like a couple of idiot foreigners who had no idea what a speed gun was. Our dumbfounded looks and inability to speak Russian meant the police waved us on in frustration. We left Bishkek in typical Kyrgyz fashion with a glass of vodka in one hand and the steering wheel in the other! Planning on camping just shy of the Kazakh border we were rather surprised to find ourselves at the border and heading through it as it was open 24hrs. This led us to our final encounter with the police that day- fortunately of a more friendly nature as a couple of over-excited young Kazakh policemen waved us in to tell us they loved us.

We have spent today in Almaty doing more walking in one day than we have done in the last month. With legs feeling like jelly from the sudden exertions we definitely feel we have deserved the pub lunch and cake and coffee that have been our treats today after weeks of camping food.  

Lucy Osborne

Load Lucy

Beatrice Heller

I'm a final year student at Cambridge studying the little known subject of History and Philosophy of science so I can tell you all about ancient meteorology but not much about car engines! Besides taking on the challenge of driving a crap car to Mongolia I also enjoy skiing, climbing and rowing.

read more... Load Beatrice