Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
In spite of gushing motor oil, a wandering gearstick and a battered chassis, ClioPatra has limped over the finish line. Unwinding in Ulaanbaatar with BBC World, a sauna and a bottle of vodka. Terrific finishing party - tour de force of Irish and Australian national caricatures. Anyone for driving back...
Arvaikheer, Mongolia
After four days with no showers or underwear changes, sleeping in a ger, a car and a tent, we have reached the bustling metropolis of Arvaikheer, population 20,000. After being towed across rivers and driving across dirt, gravel, sand, mud and small ravines, we have reached Mongolia's shining, gleaming, obsidian tarmac. So smooooooth!
Khovd, Mongolia
Twenty minutes, one exploded tyre. Ten hours, 200 km. One day, two exhausted travellers. Careering through rivers in the wake of three drunk Irishmen.Â
Olgi, Mongolia
After a night at the Russian border and a day held in a Mongolian pen, team Carry on Clio have made it to Mongolia! Farewell tarmac, hello rubble mascarading as road. Now for the tricky bit...
Barnaul, Russia
Cutting a swathe through Siberia on the final push to Mongolia. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a Russian traffic police helicopter.
Semey, Kazakhstan
Leaving Semey, town of choice for exiled existentialist writers and testing ground for 460 nuclear bombs. Some might call it the 'Ground Zero' of Soviet culture. @
Pavlodar Province, Kazakhstan
Leaving Pavlodar, a city which has preserved the Soviet charm, beauty and sophistication of the gulag that preceded it.
Astana, Kazakhstan
With kind permission of many roadside police officers, we have left Kazakhstan's shiny new capital. Dubai meets Epcot in a glittering tribute to the price of oil. Who said money can't buy class?@
Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan
Carlsberg don't do post-apocalyptic wastelands. But if they did, we are almost certainly in it. Dinner in trendiest gaffe in town. Fireworks, Kazakh techno and huts made from corregated iron.@
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Vodka, speeches and tomato juice with a certain Englishman at a Roman Abramavich-themed bar. Let us proceed with consumption and give toast to the renewed prosperity of the UK! @
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px"><p style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"><span style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #404040; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px">Two unqualified, mechanically-deficient, Jewish twenty-somethings, one of whom has only once driven on the motorway, thought it seemed like a good idea to drive 10,000 miles in an eight-year old Renault Clio across deserts, rivers and steppe to Ulan-Baatar, Mongolia. Armed only with two Lonely Planets, an Auto-Repair for Dummies and a bootload of duty free cigarettes to sweeten Russian border guards, Alex Reuben and Dan Arenson are confident of their success. </span></p><p style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"> </p><p style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"><span style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #404040; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px">But apart from raising our dear mothers' blood pressure, we'd also like to raise some money - for a tremendously deserving charity, the Christina Noble Children's Foundation (CNCF) - which "<span style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px">seeks to protect children at risk of economic and sexual exploitation, while ensuring these and other children in need have access to basic care and educational opportunities". </span></span></p><p style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"> </p><p style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"><span style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"><span style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #404040; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal">As you can imagine the CNCF does really vital work in helping some of the most vulnerable people in society and any donation, however small, would be greatly appreciated. It's easy to donate, just visit our </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px"><a href="http://www.justgiving.com/Carry-on-Clio" target="_blank">Just Giving</a> team page.</span></p><p style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"><span style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"><span style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #404040; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"> </span></span></p><p style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"><span style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: #4d4d4d; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px"><span style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: #404040; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px">As you Russian give us some money, Ukraine also Czech out our Facebook and Twitter pages.</span> </span></p></span>
