**WE FINALLY FOOKING MADE IT!!!!!!**

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Thats right after 47 grueling days, 14 countries, 9010 miles, 13 police stops, 5 police fines (one of which was negotiated down from $150 to a biro, which wasnt even new) 2 crashes, aprox 12 broken parts of our car (only one being life threatening), 5 bouts of the big D each and countless hangovers the mighty cunning linguists stormed in to Ulaanbaatar on the  afternoon of the 2nd of september!!!!!

Along with the mini, panda and subaru muz and ciaran have made it all the way form London to the capital of Mongolia. To all of those who said we wouldn't make it we laugh at you, HAHAHAHA!!!!!

Muz and Ciaran have had such a good time over the last six weeks and will deffinatly be doing something similar to this in the future. If any one feels they would like to do the mongol rally then you should certainly go for it as we had such a good time. Even if u have no mechanical knowledge like us it will be all good, well only if u do it in a Fiat Punto called Penelope.

The last blog i left was in Averheer if thats how its meant to be spelt. The 3 other cars in the 'crisis' convoy where being bodged in a mechanics so they could make it to UB, over 400kms away. We intended the trip to take a day and be in Ub on the 1st as we thought it was all tarmac. We found out that infact it was tarmac for 250kms approx and then the standard mongolian dirt track for 60kms then 60kms of brand spanking new tarmac. Therefore we thought it would take 2 days. So after the first lot of tarmac we camped up for our last night in the wilderness and to finish off our large amounts of vodka that were in the back of the cars. We had a great night, building a camp fire and then jumping and dancing over it. One of the group, not me or george, decided to cover his back in petrol and do a roll over the fire, the video is rather funny and going on youtube. As well as a sing song and a water fight the last night camping was very enjoyable, but im rather glad that i dont have to put up or put down a tent for a long time to come.

The next day we pushed on across the rubbish tracks and due to the horrible state of the panda and a very careful auzie driver the 60kms took much longer to do than expected. A few hours after setting off we found some cyclists who had just cycled from UB and we asked them what the road was like. To our astonishment, well not really cos mongol roads are so bad and the builders are rubbish, the 60kms of lovely new tarmac was off limits to cars for some stupid reason. This is a normal thing in mongolia, the road workers lay the tarmac and then dump huge pills of rock and dirt across the road and dig ditches down the side so you cant get on.

We ran in to some before Averheer when we lost the panda and mini and they took a different valley after a lunch stop. I went out to find them and led them on to tarmac only to find that the tarmac at the edge of town was bloked, so we got to work with shovels and filled in the ditch. This was all in view of the police check point, so the coppers came over. But instead of telling us off they started picking up rocks and helping us. One of them even moved an arrow sign to tell people where to get off the road ha.

Back to the last 60kms of tarmac. The fiat Punto with muz, ciaran and the 2 girls, claudia and irene raced off ahead of the convoy to start work on the mounds of dirt as we were trying to speed to the finish line before some friends we had met on the rally had to leave. With the prospect of cheesey chips, a burger and cold beer we doned our high viz vests and hard hats and got digging.

The idea of the finish line meant that we were through the blockads in quick time and past the road works on the brand new un blocked off roads only for the mini to get a puncture. So after 5 days of solid dirt tracks and desert the first decent road with no pot holes and the mini gets a flat. After a quick change we were on our way bombing along the gorgeous almost kissable road. We entered the city of UB only to be met by the hell of mongolian rush hour, and after not seeing a traffic jam for weeks i was rather nevous and so resorted to useing my horn and my broken exhaust to the full. Then about a kilometre from the finish the head car, the mini, trys a cheeky off road path to get round the traffic and knocks off his exhaust. Which sadly made the mini much louder than Penelope. This was good fun as both our car and mini were making such a loud racket that we squeezed past people as they looked on in amazment, i guess the big red telephone box on top helped to. At one point the mini and our car were at the lights and we both revved as people were crossing the road and scared loads of mongolians.

With hazards on and screeching tyres the convoy crossed the glorious finish line, being met by the london bus and spanish ambulance as well as loads of mates we have met on the trip. We parked up and started the celebrations. After the finish line photo shoot we all got some champers and beer and had a big car spray and a sing song with everyone standing on the cars. This caused a big sence and we created a pretty big crowd but also attracted the police ha. At one point i fell of the car and ran up the bonnet to get on the roof and put my foot through the windscreen which was rather funny as we had been trying to subtely smash it for days.

All had a wonderful night out and far too many beers!!!!

The next day (3rd/yesterday) we had an english breakfast which was just heavenly after 11 days of goat and horse meat.  Then we had to take our car from the finish line to the adventurists 'compound' so that i could get back my 400 pound deposit and we could get our finish line gear like t-shirts and certificate. Driving the rush hour traffic was not fun so i decided to chill out and turned Penelope off but then for some unknown reason she decided that she didnt want to start when the lights changed. This was odd as the car had been a treat for over 9000 miles for her to die in the 1 kilometre that seperates the compound and the finish line was odd and very sad for us. We had no idea what was wrong with her so we left Penelope parked up and went to get help as we were leaving at 530 am the next day to fly home. Our main man Ben the convoy wiz kid mechanis, or the doctor as i like to call him wasnt up for helping so now as i write this, even though im in Moscow airport, our beautiful Penelope is in the hands of our trusty (we hope) mongol rally mates who will get her to the compound so she can be sold for charity and i can get my dosh back.

So we left everyone behind this morning and got a taxi to the airport, our only form of transport for the last 6 weeks that wasnt the fiat, it felt strange and to our amazment after 9010 miles with no punctures on the worst roads you can imagine the bloddy taxi gets aone on a perfect road!!!!!!  We made it to the airport and left Mongolia for the joy of a Airoflot flight to moscow and then  10 hour wait in moscow airport for our flight tonight to get home.

We have had such an awsome adventure and i personally am missing it already and planning what i can do in a few years time on a similar thing. I was thinking a cement mixer across africa, good idea?????

We are sad its over as we had such a laugh and met some amazing people and had the experience of a lifetime, yet we cant wait to get home to see everyone and eat properly for a while.

much love and cheers so much for the support we were given xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

SMS Update

we made it. Hurrah!!! Despite the lack of any mechanical knowledge or any basic common sense we rolled into UB in glorious fashion. Keep an eye out for a blog on the full story when we find a computer. Thanks for reading about our shenanigans nd hope to see all of you soon. If aj is reading I'm sorry for being pretty unresponsive but it was like 4 in the morning and I hadn't been asleep very long.

Hey guys seeing as muz sent a txt i thought id write a quick blog. At the moment we are waiting in the last town before the finish in UB. its called Averyheer maybe. As some of you may know we have been convoying from pretty much the border of Mongolia with several cars. the main core of the convoy has been the mini with the phone box on top with ben and lewis inside, the panda with bj and andy inside and the subaru 4x4 mini van with 'shaggy' and 'scooby' driving. as well as these wonderful people we have had the pleasure of passenging claudia and viking 2 lovely ladies who crashed in to the mini back in tajikistan. as well as these lot we have had a london bus, an ambulance from madrid and a micra. Today the panda is getting some springs for the suspension put on as for the last 100kms yesterday they pretty much had no suspension so had to drive at abut 5mph. yesterday the fiat (us) and the subaru stopped off for lunch with some people who helped out lewis in last years mongol rally. we were meant to catch up with the mini and panda but they must have taken a different valley and only just met up with them in the city we are in now after dark. the subaru crack a seal on the bottom of the engine but its should make it to UB after some handy bush mechanics worked on it. Due to the broken cars we are going to arrive in UB tomorrow istead of today. Then it will be time for many drinks and stories. We are intending to fly back on the 4th but not sure bout the flight situation. Fingers crossed we will see u soon xxxx

SMS Update

we've made it to the last town before the finish line in Ulan bataar. We awoke at around 7.30 in lieu of the kiliometres needed to be made up but ended up leaving at 11 after a dumpling breakfast. Once on the road we relived lewis' 07 mongol rally finale passing the spot where 'donna' died and even having lunch with the family who fed them for a day and a half waiting for a tow. In the afternoon the panda and mini managed to take a scenic route to our current location arriving an hour later. The subaru managed to gush oil and the pandas entire suspension is now gone, however both are being seen to as we settle down on our hard wood beds adjacent to the mechanic. UB now seems 1.5 days away but hopefully it'll all be worth it.

SMS Update

we managed to arrive in bayanhongor last night along with the double decker bus, an ambulance and the mini with a phone box. We're heading off today to find the fabled tarmac which takes us into ulan bataar. It may well be all over by tomorrow. It's quite cold here but still sunny and it's still stunning scenery although it's progressing into the gobi desert now which means soft sand to drive through and get stuck in. Nearly there and then all of you readers will once again have nothing left in your lives, well not until you see either george or ciaran again. Xxx

SMS Update

after three horrifically hot and dusty days in the beginnings of the gobi desert and two nights camping (one in a gale) ,we arrived in altai yesterday and with four straight nights (and days) of drinking behind us a lazy day and a bed were more than welcome. Naps were taken by those not fixing their cars but thankfully penelope the punto is holding strong with only a broken fuel line, battered exhaust, dodgy driver door and the skull and spine of a longhorn on the bonnet. During our desert days the punto became the official beer delivery vehicle, supplying the other convoy cars. The punto roof became the beer terrace with five passengers enjoying themselves. We're now groggily heading towards bayhongor further east and hoping to hit UB in the next few days, but not before discovering the fabled mongolian tarmac that leads you into the capital. Hope everyone is well. @

hey everyone at home we are still alive muz is goiing mental about wanting use the internet so keeping this brief. we are in khovd in mongolia all is good with the car. got a hangover. not sure if anyone is actually reading this shit so i feel like an idiot for writing this 3 times as mongolian interent isnt that great!!! xxxx

SMS Update

had a good day driving yesterday (ciaran did all of it!) Through some wild mongolian scenery ranging from hot valleys to snowy and blowy mountain passes. Penelope even managed to cross three roaring rivers (streams). We're still in a convoy with four other cars and held up with them in a hotel again last night. We duly hit the vodka but thankfully not too hard as I'm ( george) not feeling too rough, yet. But ciaran hasn't awoken from his slumber yet so we'll see. According to the guys in the convoy who did the rally last year we're about 4 days off UB at this point so the finish is truly in sight.

SMS Update

we came across our first bit of mongolian tarmac, which came out of nowhere among the dirt tracks. This pristine road took us all the way to the first proper mongol town of olgiy or something, where we've come across loads of other teams (including the red phone box) who've come up from the southern route through turkey and the stan's. We're now in some tiny hotel and probably going out for a bite to eat and hopefully a cold beer to drink.

SMS Update

made it into mongolia and enjoyed our first cigar, the second to be smoked at the finish line, 1123miles away. Roads are pretty nonexistant which doesn't bode well.