the end

Sorry guys--have been back for 5 days now and forgot to update this. Got there in the end--big shout out to all that helped along the way. The milky bars are on me next time we are in a beer emporium.

All the best

And





Uzbek update

We have had a busy few days; Our visas were due to run out on Friday and we had news that the spare parts were not going to be here in time to get them in and get to the border before they ran out. To sort this we got a taxi on Thursday to Tashkent to go to the airport where they could give us an extension on the visas. It is 500km to Tashkent in a taxi with crap seats and music that makes you want an Indian takeaway blaring out (the uzbeks are all deaf I swear). When we got to the airport we had to go to a couple of offices before we were ushered to a room with a single rozzer in it. I shook his hand and he gave me the stink-eye and I thought –this isn’t going to go well. He kept us waiting for a few hours (along with a French couple who had been there all day). At the end he told us we needed to get a letter from the garage to say when the car was going to be fixed to allow an extension. We got back at 3.30 AM and set the alarm for 7 AM to be ready to go again. In the morning we met the Hotel Manager who wanted to help. Unbeknown to us he is a bigwig in Karshi and he gave us an interpreter to drive us round and came himself to grease the cogs and get the paperwork we needed. As it turns out we didn’t just need a letter from the garage –we needed a stamped letter from the Chief of Police and another from the Customs Office. Every office we went in was rammed with locals and he just barged through straight to the Chiefs Office and started shouting. The three letters took 4hrs to get and get stamped and they called us a taxi to go back to Tashkent. It was 12 noon and we had a journey that took 6 hrs one way the day before to do in 5hrs or we were going to be illegal in the country and face a $2000 fine each. The main man spoke to the taxi driver and we left driving at speeds that scared the shit out of me. The driver got caught speeding but we paid his $50 fine for him. We got to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tashkent at 5.10pm (ten minutes late). They were just chucking out some unlucky local who didn’t get their stuff done in time and we begged them to help and with a call to the main man and a lot more shouting over the phone they let us in. There was a girl who was a Customs Inspector who spoke good English and said we had to come back the next day with an interpreter in order to fill in the forms required for the extension. With a bit of sweet talking (I’ve still got it) the forms were signed and they disappeared to be filled in by them. We waited about an hour and was given ten day visa extensions—talk about by the skin of our teeth---yeehaaaa. We got a call from Sadie on the way home to tell us the parts were now in Karshi and the address to get them (she has been a diamond)—we got back in at 1 AM. Next morning we got the parts and went to the garage. The Mechanic wasn’t there so we spent our time stripping the car down of all the weight we could lose. We have given the microwave/toaster/big kettle to Olga—( a girl from the Hotel who has helped us as an interpreter and has been brilliant). They don’t earn a lot here and microwaves are a luxury that only Hotel kitchens have so she was made up. The Mechanic turned up and is going to fit the parts on Sunday and the car will be ready on Monday. So all going well we will be on our way out of here Monday. We are going to have to take a different route as the visa for Mongolia runs out on 1st Sept so we need to be flying out of there on or before then. It wasn’t the route we wanted but the breakdown has thrown a spanner in the works (did you see what I did there—comedy genius). —we may go dark for a while when we leave here as there isn’t a lot of life on the route we are taking. Anyway Love to all

Andrew

yay

The parts are in Uzbekistan--just gotta hope they clear customs with no hassle and the get the last 500 km to us quickly--clock is running down.

yay

Okay--big thanks to Sadie-- she has done a blinding job of dealing with parts companies and couriers to get the parts sent out to us. They are at Heathrow at the mo and should be with us on Tuesday or Wednesday which gives us ample time to get the pistons in and get to the border before midnight on Friday when our visas run out. (probably shouldn't have said that). There is a facility to extend our visas but it involves travelling 300 miles to the capital (Tashkent) and spending the day with immigration which would suck so I am happy. Wouldn't be in a smiley situation without the people back home so I doff my hat to all involved. With luck we may have pulled one out of the fire here and be on our way to the finish line with our trusty steed as opposed to all the crap we were facing from customs earlier. (probably shouldn't have said that). Anyways--love to all-- I will try to get some pics loaded but it would probably be quicker posting them than uploading them.

And

Uzbek update

Heads have been down for the last few days--everything we try doesn't work. We tried selling the car but the import duties are such that it is impossible and then you have a long wait to process paperwork. We went to the customs yesterday with an interpreter and had our situation explained. They said that the vehicle had to leave the country with me whatever and that I would not be allowed to leave without it. The garage are impossible--first they said 1 day to fix the car--then 3 days--then they couldn't get the parts--then they could--then they couldn't again. We found a scrap metal merchant (the only one in town) and this mornings plan was to go get the car crushed and show the paperwork to the customs in a hope they would let me go. Big shout out to the people at home--Got an e-mail from Sy and Sadie last night --they have found the parts and are getting them sent this morning--yay. So all being well we will be mobile again soon and I wont have spend some time in the Uzbek chokey for not getting the car away. We have a tight schedule with visas now but it is still feasible. There is not a lot do here we are just playing the waiting game. It is too hot outside to do much so inside with the aircon and a good book.

Love to all

Fingers crossed eh

And