Trip Highlights thus far...

###### 5 days into the Mongol Rally. Highlights so far: Set off from Goodwood Motor Circuit - the lap. Gensdarms (french police) turning up while having a drink in a lay-by off motorway. Broke into campsite and left without paying. Second night, couldn't break into campsite - ended up being woken up by the German police because we camped on a nature reserve. First checkpoint party in a castle outside Prague. First Lada spotted. Amazing women in Czcech. Crap roads in Poland. 2362km covered. 5 countries down. A few more to go…

 

**Days 5-9: 4hr meal in Hotel on the border of Poland and Ukraine (It took an hour to pour a beer!). Stopped for speeding by Ukrainian Police - managed to talk our way out of it with two bottles of whisky. Reported a missing person with the foreign office. Spent 5hrs in a ukrainian police station, felt like we were being mugged (there were more criminals in police uniforms than on the streets!). On the run from the Ukrainian police for trying to help someone. First really hot day - motorbikes overheating. Single arm window tans. Problems finding hotels in Eastern Ukraine - extremely remote. Were followed by shady characters to the hotel. Stayed up drinking with the head of police in eastern ukraine (he was also head of the mafia!). Drink driving - Theo accident. Russian border - 80 dollar bribe (forgot to get green card for Ukraine). **

**The end of Hutch's trip - bike abandoned in the Russian countryside.**

**General fatigue and hunger. Progress slowing. Realising the magnitude of the task ahead...**

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**Encounters with police: 6**

**Time spent in their fine company: 7 hrs**

**Time spent at borders: 7 hrs 30 mins**

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**3487km covered. 7 countries down**

The Longest Day

Wow, well hasn't this all been a stressful time!!

Nick's bike broke down **during** his mod 1 yesterday - lots of panic and then a hasty re-booking for this morning (because he had his mod 2 booked for this afternoon and, rather obviously you have to pass mod 1 first...). So he managed to get a mod 1 for this morning, passed that (nae bother!) - on a rent bike that is. Then came the big test... unfortunately I can not comment on how it went as I did not do it. But I hope Nick will "blog it" sometime.

In the meantime, I have been having a tense time sitting tight at home waiting for news on a new set of piston rings for my beautiful little CB 125 (find out more about it in the "Our Steeds" section of the website, when I finally get it up!). If you are wondering why/who/what piston rings, I shall explain: I finally got James Lye (the most incredibly kind, helpful and skilled mechanic that currently exists on the planet) to come round last friday (evening) and help me fix the leaky carburettor (which has also been a plague of the preparations!) and balance the carbs. So, all went well and we started her up, fiddled about with the vacuum gauges etc. and tuned her up. But during this time, it came to our attention that the smoke (billowing out of the exhaust) was not going away! Which can be 2 things: Valve stem seals and/or piston rings are not quite what they used to be.... oh, poop.

Well, not that bad really because it's not that hard a job really, just a little bit time consuming. So Friday night saw me disconnecting everything etc. and preparing the engine to be lifted out of the frame the following morning (as it requires another set of hands - my dad - to help lift it out).

N.B. couldn't order the piston rings on the friday evening because I have know what size I need - and it is perfectly possible that, on a bike that age, someone along the line has had it rebored and stuck in an oversize piston. Google it or ask a garage if you dinnae understand what I'm talking about. So that meant I had to get at least the cylinder head off before I could even see if they were standard size or not.

Technical blah, blah, blah measured piston ring wear blah blah finally confirmed need for new piston rings Saturday afternoon. After everyone's given up and gone home.

Ordered a new set FIRST thing monday morning having SPECIFICALLY asked round the suppliers etc. and asked how long it would take - Ended up ordering 2 piston kits (because they don't sell just the rings!?! But happy to pay for earliest delivery) from Wemoto who said they would take delivery of them on Tues and have them to me by Thursday (possibly Wednesday... ). Checked my "order status" today (as they should have been dispatching them at least today - but no dispatch notification). Phoned up. "Sorry, we don't have the item yet. We won't get it till tomorrow, so you won't have it till Friday".... WHAT?!! I am planning to ride down on Sat/Sun but don't have an MOT yet (as had been busy on Nick's bike and all the other admin etc.). So now the pressure is on - Piston rings arrive on Friday - reassemble most of the engine same day and in for MOT at Patersons on Sat morning!!! Fingers crossed!

Oh, and one of the MOST important recent developments: Having held off starting a fundraising page etc. for over a month now, waiting for MEDS documents to clear HMRC etc. etc. we could wait no longer and have had to scrap MEDS from our charity list - Now splitting 50/50 between CNCF and Lymphoma! If you are (somehow) reading this without having visited our "Charities" page - Go there now! Please read all about these wonderful people, what they do and how they do it; and if you are sufficiently moved by all of that and this massive task of the Mongol Rally, please donate via the link to our fundraising page! Thank You!

Right, now to sort out the small technicality of Nick K not legally being allowed to ride abroad...