Ovorhangay, Mongolia
I have just encountered a fermented milk ice lolly. I have no desire to repeat the experience. J.
Ovorhangay, Mongolia
Tarmac sweet wonderful tarmac! We dont even care if it doesnt last, just an hour on a surface that isn't actively trying to kill us has been a delight. After james did some cracking work pushing us out of sand in his pants we've made good hard progress and are now lustfully eyeing u-b with another broken spring in our step. R J
Altay, China
Good news - we now have a souvenir from the car. Bad news - they're bits of our rear springs, both of which snapped this morning. Good news - we got it fixed. Bad news - at great expense. We're sat v bored in Altai waiting for astoundingly slow mongolian mechanics. Sadly yesterday was ** some text is missing **
Khovd, Mongolia
Slow progress yesterday after Team Rooster cracked their sump. Oil everywhere. Managed a bodge with some putty and limped to rally c ** some text is missing **
Bayan Olgii, Mongolia
27 hours 1 minute 22 seconds. Stop and imagine that. Really picture it. Then imagine a half hectare border compound. Add below freezing temperatures. Bingo. Eventual victory was sweet indeed r
Republic of Altai, Russian Federation
Having been slightly waylaid by the Lonely Planet book of lies about russia we are now heading for our final border, which we hope to reach tomorrow morning. Officials here speak no english, we speak no russian. Hilarity ensues. Yesterday we unwittingly broke 4 traffic laws at once. Fortunately exasperation got the better of the police. Siberia is, bizarrely, quite cold. Scarlet Harlot is taking the Altai mountains like a champ. J.
Barnaul, Russian Federation
after visa restrictions forced a madcap midnight dash to the border, we spent an eventful few hours convincing bureaucrats my passport was real. we are nevertheless back in mother russia, and Siberia no less. The mountains beckon.. R
The Death of Empires
So, here we are in Almaty, the main city of GLORIOUS NATION KAZAKHSTAN and also the city where the USSR officially ceased to be, pausing for a day to gather our strength and rummage for supplies before the final, gruelling leg of the trip - across eastern Kaz, up into the Altai Republic in Siberia, and then down the Mongolian steppe to U-B for a bit of warm beer and and some top-shelf yurting. Distance enthusiasts will be interested to know that Almaty is but a handful over 5000 miles from james' front drive in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, making it roughly the halfway point on the journey. Others will probably not care. Both James and I are not feeling tippity-top, the Uzbek and Kazakh food challenging our stomachs as much as their roads challenge the scarlet harlot. However, we feel this is a time for reflection- on the eternal border bureaucracy, the appalling driving talents of the locals, the hunger, the physical punishment, the indescribable heat, the extraordinary hospitality, the mind-bending rudeness, the Kazakh steppes, the Karakalpakstan desert, the parched Caucasus, the snow-capped mountain passes, the car problems, the national fuel shortages, the illegal midnight petrol purchases, the camels, and finally the daunting feeling that we are only halfway. This is pretty much the best thing ever.   RÂ
Karagandy, Kazakhstan
Just entered Kaz, last signal til russia. Still with Team Rooster, meeting up with our austrian chums again in Almaty. Heading Shymkent tonight. Have packed R full of immodium, hoping he doesnt explode. Wish us luck... J.
Jizzakh Province, Uzbekistan
heading for the kaz border with wind in our sails and turmoil in my bowels. Had a rough night in Samarkand and its only going to get tougher from here on out. R@
James Rapley
Load James
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large">Four years ago, we heard about the Mongol Rally. It appealed to both our sense of adventure and our love of the silly. We said we'd do it one day. And we said that if one of us got a place, the other would go. It became something of a running joke as time went by.</span></p><p> </p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large">Then, in November 2009, all of that changed. Rory got a place. He phoned James. And the rest, as they say, is history. </span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large">In a flurry of terrible puns, Ulaan-Banter was born.</span></p><p> </p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large">We're having to learn an awful lot very quickly in the run up to the Rally. How to do mechanical repairs to a car. How to sweet talk your friends into giving you money. And most importantly, how to plan for the worst whilst hoping for the best.</span></p><p> </p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large">We have established two things in the name of staying positive:</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large">The first is laughing in the face of adversity. We have decided that whenever something goes wrong, our first response will be to laugh uproariously. Then we'll find a solution. We reckon it'll lift the mood.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large">The second is our team motto: Nothing can possibly go wrong.</span></p><p> </p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large">So join us, on our ill-advised and likely hilarious journey across 11 borders and over 10,500 miles. We'll keep you posted on here. </span></p>