The Mongolian Adventure - Mongol Rally 2007

Day 10 The worst country on the planet

2007-09-14T07:40:00.000Z

As per usual it was an early start despite the hangovers of the previous night. We said our goodbyes to Louis and took note of his completely useless directions and left. As usual we were in a foreign city so we had to get completely and utterly lost but after a few stops for directions we were on the right road.

An Extremely unimpressed and un helpful Georgian women

We reached the Azerbaijan border at about 8.30, to find it wasn't open for another hour. While waiting, we witnessed an argument between two locals which resulted in one chasing the other round in circles with a knife. It was touch and go as to how it would end, fortunately no one got hurt. Also while we were waiting a British Mitsubishi Pagero rolled up with four guys who were travelling round the Caspian Sea. They had similar amazing tales to tell, they had spent the previous day at a race tracking with street racers from Tbilisi and one of them had crashed one of the local's cars.

The border soon opened and we left Georgia with not little trouble, it was the Azerbaijan border that caused us massive problems. They kept us waiting around for ages and then they took all 3 of the cars documents to process at once, of course it was immediately obvious that we were missing the correct V5 form. As I had been sitting in the small office there waiting for the offical to fill out the required forms, locals had been barging in to get themselves processed ahead of us. Some had the right documents, some didn't so they would bring cash or booze or both, so as soon as he refused us entry to the country I pulled out 20 dollars and slid it across the desk, he then wrote on his pad 40 and I had little choice put to agree. Several hours later and well into the sweltering mid afternoon we were through only to get a mile down the road and get stopped at a police check point. They took our documents up to their look out post, wrote our names in a book and then told us we had to pay road tax. We told them in no uncertain terms NO, took our documents and left.

There were police everywhere, they would hide in the shade of trees just before towns with speed guns, the limit changed as you entered the towns and you would no doubtedly be going too fast. Each of the 3 cars got pulled costing us a range between 5 and 20 dollars to escape without further trouble, sometimes you wouldn't

The roads were on the whole good, but we reached points where they were still under construction forcing us onto sandy tracks filled with large lorries, pot holes and ditches. The Pajero unfortunately hit a young calf which was attempting to cross the road, we didn't stop as we were in sight of a Police check point and there was no chance we were going get charged some trumped up charge.

We were out of money and had been borrowing off Go North, we had tried to pay with Dollars but no one excepted and we were running out of petrol fast. We reached a town with a bank and it had a cash machine outside. I went over and tried to use it, only to find that the keypad was electrified and everytime I press a button I would get shocked. My card was in so there was only one way to get it out and that was to keep pressing, the machine suddenly turned off and two security guards came out. They made it clear that we couldn't use the machine, I got my card back when it turned back on and we went inside to the counter. We tried to ask if they would take Mastercard or Maestro, they didn't and we were forced to borrow more money off Go North and exchange it which took a whole load of negotiating in itself.

Eventually we reached Baku around 10pm, the drive in again was terrible, completely lost and with bad roads and horrific drivers. We tried to stop at a 24 hour money exchange and again wouldn't take Mastercard despite having a sign for it.

We finally found the port after asking for directions with a picture of a boat with a car on drawn by Dan. We still managed to miss it several times, the only car and freight ferry in the major port of Baku has no signpostings and is down a dirty little side road.

There were guards there who found us a lovely bit of waste land on the waters edge where we could pitch our tents, how generous!!

Day 9 Manic drivers, Millionnaires and More...

2007-09-11T14:00:00.000Z

We woke at 7 to find the town up and about before us, we were certainly causing quite a stir. Everyone seemed to be staring at us as they walked or drove by. Some had taken to sitting on the benches and staring at us. I was like we were 3 headed aliens and we had landed our space craft in the centre of the town. I did occur to us that for many this would be the first evertime they had seen English people and English cars in their country. Blake was making a cup of tea while John was still fast alseep in his hammock strapped up between two trees, the Police stopped by to say hello or that's what we thought they were saying.

The mission now was to get to the port of Baku as soon as possible, Blake and Dan's Turkmenistan visas started the next day and with the limit of 5 days only in the country time was short so it wasn't a good start when we spent the morning getting lost in the middle of nowhere in villages with roads no more than dirt tracks. We rectified the situation and got back on the main road, again heading East.

Around mid afternoon we were nearing the Capital Tbilisi in the East of the country, when a black Jeep overtook us, swerved in and signalled for us to pull over. We had suffered being cut up and having to move from our own side the road for oncoming overtaking drivers all day so we were used to the bad driving but had no idea what this was about. We pulled over and two men jumped out the back of the Jeep. They came over and there was instant relief when we heard them speak in English.

Apparently one of them had seen the rally setting off in Hyde Park and had read something about it in a paper, they had seen the cars and had been amazed we had got so far. They had then taken it upon themselves to pull us over and invite us to lunch, and again for the 3rd day in a row of strange and weird situations we decided to go with it. We followed them to the outskirts of Tbilisi and down so more dodgy looking roads with even weirder surroundings. For those of you who have seen the the film Hostel, you will know exactly what we were thinking when they lead us in the general direction of this building.

Luckily they had no intentions on torturing to death and did simply want to take us for lunch. We went to what was said to be the best retaurant in Georgia, it was set on a river bank with tables littered down the hillside, pathways and steps connecting them all. The two guys, Daniel and David (accompanied by their driver/guide/body guard) ordered pretty much every dish on the menu and numerous jugs of wine despite our insistance that we wanted to reach the Azerbaijan border that evening. We got chatting and it turned out that Daniel and David were out here doing business, they were property developers and they had just secured a mulit-million pound contract to build flats and houses to sell to wealthy business men around the world. They were predicting Tbilisi to be the next Rome or Prague as the tourist hotspot, the place to go for weekends away etc. If they were right then they were set to be very rich men (not that they went already by the looks of it). One of their friends came to join us, Louis who turned out to be the son of the British Ambassador.

As the afternoon went on and the wine kept flowing they soon convinced us to stay the night, Louis would put us up in his house and they would take us out for the evening. The opportunity to have a shower was very inviting so didn't take long for us to accept. So David paid the bill (which was of a considerable amount) and we left.

Lunch in Georgia; (left to right) David, John, Dan, The bodyguard, Daniel, Blake, Chris and Louis

Louis' house was in the old town and very nice, on four floors with a spiral stair case leading up to a balcony looking out over the city. It didn't take long for the affects of the alcohol and afternoon heat to take affect John, Blake and Dan who were soon asleep on the balcony. Louis who had a bit much wine had gone off looking for McDonalds in a drunken stupor.

Daniel and David sooned turned up ready to take us out for the evening, I managed to raise Dan but it was like trying to raise the dead with Blake and John so we left them and headed out. We wandered down a series of old quaint alleyways past restaurants and bars until we found one that Daniel recommended, I passed a cash machine and said I needed to get some money, the reply I got back was "Oh, you won't be needing money tonight!" We found another group of English people who were on holiday and we spent the evening telling them of our adventures on the rally. Again there was more wine and amazing food which was paid for by David.

We left late and headed back to Louis', on the way past the car their was a man who apparently was the 'Parking attendant' and said we needed to pay for leaving our cars, David's reaction to this was simply hand him a wad of cash and send him on his way.

Day 8 - Turkey into Georgia

2007-09-11T12:41:00.000Z

The soldiers came back about 8 the next morning, they didn't stay long, all they wanted was to make sure we had survived the night and a picture with us and the cars. We packed up and left soon after and followed the only direction we knew which was East. We spent the day driving along the coast of the Black sea, the road was a just one long duel carriage way with reasonably decent tarmac all the way. It was refreshing to see the sea again and we stopped off at lunch time in what was a shanty town in a crop of trees neighbouring the beach. It was the first time for any of us that we had gone into the sea carrying shower gel and shampoo for a wash.

It took us the entire day to reach the Georgian border arriving finally at 11pm. We had met up with two more teams, two irish guys in a gold and white mini with no bonnet (extreme over heating precautions) and a red fiesta. It felt good going through the border point in mass, less chance of being screwed over or messed about. There were a few problems with me not having the right stamp on exiting the Turkish side but after getting it stamped about 10 different times we eventually escaped, only to end up standing around for an hour or so at the Georgian side. We were a little apprehensive about the lack of correct vehicle documents again and hoped we got a a tired and uninterested customs guard. Luckily with a bit of persuasion that the part I had was in fact correct and I think to the fact it was the middle of the night, we somehow got through. The extremely thorough customs officials impressed us most, "You have guns and drugs in your Machiner?? No? Ok you go now!" Didn't even open the door.
The change on entering the new country was staggering, the landscape was different and the buildings, cars and people had a very communist feel which I guess lingered from the USSR days of the past.

Also the town of Batumi which sat on the border is horrible, I think we may have been on the 'wrong side of the tracks' as most of the buildings we past were run down, shabby shacks. We took a wrong turn at one point and ended up down a road which just disappeared into nothing, first we knew about it was at 35 mph when the tarmac ran out.

The thought of Mafia ruled neighbour hoods and gun-toting foreigners in the back of our minds did not help the situation especially as we had got ourselves very lost at 1 oclock in the morning. At was at this point that the crash happened, we had pulled up to a red light at a junction, the Citroen in front of us, when the there was an almighty bang and the SJ jolted forwards. We sat there for a moment and the first thing that sprang to mind was our missing brake light after John had reversed into a wall back when we were leaving home. The guy behind must not have seen us stopping and driven straight into the back of us.

We jumped out only to find a very large M class Mercedes wedged under our rear bumper. I checked the SJ for damage and it turned out by some unbelievable luck that he'd hit the exact spot where John had hit the wall, so there no new damage and he couldn't prove that our rear light had been out before he hit us. Then I looked at the Mercedes, or more to the point the front bumper hanging off and the smashed headlight.
I looked up for the inevitable gun-toting Mafia boss who was no doubt going to jump out and shoot us down in the road. The door opened and a old guy swayed out the car clutching his shoulder, he staggered towards us and then attempted to talk, we couldn't understand what he said but recognised the drunken slurs and more to the point the smile on his face. He was actually more concerned with our health and the state of the car. We assured him that both car and passengers were fine and enquired after him. He was OK too and told us to go, so we did, the longer we were there, the more chance of the Police turning up and that was one situation all of us wanted to avoid especially him.

The Citroen had driven up the road slightly, I think to avoid any ensuing gun fight that broke out at the scene of the accident so they were slightly shocked to see us zoom by so soon. We somehow found the right road and headed out of town in the hope we could find a secluded camping spot for the night. By the looks of it Georgians don't go camping much and we were quite keen to find somewhere decent so to avoid the goings on of the previous night.
We drove on for a while eventually coming to a town, we decided that although we maybe more likely to be bothered, it would be safer for us to stay in a more populated area than a dirt track at the side of the road. So we ended up stopping in the centre of a town square which had a central park area full of trees, benches and pathways.
And sure enough five minutes into setting up our tents, the Police turned up. This time the officer didn't say anything, he walked up surveyed the scene, turned and returned to his car. He then pulled a U turn in the road and as he was driving off came the sound of a heavily accented voice over the car's loud speaker, "Welcome to Georgia."

Day 7 Leaving Istanbul and the drive East

2007-09-07T12:33:00.000Z

We awoke at 9, apparently Osman was accustomed to sleeping in till 12 so was slightly puzzelled by our desire to get up so early but we explained that we had to get moving. There was a small balcony looking out into the street from the living room and John was out looking around at the street. We were all slightly surprised when Osman came in and instantly looked worried ordering John back in immediately. Apparently we shouldn't have been there and he didn't want the neighbours to see us because they would tell his Uncle. He was quite keen for us to leave and told us he couldn't go with us because we must not be seen together. So we said our thanks and left heading back into the centre making a quick stop to have breakfast and sort out some money.

We left Istanbul about 10 and drove out fo the city of the bridge separating Europe and Asia. It was a weird sensation to know you would never drive the SJ in Europe ever again and this was our first major milestone on the rally. We had a few issues gettin out of the sity, there was a toll to get through and everyone was using a specific card which you had to buy, we didn't have one and ended up stuck in front of a barrier with half of Turkey behind us beeping away. In the end someone got out their car, ran over and swiped their card for both of us. We waved our thanks while driving off rather hastily.

We were getting short on time, our impending 5 day visas for Turkmenistan were approaching fast and we still had to cover Georgia, Azerbaijan and get across the Caspian Sea which was several days drive away. Our car was still over heating and we had a few unscheduled stops due to steam occasionally billowing out the bonnet. We drove for several hours, the landscape getting much more mountainous until we found a collection of garages in the middle of no where. There was a row of about ten of them, no idea how they stayed in business with the competition. The AX's exhaust was getting very low and needed some emergency welding so we both pulled in for running repairs. We got our thermostat seal redone and our front and rear differentials and gearbox fluid levels filled up, something we had needed doing since buying the car. They also filled up our brake fluid extinguishing a warning light which had been on for the last 3000 miles. There seemed to be an army of people crowding round the car all very interested in the crazy driving foreigners. We were served several rounds of tea, which came in a small class and with lots of sugar. It was oddly refreshing despite the extremely hot sun beaming down on us. 2 hours later, and 20 dollars a piece for each of the cars and we were on our way.

We drove all day and again into the night stopping around 9, we pulled off the main road down a track which lead through a small village. As we drove through we saw peeping faces through net curtains and blinds obviously slightly puzzled by the sounds of our cars and headlights at this time of night. We drove a little bit further so to be out of sight and camped up on a flat area next to the river. We had just go tour tents up and begun boiling water for dinner when a vehicle appeared making its way don the track. As it approached blue and red lights began flashing form the roof. It pulled to a stop by the cars and four solders jumped out, one of them brandishing an AK47. They rounded us up and tried to talk to us but non of them spoke English. We tried to explain what we were doing without appearing too hostile. One of them was on his phone and obviously trying to find some English. He came back and said "Here, dangerous. You come with us."

We didn't know quite what he meant but we were going to do what they said either way. We packed the enitre camp site up in record time literally stuffing it in the car. We then jumped in, and set off following the solders. They kept their flashing lights on and lead back intot he small village. It turned out that they had two of the villagers in their car who must have called them down, they dropped them off here to join the rest of the village population who had come out to witness our removal.

We reached the main road and turned in the direction of the next town. It wasnt long before our convoy was causing a bit of a hold up with a line of cars behind us. Then to our amazement cars began overtaking 3 car long presession despite the army vehicle still having its flashing lights on. Soon car after car were streaming past us, it was pitch black on this winding road but that wasn't stopping them. And then inevitable happened, a car which was just passing the army vehicle was forced to swerve in to avoid an oncoming car, the army vehicle had nowhere to go but off the side of the road in the gravel, we watched in horror as the events unfolded before us. The soldier driving was quick to act and kept it on the road, immediately the sirens came on and he accelerated after the overtaking car. Slightly Bewidlered we knew what to do straight away and the SJ's accelerator peddle was slammed to the floor, unfortunately Suzuki hadn't designed the SJ410 with high speed pursuits in mind and it made absolutely no difference. The army vehicle was driving off and leaving us, luckily for us the overtaking car had no intention of stopping and was soon out sight. The army vehicle then dropped back and picked us up again.

We drove to the next town where the soldiers made a quick stop at a shop and then they took us to a camp site. It turned out that they had bought some Coke, nuts and mosquito spray for us so when we stopped we had a drink together over a chat about anything we could communicate with hand jestures. They all seemed really friendly and interested in the rally. They finished their drinks and left abruptly telling us that here was "No dangerous" and they would be back in the morning to check on us.
It still remained a mystery as to why we had been moved and the 'danger' that they spoke of. Either way we set up camp, had a few beers and went to bed.

Day 6 Plodov, Bulgaria to Istanbul

2007-09-06T14:20:00.000Z

We woke early to flush our radiator out in an effort to improve our over heating problems. We had removed the thermostat a few days earlier and we suspected the seal where it had been wasn't holding. We needed to find some silicon soon otherwise one serious overheat and we could warp our engine block. The Polo set off ahead of us and the Camper van's crew were still in bed when we exited the camp site. Again we headed south for Turkey. It was really hot even in the early morning. We hit the Turkish border at midday only to find the team we had met in Belgrade already waiting there. The queues were long and it meant trouble for the SJ so we took to pushing it over the border instead of the constant stopping and starting in the heat. It took us a few hours to get through with us having to buy visas, car insurance and negiotiating the authenticity of our vehicle document. It appeared that I had only brought half of the V5 vehicle registration form and it was the more important side was sitting at home on my desk.

We got through eventually and were on the road to Istanbul. Somehow we managed to time our arrival in Istanbul right in the middle of rush hour. This meant the bad driving and constant beeping of horns was ten times worse than normal. The Citroen boys had picked out the Blue Mosque as where we wanted to head, apparently there was a hostel nearby.

After about 15 minutes of being forced out of lanes, cut up by buses, beeped at by taxis we were pretty much in the centre. At a set of traffic lights we were stationary next ot the curb when a couple of Police motor bikes turned up with officers on, one of them spotted the rally cars and started chatting to Blake. He suggested that we go straight on at the next junction despite it being for the trams only, there was a large no entry sign but he told us to ignore it, follow the tracks round and we would be at the blue mosque. Without further hesitation we set off, the citroen in the lead following a tram down these tracks. People were staying at us as we tore down this hill. We passed through two of the tram stations, the platforms on either side at window height meant we were looking up at the slightly bemused people waiting for their tram as we sailed on by. We even saw another Police car at the bottom of the hill, he didnt seem to bat an eyelid at our appearance from the station. As promised the Mosque was right in front of us and we pulled into a side road right next to a restaurant on the corner. The manager of the restaurant had seen us arrive and was moving cones which marked their private parking an was beckoning us in. He said we could leave the cars there for the night and they would be safe, he then invited us into the restaurant for dinner. It was open air with long low benches covered in rugs and cushions making up the seating. There were large trees over head shading the entire thing and traditional Turkish music playing the background. We sat and ordered four Shish Kebabs and nearly ordered 4 beers before remembering we were in a Muslim country and changed to 4 Cokes instead. The Kebab was delicious, far beyond the rubbish you get in a fast food place in England. The Manager, Osman had been asking about what we were doing and was very excited about it along with most of the staff who all spoke English in varying degrees. Osman then went on to invite us to his Uncle's house who was out of town to stay the night, he finished work at 11.30 so we had a few hours to look round before meeting him back there.

We headed down to the river front and to the flea market that was starting up, they were selling everything imaginable and at the same time nothing that you actually needed. We walked up to the massive and very impressive Mosque that sat looking over the bridge to the old town. The inside was even more impressive, all the walls and the huge domed ceilings so ornately decorated.

We met Osman back at the restaurant as he was finishing work and he was going to take us to meet some of his friends so we jumped in the cars, Blake and Osman in the Citroen and John, Dan and myself squeezed in the front of SJ. Off into the streets of Istanbul again, this time it was quieter and we had a guide but now it was dark there was an increased Police presence and I don't know how we avoided being pulled over. Osman took us to the old town and we went to one of his local haunts. It was a covered area with hundreds of bean bags set round tables, on one side were a line of stalls and food stands. At these tables people were sitting round playing backgammon, rummy and smoking water pipes (Basically you have red hot coals on a grill and you suck the smoke coming off them down through a liquid which can be a flavoured drink of choice, and you in hale the smoke, its a slightly more pleasant and a bit healthier way of smoking). He took us along introducing us to people along the way. It appeared as though this wasn't the usual place for tourists to go as we got a lot of strange looks and were glad we had Osman leading the way. I think he was quite chuffed to have us there and was basically showing us off to his frineds as the crazy adventurers from England.

We didn't stay long and soon were off again in the cars. This time to his cousin's cafe where we played rummy or at least did our best to play (with a lot of guidance for Osman's friends) until 3 in the morning. We then headed right over to the over end of the city to his Auntie and Uncle's one bedroom flat, his other cousin was sleeping in the one bed so I guess his Auntie and Uncle must have slept on the pull out sofa bed in the living room where Osman put us up. I was all very strange surreal but tiredness had got the better of us and we were off to bed pretty quick.

Day 5 The escape from Belgrade and a night in Bulgaria

2007-09-05T09:25:00.000Z

We awoke next morning to find that the hostel had in fact turned into an oven and we were on the top shelf, (literally I woke up on the 3rd tear of beds and very nearly fell out in confusion to the surroundings). There was one shower and a large queue of people to get in so I decided to go get the car so we could get moving as soon as. Blake who had already fetched the AX gave me a lift up the road, it wasn't far but to get back to the hostel you had to follow the loop round the block as there was a one way street in between. He dropped me off and headed back round, I went to get some change and then to the car to have a bit of a sort out. I then drove up and out of the car park and onto the streets of Belgrade. I turned out heading in the wrong direction to the hostel as I knew I had to do, then it was a case of doubling back round the block and arriving back at the hostel. It didn't go to plan, with a mixture of no left turn junctions, no entry streets and blocked roads I got disorientated fast and very lost. I tried to retrace my steps back to the car park but it was impossible in the busy early morning traffic. I knew I cant have been that far from either the car park or the hostel and decided to keep circling the area in the hope of spotting something familiar. We had arrived in the dark and there was nothing familiar! I came to a junction and decided to take a left turn in the hope it might lead me in the right direction, I moved out into the centre of the road to wait for a chance to cross the traffic, there were a few beebs from cars behind be but there was room to get past. As I turned in a gap in the oncoming traffic I heard a whistle and a Policemen stepped out in front of me signalling for me to stop. He didn't look particularly pleased, neither was I. He asked for my licence and told me I had commited a traffic offence, apparently it was no left turn despite there being no signs to indicate. I tried to use the ignorant English approach which failed miserably. It was a 2000 Dinar for a traffic offence (about £17), I had about 1200 max, I tried to make excuses which didnt work and told him I couldn't pay, showing him the little money I had. In the confusion I had taken off my seat belt to reach down for my drivers licence. He spotted it and said "No seat belt, 1000." I couldn't quite believe what was going on, I couldn't give him 2000 so why was he raising it to 3000.

Then he said, "Ok, you pay 2000 for traffic offence or 1000 for seat belt. No seat belt, yes?"

I agreed "Yes" and he wrote me a ticket, I paid and drove off.
I can't decide if he was giving me a break or whether he just couldn't be bothered with a big fuss.

I drove on and still had no clue of where I was. I even ended up going pass the same Policemen again giving him a wave as I did.

I managed to get in contact with John and we decided the best idea was to meet on the road heading out of town, this was still not easy to find but eventually I got there and much to my relief John, Blake and Dan were waiting for me.

We continued on course heading south. Our opinions of Serbia were pretty low, mixture of rather baron landscape and horrible cities was doing them no favours. But on the drive out of the country we passed through some pretty impressive sceneray, slightly mountainous with winding roads and lots of tall fir trees.

We reached the Bulgarian border by late afternoon, they were relatively quick with all the paper work. While waiting to get through the last gantry into the country a border guard spotted us and recognised the Mongol rally stickers, he beckoned us into an empty lane and waved our passports away while opening the barrier for us, it was then that the engine which had been over heating cut out, and we couldn't get it to start again. The border guard didn't look too impressed and I was worried he might change his mind to his initial welcome to the country, I jumped out and tried to get the starter motor going with a few smacks of the adjustable spanner. It jumped into life and John drove straight through making sure we didn't stall again in No Man's land. I followed in its wake passing over the border in bare feet waving passport in one hand and adjustable spanner in the other. To say the border guards were amused would be an understatement!!

John pulled up or more to the point the car cut out a few hundred yards from the border. It was turning over but wouldn't catch, I suspected the points in the distributor had moved and there was no gap for the spark to jump. John and Blake jumped in the Citroen and decided to drive down the road in the hope of finding a mechanic. Dan and I stayed with the car and tried to isolate the problem. We weren't there long when another team turned up, two guys jumped out and immediately got involved, testing each and every possible fault that could have occured to cause the problem. He soon found out that it was the points as I had suspected. With no proper spacing tools available he improvised with a piece of paper. Within an hour the car was running and he also gave us some tips to sorting out our over heating problem by flushing our radiator.

We owed them both alot and the promise of a decent meal for them when we got to Ulaan Baatar was agreed upon as payment.

We drove into the night again, arriving at the camp site with a blue polo with an Aussy couple in and a Bedford Rascal Camper van with 5 Canadians in. The camp site was next door to an 'Aquatech', an outside pool and bar which had a DJ on, we decided it would be rude not to go and headed in for a few drinks and a late night swim.

Day 4 - Bratislava to Belgrade

2007-09-04T17:53:00.000Z

When we awoke, the car was still heavily on our minds, its unexplained non starting in the dark was a worry. We definitely pin pointed it to our starter motor and that it must be something seized up in there. Without pulling it all apart there was little we could ascertain. I had an idea and was intent on trying it so I selected the larger of our adjustable spanners and smacked the motor hard on the case, as John turned the key, it simply burst into life! We were back in business for the moment anyway, it would no be a case of how long this little trick would work, and what awkward situation would we be in when we couldn't get it started anymore.

We packed the two cars up and set off, in the night we had been joined by the Ice Cream van and we waved to the guys as we pulled out of the camping area. We were only twenty minutes down the road when a large puff of white smoke came from Tempus' exhaust and their coolant resevoir bottle flew off from their engine bay under the car. We pulled over immediately to find their radiator sizzling again. There was a guy in the lay-by who came over to have a look, he only spoke German and it took a while but we understood that he would drive one of Tempus to Bryno (a few hours drive in the wrong direction) and get their radiator fixed. It was going to be a timely affair either way so we decided we had to push on. We said our farewells and made plans to try meet up later on in the rally.

We headed south again round Bratislava and in the direction of Budapest. The convoy we meant to leave Prague with would only be a few hours ahead of us with any luck, we had started early and big convoys inevitably take a long time to get anywhere. We reached the outskirts of Budapest by midday and parked up on the side of the main road in wait for the convoy. The sun was high and extremely hot, we waited for about 40 minutes and then we saw them, a 20 strong line of crazy stickered up cars appeared in the distance, we raced for the car (it started first time) and as the procession passed in a hail of horns and waves we jumped in the centre of it.

As we entered the city, every head turned to see us drive by, even cars would stop to let us weave in and out of the traffic so that the convoy didn't get broken up, we had people coming over to say hello when we stopped at traffic lights and ask us what we were doing. It was a great moment, unfortunately we were slightly concerned by our rapidly rising engine temperature. The midday son and stationary idling was serious endangering our engine, without moving airflow of the open road we couldn't maintain a safe temperature. We had the car heaters on full tot he point that I was burning my bare feet on the pedals. We made our way across the city to a car park where we all parked up and had a chat, we found a springler on the grass next to it and a shower was in order for majority of us all.

After some lunch the convoy went its separate ways, some where heading east while we would be going south. We met Blake and Dan of the Go North team (blue Citroen AX) who were heading in the same dirertion as us and decided to stick together. We spent the afternoon at the Hot Baths and Springs in the city which had amazing assortment of Saunas, steam rooms, blunch pools and hot outside pools heating by the natural springs.

We were back on the road by 3 with Belgrade in our sights. We crossed the Serbian border late afternoon, it cost us 120Euros car insurance to get in which we had not expected, the alternative would be to turn round and go through Romania (some teams actually did this), we decided against it and paid up. The Serbian roads were considerably worse than the Hungarian. They were single lane roads but with a hard shoulder, it soon came apparent that it was customary that when being over taken that you should move over and drive in the hard shoulder, unfortunately the hard shoulder was in some places only half a lane and the tarmac was falling away towards the edge. We drove through the most amazing thunder storm with fork lightning striking all around the horizon, it was impressive to say the least although the SJ wasn't really suited to rain with poor windscreen wipers, slippery tyres and bodywork like a sive.

We reached Belgrade around 11pm after a long drive. We met some other ralliers on the outskirts and headed in to find somewhere to stay. One of the guys we met had lived here for a number of years and he formed our guide taking us to a multi storey car park for the cars and a hostel for ourselves. It was a horrible place with two large rooms with trible tear bunk beds, it was hot and smokey but would serve a purpose. We went our late to find some food and have some drinks, it would have been a great opportunity to sample some of the local cuisine, we didn't though and instead we ended up in McDonalds which is just as disappointing in Serbia as it is in the UK. We found a small bar which was still open and served into the early hours while we all swapped stories of our rally so far and generally got to know each other.
On the way back to the hostel, we were accompanied by a massive pack of wild dogs who were roaming the streets, it was immediately obvious who the top dog was as he leading the pack, occasionally he would challenge other dogs who would instantly cower with tail between its legs. It was wierd to see them behaving as they would in their natural environment despite roaming the streets of Belgrade, they were unfazed by their surroundings, as they chased cars, crossed major roads and generally went where they wanted.

Day 3 - Lunch with Mafia and the Church of Bones

2007-09-02T17:28:00.000Z

We stayed the night in the underground car park where we had been allocated space for the rally cars, this was far from fun; very noisy, hot and full of exhaust fumes. The morning was spent getting money, food and water with some time to spare to take in the beautiful surroundings, another visit here is definitely needed.
A large convoy was heading south to Bratislava leaving at midday and we intended to join up with it, we were with Team Tempus Fugit who we had met at the launch in Hyde Park, they were having serious cooling problems with their SJ and we waited around with them for a few hours in an attempt to rectify it. We left just after two and proceeded to get very lost. We eventually found the right road out and also spotted a garage where we stopped to get Tempus' SJ looked at. It was only a small garage with a group of guys standing about. They were instantly intrigued by the two cars and instantly got under the bonnet and worked out the problem. All was needed was some silicon to seal the thermostat housing so one of them, a big guy in a bright green shirt issued one of his companions with some money and sent him off get some. They fixed it and refused all offer of payment. The big guy then offered to show us the way out the city so we all jumped in and he pulled up in a very large Mercedes, a very impressive car for a garage mechanic. He lead us down the main road for a few miles and then pulled in suddenly at a restaurant, apparently he was now taking us for lunch and wouldn't take no for an answer. We parked up, slightly confused and followed him in, he barked orders to the manager and got us a table. Four beers turned up for us (the legal driving limit is 0% in Czech Republic and he was drinking Coke), then four large stakes followed.

He started telling us about how his business was owning properties and this was one of them, he said he didn't, simply waited money to come in.

He also told us how he had a ex wife and son out in Canada but could no longer go there because the Police didn't like him. The Czech Police didn't like him either but it didn't worry him as he had friends in higher places. He told us about his brother in law who was in prison in London for smuggling 100kgs of cocaine into the UK and how he had plans to move to the Caribbean as soon as he had got all his money together.

All four of us were a little apprehensive to say the least at this, and the open road looked very appealing at this point, would we ever make it out alive. Two more of his associates turned up to eat, neither spoke English but made up for it in menacing looks. When the bill came we were unsure whether to offer to pay our share but the big guy gave one of the other two a nod and a pile of bank notes appeared form one of their pockets. We really were being treated.

Next they all trooped outside to check Tempus Fugit's radiator and then a quick picture of all of us and then we made tracks, not quite believing what had just happened.

We headed east towards the Church of Bones, a place where many ralliers visit and also a stop off point for good old Ewan McGregor. It was bit of a drive but certainly worth it. It was weird seeing a rather morbid thing turned into art in such a way. It was a short visit and we were soon on our way again, this time as a convoy of three as we had picked up Duncan and Rob in the Morris Minor.

We headed south with Bratislava as our destination for the night, it wasn't long before we had lost the Minor and the darkness began to fall on the two SJs. It got to 10 and we were still some distance from Bratislava, suddenly Tempus' SJ lost power and were forced to pull over onto the hard shoulder, we followed them in to find they were over heating badly. The only option was to let the engine cool down, meanwhile our SJ which had been standing still idling did exactly the same and we were forced to turn it off. It was pitched black and there were lots of lorries on the road, our broken light cluster meant our hazards were a waste of time, so it was a dangerous spot to be in.
We had to get moving as quickly as possible. Phil from Tempus went ahead and found a camping area only 150metres up the road. It was then that we realised our car wouldn't start, it took me and Rob to push start and John drove off to the camp site while Rob and I jumped in the other SJ and limped along after.

Day 2 - We reach Prague

2007-07-23T08:58:00.000Z

We set off early (7ish) and headed east for Prague. It was my turn at the wheel and occasionally autopilot took over - finding my self back on the left side of the road - and consequently had oncoming traffic angrily tooting at us!

We drove pretty much solidly until about midday, only stopping for petrol and toilet break. We briefly passed through Denmark and into Germany, where just west of Frankfurt we bumped into a convoy of fellow ralliers which we tagged along with. We soon got bored of the autobahns so tried some German country side out for a couple of hours - which I must say is really nice! Unfortunately we forgot to unplug our inverter and overloaded the battery causing us to require a dangerous jump start facing the wrong way in traffic!

With the car running again we powered on through Germany and after around 14 hours driving we eventually made it into Prague for the Sunday night party.

Well we must dash, next we have Bratislava. The car is doing us extremely proud - starting to wish we could bring her home. We are 1054 miles closer to Mongolia.

John

Day 1 - Hyde Park

2007-07-23T08:42:00.000Z

The day of the launch was upon us and after a quick very early tour of the sights of London we made our way to Hyde park for the launch event. A few hours passed, many crappy cars had arrived and the event was in full swing. We registered and started wandering about to meet other teams, we found lots of fellow SJ drivers - which I am sure will be useful in the future weeks - and many other cars inc. Micra's, Polo's, 2CV's, Rascals and many more!

After some slightly disturbing Mongolian folk music we where called to our cars ready for the leaving procession - where we drove out and after following the SJ next to us got hopelessly lost in London again! After several hours stuck in traffic down old kent road we eventually made it out to the M20 and to Folkestone where, with absolutely no security or passport checks, drove straight onto the Euro Tunnel. Half an hour later and leaving a wet and miserable England behind we where in a very sunny France ready to cover the 700 miles to Prague. With Chris at the wheel we managed to tackle the wrong side of the road, executing roundabouts and left turns (with no indicator) with true British precision.

We drove solidly into the evening and made our way into Belgium, where at around 9 o'clock we called it quits and camped up in a random village just west of Brussels. Tomorrow was the final push for Prague.

Day Zero

2007-07-23T08:26:00.000Z

We set off from Macclesfield on the Friday and headed down for the evening in party in London. The journey down was a complete nightmare, I started off by reversing into a wall in Congleton and consequently knocked out our rear left light cluster. Resulting in no left indicator (good old fashion hand signals have been the key there) and not left brake light. Next we reached the M40 and the flash floods that had caused a landslide in Warickshire, we were forced to sit in traffic for nearly 3 hours covering only 10 miles or so! And to cap off the journey - when we arrived in London Chris admitted that he hadn't got the instructions that took us from the M40 to the party! We ended up being navigated across the phone and finally made the party many hours later.

We drank the night away, found a few other teams on our route, met Jack Osbourne and ended up crashing on a hotel floor in Tower Hamlets with a couple of Jo Randoms we had met that night.

Macclesfield Express

2007-07-20T08:26:00.000Z

Just three days before we are set to leave for the mighty Mongolia and we have managed to wangle our way into the local paper! The article refers to us as 'the daring duo' and talks of our achievements to date. We will be sending weekly updates to the Macclesfield Express team (depending on internet availability) so keep an eye out for us in forthcoming weeks!

The article in the Macc Express, click to read!

Two Days to go.....

2007-07-19T12:40:00.000Z

We are very much in the final stages of panic, but we would just like to take a minute to thank all those who have sponsored us so far.

A massive thank you goes out to the following people

The Bakers
Harry Scott Dempster
Sam Adcock
Chris Watts
Marjorie Robson
David Robson
Andy Brown
David Robinson
Gavin Roberts
Rob Mills

Ben Mills
Rach Law
Bex Eardley
Sheila Bishop

Kelly Dobson
Hayley Brammer
Rowena Lennard
Laura Barnes
Andy Hughes
Alex Bateman

For those of you haven't donated, firstly what have been doing?!?!!? and secondly its really easy, just click on one of the links down on the right hand and follow the instructions and remember its for a really good cause. Cheers!

The Great Mongol Sweep Stake

2007-07-19T12:28:00.000Z

How far will we go?

This is for all you pessimistic folk who don’t think we will make it, but exactly how far will we not make it??? Below is the entire journey split into 300 mile intervals, choose where you think we will end up and email your choice and bid and we will update it.

themongolianadventure@gmail.com

All money is going to raising our £1000 for Mercy Corps Mongolia and Hope and Homes for Children. Click on the picture below to have a go!

Forests of Africa join the team!!

2007-07-17T11:05:00.000Z

We would like to welcome our latest sponsorship partner; Forests of Africa.

Forests of Africa is an organisation set up in conjunction with FBW Projects; a property development company that aims to satisfy the growing demand for high-quality residential property in the East African market.

We would like to thank Geoff Wilks and Forests of Africa for there support for the Mongolian Adventure Team

The Rolling Road

2007-07-06T17:53:00.001Z

For the last few weeks preparations for the rally have been in full swing, storage shelves have been fitted, new sponsorship acquired and wheels and seats replaced.

However, in and amongst this excitement a serious problem has been developing with our humble SJ. The problem has been occurring at high revs and/or when the weather has been damp. Bring the car up to any speed over 50(ish) and the engine begins to violently shudder and jolt to a complete stop. Only restarting the engine seems to bring her back to life.

Upon spending many, many hours scouring through forums we found numerous possible causes of the problem and have consequently replaced;

The ignition coil
HT leads
Spark Plugs
Distributor cap
Rotary arm

However, the problem still remained. With time running short we bit the bullet and took it to a professional garage, one equipped with a 'rolling road'. A rolling road enables a mechanic to run the car at 60mph, while inside the garage and therefore allow the mechanic to experience the problem first hand.

A rolling road setup

My amateur diagnostic (this being that the car was suffering from a bad misfire) was completely off the mark - I am grateful that the mechanic didn't laugh in my face for that! - and our SJ was in fact suffering from an old, ropey fuel pump that couldn't keep up with the demand of the engine at higher speeds.

A quick trip to our local Unipart dealership and the pump was ordered, 6 hours later and she was fitted. All ready for our trip to Mongolia.

A clean, shiny fuel pump inside our oily chariot

SJ makes company news!!

2007-06-29T20:50:00.000Z

One of our main sponsorship partners, Hulley and Kirkwood have featured us in their monthly the newsletter. The M&E Consulting Engineers which have offices all over the UK have provided considerable backing to our rally efforts and we are very pleased to be associated with them.

The HK press release, click to read!

Our ebay exploits

2007-06-27T09:59:00.000Z

Having negotiated the successful precurrement of our Sj on ebay, we have got a bit of a taste for online bidding but the latest run of success has set a whole new bench mark for killer bargains!!

3 set of rims and tyres only £10.50!

2 Front seats only 99p!

Yes thats right we make Poundland look expensive. Ok so not actually sure what we are going to do with them, the ones we have at the moment are perfectly ok but hey you never know.......

Pimp my SJ

2007-06-26T12:06:00.001Z

With 3 weeks to go now and piles of kit are beginning to form in our respective houses, thoughts have turned to how exactly we were going to fit it all in the back of Shaznay. We began by removing the two back seats which revealed a massive floor space, we were keen to keep the back of the SJ well organised on our trip with different sections for food, kit, tools, water and fuel. We decided to get down to the local DIY shop and purchase some chipboard.

We then set to work with an assortment of power tools, and the good old Black & Decker Workmate and began creating a masterpiece. Within only a few hours we had the beginnings of our storage unit.

We have boarded across at the level of the wheel arches leaving us space underneath for a sliding in crates of tools, car spares, tents and other heavy things. This means they are well out the way but can be accessed easily when we need them. Above we now have a flat surface for the rest of our stuff, here we will have on one side jerricans, fresh water and radiator water containers with bungee cords to tie down. On the other will be our own personal kit, food and everything else.

We have put in partition at the front to stop things hitting the back of our seats and we have also created a shelf behind the seats for general bits and bobs for when we are driving

Obviously, the home cinema entertainment system, hot tub, mini bar and tennis court will be fitted at a later date once we have both agreed on the exact layout!

DZL Tech Photo Shoot

2007-06-19T19:44:00.000Z

In welcoming our latest sponsor DZL Tech Ltd of Macclesfield, we got a new batch of decals made up from Tunnicliffe Signs and headed round to the DZL Tech office for a photo with boss Ian Wright. After a welcomed cup of tea (curtosy of John's Mum) and a good old chat about all things Mongol we headed off for a few more photos of Shaznay with her latest stickers on.

DZL Tech Ltd office in Macclesfield with boss Ian Wright

The SJ with her latest stickers on

A massive thank you from both John and I to Ian Wright of DZL Tech for making the our goal that little bit easier.

The Mongolian Death Worm

2007-06-15T13:16:00.000Z

Since the beginning of time there have been great tales of mythical creatures roaming the Earth; The Loch Ness Monster, The Abominable Snowman, Big Foot and the Kraken just to name a few, but one of the most formidable beasts surely has to be the Mongolian Death Worm.

Well our journey is set to be such a huge adventure as it is, driving a crappy car all that way over rubbish roads etc. etc. but why not use the journey to do something worthwhile and is going to make the world a better place, Ok so there is our charity fundraising which is going to help change peoples lives but the opportunity to track down a mythical creature and stamp our mark on history is definitely worth a bit of our time!!

The allghoi Khorkhoi as it is known to the Mongolians translates to “Blood filled intestine worm”, it is an ancient beast which has plagued the Gobi Desert for centuries. It is described as a fat, bright red worm, two to four feet long, it is claimed to “spew forth a yellow poison that is lethal on contact, and its purported ability to kill at distance by means of electric discharge.”

It is believed to roam in the prohibited region of the Mongol/ Chinese border, there have been a number of expeditions over the years but no scientific evidence has been produced to prove the beast’s existence but well it’s the same story for the Loch Ness Monster and we all know that definitely exists (Ted Danson made a film about and he was in Cheers so it got to be true).

Artist Impression of the Death Worm's discovery

On capturing the said ‘Death Worm,’ we will of course stick it in the back of the SJ and bring it back to the UK. We will then use it in an amazing stage show where it will fall in love with a beautiful girl, escape and slither to the top of Canary Warf or such other tall British Landmark (The Gurkin, Big Ben or that skyscraper in Manchester). John and I will then go up and kill it and it will plummet to the ground in King Kong fashion. We will probably then get Peter Jackson to make a movie blockbuster about it.

References: Wikipedia

New Sponsor

2007-06-03T15:34:00.000Z

The Mongolian Adventure team has another sponsor and are proud to to welcome on board DZLTech Ltd

DZLTech specialises in all spares relating to Mirrlees Blackstone K Major and MB275 engines and can supply quality new and reconditioned spares including bedplates and crankshafts or if required, complete engines.

DZLTech has the genuine expertise to deliver fast, professional, economical and flexible solutions to your supply requirements - Worldwide.

We greatly appreciate the support from DZLTech and look forward to getting their logo on Shaznay!

Shaza makes Sheffield Uni News

2007-05-11T17:29:00.000Z

Our first bit of publicity was achieved last week thanks to Matt Brown who did an excellent piece on us in Sheffield University's Student Newspaper. That's a potential 20,000 people who will know now about our trip which really is great news!! Next step for us is Regional then National coverage (and then perhaps International but lets hope this isn't them covering our dramatic rescue from the Gobi Desert or something).

The Full page article from the Sheffield Steel Press Friday 27th April 2007. Click to read!

Shaznay gets her true colours

2007-05-09T22:28:00.000Z

At last our stickers have arrived, courtesy of our friends at Tunnicliffe Printers in Macclesfield we now have a set of sponsor decals on the car. The task was altogether a tricky one, the SJ body work certainly not designed with decal application in mind but thanks to my good friend Jamie (whose smoothing technique was far better than mine and the reason why there are very few air bubbles in the decals) we managed to get them all on with relative ease. Then off to Jesmond Dene (Newcastle) for a few photos of the brand new makeover!!

Check out the rest of the pictures in the Shaznay makeover album

Publicity

2007-05-04T11:37:00.000Z

After some hard work put in by Chris over the weekend we have managed to further spread the Mongolian Adventure word. We now have a dedicated Facebook group where we can chat to peeps who are interested in the rally, but remeber this is only accessible to anyone with a Facebook account!

As well as Facebook, we have also uploaded a page to the Suzuki club UK website. The website has been put together by fanatics of the humble SJ and has already been a vital tool in keeping our Shaznay on the road! Have a look out our Mongol Rally page here

A learner no more!

2007-04-24T10:04:00.000Z

After hundreds of pounds learning to drive with 3 instructors, the failing of my first test and only 88 days to go until launch of the Mongol Rally I have finally passed my driving test!

It got a bit hairy after failing my first test and I began wondering what if I didn't pass before July and Chris had to take on the 9,000 mile drive solo. But all is now well and July 21st could'nt come sooner.

Radiator Replacement

2007-04-20T12:24:00.000Z

With the car nearly 20 years old we expected some of it's mechanical parts to be a little under the weather. However, neither of us were expecting the state of disrepair we found the radiator to be in when we bought the car; it was riddled with corrosion and refused to hold nearly any water.

The radiator when we bought the car

We decided to leave the expensive replacement for as long as possible but unfortunately the time for action came after a recent drive to Buxton. On the way the engine temperature gauge peaked and steam billowed from under the bonnet, after a quick inspection the pressure inside the radiator had blown our coolant reservoir clean away and any remaining water was rapidly evaporating. The time had come for a replacement radiator.

A quick ring-round and £70 later we had ourselves a brand spanking new one and as we had quickly come to learn doing anything to this car is a bitch - and this job did not let us down; we managed to shear 4 bolts off the supports! But after a long hard afternoon we got her in, see the finished product and other pictures of the replacement here.

The new installation

Shaznay goes hill climbing

2007-04-12T22:16:00.000Z

With our brand new paint job completed, we thought it was about time we put Shaznay through her paces so we set off with our good friend Pat in tow and headed out into the sunny hills. After a tip off from our local Vicar; Taffy, we set off in search of a rough country track in the middle of no where.With large pot holes, muddy pits and pebbly tracks in mind we were very much disappointed to find only a slightly rough tarmaced road, a few cattle grids and a whole flock of sheep.

So we left quickly and headed off towards the infamous Macclesfield Forest. Acres of dense tall trees, muddy tracks and ditches would be perfect for our needs but alas we were foiled again, no where could we find an open gate to let us in!!

With a last ditch attempt, we headed up to the local wildlife station 'Teggs Nose' in the hills overlooking Macclesfield, where there was a small track heading down a steep hilll to a picnic area just on the edge of a cliff, one or two ideas sprung to mind and this is what happened next..............
(There is some very slight swearing in this video, which i blame on the camera man. If you are easily offended; our apologies and watch with the sound turned down).

I would like to point that the video doesn't give the rather large rocky climb at the bottom of the grassy slope justice, it was extremely steep. Not to mention that there is a near vertical drop of a few hundred feet to the left of those picnic benches. Anyway after I had had my fun, John and Pat decided to join me for the second round and this is what happened......

More off road adventures to follow shortly!!!

You know when you've been Tangoed

2007-04-12T18:17:00.000Z

Looking around todays roads you can see a lot of dull, uninteresting cars - add our Mongol chariot to the pack and things only get worse.

So in order for people to notice us we decided to take the dull plastic exterior of our meccano hard top roof, paint it a bright orange and remove the grey decals along the side of the car revealing the original jet black bodywork.

This has had the effect of turning this ...

Into this ...

Now with our transformation complete peoples heads will sure turn as we drive past making our car a good choice for advertisement. See the complete transformation in our photo album, here.

A clean shave

2007-04-06T19:43:00.000Z

When we bought the SJ, we were informed that it once upon a time in its life it was a soft-top and that someone had converted it to a hardtop using a a bespoke kit.

With the warmer weather finally setting in we decided to return the car back to its former glory and remove the plastic roof - half an hour or so later, with some slight 'modifications', we have ourselves a topless SJ! See photos of the glorious event here

Taxed

2007-04-03T22:59:00.000Z

To test out the abilities of our newly patched petrol tank, we took her out for a spin. It was a hot day and we had both windows down with the wind blustering around inside.

We were drawing our journey to a close and taking it down the bypass for one last time, when out of the blue our tax disc and it's holder flew out of the window and into the verge. With 2 months left on tax we were determined to find it and so parked up and headed for the verge and started hunting.

After a few minutes, to our relief, we found the tax disc - still attached to the holder - lying face down in the verge. In true Mongol rally style we re-attached the disc with half a reel of duck tape.

Patched

2007-03-31T18:41:00.000Z

A few weeks ago we found that our fuel tank had hole and we soon deduced that anything over £8 of fuel would cause it to leak over the drive. Now after weeks of infuriating £5 fill ups we finally got around to doing something about it.

With our trusty Haynes manual to hand we set about removing the tank - a job that I wish never to do again - and finding the leak. 20 years of corrosion have not been kind to us and a 40 minute job took us the best part of a day while we battled with corroded bolts and worn fuel lines. After removal we filled the tank with water and found the little blighter on the wall of the tank.

With the hole located we applied a generous helping of liquid metal to the area, hopefully sealing petrol inside the tank. With the rusty tank repaired we went about fixing it back onto the car - again a bastard - but it went on. We then held our breath, put some fuel in and turned her over. Bellowing out plumes of smoke she started first time and after a subsequent visit to the petrol station is holding petrol.

Water & petrol make cloudy exhaust fumes!

Job well done - until we realised that in our haste to remove the tank we failed to spot the order in which 3 electrical connectors attatched to it - resulting in a consistently lit fuel warning light. If anyone has any SJ experience and can help us with this please contact us at themongolianadventure@gmail.com.

Photos of the trials and tribulations of the petrol tank removal and installation can be found here.

Another Sponsor!

2007-03-23T00:49:00.001Z

The Mongolian Adventure team has another sponsor!!

We would like to thank Frank Whittle Partnership (FWP) for donating to our cause, making the journey to Mongolia just that little bit more affordable. The FWP group specialise in architecture and design, structural and civil engineering, cost, project & construction management, strategic advice, construction investment feasibility, building surveying & planning supervision. They have worked on some high profile projects including Old Trafford extensions and the Doncaster Racecourse grandstand. Please take the time to visit their website using the links below.

FRANK WHITTLE PARTNERSHIP

The Mongolian Adventure Team

2007-03-11T14:45:00.000Z

Legend has it that at the dawn of time in a place far far away there were two bored souls looking for some excitement and adventure, together they had all these wonderful ideas of greatness and success. So they put their heads together and created............The Universe.

Well now their back again and looking for the next big thing, so who exactly are the two courageous adventurers about to embark on the epic crusade that is the MONGOL RALLY!

John Gallant, 21. 4th year Physics Student at Nottingham University. Home town of Macclesfield.

With this being John's final year he is eager to spend his last summer doing something more than working himself to death working in an office at home. Queue: Mongol Rally!

Chris Royle, 20. 3rd year Mechanical Engineering Student at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Having studied all things mechanical for 3 years now, Chris has decided he is ready for the greatest engineering challenge yet; Keep a clapped out 20 year rust bucket going for 9000 miles over some of the worst terrain ever. Chances are he will fail but it will be entertaining to witness!!

The Official MA Team Sponsorship Partners

2007-03-10T10:45:00.000Z

TRP CONSULTING

TRP Consulting provides a full range of Civil, Structural and Environmental engineering consultancy services from offices in Manchester and Preston. The Directors draw on experience from a range of professional disciplines, providing a broad knowledge base and promoting a proactive approach to project delivery.

HULLEY & KIRKWOOD

Hulley & Kirkwood Consulting Engineers Limited are one of the leading independent Mechanical and Electrical Building Services Consulting Engineers in the UK.

FRANK WHITTLE PARTNERSHIP

The FWP group specialise in architecture and design, structural and civil engineering, cost, project & construction management, strategic advice, construction investment feasibility, building surveying & planning supervision.

TUNNICLIFFE LABELS & SIGNS

Tunnicliffe Labels & Signs are a local company in Macclesfield specialising in the production of labelling, signage and graphics. Tunnicliffe have been the linchpin in our sponsorship campaign and have supported us as much as possible.

DZLTECH LTD

DZLTech specialises in all spares relating to Mirrlees Blackstone K Major and MB275 engines and can supply quality new and reconditioned spares including bedplates and crankshafts or if required, complete engines. DZLTech has the genuine expertise to deliver fast, professional, economical and flexible solutions to your supply requirements - Worldwide

Please Help, Sponsor Us!

2007-03-09T12:06:00.000Z

With raising money for our two charities, funding the car, visas, petrol and all the odds and ends along the way we are looking for sponsorship to assist us in order to make the 'Crusade' possible!! Here are just some ways that you could help:

Financial Backing
Vehicle Parts & Equipment
Technical Expertise
Garage Facilities
Labour Time
Publicity

What we can do for you

Advertising space on the car, which will be in and around Newcastle, Nottingham and Macclesfield in the months leading up to the rally, 3 densely packed and populated locations.
Between the two cities there is a student population of around 90,000 providing exposure to a massive number of undergraduates.
Raise company profile in the UK and in destinations along the route
Raise company profile through media exposure of the rally and the team through newspapers and money raising events.
Association with the rally, the charities and other sponsorship partners

The Mongol Rally is a fastly growing phenomenon especially among university students, it is something different and a great chance to make a difference to people who are greatly in need of help and are often overlooked.

If you want to get involved whether through finance or in kind then please get in touch.

Chris Royle & John Gallant

(07894) 817 657
themongolianadventure@gmail.com

The Supported Charities

2007-03-06T09:31:00.000Z

The Mongol Rally is all about raising money for charity, last year the Mongol Rally organization was able to donate an astonishing £200,000 and this was only possible through the hard work of the participating teams. This year the organizers have raised the bar and are aiming for the £250,000 mark and to help them achieve this goal it is our expectation to raise at least £1000. This money will be donated to our two chosen charities; Mercy Corps Mongolia and Hope and Homes for children.

Mercy Corps Mongolia supports rural communities to meet their economic and social needs, helping individuals, families and communities to become more self-sufficient, diversified in their production, and better linked to local, regional and national markets. Over the past five years Mercy Corps Mongolia has established a strong reputation across the vast Gobi region, and continues to work with business associations and local organizations to ensure a robust economy that preserves ancient traditions.

Hope and Homes For Children work in countries including Romania, Ukraine, Kosovo, Belarus and Moldova/Transdnistria, focusing on closing down the state institutions and removing children from the terrible conditions in these centres. The children are reunited with siblings, and where possible placed with their biological families. Other children are relocated to small family homes, which provide them with a loving, stimulating environment enabling them to reach their full potential. Other projects include the first Mother and Baby Unit in Ukraine, Residential Family homes in Kosovo, and the Rehabilitation and Resource Centre in Transdnistria, which provides a short-term alternative to institutional care whilst the child’s long-term individual needs are assessed.

Our aim is to raise £600 for Mercy Corps Mongolia and a further £400 for Hope & Homes for children. If you would like to help then please donate to either our principle Charity, Mercy Corps or our additional charity Hope and Homes for children using our Just Giving donation pages linked below.

	By donating here you will be helping us achieve our £600 target for Mercy Corps Mongolia.
	Alternatively by donating here you will be helping us achieve our £400 target for Hope and Homes for children.

Our Route To Mongolia

2007-03-01T10:28:00.000Z

The interactive map above illustrates the our intended route to sunny Ulaan Bataar. The chosen route, known as the 'Southern Route', will take us through Europe to Turkey across the Caspian sea before heading north through vast Kazakistan, Russia and finally Mongolia.

England

France

Belgium

Netherlands

Germany

Czech Republic

Austria

Hungary

Yugoslavia

Bulgaria

Turkey

Georgia

Azerbaijan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Krgystan

Kazakhstan

Russia

Mongolia

Another Leak!

2007-02-03T17:42:00.000Z

The fuel tank remains un-repaired, it has stopped leaking though. Mainly due to the fact there is very little petrol in the car.

However things have just gotten a little worse; while on a trip to Halfords to get the stuff needed for the fuel tank repair I decided to check the oil level in the car and I found to my dismay that oil has appeared, well, pretty much everywhere under the bonnet. After some time under the bonnet and a few rags I managed to clean up, though the cause of the leak is far from known.

She runs fine with no lack of power etc, so I am going to leave it and keep an eye on it! I am just praying that it is not a blown head gasket. From the forums I have been reading one user describes the job of changing the gasket as a ' bit of a pregnant dog' so I hope for the best.

The engine block, after a quick rag-down. What a beauty!

Photo Albums

2007-02-01T20:53:00.000Z

Here you will find all the photos that have even the slightest relevance to our journey to Mongolia. The photos are organised into 'albums' and hosted using Picasa Web Albums.

The Videos

2007-02-01T09:40:00.000Z

Below is a complete collection of all our videos taken in the run up and participation of the Mongol Rally. To view simply click on the video, and you will be taken to You Tube.

Shaznay Springs A Leak

2007-01-21T18:35:00.000Z

After the first day on my drive a small puddle of petrol has accumulated directly below the fuel tank - making the drive smell like a forecourt at a petrol station.

This is not good news, not good news at all - a garage visit could be expensive. However, all is not lost since I have heard from several sources on the intenet of a miracle epoxy putty called 'Waterweld' which is ideal for patching fuel tanks whilst they are still leaking. It looks like a trip to halfords for me!

The right car for the job

2007-01-17T19:15:00.000Z

The car of choice for our trip to Mongolia is the Suzuki SJ-410. The SJ is a mini-SUV, 4x4 introduced in 1982 and constructed in Spain. After many weeks of e-baying we managed to find a suitable candidate and after an intense bidding war we were set back the princely sum of £460 for the SJ which we have affectionaly nicknamed 'Shaznay'

So what have we spent our hard earned cash on?

Make & Model: Suzuki SJ-410 soft-top (Converted to hardtop)
Year Of Production: 1982
Engine: Straight 4, 970cc producing 45bhp
Max Speed: 68mph (With tail wind)
Mileage: 60,000
Characteristics:

Big, clunky 5 speed gear box
A speedometer that gives an approximation, at best, of our actual speed
Vague sense of steering - a little like a tractor
Limited visibility through the rear on cold days due to lack of rear heated windows

The car in her original condition

The Challenge

2007-01-01T19:00:00.000Z

The Mongolian Adventure team plans to undertake the 2007 Mongol Rally. The rally is all in the name of charity with last year raising over an astonishing £200 000 mark!

The rules are simple;

London to Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia
One crap car with an engine of less than 1 litre
No support team
Any route

The race is between 8,000 and 10,000 miles depending on which route you take. We start from London and finish near the Mongolian capital Ulaan Bataar about four weeks later. This year's Mongol Rally starts on Saturday the 21st of July in Hyde Park so come and see us roll over the start line to a roar of laughter.

The Mongol Rally is like no other. Most people associate rallying with raw power, speed and flair. The rules of this rally make it an entirely different beast.The cars on this rally aren't very good. The engine restriction severely limits our choice to cars like 2CVs, Bedford Rascals Yugo/Zastava etc.

Teams are not allowed any mechanical or moral support. The route takes us through countries with some of the most difficult languages to learn or understand, over some silly terrain (5 mountain ranges), in unbearable climates (through 2 deserts with temperatures fluctuating between 40°C in the day and sub 0°C at night.) For good measure, some of the countries in question are even throwing in impromptu revolutions - just to make things that bit more interesting.

The route is broken into three legs which vary in length, with an optional stop off at the end of each leg to catch some much needed rest, check out our planned route here.

We will have no back up team! As the organisers say it is an adventure not a petting zoo so our arrival at the destination, or our safety is in no way guaranteed! It's not a race, it's an adventure, with a large emphasis on charity. Arriving first means you haven't had enough adventure. Arriving last means you'll have the most stories to tell. Not arriving at all is the most likely scenario - and the hallmark of a truly successful rally.

Check out more at the organisers official web site