Current location: Warsaw. Vilnius was really great city. It's small, really interesting, and lots of fun. The weather was a bit shit, however. The entire old town is a UNESCO heritage site, so you can imagine how beautiful it is.
There are tons of cool bars and restaurants sprinkled throughout the old town. I stayed at an amazing hostel close to the town hall, Jimmy Jumps house. It's brand-new and pretty nice, but the other guests really made it worth while. 9 of us ended up going out Thursday and Friday nights.
I took a night coach to Warsaw. It wasn't as luxurious as my coach to Riga, but it was comfortable enough (I actually slept!). As I write this, it's 10 AM and I'm sitting in my hostel. I'll most likely go sight-seeing, then finish checking in here.
I highly, highly recommend the Baltic countries as a destination. Riga and Vilnius were both incredibly fun. I didn't stop in Tallinn on this trip, but I enjoyed it when visiting several years ago. Travel between the three cities is quite easy and comfortable. They are also compact and easily walked. I am absolutely heading back sometime in the future - each country has plenty more to see outside of the capitals.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Better late then never: Pamirs Part 3
Ok guys, I know this is obscenely past due, but better late then never, right?
The drive from Murgab to Jalal-abad was pleasant, but long. We left Murgab early, around 7:30 AM. The scenery was much different then what we encountered in the Wakhan Valley. The Pamir Highway had much more in common with the desert, it was extremely dry and dusty.
We also achieved what is most certainly our highest point on the trip: a 15,000 foot pass on the Pamir Highway. The Jimny may not climb with power, but it does climb with style.
After completing the pass, the landscape became much wetter. Lakes and streams dotted the landscape. It was obvious a lot of water passed through this area - an entire bridge was missing. My first thought: "Wow. I'm glad we didn't come across this at night!" This actually worked out for the best as we were able to film several gnarly little water crossings.
Checking out of Tajikistan was straightforward, but tedious. There were quite a few more steps to complete then entering the country - lots of increased attention from customs. Tajikistan is a major narcotics smuggling route due to its 1300 kilometer border with Afghanistan. We saw no indication of this, besides a little more attention when leaving the country, but that's what the guidebook says.
The road to the Kyrgyz checkpoint was rutted, pitted, and sometimes completely washed out. The Tajik checkpoint is at the top of a mountain pass so one slowly descends into a Kyrgyz valley. The scenery behind us was amazing.
We received quite a shock after reaching the Kyrgyz checkpoint: it was closed. It wasn't deserted - we could see soldiers milling around and going about their business. Eventually, a soldier came and chatted with us. He indicated it would only be 20 more minutes until the crossing opened.
As passed the time, another vehicle approached the border. A Kyrgyz man was very interested in our vehicle and chatted with us for a bit. Eventually, the woman riding with him got out and asked us how long we had been at the border. By this point, it had been nearly an hour. She stated "Well I will call his superior."
She dialed a number on her mobile and a soldier quickly came out to greet her. They conversed for a few minutes and the soldier returned to his post. The woman informed us that he had asked her not to call his superior in Bishkek. The soldier was one of the three border chiefs. Each chief was in charge of an inspection point (veterinary, customs, and antiquities) and if one was missing, the border couldn't open. She also revealed that the antiquities chief was missing.
The woman then gave us a little more background about herself - she was a French expat operating a foundation in Bishkek. The goal was to restore the horse culture to the Kyrgyz people and she had been in Bishkek for over a decade.
Eventually the missing officer appeared - but not before she had mentioned how the country was changing after the violence in Osh. This was unsettling to say the least.
Now that the entire border staff was present, we could finally proceed through the checkpoint. After our chat with the French woman we were both on high alert, but everyone was courteous and the crossing proceeded quite quickly. The customs official did ask us if we had any "souvenirs" so we furnished him with several stickers and a keychain. We were finally in Kyrgyzstan.
The road to Sary Tosh was just as bad as the road through no man's land. This was clearly not a popular border crossing. We fueled up the Jimny and began heading north to Jalal-abad.
It was immediately obvious that Kyrgyzstan is more prosperous then Tajikistan. Roads were better, cars were newer, and homes were bigger. The scenery had changed as well. Kyrgyzstan was much more green then Tajikistan and you could see a lot more moisture. The arid, dry Pamirs gave way to green valleys.
We drove to Jalal-abad without incident. Our pulses quickened near Osh, the sight of so much trouble but the road to Bishkek was clearly marked. We didn't even enter the city.
It was dark when we entered Jalal-abad. This almost always makes finding a hotel a massive pain. We drove around for sometime, stopping at anything that looked remotely like a hotel. No luck at all until something that looked like a lobby caught my eye. Finally, a hotel!
The hotel ended up being extremely nice and priced very reasonably. So reasonably, that we splurged on room service. After five days of mutton in the Pamir Mountains, it was time to feast! Steak, french fries, and beer all around.
The next morning we continued our journey northward. The drive to Bishkek was quite pleasant and the territory reminded me of Colorado. We crossed several beautiful mountain passes. We ended up rolling into BIshkek around 5:30.
Bishkek hotel rooms were in short supply, which cost us a bit of coin but we wanted to relax after the Pamirs. That night we dined at the Lonely Planet recommended bar The Metro. Everything was good, but a bit pricey. Such is life when dining at expat bars. Upon entering, nearly every voice we heard was American. I immediately put two and two together and realized this must be a popular bar for the Army crowd (the US has a large military base in Bishkek). It's always a great feeling to enjoy a few beers knowing that you don't have to get in the car the next day.
Our day off was uneventful. Most of it was spent catching up on work and communicating with loved ones back home. The highlight was finding a local coffee shop with wi-fi (which was also frequented by some very attractive Kyrgyz girls). We did have an enjoyable meal at a Mexican (!) restaurant.
After another solid night of rest, it was time to cross another border. Bishkek to Almaty is only 250 kilometers so we had a leisurely morning. We enjoyed breakfast and paid another visit to the coffee shop.
The border crossing was immediately north of Bishkek and aside from a bit of traffic, we made it through quite quickly. One tip: it's important to come prepared with many "souvenirs". We didn't even have to fill out a second customs form.
The drive to Almaty was easy. Roads were clearly marked and very good. Almaty was rather surprising: it was clean, very pleasant, full of people who spoke English, but a bit expensive. Our hotel was the second priciest yet (a 130 euro hotel in Austria still takes the cake - that night, the entire town was booked solid).
A modern, international city means a wider variety of goods and services are available then in the countryside and I was finally able to track down another camera! It's not as sexy as my Olympus, but it will do.
Most of the evening was spent at the local coffee shop Coffeedelia. Free wi-fi, good food, and a fully stocked bar make for a happy Mongol Rally team.
Our next stop: Ust-Kamengorsk aka Ochemen, where we will be staging for the Russian border crossing.
The drive from Murgab to Jalal-abad was pleasant, but long. We left Murgab early, around 7:30 AM. The scenery was much different then what we encountered in the Wakhan Valley. The Pamir Highway had much more in common with the desert, it was extremely dry and dusty.
We also achieved what is most certainly our highest point on the trip: a 15,000 foot pass on the Pamir Highway. The Jimny may not climb with power, but it does climb with style.
After completing the pass, the landscape became much wetter. Lakes and streams dotted the landscape. It was obvious a lot of water passed through this area - an entire bridge was missing. My first thought: "Wow. I'm glad we didn't come across this at night!" This actually worked out for the best as we were able to film several gnarly little water crossings.
Checking out of Tajikistan was straightforward, but tedious. There were quite a few more steps to complete then entering the country - lots of increased attention from customs. Tajikistan is a major narcotics smuggling route due to its 1300 kilometer border with Afghanistan. We saw no indication of this, besides a little more attention when leaving the country, but that's what the guidebook says.
The road to the Kyrgyz checkpoint was rutted, pitted, and sometimes completely washed out. The Tajik checkpoint is at the top of a mountain pass so one slowly descends into a Kyrgyz valley. The scenery behind us was amazing.
We received quite a shock after reaching the Kyrgyz checkpoint: it was closed. It wasn't deserted - we could see soldiers milling around and going about their business. Eventually, a soldier came and chatted with us. He indicated it would only be 20 more minutes until the crossing opened.
As passed the time, another vehicle approached the border. A Kyrgyz man was very interested in our vehicle and chatted with us for a bit. Eventually, the woman riding with him got out and asked us how long we had been at the border. By this point, it had been nearly an hour. She stated "Well I will call his superior."
She dialed a number on her mobile and a soldier quickly came out to greet her. They conversed for a few minutes and the soldier returned to his post. The woman informed us that he had asked her not to call his superior in Bishkek. The soldier was one of the three border chiefs. Each chief was in charge of an inspection point (veterinary, customs, and antiquities) and if one was missing, the border couldn't open. She also revealed that the antiquities chief was missing.
The woman then gave us a little more background about herself - she was a French expat operating a foundation in Bishkek. The goal was to restore the horse culture to the Kyrgyz people and she had been in Bishkek for over a decade.
Eventually the missing officer appeared - but not before she had mentioned how the country was changing after the violence in Osh. This was unsettling to say the least.
Now that the entire border staff was present, we could finally proceed through the checkpoint. After our chat with the French woman we were both on high alert, but everyone was courteous and the crossing proceeded quite quickly. The customs official did ask us if we had any "souvenirs" so we furnished him with several stickers and a keychain. We were finally in Kyrgyzstan.
The road to Sary Tosh was just as bad as the road through no man's land. This was clearly not a popular border crossing. We fueled up the Jimny and began heading north to Jalal-abad.
It was immediately obvious that Kyrgyzstan is more prosperous then Tajikistan. Roads were better, cars were newer, and homes were bigger. The scenery had changed as well. Kyrgyzstan was much more green then Tajikistan and you could see a lot more moisture. The arid, dry Pamirs gave way to green valleys.
We drove to Jalal-abad without incident. Our pulses quickened near Osh, the sight of so much trouble but the road to Bishkek was clearly marked. We didn't even enter the city.
It was dark when we entered Jalal-abad. This almost always makes finding a hotel a massive pain. We drove around for sometime, stopping at anything that looked remotely like a hotel. No luck at all until something that looked like a lobby caught my eye. Finally, a hotel!
The hotel ended up being extremely nice and priced very reasonably. So reasonably, that we splurged on room service. After five days of mutton in the Pamir Mountains, it was time to feast! Steak, french fries, and beer all around.
The next morning we continued our journey northward. The drive to Bishkek was quite pleasant and the territory reminded me of Colorado. We crossed several beautiful mountain passes. We ended up rolling into BIshkek around 5:30.
Bishkek hotel rooms were in short supply, which cost us a bit of coin but we wanted to relax after the Pamirs. That night we dined at the Lonely Planet recommended bar The Metro. Everything was good, but a bit pricey. Such is life when dining at expat bars. Upon entering, nearly every voice we heard was American. I immediately put two and two together and realized this must be a popular bar for the Army crowd (the US has a large military base in Bishkek). It's always a great feeling to enjoy a few beers knowing that you don't have to get in the car the next day.
Our day off was uneventful. Most of it was spent catching up on work and communicating with loved ones back home. The highlight was finding a local coffee shop with wi-fi (which was also frequented by some very attractive Kyrgyz girls). We did have an enjoyable meal at a Mexican (!) restaurant.
After another solid night of rest, it was time to cross another border. Bishkek to Almaty is only 250 kilometers so we had a leisurely morning. We enjoyed breakfast and paid another visit to the coffee shop.
The border crossing was immediately north of Bishkek and aside from a bit of traffic, we made it through quite quickly. One tip: it's important to come prepared with many "souvenirs". We didn't even have to fill out a second customs form.
The drive to Almaty was easy. Roads were clearly marked and very good. Almaty was rather surprising: it was clean, very pleasant, full of people who spoke English, but a bit expensive. Our hotel was the second priciest yet (a 130 euro hotel in Austria still takes the cake - that night, the entire town was booked solid).
A modern, international city means a wider variety of goods and services are available then in the countryside and I was finally able to track down another camera! It's not as sexy as my Olympus, but it will do.
Most of the evening was spent at the local coffee shop Coffeedelia. Free wi-fi, good food, and a fully stocked bar make for a happy Mongol Rally team.
Our next stop: Ust-Kamengorsk aka Ochemen, where we will be staging for the Russian border crossing.
Update!
Just wanted to let everyone know I'm alive and well in Riga, Latvia. It's been a whirlwind few ten days since the Rally ended. After UB, we took the Trans-Siberian to Moscow, spent the night, and flew to Riga. Been a bit crazy since then.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Mongolia
Quick BGAN post:
Made it into Mongolia in less then a day. It's been an amazing country. Hoping to make the finish line on Friday.
Made it into Mongolia in less then a day. It's been an amazing country. Hoping to make the finish line on Friday.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Pamir Highway, Part 2.
The newly arrived Mongol Rally teams were in dire need of some repair work, so they planned to spend several days in Khorog. The Jimny has been holding up incredibly well (we spent quite a bit more then the average Mongol Rally team and it has proven to be a wise investment) so the decision was made to leave them and the M41 for the Wakhan Valley. The Wakhan Valley loop leaves Khorog and heads south. It continues to follow the Afghan border for quite sometime and is absolutely stunning.
The morning began with a bit of chaos as we rushed around the Khorog bazaar in an attempt to find some water without gas (carbonated water is the drink of choice in Europe and Asia). We did manage to get some fuel and I snagged a pair of sunglasses (my old pair went missing with my camera).
Not long after hitting the road, we emerged from a forested area into a wide open, arid valley. The Hindu Kush mountains were on to our right for the entire trip. They were some of the most spectacular peaks I have ever seen - almost totally covered in snow and it was the middle of August!
We had lunch in the village of Ishkashim, where we were finally able to obtain plov. For those who don't know, plov is rice pilaf, vegetables, and a bit of meat cooked in lamb fat and oil for several hours. It's supposedly the national dish of Uzbekistan, but I was unable to find any. Our plov was worth the wait - that meal still ranks as the best on the trip. A fellow traveler informed me that the long cooking time prevents most restaurants from serving it - it's a dish most people cook at home.
We hit the road again after lunch - our goal was the village of Langar. We gained some elevation and stopped to visit Yamchun Fortress. Yamchun Fortress sits on a bluff over looking the Wakhan Valley and the Hindu Kush mountains. Scott took some amazing photos and the view was one of the best we have seen.
We continued onward toward Langar and made the decision to try our first homestead. We found one tucked back away from the main village and it was a perfect choice. If anyone reading this visits the Pamirs, homestays are a fantastic lodging choice. They are usually clean, comfortable, and a great way to help the community. We stayed in an extra room and they set up rather comfortable mattresses and blankets on the floor for us. The price also included dinner and breakfast. It was a great way to actually enjoy some relaxation time.
We dined with some other homestay guests - a young couple from Taiwan. They had been teaching English in Dushanbe and were excellent conversationalists. We ended up spending several hours after dinner drinking tea and chatting with them.
The next morning it was off to the dusty village of Murgab. We continued along the river and mountains for an hour or two, but soon began to climb up and away from the river. We encountered an impressive water crossing - runoff was spilling down the side of a hill and washing out the road. It was a significant amount of water and increasing as the temperature rose. Naturally, the Jimny handled it with no problems. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for some of the Tajik vehicles headed the opposite direction. A marshrutska attempted to tow a vehicle up the crossing, but in the end sheer manpower was the key. Almost everyone milling around the crossing got out to push.
We climbed up a spectacular mountain pass and saw some amazing saltwater lakes. It has been rumored that travelers frequently swim across the river to Afghanistan, touch the opposite bank, and swim back to Tajikistan. We spent a lot of time looking for the perfect stretch of river to attempt this, but the water was just too high.
Not long after, we rejoined the M41 and motored to Murgab. The road was strangely empty - we could count the number of other vehicles we saw on one hand. The highlight of the afternoon was eating a late lunch in with a Kyrgyz family in their yurt. We feasted on yak yogurt, bread with yak butter, and a dumpling-like dish containing potatoes and onion (obviously served with more yogurt). The yogurt was interesting - it initially had a sweet flavor, which turned into a sour flavor. Quite pleasant with a bit of sugar actually. The butter was really delicious!
We checked into a homestay in Murgab and headed to the town's dusty bazaar, where we purchased traditional Kyrgyz felt hats. It's always fun to chat with fellow travelers - we had a group of older Italians and a young Italian/Finn couple as company. The younger folks had just come from Kyrgyzstan so it was good to get some up to date information.
We hit the sack early, as we needed to motor from Murgab to Jalal-abad the next day.
The morning began with a bit of chaos as we rushed around the Khorog bazaar in an attempt to find some water without gas (carbonated water is the drink of choice in Europe and Asia). We did manage to get some fuel and I snagged a pair of sunglasses (my old pair went missing with my camera).
Not long after hitting the road, we emerged from a forested area into a wide open, arid valley. The Hindu Kush mountains were on to our right for the entire trip. They were some of the most spectacular peaks I have ever seen - almost totally covered in snow and it was the middle of August!
We had lunch in the village of Ishkashim, where we were finally able to obtain plov. For those who don't know, plov is rice pilaf, vegetables, and a bit of meat cooked in lamb fat and oil for several hours. It's supposedly the national dish of Uzbekistan, but I was unable to find any. Our plov was worth the wait - that meal still ranks as the best on the trip. A fellow traveler informed me that the long cooking time prevents most restaurants from serving it - it's a dish most people cook at home.
We hit the road again after lunch - our goal was the village of Langar. We gained some elevation and stopped to visit Yamchun Fortress. Yamchun Fortress sits on a bluff over looking the Wakhan Valley and the Hindu Kush mountains. Scott took some amazing photos and the view was one of the best we have seen.
We continued onward toward Langar and made the decision to try our first homestead. We found one tucked back away from the main village and it was a perfect choice. If anyone reading this visits the Pamirs, homestays are a fantastic lodging choice. They are usually clean, comfortable, and a great way to help the community. We stayed in an extra room and they set up rather comfortable mattresses and blankets on the floor for us. The price also included dinner and breakfast. It was a great way to actually enjoy some relaxation time.
We dined with some other homestay guests - a young couple from Taiwan. They had been teaching English in Dushanbe and were excellent conversationalists. We ended up spending several hours after dinner drinking tea and chatting with them.
The next morning it was off to the dusty village of Murgab. We continued along the river and mountains for an hour or two, but soon began to climb up and away from the river. We encountered an impressive water crossing - runoff was spilling down the side of a hill and washing out the road. It was a significant amount of water and increasing as the temperature rose. Naturally, the Jimny handled it with no problems. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for some of the Tajik vehicles headed the opposite direction. A marshrutska attempted to tow a vehicle up the crossing, but in the end sheer manpower was the key. Almost everyone milling around the crossing got out to push.
We climbed up a spectacular mountain pass and saw some amazing saltwater lakes. It has been rumored that travelers frequently swim across the river to Afghanistan, touch the opposite bank, and swim back to Tajikistan. We spent a lot of time looking for the perfect stretch of river to attempt this, but the water was just too high.
Not long after, we rejoined the M41 and motored to Murgab. The road was strangely empty - we could count the number of other vehicles we saw on one hand. The highlight of the afternoon was eating a late lunch in with a Kyrgyz family in their yurt. We feasted on yak yogurt, bread with yak butter, and a dumpling-like dish containing potatoes and onion (obviously served with more yogurt). The yogurt was interesting - it initially had a sweet flavor, which turned into a sour flavor. Quite pleasant with a bit of sugar actually. The butter was really delicious!
We checked into a homestay in Murgab and headed to the town's dusty bazaar, where we purchased traditional Kyrgyz felt hats. It's always fun to chat with fellow travelers - we had a group of older Italians and a young Italian/Finn couple as company. The younger folks had just come from Kyrgyzstan so it was good to get some up to date information.
We hit the sack early, as we needed to motor from Murgab to Jalal-abad the next day.
The Pamir Highway, Part 1.
I apologize for another prolonged period of blog silence. Our time in Tajikistan was quite busy and an internet connection could not be found.
It's been at least a week since I posted an update - we've covered a lot of mileage since then. We spent our last night in Samarkand on the hotel terrace. Instead of paying for an entire room, we paid 20 dollars for access to the rooftop terrace instead. It was quite comfortable - we slept on the elevated, pillow-covered table-platforms we saw all across Uzbekistan (obviously the correct name escapes me). Not only was it cheap and comfortable, but we also got breakfast and wi-fi access included.
Our next destination: Dushanbe, Tajikistan. We hit the road quite early (our usual policy when crossing a border) and drove the 60 or so kilometers to the crossing. Again, our expectations were defied: the Uzbek/Tajik crossing near Penjikent was incredibly easy. After hearing about all the bureaucracy and red tape present in other travelers accounts, it's extremely refreshing to find that some things have changed.
Exiting Uzbekistan was simple, all we had to do was fill out another customs form. Entering Tajikistan had a few more steps (we find entering a country tends to be more complicated then leaving, especially with a vehicle) but a very courteous border guard made things quite easy for us. We did have to pay a 40 dollar importation fee however.
After officially entering Tajikistan, we picked up our first hitchhiker! A young Russian backpacker needed a lift to Dushanbe, so we strapped some bags to the roof of the Jimny and made room for her. She proved to be quite interesting: she was a Spanish teacher back home in Irkutsk and was hitchhiking around Central Asia. Later that night we would find out hitchhiking seemed to be the preferred method of travel for many Russians.
As we left Penjikent, the scenery gradually increased in elevation and beauty. The Fan mountains surrounded us and we immediately understood the allure of Tajikistan. The first part of the drive was mostly uneventful. We got to know our new passenger, admired the scenery, and stopped for lunch. It was very nice to have a Russian-speaking traveller with us, as the majority of the populace is fluent in Russian.
Lunch consisted of sashlyk and bread. This was also one of our last kebabs. Fresh mutton became harder to track down as we entered poorer regions of Tajikistan. The food has been quite good in Central Asia, but this lunch introduced us to the one item we both refused to finish. The food in question was a small round ball of hard, compressed cheese with an extremely salty and sour flavor. Our Russian friend informed is that the old men eat them with vodka and beer, which they compliment nicely. That may be the case, but we found that they went extremely poorly with lunch. She also informed us that they are traditionally made by compressing them in your armpit but that this is not common anymore. Wonderful.
I'm not sure I can communicate how unpleasant that dish was. The flavor was bad enough, but it proved nigh-impossible to rid my mouth of the aftertaste.
We motored along for several more hours, our jaws agape at the scenery. The mountains were jagged with little foliage, resembling the Alps more then the Rockies.
Our passenger knew Dushanbe was close when we entered an eight kilometer tunnel. Unfortunately, it would be quite some time before we exited the tunnel. For an unknown reason, traffic came to a halt about midway through the tunnel. We spent the next hour and a half chatting with truckers, attempting to entertain ourselves, and listening to drivers honk their horns. The tunnel appeared to be in bad shape. It was humid and some parts of the tunnel had water streaming down the walls. Imagine my surprise when I found out the tunnel was opened in 2008!
We finally escaped the tunnel after 90 or so minutes. The descent into Dushanbe was quite thrilling - road construction was occurring everywhere and cars were dodging and weaving through traffic.
The delay in the tunnel set back our timetable. It was almost 9 PM by the time we arrived in Dushanbe. Trying to find a hotel at night can be a real pain, but luck was on our side. Our Russian traveler invited us to stay with her at a local house. The house was a sort of hostel/commune/house. It was free to stay, but people were expected to donate time, money, and food. All of the fellow lodgers were quite interesting. The majority were Russian and practically all were hitchhiking their way through Central Asia. The only other foreigners were a French couple cycling their way to China. Everyone was extremely hospital.
The next leg of our journey was Dushanbe to Khorog took two days to complete. I cannot overstate how beautiful Tajikistan is. We spent most of the time avoiding potholes and admiring the mountains.
I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but anyone curious about why I haven't posted any photos should know that my camera was stolen several weeks ago. I hate to be a tease regarding the scenery.
The highlight of the day was driving up an 10000 foot pass and finding a beautiful campsite not far from the road. We used our stove and cooking utensils to make some pasta and we were both sacked out before ten. It had been a long day on the road and we were camped about 30 kilometers out of Khalikum.
The next morning we broke camp and headed for Khorog. Khorog is considered the jumping off point for the Pamir Highway and is the last town of any significance until Murgab.
Most of this day was spent driving along the Afghan border. I don't know what I was expecting, but the border was very quiet. Only a few dwellings dotted the landscape across the river. Scott and I attempted to throw rocks onto the Afghan side of the border, but we failed miserably.
In addition to the usual amazing scenery, we saw two noteworthy events. The first was a tanker that had barely missed plunging off the road and into the river below and the second was a car accident outside of Khorog. A shared taxi driver locked up his breaks and hit the back end of a truck. His van was empty and no one appeared to be hurt.
We found a rather nice, inexpensive hotel in Khorog. We arrived fairly early (5:30 PM) so it was nice to spend some time lounging rather then hustling to grab some dinner. We ended up lounging a bit too long - everything was closing down by the time we made our move for some food. What we thought was a restaurant was an ice cream parlor, which ended up hitting the spot.
Around 9:30 PM, as we were relaxing, a Russian man entered our hotel and asked if anyone here was on the Mongol Rally. We gave him confirmation and he led us outside to meet some teams that had recently arrived in town. We were pleasantly surprised to meet the Beer Bongolians, whom we hadn't seen since Turkmenistan! They were also accompanied by the Swedes we met in Samarkand and a third team of two English girls. We hadn't expected to see the Swedes or the Bongolians again - they had left Dushanbe a full day or two before us!
It turned out that the southern route they took (we took the northern direct route) had taken quite a toll on their vehicles. Several wide water crossings had damaged the Bongolians ambulance suspension. What was supposed to be an early night turned into something much more fun as everyone raced to secure hotel rooms, and copious amounts of lager. We spent much of the night playing cards, sharing stories, and trying to figure out where to go from here.
That's all I have for now. The next update will contain: the Wakhan Valley, Murgab, and Kyrgyzstan.
It's been at least a week since I posted an update - we've covered a lot of mileage since then. We spent our last night in Samarkand on the hotel terrace. Instead of paying for an entire room, we paid 20 dollars for access to the rooftop terrace instead. It was quite comfortable - we slept on the elevated, pillow-covered table-platforms we saw all across Uzbekistan (obviously the correct name escapes me). Not only was it cheap and comfortable, but we also got breakfast and wi-fi access included.
Our next destination: Dushanbe, Tajikistan. We hit the road quite early (our usual policy when crossing a border) and drove the 60 or so kilometers to the crossing. Again, our expectations were defied: the Uzbek/Tajik crossing near Penjikent was incredibly easy. After hearing about all the bureaucracy and red tape present in other travelers accounts, it's extremely refreshing to find that some things have changed.
Exiting Uzbekistan was simple, all we had to do was fill out another customs form. Entering Tajikistan had a few more steps (we find entering a country tends to be more complicated then leaving, especially with a vehicle) but a very courteous border guard made things quite easy for us. We did have to pay a 40 dollar importation fee however.
After officially entering Tajikistan, we picked up our first hitchhiker! A young Russian backpacker needed a lift to Dushanbe, so we strapped some bags to the roof of the Jimny and made room for her. She proved to be quite interesting: she was a Spanish teacher back home in Irkutsk and was hitchhiking around Central Asia. Later that night we would find out hitchhiking seemed to be the preferred method of travel for many Russians.
As we left Penjikent, the scenery gradually increased in elevation and beauty. The Fan mountains surrounded us and we immediately understood the allure of Tajikistan. The first part of the drive was mostly uneventful. We got to know our new passenger, admired the scenery, and stopped for lunch. It was very nice to have a Russian-speaking traveller with us, as the majority of the populace is fluent in Russian.
Lunch consisted of sashlyk and bread. This was also one of our last kebabs. Fresh mutton became harder to track down as we entered poorer regions of Tajikistan. The food has been quite good in Central Asia, but this lunch introduced us to the one item we both refused to finish. The food in question was a small round ball of hard, compressed cheese with an extremely salty and sour flavor. Our Russian friend informed is that the old men eat them with vodka and beer, which they compliment nicely. That may be the case, but we found that they went extremely poorly with lunch. She also informed us that they are traditionally made by compressing them in your armpit but that this is not common anymore. Wonderful.
I'm not sure I can communicate how unpleasant that dish was. The flavor was bad enough, but it proved nigh-impossible to rid my mouth of the aftertaste.
We motored along for several more hours, our jaws agape at the scenery. The mountains were jagged with little foliage, resembling the Alps more then the Rockies.
Our passenger knew Dushanbe was close when we entered an eight kilometer tunnel. Unfortunately, it would be quite some time before we exited the tunnel. For an unknown reason, traffic came to a halt about midway through the tunnel. We spent the next hour and a half chatting with truckers, attempting to entertain ourselves, and listening to drivers honk their horns. The tunnel appeared to be in bad shape. It was humid and some parts of the tunnel had water streaming down the walls. Imagine my surprise when I found out the tunnel was opened in 2008!
We finally escaped the tunnel after 90 or so minutes. The descent into Dushanbe was quite thrilling - road construction was occurring everywhere and cars were dodging and weaving through traffic.
The delay in the tunnel set back our timetable. It was almost 9 PM by the time we arrived in Dushanbe. Trying to find a hotel at night can be a real pain, but luck was on our side. Our Russian traveler invited us to stay with her at a local house. The house was a sort of hostel/commune/house. It was free to stay, but people were expected to donate time, money, and food. All of the fellow lodgers were quite interesting. The majority were Russian and practically all were hitchhiking their way through Central Asia. The only other foreigners were a French couple cycling their way to China. Everyone was extremely hospital.
The next leg of our journey was Dushanbe to Khorog took two days to complete. I cannot overstate how beautiful Tajikistan is. We spent most of the time avoiding potholes and admiring the mountains.
I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but anyone curious about why I haven't posted any photos should know that my camera was stolen several weeks ago. I hate to be a tease regarding the scenery.
The highlight of the day was driving up an 10000 foot pass and finding a beautiful campsite not far from the road. We used our stove and cooking utensils to make some pasta and we were both sacked out before ten. It had been a long day on the road and we were camped about 30 kilometers out of Khalikum.
The next morning we broke camp and headed for Khorog. Khorog is considered the jumping off point for the Pamir Highway and is the last town of any significance until Murgab.
Most of this day was spent driving along the Afghan border. I don't know what I was expecting, but the border was very quiet. Only a few dwellings dotted the landscape across the river. Scott and I attempted to throw rocks onto the Afghan side of the border, but we failed miserably.
In addition to the usual amazing scenery, we saw two noteworthy events. The first was a tanker that had barely missed plunging off the road and into the river below and the second was a car accident outside of Khorog. A shared taxi driver locked up his breaks and hit the back end of a truck. His van was empty and no one appeared to be hurt.
We found a rather nice, inexpensive hotel in Khorog. We arrived fairly early (5:30 PM) so it was nice to spend some time lounging rather then hustling to grab some dinner. We ended up lounging a bit too long - everything was closing down by the time we made our move for some food. What we thought was a restaurant was an ice cream parlor, which ended up hitting the spot.
Around 9:30 PM, as we were relaxing, a Russian man entered our hotel and asked if anyone here was on the Mongol Rally. We gave him confirmation and he led us outside to meet some teams that had recently arrived in town. We were pleasantly surprised to meet the Beer Bongolians, whom we hadn't seen since Turkmenistan! They were also accompanied by the Swedes we met in Samarkand and a third team of two English girls. We hadn't expected to see the Swedes or the Bongolians again - they had left Dushanbe a full day or two before us!
It turned out that the southern route they took (we took the northern direct route) had taken quite a toll on their vehicles. Several wide water crossings had damaged the Bongolians ambulance suspension. What was supposed to be an early night turned into something much more fun as everyone raced to secure hotel rooms, and copious amounts of lager. We spent much of the night playing cards, sharing stories, and trying to figure out where to go from here.
That's all I have for now. The next update will contain: the Wakhan Valley, Murgab, and Kyrgyzstan.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Alive and well in the Pamirs
Tajikistan has been fantastic. The scenery has been incredible. It's been the best country of the trip so far. Off to Kyrgyzstan tomorrow. More to come once we have a good internet connection.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Central Asia Recap
Where to start? Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have both been fantastic. It cost some extra money, but using a guide for Turkmenistan was the right choice. It was great having a local guide and it was super convenient (all the hotels were booked and she got us through the Turkmen border like it was nothing).
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. The main highlight was the people - we had our first taste of Central Asian hospitality. Everywhere we went, people wanted to shake our hands and chat with us (barring Ashgabat, which had a weird undercurrent that I can't quite put my finger on). Sadly, I didn't have much of a chance to ask about the Turkmen police state.
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. After a fitful night of sleep in the port parking lot, Angela (the guide) met us and took us to our hotel in Turkmenbashii, a port city which is rapidly becoming a tourist destination. It was great to have a day to fully relax. Baku and the ferry had given us plenty of free time, but waiting for some nebulous event to occur is not the same as relaxing. I went for a swim in the Caspian Sea, visited the local bazaar, and took a nap. Dinner was the highlight - mutton kebabs (which called sashlyk), mincemeat kebabs, and liver kebabs. Lots of toasting as well (with plenty of vodka).
The next day was spent driving to Ashgabat. The first 160 kilometers and last 100 kilometers were fantastic new roads, but the stretch in the middle was quite bad. The potholes weren't terrible, but some were quite large. The real annoyance was the whoops in the road. I've never seen anything like it. There would be seven or eight in a row and each one would send me through the roof (we had moved some bags to the roof so Angela could ride in front). We stopped at several beautiful mosques, both built by former President Turkmenbashii (who was quite the egomaniac).
Ashgabat is quite a beautiful city - just about every original structure has been torn down and replaced with brand-new buildings with white marble exteriors. I've never seen anything like it. It's impressive, but also a little unsettling at the same time. Angela gave us a quick tour and we headed to the hotel. As luck would have it, several other Mongol Rally teams were parked outside. It's always a pleasure to meet up with other teams - instant drinking buddies. All the teams had arrived from Iran, so they were looking to do a bit of partying. I was glad to help. Vodka, beer, and cigarettes were consumed until wee in the night - the next morning was a bit unpleasant. Luckily, we had the day off. Scott and I headed to the only bank in Turkmenistan foreigners can withdraw money from (!!) and headed back to the hotel for an extended nap time. We ate dinner at a local establishment called the British Pub - a criminally overpriced restaurant praying on expats with too much money. The food was quite good, but the beer was terribly expensive. I was in bed by 11 PM.
We had another half day off as well and we completed another trip to the bank. We ran into a few more teams who had arrived fresh from Iran (now that I think about it, I haven't met any other teams who took the Caspian ferry) and killed time at an internet cafe. At 3:30, we headed back to the hotel and prepared for our trip to the Darvaza gas crater. The gas crater is the result of Soviet gas exploration gone wrong - a natural gas deposit was accidentally ignited and has been burning since the 1950's. We picked up some fresh mutton, vegetables, and vodka at the Russian Bazaar and began the trip north.
It took us a few hours to arrive at the crater. By my recollection, we arrived after 9. A 4x4 vehicle is required to access the crater and the Jimny was up to the task. The glow from the crater was visible several kilometers away. It was incredible to see in person and I am not sure I can do it justice. Imagine a deep crater with flames burning inside. Some call it "the gates of Hell". Sadly, the President of Turkmenistan has decided it needs to be extinguished (wether it is possible to do remains to be seen). We had another enjoyable meal of mutton, bread, and vodka. Angela invited several of her friends to join us and we had quite a time. Scott and I slept under the stars.
We got an early start the next morning. Our general rule is this: any day involving a border crossing requires an early start. There is nothing worse then a lengthy border crossing that puts you in an uncomfortable position (see: our 1 AM arrival in Baku). The road was fairly good most of the way to the Uzbek border, although we did have one scare: we arrived at a checkpoint only to find it was closed. The guards told Angela it may be closed until 5 PM. No one had any idea why. A near-riot almost broke out when they allowed some southbound students to pass in order to make it to their exams. Here's where having a guide pays off: Angela informed the guards our Turkmen visas were about to expire and we had to leave the country today. It took a bit of convincing, but they eventually opened the crossing for us and saved us a great deal of time.
The road was mostly good to the border but the last 70 or so kilometers was abysmal. Angela proved her worth again by getting us through the Turkmen side of the border crossing in minutes. The Uzbek side was relatively uncomplicated, although every traveller is forced to fill out a lengthy customs form. They thoroughly searched our bags (a first on this trip) and let us pass. This was our quickest border crossing since leaving the EU.
Our goal was to make it to the Uzbek town of Urgench. My guidebook indicated that there was a rather nice hotel, but we counted our chickens before they hatched. There was no easy way to cross the river to the town - we would later find out that the correct exit was 50 kilometers down the road. The cigarettes I offered the Uzbek border guard must have paid off in the form of karma because we ended up spending the night at an extremely pleasant Uzbek tea house. We were driving along the road attempting to look for a hotel when hunger struck. The owner seated us at a traditional Uzbek table (low to the ground and surrounded by rugs and pads). Scott and I pulled out the phrasebook and attempted to communicate that we were looking for a hotel. The proprietor insisted there was no need to search any farther - we would be staying here! His wife brought us blankets and pillows - were able to nod off right where we ate!
The next morning required another early start: our goal was Samarkand, nearly 700 kilometers down the road. Initially, the road was quite good but it quickly devolved into one of the worst roads of our trip. Massive potholes and signs of shoddy construction were everywhere. The most unusual and strangely beautiful thing we saw: roads reduced to one lane by blowing sand dunes.
We reached Bukhara in relatively good time, but decided to leave after witnessing the lines at the gas stations. For those who don't know, Uzbekistan is facing a severe petrol shortage - it's only reliably found in Tashkent. This was obviously a huge concern to us - we had to travel 700 kilometers! Our ace in the hole: a jerry can full of Turkmen fuel that we were able to take out of the country (this is technically illegal, but no one asked about it). We stopped to grab a quick bite to eat and I changed 100 dollars into Uzbek som. The current exchange rate: 1 dollar to 1600 som. I received two fat stacks of Uzbek currency (strangely enough, the only Uzbek note I have seen is the 1000). I planned to get a photo of myself surrounded by money, but we got lucky and found a petrol station with a short line.
A full tank of gas put us in very good spirits! We found a solid hotel, showered, and went out for dinner. The evening was quite relaxed as we were both quite tired. Uzbekistan has treated us so well we decided to spend a full day here.
This should get everyone up to speed! I'm off to see the sights. Tomorrow we have a three hour drive to Tajikistan (not including border crossings. Our current plan is to arrive early in Dushanbe and spend the day preparing for the Pamir Highway. We're both very excited - traveling along the Pamir Highway is the reason I signed up for the rally!
- Charlie
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. The main highlight was the people - we had our first taste of Central Asian hospitality. Everywhere we went, people wanted to shake our hands and chat with us (barring Ashgabat, which had a weird undercurrent that I can't quite put my finger on). Sadly, I didn't have much of a chance to ask about the Turkmen police state.
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. After a fitful night of sleep in the port parking lot, Angela (the guide) met us and took us to our hotel in Turkmenbashii, a port city which is rapidly becoming a tourist destination. It was great to have a day to fully relax. Baku and the ferry had given us plenty of free time, but waiting for some nebulous event to occur is not the same as relaxing. I went for a swim in the Caspian Sea, visited the local bazaar, and took a nap. Dinner was the highlight - mutton kebabs (which called sashlyk), mincemeat kebabs, and liver kebabs. Lots of toasting as well (with plenty of vodka).
The next day was spent driving to Ashgabat. The first 160 kilometers and last 100 kilometers were fantastic new roads, but the stretch in the middle was quite bad. The potholes weren't terrible, but some were quite large. The real annoyance was the whoops in the road. I've never seen anything like it. There would be seven or eight in a row and each one would send me through the roof (we had moved some bags to the roof so Angela could ride in front). We stopped at several beautiful mosques, both built by former President Turkmenbashii (who was quite the egomaniac).
Ashgabat is quite a beautiful city - just about every original structure has been torn down and replaced with brand-new buildings with white marble exteriors. I've never seen anything like it. It's impressive, but also a little unsettling at the same time. Angela gave us a quick tour and we headed to the hotel. As luck would have it, several other Mongol Rally teams were parked outside. It's always a pleasure to meet up with other teams - instant drinking buddies. All the teams had arrived from Iran, so they were looking to do a bit of partying. I was glad to help. Vodka, beer, and cigarettes were consumed until wee in the night - the next morning was a bit unpleasant. Luckily, we had the day off. Scott and I headed to the only bank in Turkmenistan foreigners can withdraw money from (!!) and headed back to the hotel for an extended nap time. We ate dinner at a local establishment called the British Pub - a criminally overpriced restaurant praying on expats with too much money. The food was quite good, but the beer was terribly expensive. I was in bed by 11 PM.
We had another half day off as well and we completed another trip to the bank. We ran into a few more teams who had arrived fresh from Iran (now that I think about it, I haven't met any other teams who took the Caspian ferry) and killed time at an internet cafe. At 3:30, we headed back to the hotel and prepared for our trip to the Darvaza gas crater. The gas crater is the result of Soviet gas exploration gone wrong - a natural gas deposit was accidentally ignited and has been burning since the 1950's. We picked up some fresh mutton, vegetables, and vodka at the Russian Bazaar and began the trip north.
It took us a few hours to arrive at the crater. By my recollection, we arrived after 9. A 4x4 vehicle is required to access the crater and the Jimny was up to the task. The glow from the crater was visible several kilometers away. It was incredible to see in person and I am not sure I can do it justice. Imagine a deep crater with flames burning inside. Some call it "the gates of Hell". Sadly, the President of Turkmenistan has decided it needs to be extinguished (wether it is possible to do remains to be seen). We had another enjoyable meal of mutton, bread, and vodka. Angela invited several of her friends to join us and we had quite a time. Scott and I slept under the stars.
We got an early start the next morning. Our general rule is this: any day involving a border crossing requires an early start. There is nothing worse then a lengthy border crossing that puts you in an uncomfortable position (see: our 1 AM arrival in Baku). The road was fairly good most of the way to the Uzbek border, although we did have one scare: we arrived at a checkpoint only to find it was closed. The guards told Angela it may be closed until 5 PM. No one had any idea why. A near-riot almost broke out when they allowed some southbound students to pass in order to make it to their exams. Here's where having a guide pays off: Angela informed the guards our Turkmen visas were about to expire and we had to leave the country today. It took a bit of convincing, but they eventually opened the crossing for us and saved us a great deal of time.
The road was mostly good to the border but the last 70 or so kilometers was abysmal. Angela proved her worth again by getting us through the Turkmen side of the border crossing in minutes. The Uzbek side was relatively uncomplicated, although every traveller is forced to fill out a lengthy customs form. They thoroughly searched our bags (a first on this trip) and let us pass. This was our quickest border crossing since leaving the EU.
Our goal was to make it to the Uzbek town of Urgench. My guidebook indicated that there was a rather nice hotel, but we counted our chickens before they hatched. There was no easy way to cross the river to the town - we would later find out that the correct exit was 50 kilometers down the road. The cigarettes I offered the Uzbek border guard must have paid off in the form of karma because we ended up spending the night at an extremely pleasant Uzbek tea house. We were driving along the road attempting to look for a hotel when hunger struck. The owner seated us at a traditional Uzbek table (low to the ground and surrounded by rugs and pads). Scott and I pulled out the phrasebook and attempted to communicate that we were looking for a hotel. The proprietor insisted there was no need to search any farther - we would be staying here! His wife brought us blankets and pillows - were able to nod off right where we ate!
The next morning required another early start: our goal was Samarkand, nearly 700 kilometers down the road. Initially, the road was quite good but it quickly devolved into one of the worst roads of our trip. Massive potholes and signs of shoddy construction were everywhere. The most unusual and strangely beautiful thing we saw: roads reduced to one lane by blowing sand dunes.
We reached Bukhara in relatively good time, but decided to leave after witnessing the lines at the gas stations. For those who don't know, Uzbekistan is facing a severe petrol shortage - it's only reliably found in Tashkent. This was obviously a huge concern to us - we had to travel 700 kilometers! Our ace in the hole: a jerry can full of Turkmen fuel that we were able to take out of the country (this is technically illegal, but no one asked about it). We stopped to grab a quick bite to eat and I changed 100 dollars into Uzbek som. The current exchange rate: 1 dollar to 1600 som. I received two fat stacks of Uzbek currency (strangely enough, the only Uzbek note I have seen is the 1000). I planned to get a photo of myself surrounded by money, but we got lucky and found a petrol station with a short line.
A full tank of gas put us in very good spirits! We found a solid hotel, showered, and went out for dinner. The evening was quite relaxed as we were both quite tired. Uzbekistan has treated us so well we decided to spend a full day here.
This should get everyone up to speed! I'm off to see the sights. Tomorrow we have a three hour drive to Tajikistan (not including border crossings. Our current plan is to arrive early in Dushanbe and spend the day preparing for the Pamir Highway. We're both very excited - traveling along the Pamir Highway is the reason I signed up for the rally!
- Charlie
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Back from the dead!
Hey guys, sorry about the lack of updates. I'm on my first useable internet connection in several days (or maybe weeks?). Much has happened since I prepared this update:
The next morning, I got up around 6 AM to enjoy a swim in the Black Sea. The water was perfect. It was warm enough to be comfortable but just cool enough to refresh. I splashed and floated for the next 45 minutes. It was time to move. Our goal was Batumi, Georgia. Problems with the air conditioner had been getting worse, so we also wanted to squeeze in a stop at the Trabzon Suzuki dealership.
The drive along the Black Sea coast was quite beautiful and traffic was nonexistent. Trabzon was difficult to navigate and we ended up visiting 3 out of the 4 Suzuki dealers in the city to find a mechanic. In an incredible stroke of luck, we encountered the Trabzon chapter of the Turkish Off Road Club. They took extremely good care of us, offering water, tea, coffee, and cigarettes to us. They were ecstatic when Scott left them with some magazines and stickers. The downside: they were able to find out the source of our A/C problems. Apparently there is a leak somewhere and the freon is slowly escaping. They did replace our coolant and it shouldn't be a problem (I hope).
A couple of hours later it was time to cross into Georgia. The Turkish side was packed with truckers and an absolute zoo. I met a fellow Mongol Rallier in line to get the car exported. The Georgian side was calmer. It was a bit of a shock when they made Scott get out of the car - from here on out, passengers would pass through separately from the owner/driver of the vehicle.
After passing through the border, the Scottish team I had met in line was parked on the side of the road. We enjoyed a beer in a small cafe on the Black Sea and decided to meet up in Batumi, just a few kilometers across the road.
Georgia was an incredible surprise. Batumi was vibrant and full of people. It was clear that a lot of money had been invested into attracting tourists. The Scots became separated from us, but somehow we met on a street corner and found a hotel together. It was great to meet another team since we had been more or less traveling alone since the Czechout Party. Everyone dropped their bags off and we headed out for dinner and beer.
The restaurant suggested by the hotel was closed but found a bar/restaurant closer to the town center. The food was amazing. The Georgian national dish is a cheese pie: a small crust on the bottom and filled with melted cheese. It was unbelievably good and they come in many different varieties. Cheese pie, fried pork, and cold beer was exactly what was needed after a long day behind the wheel. Some of the guys headed back, but I stayed out with two of the Scots. We had encountered a young Georgian guy during dinner who spoke excellent English. He volunteered to show those of us who remained around the city. After some Georgian cognac and Georgian wine, it was time to head back to the hotel.
The next morning was extremely relaxed. I was a little worse for wear after our alcohol-fueled tour of Batumi, so this was extremely welcome. Most of the morning was spent enjoying a late breakfast and catching up on e-mail.
The drive to Tiblisi was beautiful. The Georgian country side is absolutely worth seeing and the Georgians were some of the most warm and funny people we have met so far. They are also the worst drivers I have ever encountered. It's a complete free for all on the road. We pulled into Tiblisi around 8 PM and found a hotel. It was now time for another Georgian feast: more cheese pie and fried pork! Sleep came easy - we would need lots of rest for tomorrow's border crossing into Azerbaijan. Georgia has been one of our favorite countries so far. The girls are absolutely amazing.
Tiblisi is quite close to the Azeri border so next morning's drive was smooth. Checking out of Georgia was simple enough and I was quite confident that we would be rolling into Baku quite early. I was tragically mistaken. The Azeri side was a nightmare. Long queues, a totally inadequate border checkpoint, and angry officials all contributed to a four hour border crossing. At one point, I had to hike from the temporary border crossing through a pile of ash and garbage to the brand-new border crossing up top. We actually lost five hours due to a new time zone.
After dealing with Georgian drivers, Azeris seemed completely rational. Our drive to Baku was long and flat. I don't think we encountered any hills or altitude. Lots of construction slowed our progress, but the sheer amount of time spent at the border crossing is what really sunk us. Prior to this, we had been able to avoid driving at night (this is one of our cardinal rules - the chance of an accident significantly increases at night) but we simply could not find a hotel on the highway to Baku. I had reserved a hotel in Baku several months ago, so we decided to power on and see what we could find. Several of the western-style hotels on the edge of town were asking exorbitant rates so we headed into downtown to find the Sea Port Hotel (where I made my reservation). Luckily, it was quite easy to find. The highlight of our drive: after we had managed to get quite lost in an Azeri city, an extremely kind man gave us directions, led us to the correct turn and gave us six bottles of water.
Baku was much different then expected. I was aware of the oil money flowing into the city, but I wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of new hotels, construction, and wealth that Baku possessed. It was extremely impressive.
Our first task after awakening: attempt to get some concrete information about the elusive Baku-Turkmenbashi ferry. Most guidebooks and authorities paint this as a crapshoot. There are no regular schedules or tickets available in advance. The ships are described as roach infested and it's common to wait 2-3 days off the cost of Turkmenistan waiting for a place to dock at the port.
Fortunately, our experience was the opposite. We headed to the port around 9:30 to find the ticket office. After a few false starts, we found the correct building. They then informed us to come back in an hour or two and they would have more concrete info. Productivity was key - it could be several days before the next ferry. We checked out of the hotel, changed money, obtained cash, and purchased enough provisions to last for several days. After returning to the port, they informed us we could purchase tickets at 7 PM. Our Scottish buddies happened to be at the port as well, which was a good thing. None of us wanted to be the only team on the boat. The Customs Office let us drop the car off and complete some of the paperwork necessary to export the car, but this was as far as we could proceed.
We killed the next few hours at the pub, which provided the cold beer and shade necessary to beat the heat. Arriving somewhere early didn't seem to help in Azerbaijan, so we waited until 7:30. A man from the ticket office came and found us. George and I (George is a member of the Beer-Bongolians, the semi-Scottish team we have been traveling/hanging out with) purchased the tickets in a relatively painless process. We paid 100 USD per person and 50 USD per meter. The Jimny was 3.5, so that came out to 375 USD. The ticket price even included a cabin!
Exporting the vehicle was a pain, but the ferry was quite painless. We left the port around 2 AM and docked in Turkmenbashi around 8 PM. The boat was relatively clean, but very hot. There was even a small café. The crew was quite friendly as well.
Right now we’re in Ashgabat – we head for the Darvaza gas crater tonight and attempt to cross into Uzbekistan tomorrow. Wish us luck!
The next morning, I got up around 6 AM to enjoy a swim in the Black Sea. The water was perfect. It was warm enough to be comfortable but just cool enough to refresh. I splashed and floated for the next 45 minutes. It was time to move. Our goal was Batumi, Georgia. Problems with the air conditioner had been getting worse, so we also wanted to squeeze in a stop at the Trabzon Suzuki dealership.
The drive along the Black Sea coast was quite beautiful and traffic was nonexistent. Trabzon was difficult to navigate and we ended up visiting 3 out of the 4 Suzuki dealers in the city to find a mechanic. In an incredible stroke of luck, we encountered the Trabzon chapter of the Turkish Off Road Club. They took extremely good care of us, offering water, tea, coffee, and cigarettes to us. They were ecstatic when Scott left them with some magazines and stickers. The downside: they were able to find out the source of our A/C problems. Apparently there is a leak somewhere and the freon is slowly escaping. They did replace our coolant and it shouldn't be a problem (I hope).
A couple of hours later it was time to cross into Georgia. The Turkish side was packed with truckers and an absolute zoo. I met a fellow Mongol Rallier in line to get the car exported. The Georgian side was calmer. It was a bit of a shock when they made Scott get out of the car - from here on out, passengers would pass through separately from the owner/driver of the vehicle.
After passing through the border, the Scottish team I had met in line was parked on the side of the road. We enjoyed a beer in a small cafe on the Black Sea and decided to meet up in Batumi, just a few kilometers across the road.
Georgia was an incredible surprise. Batumi was vibrant and full of people. It was clear that a lot of money had been invested into attracting tourists. The Scots became separated from us, but somehow we met on a street corner and found a hotel together. It was great to meet another team since we had been more or less traveling alone since the Czechout Party. Everyone dropped their bags off and we headed out for dinner and beer.
The restaurant suggested by the hotel was closed but found a bar/restaurant closer to the town center. The food was amazing. The Georgian national dish is a cheese pie: a small crust on the bottom and filled with melted cheese. It was unbelievably good and they come in many different varieties. Cheese pie, fried pork, and cold beer was exactly what was needed after a long day behind the wheel. Some of the guys headed back, but I stayed out with two of the Scots. We had encountered a young Georgian guy during dinner who spoke excellent English. He volunteered to show those of us who remained around the city. After some Georgian cognac and Georgian wine, it was time to head back to the hotel.
The next morning was extremely relaxed. I was a little worse for wear after our alcohol-fueled tour of Batumi, so this was extremely welcome. Most of the morning was spent enjoying a late breakfast and catching up on e-mail.
The drive to Tiblisi was beautiful. The Georgian country side is absolutely worth seeing and the Georgians were some of the most warm and funny people we have met so far. They are also the worst drivers I have ever encountered. It's a complete free for all on the road. We pulled into Tiblisi around 8 PM and found a hotel. It was now time for another Georgian feast: more cheese pie and fried pork! Sleep came easy - we would need lots of rest for tomorrow's border crossing into Azerbaijan. Georgia has been one of our favorite countries so far. The girls are absolutely amazing.
Tiblisi is quite close to the Azeri border so next morning's drive was smooth. Checking out of Georgia was simple enough and I was quite confident that we would be rolling into Baku quite early. I was tragically mistaken. The Azeri side was a nightmare. Long queues, a totally inadequate border checkpoint, and angry officials all contributed to a four hour border crossing. At one point, I had to hike from the temporary border crossing through a pile of ash and garbage to the brand-new border crossing up top. We actually lost five hours due to a new time zone.
After dealing with Georgian drivers, Azeris seemed completely rational. Our drive to Baku was long and flat. I don't think we encountered any hills or altitude. Lots of construction slowed our progress, but the sheer amount of time spent at the border crossing is what really sunk us. Prior to this, we had been able to avoid driving at night (this is one of our cardinal rules - the chance of an accident significantly increases at night) but we simply could not find a hotel on the highway to Baku. I had reserved a hotel in Baku several months ago, so we decided to power on and see what we could find. Several of the western-style hotels on the edge of town were asking exorbitant rates so we headed into downtown to find the Sea Port Hotel (where I made my reservation). Luckily, it was quite easy to find. The highlight of our drive: after we had managed to get quite lost in an Azeri city, an extremely kind man gave us directions, led us to the correct turn and gave us six bottles of water.
Baku was much different then expected. I was aware of the oil money flowing into the city, but I wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of new hotels, construction, and wealth that Baku possessed. It was extremely impressive.
Our first task after awakening: attempt to get some concrete information about the elusive Baku-Turkmenbashi ferry. Most guidebooks and authorities paint this as a crapshoot. There are no regular schedules or tickets available in advance. The ships are described as roach infested and it's common to wait 2-3 days off the cost of Turkmenistan waiting for a place to dock at the port.
Fortunately, our experience was the opposite. We headed to the port around 9:30 to find the ticket office. After a few false starts, we found the correct building. They then informed us to come back in an hour or two and they would have more concrete info. Productivity was key - it could be several days before the next ferry. We checked out of the hotel, changed money, obtained cash, and purchased enough provisions to last for several days. After returning to the port, they informed us we could purchase tickets at 7 PM. Our Scottish buddies happened to be at the port as well, which was a good thing. None of us wanted to be the only team on the boat. The Customs Office let us drop the car off and complete some of the paperwork necessary to export the car, but this was as far as we could proceed.
We killed the next few hours at the pub, which provided the cold beer and shade necessary to beat the heat. Arriving somewhere early didn't seem to help in Azerbaijan, so we waited until 7:30. A man from the ticket office came and found us. George and I (George is a member of the Beer-Bongolians, the semi-Scottish team we have been traveling/hanging out with) purchased the tickets in a relatively painless process. We paid 100 USD per person and 50 USD per meter. The Jimny was 3.5, so that came out to 375 USD. The ticket price even included a cabin!
Exporting the vehicle was a pain, but the ferry was quite painless. We left the port around 2 AM and docked in Turkmenbashi around 8 PM. The boat was relatively clean, but very hot. There was even a small café. The crew was quite friendly as well.
Right now we’re in Ashgabat – we head for the Darvaza gas crater tonight and attempt to cross into Uzbekistan tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Istanbul (not Constantinople)
As I type this, I'm cruising through the Turkish hinterland. It's different then I expected. Some areas are dry and the vegetation is sparse and others are thickly forested. Both areas are quite hot, Istanbul was a (beautiful) swamp.
Over the last couple of days we've laid down some serious mileage and had our first day off. The last thing I mentioned was staying near the Romanian/Bulgarian border. We crossed into Bulgaria early the next morning and it couldn't have been easier. They checked our documents, stamped our passports, and that was it. Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria all required the purchase of vignettes. This is basically a highway tax. It's nice, short term vignettes usually tend to be overpriced. The upside: no tolls.
Bulgaria was much more beautiful then I had expected. Much of the country we passed through was forested and mountainous. Plenty of horse carts were spotted, some roads even had horse cart signs posted. Sadly, we didn't even get to spend one night there - Istanbul was our goal.
As the Jimny rocketed south, the temperature increased as our elevation decreased. The cool Romanian weather would have been welcome at the Turkish border.
After being stamped out of the country by a Bulgarian border official, we had left the EU. Entering Turkey was more complicated, but orderly. The complication was mostly due to the fact that we had forgotten to purchase Turkish visas. Surprisingly, we were waved through, told to purchase them, and come directly back to the booth. I had expected to be sent to the back of the line. We picked up our 15 euro visas, officially entered the country, and imported the car.
We had a chance to chat with other rally teams during and after the border crossing and insurance had caused some of them problems. The majority had insurance policies that only covered Europe, forcing them to buy insurance at the border. This can cost a pretty penny - I heard several stories about being forced to buy 100 euro policies at the Serbian border.
The road to Istanbul is a modern six lane highway (although not all Turkish highways are like this). Our main concern was parking in Istanbul - my guidebook made it sound like a nightmare. The city is difficult to navigate, but with a little luck, decent parking is attainable.
Scott and I enjoyed some Turkish raki on a rooftop terrace (these are huge in Istanbul, I was not aware of this) and went to bed. Quick note: rake is a brandy made from grapes and raisins. It's flavored with anise. The spirit is clear but when water is added it turns a chalky white. It has a black licorice flavor and is quite strong.
Istanbul is an incredibly beautiful city. The Ottoman architecture is amazing. The Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, and Topkapi Palace are must-sees. The food is fantastic as well - I ate my fill of kebabs. Scott and I spent our first day off in Istanbul and it was a perfect stop. Lots to see, lots to do and it came at a perfect time.
The highways in Turkey are very good and those that are sub-par all show signs of improvement. We drove from Istanbul to the Black Sea town of Unye and covered between 8-900 kilometers. We had kebabs and beer on the Black Sea and stayed at a nice campground, although the humidity was unbearable.
End Part 1.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The wild, wild, west.
After a 3 hour border crossing, we made it to Batumi, Georgia. This place is wild - lots of Russians, gambling, and neon.
I haven't been neglecting all you readers - we've been covering lots of miles. I'm currently in the middle of writing a mega update which should fill in some the blanks.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Romanian Review
Romania was really great - we covered some of the most beautiful terrain I've ever seen. The forest-covered Carpathian mountains must be seen to be believed. Romania has absolutely been my favorite country on this trip. The first part of our route was a paved road through the Carpathian mounts - we passed through many small, traditional Romanian villages. I mentioned the horse carts in my last update, but we also came across an overturned car seconds after it happened. The massive puddle a few meters down the road indicated pretty clearly the vehicle had hydroplaned and rolled. We arrived as bystanders were pulling passengers out of the vehicle - everyone involved appeared to be alright.
I would 100% recommend the Oradea-Deva road. It's winding, full of fun curves, and has plenty of potholes to dodge. The road actually continues south to Transti-Jiru, but we headed east from Deva in an attempt to drive the world famous Transfaraguan. Originally constructed to transport military supplies, the road is now a significant tourist attraction. It passes over a mountain and descends back towards a reservoir. It's steep, has tons of switchbacks, and has some incredible views. Words don't really do it justice. We took off the roof of the Jimny and I shot video of the switchbacks while standing up. That was pretty intense, but the footage should be worth it.
It was time to head south. We powered through the outskirts of Bucharest and found a place not far from the Bulgarian border. It wasn't quite as far as we hoped, but it worked. Next stop: Bulgaria and Turkey.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Is that a horse cart in the road?
It took me a day, but I'm fully recovered from the Czechout party. It was one hell of a get together. The German/Czech border region was very beautiful. Lots of rolling hills, thick forests, and tight corners. Our directions to the party were very vague so it took some quick thinking and navigation to locate Klenova Castle. I spent a semester studying in the Czech Republic in the fall of 2006, but had never explored this part of the country.
We arrived at camp around 7 PM. The camp was quite a sight. Imagine 700 or so people in various stages of drunkenness were surrounded by all sorts of crappy little cars. The ones who had arrived early were easy to spot - they were always the drunkest. It was great to finally encounter some fellow Rally teams. The Jimnys were out in force - we were the only one at the Spanish launch but many more had started from Goodwood. We cracked beers, hurriedly set up camp and headed up to the castle for an authentic Czech dinner.
Most of the revelers were in costume. The theme was "Jules Verne" but most partygoers ignored the theme and wore whatever outlandish outfit they liked best. Several men wore only thongs. I salute them because the night became quite chilly and the bugs were out in force.
The meal was surprisingly good. Chicken, some sort of boiled sausage (it had a slight vinegar flavor but it was very tasty), and bread were served. The party was also sponsored by Hendricks Gin and I received two free drink tickets upon entry.
The gin and beer really started flying once the live music started. A local Czech band rocked really hard - they played a mix of post-rock/noise/dance stuff. Really awesome.
Things got a little hazy after the concert. One thing that sicks out: the generosity of Mongol Ralliers. Rally participants bought me beers. Scott and I completely forgot to grab some czech crowns on our way to the party and they were reluctant to accept Euros. I did have an amazing chat with a BBC foreign correspondent and it was good to see some of my friends from the Spanish launch.
I stumbled into my tent around 3:30 in the morning and managed to sleep until 8:30. Rough. We were one of the first teams out of camp which was nice.
The rest of the Czech Republic was a breeze. We did take a long, meandering route to Slovakia. This cost us some time but the scenery was worth it (how many times have I said this?).
The travel gods smiled on us again last night. We found an excellent little campground in Hungary - we enjoyed wi-fi and a delicious Hungarian dinner. Another interesting fact: we were the first Americans to stay there.
Romania has been wild. We're about two hours outside of Deva. This update is starting to get a little disjointed, so I'm going to wrap it up. Tomorrow is sure to be another long, but enjoyable day. We're heading into Transylvania and crossing into Bulgaria.
Highlight of the day: having to swerve around a horse cart in the middle of a Romanian road.
Photos will be up in the morning, I swear.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Czechout Aftermath
The Czechout Party was fantastic. I drank myself silly in a 13th century castle with hundreds of other Rally participants. The party was sponsored by Hendricks gin and the beer was cheap. The live bands were great as well.
Tonight we're camping near the town of Monsonmagyarovar. The campground has a great restaurant, wi-fi, and cheap beer. We're the first Americans to stay here.
Tomorrow we're speeding through the heart of Hungary and heading to Romania. Our route takes us through the Carpathian mountains. After that we head south to Bulgaria. I'm hoping to stay near the town of Vidin. Our route to Istanbul will take us through Bulgaria's Rhodope mountains.
I'll be preparing a big write-up about the Czechout Party. Also, I finally got my copy of Lightroom working. Expect photos soon!
The Calm Before the Storm
As I type this, we are north of Munich and cruising through Germany. Lots of distance has been covered over the last two days. Tonight's destination: the Czechout Party. Mongol Rally teams from all three starting points will converge on an isolated castle in western Bohemia. From what I gathered, it's quite the event. It begins around seven tonight and ends around 4 in the morning.
We abandoned our initial route through central France and Germany. The wind was pretty savage and the Jimny just wasn't capable of handling the high speeds on the French Autopistes, so we headed east for Switzerland. The scenery was quite beautiful. Flipping through the road atlas gave me an idea: why not head for Lichtenstein? Neither of us had ever been there before.
As we passed headed north-east through Switzerland, the scenery became more and more rugged. It looks quite different from the Rockies. We were driving through pastoral green valleys and mountains jutted straight up from the left and right. The roads were also excellent.
We entered Lichtenstein around 7 PM. It was a ghost town. The entire population of the country is only 35,000 and apparently they were all out of town. We drove through the winding streets attempting to find an open restaurant. We finally found a woman who indicated that we should turn around and head to the town centre. Dinner was secured.
Lichtenstein just didn't seem right for us, so we drove 15 minutes down the road and entered Feldkirch, Austria. It was the opposite of LIchtenstein: lots of activity and we could even see other people! Unfortunately, this proved to be a blessing and a curse. Just about every reasonably priced hotel was booked. Scott and I made the decision to avoid camping and stay in a hotel after realizing how close we were to exhaustion. After a search, a hotel with an empty room was found but we paid dearly.
Today began with a beautiful drive through the mountains of Austria. One of the most interesting things: a 10 KM long tunnel we drove through. Crazy stuff. The temperature was quite cool, which I thought was terrific. I had more or less been sweating since I landed in Spain.
The mountainous scenery continued briefly in Germany, but we quickly found ourselves on the autobahn. The Jimny achieved the previously unheard-of speed of 130 km/h. 130 km/h is maybe 80 miles an hour. The truck is happiest at speeds of 100-110 km/h.
That's it. We're a couple of hours from the Czech Republic and the Czechout Party. It should be absolutely, completely ridiculous.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Photos
I'm having some difficulty with my photo software. Once I get this solved, expect a lot more photos and other media.
Rally launch + France!
The Mongol Rally has begun! 350 underprepared teams are speeding east in 350 underpowered vehicles. I want to apologize for the lack of updates. A hectic (but enjoyable) travel schedule in Spain and some behind the scenes technical changes at ExpeditionPortal prevented me from blogging. Now that the Rally is underway, blog entries should be delivered regularly.
My stay in Barcelona was brief, but extremely enjoyable. The attitude was noticeably more relaxed then Madrid. I arrived on the 21st of July and spent the majority of my time doing two things: wandering around the city taking in sights or experiencing Barcelona's incredible nightlife. My lowest priority: a good night's sleep. Scott and I did manage a quick meeting on the 22nd to discuss some last minute details - we wouldn't be meeting again until the morning of the 24th.
The Barcelona launch site opened at 6 PM on the 23rd and teams were able to drop off their vehicles that evening. Scott had the Jimny so we really had no responsibilities until the next morning. There was an informal meet-and-greet-and-drink session scheduled, so I wandered over to meet an American team I had been in correspondence with. It was a very pleasant evening so I covered the distance to the launch site on foot.
The launch site was dead. Two Adventurists staff members were assembling the combination stage and starting line but only three teams had shown up. I introduced myself to the other teams and we quickly realized that only the North Americans had shown up. Out of 44 Mongol Rally teams beginning in Barcelona, only four were North American (three teams from the United States and one Canadian team). We were informed that the Spanish teams probably wouldn't show up until the next morning.
We set out to find the bar where teams would be rendezvousing. As the group ate and drank, Spanish teams slowly trickled in. Around 1:15, I called it a night (this is early for Barcelona, especially on a Friday night) and trekked back to the hotel. It was time to get some sleep. Scott would be picking me up in less then 12 hours.
I awoke with a start at 8 AM. The late nights in Barcelona had taken their toll, but launch day was finally here! During the roughly 8 months I've been preparing for the Rally, I've told many people that just getting to the starting line would be an achievement. In just a few hours that goal would be achieved.
I managed to shower, pack, eat breakfast, and check out of the hotel with time to spare. Scott picked me up right at 9:45 and the drive to the starting line was a short one. We were one of the first ten cars there. This was actually my first ride in the Jimny. In fact, I hadn't even seen it in person until we met on the 22nd.
We had some time to kill so we unpacked the truck and went through our gear. By the time we finished this, it was time to register. After picking up the t-shirts and applying vehicle decals, it was time to relax for a while.
It was very cool to walk around and check out all the different cars and ambulances. There were no other Jimnys and the only other vehicle with 4WD was a van driven by a Spanish team.
Around 1 PM, the launch ceremony started. The MC called each team on stage and quizzed them about their plans. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand what 40 of the teams were saying but they did draw some laughs. I am officially on the record as wanting to marry a Mongolian woman and live the rest of my days in a yurt.
Once the team speeches were completed, we hustled back to the vehicles - it was time to depart! Each team had a chance to drive across the podium and get their photo snapped. We quickly removed the top of the Jimny and I climbed up on the roof. I haven't seen any of the photos yet, but they should be very entertaining.
We were finally on the road! We made a quick stop at a mall to eat lunch and grab some last minute items. Our plan: drive to a small village to Avignon, where we would be staying with Patrice Ryder and his family. Patrice owns Outback Import and has been extremely generous to the Great Roadway Bazaar. He has donated time, parts, and most important of all, his hospitality.
The drive to Patrice's home was pleasant and uneventful. We did have one moment of excitement. I was staring out the window when I heard a loud bang and the car sputtered. Scott shot straight up as the car sputtered again. Scott quickly realized we had run out of gas - there was no light indicating when we needed to fill up! The jerry cans were full so this would only be a minor setback. Fate soon intervened. We spied an on-ramp up ahead and Scott decided to go for it. He shut the engine off, put the car in neutral and hoped for the best. Our travel karma must have been at an all time high - the exit ramp led directly to a gas station and we coasted right to the pump. If the pump had been 20 yards further we wouldn't have made it. After laughing maniacally, we filled the tank up with 39.16 liters (it's a 40L tank).
It had been a long but enjoyable day. Patrice and his family had prepared us a delicious dinner (curry!). After the meal, we tried to do some planning for the next day. Neither of us had any energy left, so we called it a night.
Update from Spain
I apologize for being so silent lately. I landed in Madrid on July 11. Since then, I have rarely thought of the Rally - a somewhat welcome change! Mongol Rally thoughts and preparation have consumed my brain since I first paid the entry fee last November, so this is the calm before the storm. Between purchasing a car, obtaining visas, and making travel plans it has been rare for more then a couple of hours to pass without a Mongol Rally-related thought entering my brain. I've been using my time here to relax and enjoy myself.
My stay in Spain has been incredibly pleasant. An old friend of mine picked me up from the airport when I arrived and was a fantastic tour guide. The highlight of the day: tapas-hopping through the Barrio de La Latina. La Latina is an older neighborhood and up until a few years ago was considered the dangerous part of Madrid. It's now an area of town famed for it's restaurants. Later that evening we went to watch the World Cup final. When Spain scored the only goal of the match, the roar from the crowd was unforgettable. After the victory we spent several hours marching around town with the other celebrants.
I spent several days in Madrid recuperating from traveling, seeing sights, and enjoying life. Madrid doesn't have the cultural cachet of Paris, the ruins of Rome, or the reputation of Barcelona (the preceding sentence was blatantly stolen from my Lonely Planet guide) but it is a fantastic city. As my guidebook described it: Madrid is a is cross between Penélope Cruz (beautiful and quintessentially Spanish), Madonna (sassy and getting better with age) and an ex-convent schoolgirl who grew up, got sophisticated but never forgot how to have a good time. The Museo del Prado and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza are both must-sees. Madrid is also a great mix of new and old architecture.
After five days in Madrid, I set out for the south of Spain. I wanted to visit Andalusia, which as a very unique history. Andalusia formed the heart of the Muslim region Al-Andalus (from which the name Andalusia is derived). Muslims invaded the Iberian Peninsula in the early 700s and were finally expelled from Granada in 1492. This has given a lot of the culture in the area a unique flavor. After seeing the remnants of the Muslim architecture, I almost wish they had stayed.
I spent several days in Seville and Cordoba. Both are incredibly beautiful regions, but during this time of year they are both extremely hot. I spent most of my time sightseeing and staying cool. Seville has many language schools and universities - I ended up exploring the nightlife with some Americans I met. There's nothing like arriving back at your hotel after sunrise.
Days begin and end late here in Spain. It's rare to see much going on before 9 AM. The streets are empty from 2-4 PM. No one goes out for dinner before 10 PM. Bars usually close at midnight or 1 AM. Night clubs don't even open their doors until 1 AM and they rarely close until dawn. The relaxed pace of life is very pleasant. I'm already plotting ways to avoid returning to the US.
As I write this, I'm back in Madrid for a night. I'm heading to Barcelona tomorrow. Scott and I will rendezvous there and we begin our journey to Mongolia on the 24th.
With the Mongol Rally rapidly approaching, expect a lot more content from me. I plan on writing extensively about the journey to Mongolia.
Chuck
Random thought: my mother was kind enough to loan me her Barnes & Noble Nook, which I absolutely have fallen in love with. The e-ink display the Nook and Kindle feature is extremely easy on the eyes. I was able to read for hours at a cafe today, which most certainly would not happen on an LCD display.
Another random thought: you can purchase gazpacho soup at the McDonald's here in Spain.
Some history, pt. 2
It's been an exciting two days: the car was just delivered to southern France (where some slight vehicle modification will be performed), the vehicle registration documents have been delivered, and we just received our last visa. The passports may even be back tomorrow!
This post is going to focus on all the planning and logistic management that's been completed. Instead of trying to put together some sort of roughly chronological narrative, I'm going to break it up into individual categories/areas/factors/etc.
The Route
Selecting the route has been one of my favorite aspects of Rally planning. There are two main Rally routes: north or south. The northern routes tend to pass through Belarus, the Ukraine, and Russia. Some northern routes might even dip into Russia. Southern routes head through Turkey and usually feature trips through Central Asia.
The southern route tends to be more challenging. There is much less infrastructure and the terrain is much rougher. Naturally, this was the route I had my heart set on. The Pamir Highway immediately captured my imagination I knew it would be one of the trip highlights. At this point, I had a rough idea of the countries I wanted to pass through.
It was now time to do a massive amount of research and actually construct the route. Prioritizing was key: it's easy to find useful information on Western Europe, but it takes time and money to find information on Central Asia. I used three main tools to gather information: Google, maps, and guidebooks. Each had plusses and minuses. Quality Central Asian maps? Long out of print. Finding the mileage between two cities was almost impossible. The time it took to cover said distance? Much easier to find. It was a symbiotic process - individually, each information source lacked a crucial piece of information, but with enough cross-referencing the answer could be found. My single most valuable resource? Lonely Planet's Central Asian guidebook. The bus timetables turned out to be worth the price of the book.
Now it was time to commit the route to paper. I printed two sets of calendars (July, August, and September) and lined up my maps. Using my maps and guidebooks as a reference, I penciled in the rough stopping point on each date. To make things easier, I decided that we would attempt to stop in or near a city/town/village. Once I had something that worked, I double-checked it and made another copy in pen. The calendar is extremely important, and plays an important role in obtaining visas.
Even with all the time and effort invested in route planning, it's still no more then a suggestion. Flexibility is key, especially when traveling in a region like this. What if the road is closed? What if the map is wrong and there is no road at all? That's why it's important to focus on the journey and not the destination.
Here is a rough map of our route.
The Vehicle
We had to deal with two major constraints when selecting a vehicle: age and engine size. The Rally rules state that the vehicle must be a 2001 model or newer and must have an engine no bigger then 1.2 liters. After some consideration, we decided that the perfect vehicle would be a left-hand drive Suzuki Jimny. This would give us four-wheel drive capability, which would allow us to tackle tougher terrain.
We then had to determine where to buy the vehicle - the US or the EU? After our experiences shipping trucks back from Panama, we quickly ruled this out. Further research revealed the fact that the United Kingdom is the only nation in the EU that allows non-residents to register vehicles. We would have to find our car in the UK and find someone willing to let us use their address to register our vehicle.
As luck would have it, my very first Google search produced some fantastic results. We found a left-hand drive, 2001 Suzuki Jimny for sale in Shropshire, England. It was exactly what we were looking for! It even had all the bells and whistles - removable hard top, air conditioning, and a tape deck.
It took roughly a month and a half to purchase the vehicle. We initially contacted the seller in mid-April and the vehicle was delivered to our agent in France on June 20.
It looks like I lied in the opening paragraph - this entry has been longer then expected so I'm going to post this content and attempt to tackle one of the most frustrating aspects of travel: visas.
Some history, pt. 1
When I describe the Mongol Rally to someone, I usually receive two questions: "Why on Earth would you do something like this?" and a close second is "How did you hear about it?" This entry should answer these questions and provide considerably more insight then I usually offer when I'm describing this after a few beers.
I have difficulty remembering the exact moment when I discovered the Mongol Rally. I believe it was sometime in the spring of 2007 when I encountered a trip report written by a father/son team from the UK. It piqued my curiosity but it just wasn't an engrossing read. There was very little flair for the dramatic, almost as if they weren't aware of how difficult the feat they accomplished really was. Despite the less then thrilling prose, something about the idea of driving across entire continents in underpowered vehicles struck a chord with me.
There are two more recent events that lead to my enrollment in the 2010 Mongol Rally. The first would be my participation in the Central American leg of the Expeditions West Ends of the Earth Expedition (try saying that three times fast). It was my first real exposure to overloading and an absolutely fantastic experience. The second would be Paul Theroux's novel of travel by train, The Great Railway Bazaar (I highly recommend this book!). After finishing the aforementioned book, not only did I want a trip of my own, but I realized it was very possible to put one together.
Fast forward to November, 2009. On a whim, I checked out the Mongol Rally homepage and discovered that registration was open for the 2010 Rally. On an even bigger whim, I registered for a spot on the waiting list (some part of me wanted to be selected - I chose Barcelona as my starting point because I figured the waiting list was fairly short). A week later, I received an e-mail stating I had a spot on the 2010 Mongol Rally and had two weeks to pay the entrance fee or else my spot would be released. The two-week period happened to fall over Thanksgiving, which gave me some time to think about what I might be getting myself into.
It goes without mentioning that I was extremely excited about this potential opportunity. Before I forked over the entrance money and committed to the race, I wanted to get some outside advice: my mom and dad. They were for supportive for the most part (although I did promise my mother I wouldn't visit Iran). I paid the entry fee and officially signed up en route to an Overland Training alumni trip in Baja, Mexico.
My first and perhaps biggest obstacle: find a teammate. I needed to find someone willing to make a real commitment to crossing the finish line. Many friends were interviewed, but no one was able find the 6-7 weeks necessary to participate in the Rally.
Three months passed and I gingerly began collecting research material and planning my route. Things were picking up but without a teammate, I wasn't able to fully commit myself to the Rally. It was now February, 2010. If I dropped out of the race by March 31 the majority of my entrance fee would be returned to me. It was imperative for me to find a teammate.
Since I reside in Prescott, Arizona I knew there was only one person I could turn to: Scott Brady. I knew Scott would be a great addition - he possess many of the hard skills I lack and has a global network of contacts. I knew both would be important if we wanted to take this trip to the next level. He accepted - now it was time to buckle down and make things happen.
An Introduction
For those who aren’t familiar with the purpose of this blog, it’s a simple concept: chronicle the adventures and exploits of Charlie Nordstrom and Scott Brady (aka “The Great Roadway Bazaar”) as they attempt to complete the Mongol Rally and do some good along the way.
What is the Mongol Rally? It’s a trans-continental auto race (I use that term loosely as there are no prizes for winning – in fact it’s a point of pride to finish last) across Europe and Asia. Teams start in Western Europe (this year starting points are located in Spain, Italy and the UK) and finish in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Each team travels about 8-10,000 miles depending the route selected.
The Rally also has a charitable component. There is really only one hard and fast rule: each team must raise £1000 and donate it to a charity. However, the vast majority of Rally participants donate their vehicles to charity. Here’s what happens: a third party collects the vehicles and auctions them off to Mongolian families. This serves two purposes: it provides automobile ownership to Mongolians who may not be able to afford it and gets us around needing a carnet.
The Mongol Rally has three rules:
1. The “On Your Own” Rule. There is absolutely no race support. Each team is entirely on self-reliant after leaving the starting point. No route is comfortable or safe. Damage to vehicles, robberies, and minor injuries are quite common. As the race becomes more and more popular, a corresponding increase in car accidents has been observed. Each team is entirely responsible for providing their vehicles, visas, airfare, accommodations, etc.
2. The “Charity Money” Rule. Each team is responsible for raising £1000. If they fail, it must be paid out of pocket. Pretty simple.
3. The “Vehicle” Rule. Each team’s vehicle must be old and it must be small. Engine size is capped at 1.2L and the car must be ten years old or younger. Due to cost concerns, vehicles tend to be on the older side of the spectrum.
That should give everyone a rough idea of what the Mongol Rally is. Be sure to check out the Mongol Rally homepage for all sorts of cool information and media: http://mongolrally.theadventurists.com/
- Chuck
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