Sunday 19 May 2013

We arrived in Tashanta our last Russian stop before Mongolia on Saturday 11th.....


Out side the hostel type accommodation at Tashanta Sunday 12th getting ready to cross the border 9am on Monday.  I fed the crew a evening meal of Chilli-con-carne, minced beaf, carrots and peas ......... they spent the rest of the night on the loo, must be my cooking. Les

We crossed the border on Monday 13th and spent the night in Olgii, onto Khovd on the 14th, Altai on the 15th, Bayankhongor on the 16th, Ulaan-Baatar on the 17th / 18th and Darkhan on the19th. We'll hopefully cross the Mongolian border back into Russia Monday 20th. Saturday the 18th was a rest day in Ulaan-Baatar.

Here in deepest Mongolia there are no traffic lights or road signs so all you can do is to get up and go in the morning with the sun in your face and in the afternoon it is on your back. We travel east everyday and hope it takes us on the right road (track). After taking the wrong track two or three times you soon get the hang of it. Click the link below the map and watch the video ....

The crew and the Jimnys have taken one hell of a beating, the Mongolian roads are roads from hell, but we have survived. We rattle and squeak a bit, that's the Jimny not me! I just feel a bit knackered. I'm also a foot shorter from driving a 11 hour day. There are times I have been lifted out of the driving seat as the little Jimny dives into hole that's so deep it frightens the daylights out of me.  As the Jimny reaches the bottom first I arrive just after with a back jarring thump. When you next see me, you'll see a wrinkled old midget!!

We have managed on our own so far without a guide or translator but if you don't hear from me for the next week you had better come looking for us because we will probably be lost.

This is what you look like after 5 hours of driving on dirt roads and eating dust, it plays havoc with your hair as well. We stopped at a village called Buuzagaan on route to Bayankhogor. Bouncing up and down all day on your bladder doesn't help and requires frequent stops, some in a hurry!


1 comment:

  1. Well hopefully your near Russia now as it is nearly the 20th as I write this.

    ReplyDelete