We arrived in Paris at the finish in 2nd place in the Pioneer class.
The Gala Banquet was a great night for every one to dress up.
We were meet in Paris by my niece Lisa and James
Friday, October 29, 2010
The Finish
Sorry for the delay in posting this.
We arrived in Paris at the finish in 2nd place in the Pioneer class.
The Gala Banquet was a great night for every one to dress up.
We were meet in Paris by my niece Lisa and James
We arrived in Paris at the finish in 2nd place in the Pioneer class.
The Gala Banquet was a great night for every one to dress up.
We were meet in Paris by my niece Lisa and James
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
2 1/2 days to go
The last few days have been very wet and late.
All is going well and we are now close to the end.
This has been a quick update while waiting for breakfast to start.
All is going well and we are now close to the end.
This has been a quick update while waiting for breakfast to start.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Day 28 leaving Iran
This day saw us leaving Iran for Turkey.
The welcome from the Iranian people was the most enthusastic we've seen for the trip.
On the way to the border the local farmer were harvesting sunflowers by hand and drying the seeds on the edge of the road. Most of the farming in Iran is still all hand harvesting with some of the thrashing being done by small machines.
When we entered Turkey Mount Ararat was on the right but the top was not visiable for cloud.
As we got near the end of the day all the farmers where along the road selling there crops, like all the countries we have traveled through. In turkey we saw the biggest Cabbages ever about 400 to 500mm across.
The welcome from the Iranian people was the most enthusastic we've seen for the trip.
On the way to the border the local farmer were harvesting sunflowers by hand and drying the seeds on the edge of the road. Most of the farming in Iran is still all hand harvesting with some of the thrashing being done by small machines.
When we entered Turkey Mount Ararat was on the right but the top was not visiable for cloud.
As we got near the end of the day all the farmers where along the road selling there crops, like all the countries we have traveled through. In turkey we saw the biggest Cabbages ever about 400 to 500mm across.
Day 29
I'm doing the update and days back the front to catch up a bit.
Started out as the most kilometres of the rally and ended up being 16 hour in the car on the road. It rained nearly all day. On the way to the first time trial we wondered along through rural villiges and farm land to climd up and down some huge mountians which would have been fantastic if clear.
The day was mared by Micheal and Anne in Car 38 going of the edge in a slipery corner luckily neither were hurt. All cars got dirty including the drivers in the open cars with out mug gaurds on the wheels.
We eventully arrived at our Hotel at 10 pm at night for a quick feed and shower before falling in to bed.
Started out as the most kilometres of the rally and ended up being 16 hour in the car on the road. It rained nearly all day. On the way to the first time trial we wondered along through rural villiges and farm land to climd up and down some huge mountians which would have been fantastic if clear.
The day was mared by Micheal and Anne in Car 38 going of the edge in a slipery corner luckily neither were hurt. All cars got dirty including the drivers in the open cars with out mug gaurds on the wheels.
We eventully arrived at our Hotel at 10 pm at night for a quick feed and shower before falling in to bed.
Day 30
We have internet and time again.
This afternoon Carl was so happy as I'd promised him snow at some time on the trip and today the weather delivered. It statred out a very cold clear day after yesterdays rain. We drove for the day through the most amazing scenery and ended at this mountian resort that had 50mm of snow last night. So we stop on the way for a quick play.
200 metres from the resort we broke the eye off one of the Mongolian springs we had fitted back in Khovd so luckly we had the good ones we picked up in Almaty.
Carl is out side in the cold and cloud fitting the new main leaves while I do a bit on the Blog.
This afternoon Carl was so happy as I'd promised him snow at some time on the trip and today the weather delivered. It statred out a very cold clear day after yesterdays rain. We drove for the day through the most amazing scenery and ended at this mountian resort that had 50mm of snow last night. So we stop on the way for a quick play.
200 metres from the resort we broke the eye off one of the Mongolian springs we had fitted back in Khovd so luckly we had the good ones we picked up in Almaty.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Day 27 Update
What a great drive today we started of at the edge of the Caspian Sea in pouring rain and headed of the range towards Tabriz. The road to the top was the longest uphill road I've driven, in 35 kilometres we climbed 7500 feet so it was a second gear haul most of the way. the Uphill side from the caspian was temprate rain forest and as soon as we crested the range the Sun was out and it changed to dry desert mountians.
Later in the Day we crossed another range and the down hill side was mostly a road that desended as step as 1 in 7 but mostly 1 in 10. So we needed to stop twice to let our brakes cool even using 1st gear all the way down.
The welcome from the people of Iran has been the most enthusastic that we have had for the whole trip. Most of the towns people are out on the street waving and taking photos. and as soon as you stop, the cars are just swamped with people.
This is just a quick update as the days are long and we end up very tired and just fall in to bed to start it all over again the next day.
Later in the Day we crossed another range and the down hill side was mostly a road that desended as step as 1 in 7 but mostly 1 in 10. So we needed to stop twice to let our brakes cool even using 1st gear all the way down.
The welcome from the people of Iran has been the most enthusastic that we have had for the whole trip. Most of the towns people are out on the street waving and taking photos. and as soon as you stop, the cars are just swamped with people.
This is just a quick update as the days are long and we end up very tired and just fall in to bed to start it all over again the next day.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
On the Road Again
Quick Phone Update.
We got in on a truck last night.
Thanks to the gracious support and assistance provided by the crews of Car 84 and Car 3 we have welded up our steering arm and are back on the road this morning.
We got in on a truck last night.
Thanks to the gracious support and assistance provided by the crews of Car 84 and Car 3 we have welded up our steering arm and are back on the road this morning.
Day 24
Turkmenabat to Ashgabad.
We were 200 km from Turkmenabat and we stopped in a town and realised we had broken a steering arm, so Penny is on the back of a truck going to Ashgabad. We are both in the front seat of the truck and I am recovering from heat stroke and presently have a bout of diarrhoea. Not the best day for us today, but we’ve both had a nap in the truck and in a few hours we will arrive in Ashgabad and try to find a workshop and get welding and fixing Penny so we can drive across the border into Iran tomorrow. (Julie is loading this blog enrty) It looks like it is going to be a long night, but hopefully we can get the steering arm welded and we can get on the road again.
Day 23
Tashkent to Turkmenbat
We had the hottest day of our trip so far and at the border crossing between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan I didn’t have enough to drink and ended up with heat stroke. I went off to the docs and everything was ok and he said I had heat stroke, and I just had to keep drinking lots. We decided to keep the hood on tomorrow to keep us in the shade.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Day 21, 22
Day 21
This was one of the shortest day for the trip. We left Tashkent at 9.00 for a mostly motorway drive to arrive in Samarkand at 2.00.
The whole way was farming. with 1000's of acres of cotton that is all hand picked.
Tashkent was a viberant modern city with lots of cars and the apperance of wealth. Rural Uzbekistan is very poor with the the main form of transport donkey and cart.
After lunch we arrived at Samarkand for another rest day. This city is so different you would think its in a different country. No high rise, less gardens and parks and not as much colour in the buliding.
The money in Uzbekistan is called a som and the exchange rate is $1 to 1600 som, and the largest note is 1000 som so you end up with pockets full of money. Yesterday when we bought fuel the 110 litres cost 160,000 som so I hande over a wad about 2cm thick and the attendend fed it in to a note counter and gave me back the litte bit of excess.
Cay 22
A rest day infor people to work on and service the cars.
Carl did the greasing while I fitted new packing to the water pump. it was all finished at lunch so we went for an interesting tour around some local sites and markets.
No pics today as the internet is to slow to upload photos sorry.
Today is our last rest day as its now 15 days on the road to reach Paris for the 16th.
This was one of the shortest day for the trip. We left Tashkent at 9.00 for a mostly motorway drive to arrive in Samarkand at 2.00.
The whole way was farming. with 1000's of acres of cotton that is all hand picked.
Tashkent was a viberant modern city with lots of cars and the apperance of wealth. Rural Uzbekistan is very poor with the the main form of transport donkey and cart.
After lunch we arrived at Samarkand for another rest day. This city is so different you would think its in a different country. No high rise, less gardens and parks and not as much colour in the buliding.
The money in Uzbekistan is called a som and the exchange rate is $1 to 1600 som, and the largest note is 1000 som so you end up with pockets full of money. Yesterday when we bought fuel the 110 litres cost 160,000 som so I hande over a wad about 2cm thick and the attendend fed it in to a note counter and gave me back the litte bit of excess.
Cay 22
A rest day infor people to work on and service the cars.
Carl did the greasing while I fitted new packing to the water pump. it was all finished at lunch so we went for an interesting tour around some local sites and markets.
No pics today as the internet is to slow to upload photos sorry.
Today is our last rest day as its now 15 days on the road to reach Paris for the 16th.
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