Thursday 31st May - to Altai

Midday: We were on the road again by 7:15am, with only 100 miles to Altai. Now stopped for lunch - not hungry but will try. On Schedule, and car going well.

Later: We have arrived in Altai. Seb did a heroic 9 hour drive through a featureless desert. Now looking for somewhere to wash up and internet access.

Later still: I've got some great pics to post, but after a frustrating half hour or so I've given up on the technology here. They'll have to wait.

Text just received from Kip and Carmen: " We just spent 2 hours to get out of Mongolia and 6 hours to get into Russia. Then still drove 230 km to big town. Arrived 9.30 pm (30th May). Had yet another fright as car made terrible noise but suddenly it stopped."

Meanwhile, more on the route: Effectively we're driving Mongolia's M4 - the only road west from the capital, and yet we've hardly seen any other traffic - today I think it was 3 or 4 jeeps/minivans and a couple of motorcycles- one of which was ridden by a herdsman who was showing us onto the right road after we had followed the wrong one for eight miles - it turned out to end at an oasis, with some very scenic camels. Even with GPS and the best maps UB could supply (1:500,000) it's a challenge to stay on route. The correct route is usually a braided lattice of tracks which fan out over several miles. The 'main' one is usually so corrugated that the side ones are kinder on the car, but there is always the risk of inadvertently taking a fork as we did today.

The desert is bleak and beautiful, but there's a lot of it. I think we're ready for a change, even if it does mean fording rivers of meltwater. The flora mostly consists of miserable scrubby bushes hanging on to a grim existence, but there are patches of colour with purple irises and a pinky gorse-type flower. Sometimes there is something very fragrant underfoot and we drive through a beautiful scent. The hundreds of gerbils that scattered in front of us a couple of days ago have disappeared, to be replaced by much less frequent marmots, who seem to choose to build their burrows in the middle of the road. Otherwise there are domestic animals; bactrian camels, horses, sheep, goats and occasional cows. These seem to roam freely, but sometimes you'll see a lone herder riding a horse, camel or motorbike- no sign of any gers or anyone else for miles. The birdlife is sparse - one small brown bird with a white rump is ubiquitous, and there are large numbers of eagles - a majestic sight.

We've been following the progress of other drivers bringing up the rear and, if we can make good time for the next few days, there is a good chance that we'll be in Novosibirsk to share a beer with them on their rest day. It sounds as if many of them have had greater problems than us. The Austin 7 engine hasn't objected to the low octane fuel we're feeding it and, having lightened the load a lot in UB, and taken an angle grinder to the bodywork at the rear where it was bottoming out, the suspension seems to be fine. We've got a rigorous schedule of daily greasing to try to prevent the desert sand (which gets everywhere) from causing too many problems.

Must go now - beer calling.


Further update from Kip & Carmen from the road north(via daughter Danica)
They had to drive 90 miles back as they forgot their passports!!
They visited main Buddhist monastery in Siberia for morning service. Had lots of mobile photos taken by passing motorists then they stopped further on and tried to waive folks down to take more pictures. Some huge potholes appeared which were difficult to see. Could break axle or tear wheel. Very steep up and down.

Wednesday 30th May - Long, wet day

5am: and woken by the sound of rain. This will make it harder going for us and the car. The big problem we expect to face is rivers with no bridges. It will be a long drive across the desert today.

Evening: Tough day today.. rained all morning. Drove for 9 hours and then camped in the desert. It is very cold. I was sick for much of the night.

Tuesday 29th May. Pushing on

Have arrived in Bayanhonger after 8 hours driving - 10 hours with stops.

Now driving in the mountains - 7800 feet of vertical. 155 miles of which less than 15 were tarmac.

Ready for a beer!

Monday 28th May - Long day to Arvayheer

Today so far missed a crucial turning and ran out of fuel!







Evening: Arrived in Arvayheer - back on schedule but suffering a little from driving all day with no break. It was very hot and we both flaked out by 7:30.

There are rumours of tarmac tomorrow, which would be welcome. Have bought some supplies now for en route snacking too.

Sunday 27th May Kip and Carmen depart, we party in the desert

Full of high spirits, Kip and Carmen leave UB to head north for Lake Baikal. Amazing how your luggage shrinks when you wear all your clothes. (pic below, out of order)

We'll be doing a final pack (again) and heading off soon.

Left UB and got 116 miles under our belt. Spent the evening with a road crew (the promised tarmac was not laid yet). Had mutton/noodle stew. went joy riding in trucks, played basketball, vodka drinking in a Ger, then open air disco by JCB hazard lights. Finally camped with horses grazing nearby.

Pic 1: just a few miles outside UB. Pic 2: with new friend from Mongol roadbuilding crew.
Pic 3: Seb's HGV driving lesson from road crew. Pic 4: Basketball in the Gobi. Pic 5: Camping with the road crew (after disco by the lights of the JCB)

Sunday 27th May Undrakh the hero

Seb's phone was ringing when I came up from breakfast, and it was Undrakh, saying; where are you? A few minutes later she arrived, carrying Seb's camera. The police had phoned her at 5am and drove around the city to get it. Seb's now gone with her to the police station to confirm that it's been returned, so they don't suspect her of keeping it.

Fantastic result, and we've learnt our lesson. We'll be more careful, and will download the pictures when we can, as we would have lost these (fortunately not much film)

Saturday 26th May Heading West - Bad start.

Pic 1. Old car fans, who tracked us down at the hotel. Pic 2. Team Nissan, who have worked hard on Kip's car for three days. Pic 3. Where UB residents go for car spares and accessories - huge area of stalls in old containers. Pic 4. At the police station.

First thing: We're now doing a final pack and parcelling up things to send home with DHL. Stocked up with instant noodles, which seem to be available at every corner shop, but we will probably get very bored with them.

Today is pretty grey, so we're hoping not to have our first rain on the day we wave goodbye to the hood!

We'll be heading towards the ancient capital of Kharkhorin, and apparently there is tarmac all the way, so it should be a smooth start.

It will probably be a while before we can add more photos, but will when we can.

Later: After a lot of faffing, including making a snorkel for the exhaust pipe, and finding the tiny offices of a local TV station to get a DVD of the news segment they broadcast on us, we finally headed out of UB. Stopped briefly to try to buy a newspaper which supposedly had us in it, and people crowded round the car. One stole Sebs's film camera and ran. I gave chase, joined by others. Suspect apprehended, no camera though. Now at police station.

Later still: Spent 3 hours at a police station, with a very helpful woman called Undrakh. It was her husband who apprehended the villain, and she works as a translator, so helped with police statements. Seb wants to buy another camera tomorrow - Sunday and shops won't open until late, so unlikely to leave UB until tomorrow afternoon. The schedule is slipping.

Friday 25th May - Planning

Pic 1: Mongol and Russian (with beard) mechanics set to PN6583 in the Nissan garage. Pic 2: Irises - these were an occasional welcome surprise scattered through the Gobi. These in our UB hotel car park! Pic 3: Sukhbaatar Square - the centre of UB.
Pic 4: Mongol women exude a self-assurance which sets them completely apart from their Chinese neighbours. You don't see shoes and outfits like this in Beijing!


AM. Spent yesterday evening with the agent who arranged our visas/permits for here. A German who has a business running tours all over the country. He told us that to the West it is mostly fine, but there is a section between Hovd and Olgiy where it will be muddy and we are likely to encounter rivers which we may have trouble crossing. The fallback position being to find a truck to take us across - either towing us across individual crossings, or putting the car in the back of a flatbed and driving the 300km or so that way. Doesn't sound too bad. He also said that the alternative route through Russia involves dicing with trucks all doing 90kph.

We'd prefer to take our chances with the rivers, but do need to be as light as possible to skip over the mud. Currently working on what we can do to waterproof the car - snorkel on the exhaust, silicon over the electrical terminals, condoms for oil filler etc. Definitely shipping hood back, but we have good goretex waterproofs, now also half of Kip's groundsheet. Will keep front sidescreens which give a lot of protection and, combined with the groundsheet we could rig up something resembling a hood in the worst case.

Will meet the German chap this afternoon to discuss backup plans - what he can do to help us get a truck if necessary.

PM: The condition of the roads to the west will depend on the weather so the two cars have decided to take different routes - Sebastian and I, in the more rugged car, will go through western Mongolia, approaching Novosibirsk from the South. Kip and Carmen, in the car which prefers tarmac, will go north to Lake Baikal, and then to Novosibirsk from the East.

We will stay in touch with each other by text message, and Sebastian and I will update the website with our progress, so we will try to co-ordinate our arrival in Novosibirsk.

The team in the garage were interviewed by local TV and newspapers today, so we will try to get copies before we leave town tomorrow.

New pictures

In UB and with direct access to the internet, we've now added pictures to the last several days of posts.

This evening we heard more detail of the challenges further west - deep water, with no bridges, being the main concern. We're considering how far we can go in waterproofing the car - snorkel on the exhaust etc.

Thursday 24th May - Ulaan Baatar

Pic 1: Kip and Carmen's discard pile. Pic 2: UB in the rain. Pic 3: UB skyline.

After three and a half days on unsurfaced roads, this morning we made the decision to reduce weight, by throwing out about half our luggage and sending home (if we can) our hood and rear side screens. I already threw away my tent in the Gobi (not deliberately - I just got out of it, and it blew away).

Since we decided this it has snowed, hailed and rained on us - someone up there trying to make sure we've thought hard about our decision.

Other than that the cars are going well. We have found that doing 25 mph, with a 25mph tailwind leads to the engines overheating and so frequent stops (parked facing the wind) become necessary.

Wednesday 23rd May - Gales, and a hard drive

Pic 1: First Mongolian Tarmac. Pic 2: A real explorer. Pic 3: At 6,100ft.

A howling gale blew all night - I hardly slept and was convinced the tent was going to take off. Then my tent blew away because I got out of it! Will try to buy a new one in Ulaan Baatar.

Morning: Hope to arrive at UB tonight. Set off into sand storm - finally on tarmac after 3.5 days. 36 miles this morning, with 150 to do this afternoon. I can't believe we've been on the road for only just over a week. It seems much longer.

6pm: Arrived at Ulaan Baatar after a hard 11 hours driving. Kip seems worried about doing more off road for the remainder of Mongolia. Scheduled to have a couple of days here now to re-stock and take stock.

Tuesday 22nd May - The Gobi Desert

Pic 1: Only two wheels, but three up. Pic 2: Bactrian camels. Pic 3: Seb cooking supper

Did 101 miles today. Total in Mongolia 252 miles in 3 days. No tarmac yet! behind schedule, but all well - thanks to all who helped prep the car, and having a blast.

Camping in the Gobi, in high winds. Supper being cooked, tents pitched, (thanks to Mountain Equipment).

Monday 21st May - First night under the stars

Pic 1: Erdene children. Pic 2: Mongol herdsmen - why does everyone look underneath?

Pic 3: Trans-Mongolian Railway. Pic 4: Local fans in Saynshand.

Seb & I camped for the first time, found a spot by a station. Fortunately not many trains. Another stunning morning - no clouds. Slept well except when trains came past.

Later managed to find Saynshand's best hotel, and first wash since Saturday am. No hot water.

We've managed a 150 mile trials section in 2 days. Average speed 12mph! The main road from China to the capital of Mongolia Ulaan Baatar consists of deep sand, corrugated hard stuff, and stones.

Sunday 20th May - The road has run out

Pic 1: Seb at morning prayers. Pic 2: The main (only) road from China to UB. Pic 3: A warning about taking the Gobi seriously. Pic 4: At a cairn, gathering luck for the journey.

Morning: Sandstorms over and a beautiful morning. Seb helped adjust the brakes on Kip's car, while I greased ours everywhere, ready for what may be a tough drive today.

Unexpectedly no tarmac. Drove for 7 hours and managed 80 miles - never fully confident that the tracks we were following were the right ones, but a navigator has to appear to know what she's doing. Arrived late afternoon in the small railway town of Erdene. Found food (a restaurant reopened specially for us) and beer, then turned our attention to looking for a bed. The desert does turn chilly at night.

Saturday 19th May - China / Mongolia Border

Pic 1: at the border - 1st hour, and still cheerful. Pic 2: Mongolian minibus loaded with Chinese goods. Pic 3: Carmen - in the fifth hour of waiting. Pic 4: Setting off from the Erenhot hotel.

Morning: At the border crossing first thing. It took 7 hours to exit from China (apparently all the fault of the computer), and 50 minutes to Enter Mongolia (where, wisely, they use a paper-based system).
Slight clutch problems - making some unhappy noises.

Evening: In Dzamin Uud, famous for being the most southern and the hottest place in Mongolia. Fierce sand storm blowing, which makes us almost grateful for the Chinese delay - otherwise we'd be driving through it, instead of just walking to a restaurant for supper.

At the hotel by the railway station we asked for rooms, and they said yes, but not until 10pm - that's when the train leaves, so it's when people check out.

Friday 18th may - to the border

Repaired Kip's car - broken distributor.
Chilly mornings in the shade and dazzling bright sun.

At 4600 feet and the altitude is noticeable. Kips car now running well.

A 207 Mile slog to the Border today. We have to do the crossing into Mongolia in the morning.

Thursday 17th May - On route to the border.

Made it to Jining on schedule although Kip did the last 70 miles on a tow rope. His car was rather sick. Initially we thought he was going on a tow rope just to get off the motorway to a safe place, but the driver and guide didn't want to be late for their supper, so gave Kip a cold and rather hairy journey the whole way to the hotel. We're now concerned that, if we can't fix the car in good time, we won't make our crossing by Saturday when our Mongolian entry papers run out.


Hotel in Zhaingjakou: State owned and very communist in style

Wednesday 16th May - The Start. Tiananmen Square

An early start and fine weather we set off from Tianan'men square after a photo session with Nicola and Noel. We also gave an interview to South China Post, met pupils at Harrow school & even managed a visit to the Great Wall.


: Fuelling up for the long journey ahead



















:Dicing with Traffic in Tianamen square







Seb makes friends with the locals at the great wall at Badaling:


















Nicola & Noel wrote: Nicola and Noel were in Beijing to see the 'Famous Four Conquer The Gobi Desert'. (Timmy's not yet been released from quarentine at Tienjing). After two days of copious help from the authorities they finally managed to get started on new Chinese number plates (nos A0000004 and A0000005:1-3 got lost in translation). After two laps of Tiananmen Square and no clear leader the pack retired for breakfast. The initial burst of enthusiasm and subsequent restart is depicted in photos at
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2390&l=3a26a&id=513161662

Evening: We've arrived in rain/sun at Zhangiakhou, tonight's stop, having covered 170 miles & tested our guides tolerance with off piste behaviour.

Tuesday 15th May

Today we finally collected our permits, retrieved the cars, then a drive of 40 km to a police station in Tianjin, where they issued our driving licence, and licence for the car.









After a long day of bureaucracy we left docks at 5pm in the rain for the 100 mile drive into Beijing. The speed difference on the roads into Beijing is worrying.

Then on to Beijing where we have leaving parties arranged and press awaiting some photo opportunities.

The cars arrived safely

Tanggu (port)






:Which one are they in?




We took the cars out of their container today, and both fired up first time:















Customs officer phoning for orders:







:Kip gave a celebratory tootle on his bagpipes to the bemusement of the Chinese port workers, who wondered what they'd done wrong!

We're now spending an unscheduled second night here as one day wasn't enough to do all the paperwork. Still, the food and the beer are good, and so is the weather.