Uno's if we'll get there? 2006-09-22 09: 43: 42

Two Dicks U-No [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 17:30:23

hello all. Exhaust snapped + 2 wheels gone. Handbrake useless. Getting lost. Having a great time. Now at kazahkstan border. Rich and rich

Alan Paca [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 17:25:09

intrestin crossin2azer, summond2king pins chamber4formal questionin.&cake.baku embassies all day,turkmen fukd no chance.schemin on ferry2 kazak

Team Ramrod [Completed...] 2006-08-04 16:49:10

nearing Uralsk after bidding farewell to the mini this morning. Three cars in convoy, three people in our car! Tons of camels!

Team Ramrod [Completed...] 2006-08-04 16:42:23

We are fine!

The Lumley Run. Episode 2 [Completed...] 2006-08-04 16:15:12

First mechanical incident: exhaust pipe off. Oh dear. Now attached with loud speaker wire! Job done. 1 benefit of stopping for police a lot, you get a tan!

Mongol Rally Madness [Completed...] 2006-08-04 16:08:54

Just had car fixed by some genius of a lorry driver! Amazing stuff. Just had a swim as well so not covered in dust anymore. Roads slightly better. Camping soon.

UB or not UB? [Completed...] 2006-08-04 15:41:27

Last hubap just went... Feel so naked! Just lost the dusty monkeys to the dirt roads of uzbek - sad goodbyes. X

Mini Adventure (The B Team) [Completed...] 2006-08-04 14:59:44

Fixed it and working fine again, passed through petropavlovsk and pulled over to camp. We've gone forward another hour. On to omsk 2moro

Mini Adventure (The B Team) [Completed...] 2006-08-04 14:57:31

Had a scary one at 5.30 today, tie rod bolt came off at 60mph, lost steering and brakes made it worse. Almost went in2 a ditch but we're ok

UB or not UB? [Completed...] 2006-08-04 14:54:56

The roads are so bad here that we started the day with 3 hubcaps and now we only have 1 left! So many potholes that the road is a lunar landscape! X

Smithers and the Goon [Completed...] 2006-08-04 14:32:46

Camped by the 'main road' in kazak last nite where 2 guys in a massive land cruiser stopped off 2 give us tea, water, food and money. What nice chaps!

UB or not UB? [Completed...] 2006-08-04 14:29:41

Borat just asked us for our numbers! Watched the island monkeys drive into a sandpit and dig themselves out again while we chose the clever route! X

Health & Safety [Abandoned...] 2006-08-04 13:58:46

Got toe down and flying east through mother russia. Psy trance banging all the way

Directionless [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 13:34:55

woohoo were in asia! Awesome camping spot last night washed in a lake. Siberia is looking good. Run out of russian biscuits. Bang on schedule.

Team Tangerine [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 13:34:55

30th july, avoided $100 bribe by playing hey jude on guitar to russian police

Mini Adventure (The A Team) [Completed...] 2006-08-04 13:30:14

Omg the b team loose stearing but the a team come to the rescue with some spares could of been quite bad if it wasn't 4 some good drivin from paul

Up The Proverbial Creek [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 13:22:22

Mysterious banging transpires to be a combination of broken rear suspension spring and leaking rear diff.Will we ever reach the Caspian?

Dave and Marc-O-Polo [Abandoned...] 2006-08-04 13:13:11

Crossed into uzbek yesterday,4hrs at border. Still in convoy,looking for pivs. Kazak roads claimed rear suspension mount but local bloke welded it at midnight!

Mongolian Taxi Service [Completed...] 2006-08-04 13:09:33

Minor flurry of excitement as Mini Adventure A becomes an impromptu 3-wheeler, missing a combine harvester by inches. All sorted, back on the road.

Team Desert Penguins [Completed...] 2006-08-04 12:39:15

Camels! Loads of um. We've driven bout 200 miles today n met up with a londoner believe it or not. He's puttin us up 4 free n feedin us! Amazin

pandarama.co.uk [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 11:48:50

Back on the road again. Both broken rear springs now replaced with a set canniballised from a Russian jeep. Hangovcr from vodka excess...

Team Tangerine [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 11:23:37

racing thro ukraine with team dairy, duncan and pat - speeds up to 50 mph! Had dads cassoulet - bog roll now running short

Team Tangerine [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 11:07:20

28th july bribing our way thro moldova

Team Tangerine [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 11:01:20

27 july rear wheel bearing replaced by two romanians in transylvania. Payment not accepted. Strange they had surprisingly long teeth. We bnth feel faint.

Marcos Polo [Completed...] 2006-08-04 10:50:04

Camped with bears+midges in wilderness last night. Polo is clunking when starting up, exhaust keeps comin apart& speedo squeals but everythings good.

celtic chancers [Completed...] 2006-08-04 10:47:36

Damn, what we thought were fantastic tans were just 8 days of muck. Got tyres fixed by a huge fat sweaty man. Bonus! It's been 3 manic days! Nukus & water nxt.

Mongol Rally Madness [Completed...] 2006-08-04 10:42:41

The roads here are very very bad. Most of the time the tarmac is too bad to drive on so you have to take dusty dirt tracks our car feels like a sandy beach!

Flashmen [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 10:28:02

Flashmen finally crossed into Turkmenistan after a brief sojourn in Meshhad to find Craig and pick up a visa. Now in a pub in Ashgabat

Flashmen [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 10:03:28

Black Flash broke down in Tehran rushhour - fixed by a man with a screwdriver. Now rear driveshaft making nasty noises again!

Team Tangerine [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 09:51:32

25 july old rusty overheating. Pat/harry staying in prague for new clutch

UB or not UB? [Completed...] 2006-08-04 09:46:00

Kaz bdr xing took 5hrs, incldg a old tug ferry over no mans land + had demonstrate my 3 point turns! Saw a herd of camels on way to atyrau x

Team Tangerine [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 09:33:14

prague in time for party - both knackered. Have tn wait for russvisa

Fuel? 2006-08-04 09:15:49

In uzbek, had big blowout on back wheel, lost lots of things off the roof. Roads improveing now, we have tarmac! Well ish...

Next stop mongolia [Completed...] 2006-08-04 09:14:36

Just stopped in kazam for nite. whoever said russian vodka doesn't give u a hangover lied. quick food hunt and then head south, kaz awaits. crackin nite v fun

Island Monkeys [Completed...] 2006-08-04 08:52:38

A few firsts yesterday:had my head shaved,illegal border crossing by swimming across a river,entered khazakhstan,camped in truck stop with touretts axe man.

Mongol Dragons [Completed...] 2006-08-04 08:24:35

Just leaving aralsk. Paid $50 to get suspension fixed and tyres changed. Met 2 unos, 2 pandas and a polo as we left. Heading SE to shimkent now.

celtic chancers [Completed...] 2006-08-04 08:20:42

2 days of hard terrain - car is in bits. Filters clogged, out of tyres-used all 3 spares, 1 repaired with a screw, valve going on another. Limping 2 nukus.

celtic chancers [Completed...] 2006-08-04 08:14:22

Just got coverage but still in desert. Spent last few days crashing thru sand, holes, 6.5 hrs @ border in 45 deg heat in the open, very hard going.

The Hearse Flies [Abandoned - but finished without car...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 08:11:53

just crossed border into kazakhstan, yaay!... Finally met other teams though sadly they are stuck in no mans land with visa issues...

Mongol Mary [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 07:57:52

nearly there.

Mongol Mocha [Completed...] 2006-08-04 07:57:28

In uzbek. Today i learnt that going to fast on gravel tracks results in burst tyres!

Mongol Mocha [Completed...] 2006-08-04 07:51:11

Put a whole in our petrol tank, tried to fix with a tampon and duck tape which failed, then fixed it with soap!

The Lumley Run. Episode 2 [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 07:34:35

Aralsk. Kaz stage 2 complete. In convoy with rogue squadron. Three AWESOME days in the desert, now cracking on to tashkent.

The Lumley Run. Episode 2 [Completed...] 2006-08-04 07:31:26

Sand, sand f*cking sand everywhere. Beard has gone tri tone, average. Freaking hot in kaz, driving arm tan coming along nicely. Hope to hook up with trott soon!

Nervous Breakdown [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 07:23:42

leaving kochtana this morning, on our way to russian border. Another teams car broke, gave them a 400 mile lift to station. Car holding up.

YAKATAK Blue [Completed...] 2006-08-04 07:23:02

1st full day off road on logging tracks. 2 bust shocks & 2 bust exhaust pipes. Camped in woods hidden from roads. Mozzies had field day! Vologda next

pandarama.co.uk [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 07:09:26

Many vodkas later we are now fitting/adapting springs off a Russian jeep. We are at an old Soviet military base. This may take a while!

Marcos Polo [Completed...] 2006-08-04 06:28:33

Didn't txt in yesterday as i was too tired, hungover and grumpy after a russian discotek experience. lost our exhaust a few more times

Hi Jet Set [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 04:07:04

Both Kazan and Ufa were very nice. The roads are not.

Mongol Mary [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 03:40:48

i can almost smell mongolia from here.

The Fellowship of the Mongol Ring [Completed...] 2006-08-04 02:08:16

North rus. Off road following drunk 80 year old to town. 5am, sun greeting us. Fellowship x

Team Loaded [Abandoned...] 2006-08-04 01:41:18

Past budapest,didnt want to stop car running well.Shame we've run ourselves into the ground...Its 3am,finally stopped.But hey,we've taken a robin to hungary!!

Bravo5 [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-04 01:28:16

camped between road and railway line. Car and everything in it coated in dust! 900km to Cymkent. Alas skies, vast improvement in road conditions- hooray!

Team Loaded [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 22:22:55

Passed slovak border-guard simply laughed at our car.Hit bratislava & felt the need to keep driving thru the night...That's da spirit! Next stop budapest...

Health & Safety [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 21:57:59

Health a safety going to see lenin in box then head off to kazan

Up The Proverbial Creek [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 20:46:52

After the 24th dish and the 52nd toast, ya are all feeling somewhat refreshed.Apologies for poor grammar/spelling- the cost of a misspelt youth...

The Mongol Frauds [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 19:51:42

Baku, azerbaijan. Drove entire country today, awful roads, cheap petrol. Spine worse off than car. Sorely miss Georgia but liver is recovering!

Up The Proverbial Creek [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 19:05:54

Impossible to describe the evening we're having so won't bother trying. Surfice to say the Georgians are a wonderful people. Baku tomorrow.

Rustbox 360 [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 18:28:04

Stuck in Baku. Ditching the ferry and headinh for Dagestan.

Team Twister [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 18:13:11

News flash: S.martin caught doing 34 kmph over the limit, uses breasts to avoid fine!

Health & Safety [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 18:11:43

Health a safety found car keys in taxi but had to pay 500 roubles to get them back

Fiesta Fun Truck [Completed...] 2006-08-03 18:10:47

Thanks again 2 aktobe boys 4 all their help. Still Cruising crazy kazak roads, such lovely people. Army rations going down a treat. Hemp grows wild. Ipod dead:(

Team Desert Penguins [Completed...] 2006-08-03 18:01:38

Last nite was nuts, went out with a loada russian paras! I was sparrin with a unit, he was massive. Drove thru t border today, campin by a river

Team Twister [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 17:59:54

Left moscow this afternoon, now heading towards the border, car in good nick... For now.

nevergetthere.com [Completed...] 2006-08-03 17:56:01

Stuck in baku for 4 days, was first now people are catching, can't get into turkmenistan so waiting for kazakstan ferry

Mongolian Taxi Service [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 17:31:07

Camping by the road to kystana. Dodgy Lada already checked us out. Expect to be robbed tonight.

Team Snailracer [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 17:30:51

camping in mosquito Heaven in kaz

GO MONGOL [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 16:51:13

Will be here tomorrow - no worries. In ORMSK having a quick beer and maybe a nap. Big country this. Eating yak by monday all being well.

Island Monkeys [Completed...] 2006-08-03 16:50:29

Sat waiting for a ferry in no mans land between russia and kazakhstan. Dave has just swam across. Met some locals who said roads were bad, we are going any way

Mongol Dragons [Completed...] 2006-08-03 16:43:54

Travelled down the road of death today and have arrived at the aral sea. Car suspension took a battering. Only meal we could get here was fried eggs..

pandarama.co.uk [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 16:36:58

Leaf spring snapped. Local helping us out near Embi

Team Loaded [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 16:24:06

On road to slovakia.Very tired drivers,hit a wall today.Bratislava seems light years away in a motor that can now only do 45 comfortably.Camping roadside 2nite

Smokin Dragon [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 16:23:57

In Ural mountains. Found an amazing lake to camp by. Little chilly but feel clean once more. Finally in Asia. Really fancy a cooked breakfast!

Bravo5 [Completed...] 2006-08-03 15:48:15

finally in aral towing another team for 60 km. have travelled HORRIBLE roads for hundreds of miles through sandstorms &dust, hoping for a bit of respite now.

Send A Rhino [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 15:20:25

Im still gutted at missing Iran but we just hit a massive offroad section which really lifted our spirits.Both grinning like idiots.Just got some big big air!

The Hearse Flies [Abandoned - but finished without car...] 2006-08-03 15:09:51

Slightly hindered by russians rudely building canal through our road... Locals appear bemused by us asking way to kazakhstan, strangely enough...

Mongol Mary [Completed...] 2006-08-03 14:46:39

Had a chat with team escape the stoke and have been encouraging them to catch up with us at the mongol border and join our little convoy.

Mongol Mary [Completed...] 2006-08-03 14:41:25

Met up with team smokey bean today, will be going seperate ways while they get visas but meet up for the border crossing.

Mongol Mary [Completed...] 2006-08-03 14:35:21

What a day, russian roads have hit an all time low. Buckled 2 wheels now the only spare we have is flat. Bugger.

the scallywags [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 14:20:09

7 HR BORDER CROSSING IN SCORCHING HEAT. COULD BE WORSE SHOT VODKA & ATE MELONS

BLAZING CAMELS [Completed...] 2006-08-03 14:16:18

We've been rally ambulance-towing, getting clutch cable, dealing w friendly georgians w/out common language.stopped by police. General havoc but still on road!

Up The Proverbial Creek [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 13:57:47

Sitting in Georgi's friends house drinking local beer,eating fruit from trees in the garden,and swimming in his pool.Could it get better than this?

Goldy Looking Micra [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 13:53:28

may have bent the suspension on the smooth tarmac in Kaz! front tyres have worn badly changed to nobbly tyres sound like a land rover

pandarama.co.uk [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 13:08:39

Temir. Road like lunar surface. 20mph difficult Both rear springs part bust. Drive shaft oilseal leaks. Carb rebui Ft

Spanish bullfighters [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 12:56:28

En samarcanda. Compras para regalitos y ma}ana enfilamos ya para el norte.

UB or not UB? [Completed...] 2006-08-03 12:52:15

Our options for breakfast this morning at our classy hotel in astrakhan: chicken curry or gruel - what?!? Awaiting kazak border fun now. X x

Goldy Looking Micra [Completed...] 2006-08-03 12:44:00

Now on the M53 all way to Lake Bakail only 2200kms just bought pringles and beer!

GOING GOING GONGOLIA [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 10:43:41

who can tell you to f*&^ off at point blank range and still be a legend?Mr hossein can!Entered iran no probs. £1.40 for a full tank. Cash back!!

Mongol Rally Madness [Completed...] 2006-08-03 10:18:23

Roads here a bit mental, simon thinks he is doing a time trial section so slowly but surely my seat is turning brown! J and N accel cable got stuck as well.

Team Marco Polo [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 09:51:39

got turkmen visas and heading 4 caspian coast

Bonkers Bovine [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 09:47:19

Camped out in the dessert again lasr night. Early start this morning. pushing on to Samarkand today as roads are good

Mini Adventure (The B Team) [Completed...] 2006-08-03 09:19:52

Left aktobe this morning, heading east on good roads. Constant 60 mph is bliss but boring. Amazing blue sky with few clouds and nothing for miles

Team Loaded [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 09:04:30

Just to put this on record,sam has bet me £5 the car will make it to slovakia.The engine currently sounds like a broken lawnmower.Its 179 miles away.Yah.

Team Escape The Stoke [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 09:04:18

Just entering kurgan. Stopping for food then making a move for omsk.

Team Loaded [Abandoned...] 2006-08-03 08:59:35

60p beer,lovely weather,and gosh some of the ladies here are particularly friendly.Team Loaded may never leave prague.Well,the car needs a rest...

Kahn It Be Done? [Completed...] 2006-08-03 08:47:28

Just realised we slept in no mans land, been playing frisbee this morning too! Still not in kazak then, gutted.

Fuel? 2006-08-03 08:33:04

A kazak welder has just made us a gasket out of a piece of ali wire and some rope he is now finding our other problems by ear, never seen anything like it

Mongol Rally Madness [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 08:05:09

slept in desert last night, really amazing stars. Heading north east today with Hubert and Gaia in convoy. Roads ok at moment but some bad. Cars good!

Mongol Mary [Completed...] 2006-08-03 07:11:19

Mary's exhaust is now in 2 pieces. Oops.

Alan Paca [Completed...] 2006-08-03 06:55:12

tbilisi by nyt,magnifique!jst been drivn round nr fatal by beer swiln lashd georgans in serch of clutch.no fiats in georgia,jst mercs.Shizr

Team Mongol Shoebox [Completed - returned...] 2006-08-03 06:36:32

Mongol shoebox made it into uzbek no problems. 100k NW of nukus.

The Scenic Pandas [Completed...] 2006-08-03 05:43:47

Were in kazak driving with camels and seeing some oil fields and big graveyards

Mongolian Taxi Service [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 05:33:11

leaving aktobe to kystana, road so far is absolutely perfect.

pandarama.co.uk [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 05:24:15

Highway to Aqtobe is a joke. Comforting lack of police, abundance of dust and craters.

Mongolian Taxi Service [Completed...] 2006-08-03 05:09:22

Made it out of aktobe, on the brand new road to kystana. About 1300km to the russian border. Back to civilisation. And police stops. And siberia.

pandarama.co.uk [Abandoned...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 04:33:54

0320:finally cleared KZ border at 3am

Fuel? 2006-08-03 04:33:22

At welders, met a group of rallyers with shot suspension on mini, fingers crossed this welding man will fix our problems

Mongol Minis - White [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-03 04:19:10

Heading for Beynau from Qulsary, roads really bad, sandy tracks with rocks, red mini subframe broken on other side, stuck in opornyy for repairs.

Mongol Mary [Completed...] 2006-08-03 01:37:38

Finally found fellow ralliers. It's so good to speak to someone in english and to know we're not alone.

Team Ramrod [Completed...] 2006-08-03 00:19:21

Kazakhstan has a moat! Made it through with no real trouble or money. Cool. Dark, lots of stars.

Penguin Power [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-02 23:29:52

Anybody using route south of Actobe road very bad use sand track that follows road much safer

Alan Paca [Completed...] 2006-08-02 21:00:38

Made it2georgia,jst.No v5makes border X's v.heatd. Clutch snapd,driven 200k 2tibilisi with none.in4th all way regardless of mountains&redlights

Send A Rhino [Abandoned...] 2006-08-02 20:32:39

Worst day ever. About thirty police checkpoints, couldn't get into Azer or Georgia.Going to have to do the middle route through Kazak now.I want to cry :-(

The Illusive Paddle [Completed...] 2006-08-02 19:49:54

Arrived in Tiblisi, Georgia. We are staying with Giorgi, a local who is a friend of a friend & absolute legend; we could well b here 4 a 2nd day b4 on 2 Baku.

Spanish bullfighters [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-02 19:32:07

Ma}ana Samarcanda esperando visado Kirgizstan. Y comenzamos la escalada al norte hacia mongolia.

Smokin Dragon [Completed...] 2006-08-02 19:18:13

Directionless all fixed. Pulling all nighter to reach start of Siberia during daylight. Should be amazing. Heading towards Samara at the mo.

Team Loaded [Abandoned...] 2006-08-02 18:57:50

Here in prague after 2 more breakdowns.So tired-tho probably due to the amount of drinking en route.Hats off to the boys who drive thru the night.

Mini Adventure (The A Team) [Completed...] 2006-08-02 18:46:59

Well we're holed up in a hotel in aktobi the roads have been pretty good 2day but b4 they were really bad so lets hope they stay that way

the scallywags [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-02 18:42:03

PARKED UP IN THE DESERT SOMEWHERE. EARLY START TO BORDER AFTER HELLISH POTHOLE DREAMS

Team Ramrod [Completed...] Team progress map 2006-08-02 18:41:32

trying to find border. signs useful until they stop using them.

Bravo5 [Completed...] 2006-08-02 18:13:46

We're camped about all on our own about 200km from Aral. Hoping to get there by lunch tomorrow, but might be later. 340km covered today. Looks like rain tonight

Mongol Blues [Completed...] 2006-08-02 18:08:53

Camping again in kazak, 200 kilometers from border.

Health & Safety [Abandoned...] 2006-08-02 17:52:20

Health a safety just lost our car keys in moscow have to break in hotwire it

Island Monkeys [Completed...] 2006-08-02 17:29:29

Made it through volgograd, to astrakahn. Staying in hotel to have a wash. Heading for kazak border in morning. Seen loads of other teams.

Fuel? Team progress map 2006-08-02 17:24:36

caught up with 4 teams y'day. Managed 2 polish off a keg of cider. Margo constantly over heating now! Anyone know where the roads went?!