We made it, good times! The car didn’t, bad times! After  9,670.6 miles, two wheels destroyed, a new fan, 5 breakdowns, the engine cutting out every half hour, having to hot wire it every time to start we finally made it to the Mongolian border, 350km from our destination.

As we crossed into no mans land we saw 4 rally cars parked up with no one to be seen, (two of them we knew had crossed the morning before), our hearts sunk, this was not good!  As we rolled forward we were pointed into the rally grave yard. About 6 hours later someone started making sense and conveyed to us that the import agreement had changed at the start of the month, the import tax was no longer waived and they wanted us to pay $3000 to cross the border! After another couple of hours wondering what to do, two of the other teams returned with a CDPF representative.

To cut a long story short, we’re still not sure whats going on, but we ditched the cars in no mans land and loaded 8 of us and all our luggage and 3 litres of vodka into the pink ladies 4x4 and headed of into the night for an interesting ride to Ulan Batoor.

We’re currently sorting our selves out (we stink!), and making arangments for onward travel. We’re going back to the CDPF office tonight (forgot to say very helpful and friendly) to sort out some paperwork  and probably drink more vodka. Going to realise Nicks life long dream and go horse riding tomorrow, then off to Beijing for sight seeing and taking in some Olympic action!

Signing off now after an awesome trip, thank you very much to everyone for your help, support and donations!  We will post how much we raised when the car is recovered and sold (we hope).

Don’t forget to check back in a couple of months for photos!

After leaving the kazakh farmers we went str8 to the russian border. Got thru within 2 hours rather than the 6 we had been expecting. Arrived in barnual early morning completing a 24 h drive of about 700 miles! Drank some beer! Good times. Driving From barnual to irkutsk we enjoyed a solar eclipse, were acosted by a wedding party on a bridge, met some russian locals in a cafe who we think are now our wives (Not Chris) and started to experience car problems. The car now has a hole in exhaust, massive over steer to the left, electrical problems making engine cut out, bust dampner and odd noises from underside of car. All caused by russias excuse for a motor way (cratered mud track). Last night the car finaly gave out on the worse road so far. In a forest, in the middle of nowhere, prime bear/psycho killer teritory. When the sun came up Ian and nick hitched a ride with a strange lorry driver to the nearest strange village with a really strange and un helpfull mechanic. on the 15 k walk back in Thunder, lightening and heavy rain they were picked up by a small half cut ginger man and his wife who made ian drive his lada back to the car after about 5 cigarets and another beer he diagnosed and fixed the problem. A broken electric cable to the starter motor. Now enjoying some rally style driving though better gravel tracks through forest still trying to make it for a hoe down in irkutsk. Fingers crossed!

Random couple of days since last message drove to almaty through beautiful countryside. We shacked up in a hotel and went out for a beer, 2 hours later found the only one open on a sunday only a few people in there got invited to have a drink with miss kazakhstan and the kazak ambassador of America both very nice. Spent the next day in almaty then drove 400 km swam in a lake (not the polluted one) and slept in a field. Set off today on progressively worse roads and did 800 km destroying 2 front wheels in the process. Both too damaged to sit tyres on. These were proper potholes, I mean craters , a foot deep right accoss motorway with no warning for miles on end sump guard taking a battering. Eventually stopped on a quiet track only to be invited by the farmer to stay at his place. By 11 we were fed and watered in his shack when conversation dried up we told him that Nick had been riding horses since he was 5 (actually scared of them), this prompted a moonlight tour of his farm and animals before saddling up the horse for Nick to have a ride, we managed to tame this down to photos on it in the barn! When we realised he was giving us his own bed and the cows lived in better coditions we graciously declined to stay and hit the road, Nick wasn't too keen on the two massive dogs that hadn't stopped barking since we arrived anyway! It's now 1.15 am we've cut our losses and we're heading for the Russian border........... to pay some bribes! Nice!

The awards for the best police stops are in! Best saving: Chris for getting off of an $80 bribe from 5 policemen through sheer persistence and not under standing the word 'dollar'. Best speeding stop: Ian for getting stopped doing 78km in a 40km zone, on a road with no speed signs! Let off with a warning. Most stops in an hour: Nick for getting pulled over 3 times, twice in 2 mins, and not getting any fines. But then last night our west country charm and good looks finally failed us. Nick got pulled over and was 'fined' $30 for not stopping quickly enough! Our usual tactics failed, and he was put in the back of a police van and told he would face prison on fake marijuana charges! After much deliberating we decided it was probably best to bail him out, as it was his turn to drive next and we were tired! We left with lots of smiles and are now best friends with those policemen who told us we can now cross their check point as much as we like, bribe free. We felt honoured, such generosity! 1200km to go in Kazak, which is a really nice place.

6080 miles so far. From the river stop we drove through the desert, got stuck in sand and were pulled out by a lorry driver. Which we in turn reversed into the back of him. drank 20 litres of water that day. Dodgy night at the border with wild dogs, donkeys, cows and truckers! Very hot! Driving through Uzbek we stopped at buxoro and samarqand. Did some culture. Found a nice spot to camp far from the road only to be woken early morning by two men on horses circling our camp. Soon after a man on a donkey with a herd of cows walked by followed by more cows people, dogs, donkeys and horses, pretty much noahs fricking ark! Seemed we had set camp on a cattle highway. Managed to dodge 6 bribes today with some tetley tea, smiling and acting or being stupid. Next we took on the Kazak border. They tried to ask for a 20 dollar bribe. Chris decided enough was enough and so sat on the floor cross legged and called the mans mum a water buffalo. Job done we are now in Kazak!

Stopped to get directions in Iran on route to border, had a guy open the door and try to nick stuff, brother made the lock down call and we drove off at speed! Iran a great place and very friendly though. Spent 3 hours trying to leave iran then another 3 hours in no mans land trying to get into Turkmen without a visa. After lots of negotiating with men with gold teeth and parting with $450 we arrived in Ashgabat with $30 to our name! Then found out there was no way of getting cash until monday, so there was only one thing for it, we checked into the nearest 5* hotel for 2 nights as it was the only place that accepted visa, life on the rally is tough! Ash is a strange place, cross between vegas and truman show, no one on streets but soldiers on every street corner that tell you off if you sneeze! Gold statues every where, but outside of city seems quite poor. Stopped by the police 10 times today, most friendly, when they ask for a bribe we pretend we don't understand and bore them until they let us go. Camping by a river in a malaria hot spot tonight, we've got lots of tea brewing so we're happy!

30 hour drive from Trabzon to Tehran, roads cross country good, buildings either side like something from the future blackened and half built with neon lights everywhere and mountains behind. Tehran is a modern city , no anti american slogans or terrorists. Actually very relaxed and friendly, drivers insane -anything goes! Ended up in a 4 star hotel, we were too tired to find anything else, shame! First shower for 4 days now driving along side sefid mountains En-route to Turkmenistan, Strange!

30 hour drive from trabzon to tehran, Roads cross country good, buildings either side like something from the future blackened and half built with neon lights everywhere and mountains behind, tehran modern city no anti american slogans or terrorists actually very relaxed and friendly, drivers insane anyth [Missing part 03] [Missing part 04]

Spent the night in the hills outside Trabzon, met our neighbour who gave us carte D'or ice cream, nuts and more pears. In the morning he took us for tea then sent us off with his son to get the car fixed. Spent the morning in a garage drinking tea with the mechanics and left with more friends, an oil change and a radiator fan twice the size of the old one. Almost at the Iran border now dodging terrorists in the Turkish hills, only joking Mum!