Panda found herself a good spot.
We crossed the finish line the evening before one day earlier than our original target (well, more like a few hours before our target), so we had a day to relax, catch up with our friends there especially our many convoy-mates, and eat a lot. The feasting started with a big breakfast at the Flower Hotel, which was hosting lots of Ralliers and had some wonderful Korean baths that we enjoyed the night before. From the Flower, we moved to the Chinggis Khan Hotel and started the slow unpacking and sorting of the Panda, including moving all of our wet and smelly camping gear past a couple nice wedding parties (apparently the Chinggis is the place to get married in U.B.). It was our day to celebrate, so we didn’t spend very long working on Panda matters but instead went out with our friends to Joe’s Burger. Chase had been talking about having a burger since some time in Russia after his cheeseburger in Volgograd. The picture of his first bite pretty much says it all. After burgers and walking around town, we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out of the entryway of the hotel, welcoming Ralliers to the finish line and swapping stories from the road. We also finally found an occasion to get out the two bottles of Jacob’s Creek from the Calais Wine Superstore that had been rolling around in the back of the Panda for six weeks. So much celebrating put us in the mood for dinner, and we went to the nearby Hazara’s Restaurant for a northern Indian feast. Several other Ralliers had the same idea, so we went together from Hazara’s to Hennessy X.O. for the official finish line party. Fittingly, we were dressed as pirates. Viva Mongol Rally!
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We had not been having the greatest luck with the Panda since crossing the Mongolian border, but our Panda is a trooper. She can do anything, and we had seen her fix herself a couple times already. So, when she wouldn’t start in the morning, we didn’t panic but instead reached into the backseat for the trusty Haynes manual, which suggested that we check and clean our air filter (something we had known we needed to do for about…um…two weeks at this point?). Markus even helped us out with a little compressed air—much better than just banging it on a rock—and soon we were on the road again. After a slow start, the rest of the day went swimmingly; ironically, it was the only day in Mongolia we didn’t have some sort of water crossing. The water crossing, however, was replaced with a mud crossing, which caught both Daniel and the Skoda in its grips. A little pushing and a lot of improved route-finding got us through the tricky area and to a beautiful camping spot for the night. We stopped early, as it could be our last night camping in Mongolia, and we explored the beautiful landscape around us, which made for some great photo opportunities. Stopping early also gave us time for an epic game of catch and some sunset/moonrise beers. Truly, it was convoy magic. Starting Point: N46°01 E100°25
Ending Point: N46°52 E103°25 Distance Traveled: 216.9 miles Today was the stretch of Mongolian driving that we’d been warned about. “The worst roads in the country,” they said; “I begged for the drive to be over,” chimed in others. But we’ve driven on Kazakh sand roads and Kyrgyz cowpaths! We thought we could best anything Mongolia could throw at us! However, there was one thing we hadn’t considered: washboard roads. Hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of washboard roads. Hours upon hours of bouncing up and down in our seat, feeling every screw in the Panda being worked loose by the cruel road surface. Slowing down in an effort to lessen the effects of the non-stop rattling, followed by speeding up to try to get to the end of the torture sooner, followed by slowing back down when the road got too physically and mentally overwhelming. Our torture was temporarily postponed for lunch. None of us were hungry, but all three teams welcomed the opportunity to force down food just because it meant we weren’t driving. While we were stopped we met a couple new friends, as a Mongolian family pulled over their motorcycle to chat with us. We didn’t understand a word that the man was saying, though that didn’t stop the man for talking to us for nearly 45 minutes in a Mongolian monologue while we hoped that we smiled, laughed, and looked concerned at the appropriate pauses. After the Mongolian tradition of the woman presenting us each with a cake of dried curds, we jumped back into our cars to continue heading east. By the time we made it into Altai, the Panda’s check engine light and oil light were blinking. We pulled into Mongol Rally Auto Service to ask about these lights, but we got a straightforward response: “You have two gauge lights blinking? After that drive all of the gauge lights in this car are blinking, and so are my eyes, ears, and brain! I’m sure your sensors are just a little rattled, but you’ll be fine to continue on.” And, based on that professional advice, we continued on. Starting Point: N47°05 E92°55
Ending Point: N46°20 E 97°18 Distance Traveled: 247.8 miles It didn’t take long for us to reach the Russian border once we left Semey this morning. Funnily enough, that actually was a bit of a problem for us because we didn’t have a chance to blow our last remaining tenge on candy and beer at the last shop before the border, as was our custom. We did have the pleasure of meeting Raf at the border, who was a Belgian bicyclist riding from Brussels to Ulaanbataar. We were stuck at the border with Raf because we had the unfortunate timing to arrive as the night shift of border patrol was ending. At 8:30AM the border officer told Raf that he only had thirty minutes left on his shift and he wanted to spend those relaxing rather than working. We all waited for thirty minutes, and we excitedly greeted the new border officer who showed up exactly at 9 o’clock. Imagine our chagrin when he told us he had just woken up, and it would probably be about half an hour until he got his coffee and had some food. Exactly an hour after we arrived at 8:30, the morning shift finally took our paperwork and admitted us at 9:30. For the second time on our journey, we were back in Russia! Pretty soon over the border we recognized two other Rally cars even though we couldn’t tell who was in them, so we pulled them over discover our crazy South Africans who had cooked up breakfast back in Almaty! They were a part of There and Bactrian, a team of two South Africans, a Brit, and an Aussie, and they were convoying with Geographically Displaced, a team of large Norwegian men in a very small car. We quickly joined their convoy, and made the all-important stop of the day: the tire shop. The Mongol Rally can be described as a tour of the world’s tire shops, and somehow we had made it this far without getting to visit any ourselves. For the exorbitant price of 100 rubles (a little over $3) we got our tire fixed, while each of the other teams also got their tires in tip-top shape in preparation of entering Mongolia tomorrow. After a longer stop than was expected, we were on our way towards the Altai Mountains with our new friends! Starting Point: N46°04 E80°46
Ending Point: N51°40 E85°46 Distance Traveled: 481.0 miles Our day started when we wandered into the hostel’s kitchens to find two South Africans cooking a breakfast feast while lamenting that their Rally clothes hadn’t been enough to get them past the strict dress codes of Almaty’s clubs the night before. After a quick run to the shop to contribute ingredients, we sat back and spent the morning in the kitchen swapping stories and eating like royalty. Eventually around noon we decided it was time to hit the road, but one thing first: Chase wanted to check out the Green Bazaar, Almaty’s largest bazaar. Once we reunited with the Elephants and the Lumberyaks it was off to the Bazaar, only to discover that it was closed on Mondays. Luckily for us though there was a little market next door, where Chase was able to purchase the much-coveted traditional Kazakh hats. By the time we left the market (and we watched the Elephants and Lumberyaks get pulled over by Almaty’s finest), it was already after 3PM; rather than hitting the road at such a late hour, we decided to spend the afternoon doing personal admin and then meet with Chase’s friend Aggey in the evening. Right around sunset Aggey arrived at our hostel and offered to take us on a tour of his city. Aggey has spent his entire life living in Almaty and climbing tall peaks around the world; in June he had been in Alaska to climb Denali, and when he met Chase the two decided that they’d have to meet up during the Rally. Aggey’s pride in Almaty and in Kazakhstan in general was obvious as he told us the history of this major city at the crossroads of Central Asia. Well before we rolled into town in our Panda, the Mongols had crossed the Kazakh steppe, the traders of the Silk Road had plied their wares, the Soviet Union annexed Kazakhstan, revolution had led to the world’s longest-serving President in a “democracy,” and rapid development and modernization in a shrinking and increasingly-connected world all proved that Almaty is truly the social, cultural, historical, and financial capital of this interesting country. The highlight of the evening was when Aggey brought us to Kishlak, a traditional Kazakh restaurant in the heart of the city. Like Kazakhs, we drank green tea and fermented mare’s milk while reclining beside the low table that was surrounded by beautiful tapestries on the walls. Aggey explained that a “kishlak” is the name for a large camp when multiple families of traveling nomads all temporarily join together; the perfect symbolic parallel to our convoys all camping together in the Kazakh desert! We feasted on traditional meals ordered by Aggey, and went to bed that night with full stomachs, active imaginations, and a strong desire to make it back to this wonderful city. Starting Point: N43°13 E76°56
Ending Point: N43°13 E76°56 Distance Traveled: 5.3 miles We woke up very early with hopes to recover some of the delay we experienced the day before due to the horrendous road conditions, and we set off for Bishkek. Our first town on the day’s route was Turkestan, which we had heard great things about from our French backpacker friend in Aralsk. The city’s architecture was stunning and a glimpse into the Uzbek architecture we wouldn’t get to see on this journey (why didn’t we get Uzbek visas again?). We met a couple of wonderful people at the Gazprom station in town who shared a bit more about the city and region with us; the conversation started when one said in perfect English that he spoke Kazakh but not English. We were incredibly excited about this part of the country as we left. Then, driving through town, a dog doubled back on its trip across the street at the same time that we were crossing. We were horrified when we heard it, but then amazed when we stopped and found it still running and seemingly OK and on its way to care from a couple of locals, including a man we played charades with on the side of the road. After a bit of shock, things got better when we were pulled over yet again by the police for a curiosity stop. Just after we left the police, we passed another Rally team heading in the opposite direction and on the other side of a concrete barrier. We honked, and they honked; yet, we couldn’t seem to find a place to talk to each other and kept going. After an insane fifteen miles through Turkestan, the rest of the drive through the small part of southern Kazakhstan we crossed was uneventful. We were pulled over again, and we stopped to ask a couple policemen for directions in Shymkent. We grew to like the Kazakh police; they were by far the most friendly police on our journey and some of the most pleasant (and smiling!) people we talked to in all of Kazakhstan. In Shymkent, we also came very close to adopting a pet for our journey when we saw a small puppy outside of a shop; fortunately/unfortunately, he was well cared for by everyone working there. Leaving Kazakhstan through the border crossing after Merki, we had a surprisingly easy, dare we say enjoyable border experience. Leaving Kazakhstan was a breeze, and then entering Kyrgyzstan, we encountered border officials who were excited about our journey and the charities we were benefiting. (Did you forget about them? Check out Cool Earth and the Lotus Children’s Centre, and help us on our campaign!) One guard even rose to shake Chase’s hand twice and offer him a cigarette—a meaningful gesture even though he doesn’t smoke—while the guards laughed and passed around Charla’s thick passport. The drive between the border and Bishkek was a short one, and though unsure where we were in the city, the place we found for the evening was a good one. While looking for wifi in the area between the bazaar and a park-lined street, we chance upon the Koisha Hotel, where Rashid came to meet us. As we walked through the city center, he gave us a quick overview of the main sights, including the opera house, UN house, and Bishkek University. Our walk ended at a nice coffee shop that served quality drinks and café food where we were able to catch up with Rashid on his exciting career in international relations and his thoughts on Kyrgyzstan. Starting Point: N43°56 E67°14
Ending Point: N42°53 E74°36 Distance Traveled: 478.3 miles The sunrise woke us up, so we got an early start to the day. Since there are frequent ramps to drive up and check under the car all along the highway, we made use of one and checked out the undersides of the Panda and the Thunderyaks’ Kangoo. After what we had driven through, they were pretty dirty but otherwise intact, so we continued down the road. To no surprise, as we rolled into Actobe, the police pulled us over again, this time slightly more interested in seeing some paperwork but not so interested as to push us for it. We left the roadside police to go to the police station to find out how and where to register our visas. They directed us to the immigration department, which was closed for lunch. Since the officials were taking a lunch break, we thought it was time for one as well. After asking around, we got directions from a nice man named Aslan to a restaurant in the basement of a hotel called Sultan. There, we spoke on the phone with someone who spoke a little English; by the end of the conversation, we still weren’t sure what we were ordering, but went for it anyways. Half an hour later, a feast arrived with chicken, potatoes, rice, salad, and a piece of salmon. Far more in need of a food-coma nap than accomplishing tasks, we went to the immigration department where we waited in line for nearly an hour until a woman opened the covered glass window and took our passports. In the meantime, the Cads and Bounders arrived, and the teams had plenty of time to catch up. Much later than we had planned, we left Actobe heading southeast while the Cads stayed in town to get their car issues sorted. Not far outside the city, we were thrilled to see a gathering of Rally cars at a roadside pull off (complete with one of the aforementioned ramps!)! As they were finishing their dinner, we shared road stories with Don Tiki, the Yard Monkeys, and From Denmark to Mongolia. The last team had been on their own for the entire Rally after having car problems in Berlin, and they had been quite isolated as they took the crazy road that we turned away from in Makat, which took them three full days to travel. So, we added them to our convoy and set off for Aralsk. After a market stop, we drove into the night until finding a camping spot about an hour north of our target city. There, we got to know the new guys as we checked out the stars. Starting Point: N50°53 E51°46
Ending Point: N47°33 E61°30 Distance Traveled: 614.5 miles The morning started rather abruptly by waking up in the apartment with people sprawled everywhere. Chase was the first one awake, and he was soon joined by George from the Cads & Bounders. George wanted to go to a Post Office and then to a market to make breakfast for everybody, and Chase thought this was a fine idea. However, it is not always as easy to find a Russian Post Office as one would hope. After wandering around Astrakhan without seeing one, they finally started asking for directions. Unfortunately, Chase and George didn’t know if people really understood what they were asking for; and, honestly, whether they did or not was a moot point because the two English speakers never understood the Russians’ answers. Eventually Chase and George saw a mail truck on the side of the road, and they knew that truck would be the missing piece to the puzzle. The mailman was a very nice man, and finally he figured out that Chase and George were looking for the Post Office. He gave a very long account of how to get there, which was presumably very detailed and incredibly precise; meanwhile, the entire time he was talking George and Chase were just exchanging confused glances. Finally the mailman gave up, opened the back door of the mail truck, and told Chase and George to just get in. The mailman started driving with our two explorers bouncing around the back of the truck, with no idea where they were or where they were going. After a very impromptu tour of the city, the mail truck rolled to a stop in front of the Post Office, and the smiling mailman threw open the back door. We made it! Their happiness was short-lived, however, as the mail truck drove away again. After buying stamps, they were left to meander through the city on foot and hope to find the apartment again. Luckily, by walking through the city they found a market where they purchased 32 eggs, a pound of bacon, and a loaf of fresh bread; upon their triumphant return to the apartment, Charla (who had since woken up) joined George in the kitchen to make a massive breakfast feast. Post feast, Charla and George took off with James of the Thunderyaks to meet the Drama of Llama, a team of travel bloggers who had had to abandon their car in southern Russia (perhaps more aptly named Drama without Llama?). Once our crew was more or less together, we arranged for our cross-town journey to the next apartment—conveniently a much larger one for our growing group, which now included us, the Thunderyaks, the Cads & Bounders, Drama of Llama, and Elephanto Equitemus. At the apartment we met up with Igor and Nadia, who prepared an incredible dinner for everybody. It really was a day of feasts, as they made delicious Russian food—fish, veggies, salads, meats, and so many wonderful things we can’t even list them all. That night, we officially celebrated Igor’s birthday with a cake! Then, to our surprise, Nadia and Igor surprised us with giant pens and magnets that featured landmarks of Astrakhan to remember our time there (like we could forget!). We were lucky that night to also receive the official mascot of our team: a stuffed panda that we named Bertha who sings in Russian when you squeeze her hand! Our party went on late into the night with a speaker system and laser light show brought in by the one and only Sitting Thunder. Starting Point: N46°22 E48°03
Ending Point: N46°80 E48°00 Distance Traveled: 6.8 miles
The view of the Volga River from our hostel balcony.
We know, it's crazy to spend three days in the same place. We haven't done that any other time on the Mongol Rally! However, today we were lucky we didn't have to drive. Unfortunately, Chase woke up extremely ill, and throughout the entire day he didn't go any farther than the hostel bed to the hostel bathroom. Charla's day wasn't too much more exciting, as she never went farther than the market down the block throughout the day to see what they had that could make Chase feel better. Charla and the manager of our hostel (another vegetarian!) about to dig into some pasta. We stayed with Team Rougher Dan Khan, who we've been hanging out with in Volgograd since we got here. Tonight we got an unexpected surprise as the drivers in another rally also stayed in our hostel room; three Lithuanians in the Pamir Rally are driving from Vilnius, Lithuania, to Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Obviously, we are very familiar with our Rally and have spent weeks analyzing "Rally logistics", but it was interesting to hear the perspective of drivers on a completely different adventure and how the planning is going on their trip. Rougher Dan Khan is an Italian team, and tonight they showed off how great it is to be Italian by cooking a giant pasta dinner in the hostel kitchen. With meat and meat-free versions, the pasta sauce was also filled with a great assortment of vegetables. Dinner was a communal gathering with the Italians, Charla, and the Russian manager of the hostel, and it was a great time. Charla wishes we were traveling with Rougher Dan Khan more so that we could have more nights like this one throughout the trip! Even though Chase had yet to eat throughout the day, they also brought ice cream for after dinner, and Chase felt well enough by then to get in on the fun and enjoy some ice cream. Starting Point: N48°42 E44°31
Ending Point: N48°42 E44°31 Distance Traveled: 0.0 miles We woke up at the Local Hostel, which was soon becoming a Mongol Rally Hostel, as the other three members of the Thunderyaks arrived in the night. We swapped stories of the road over a market breakfast in the park just below the hostel and attempted to come up with a plan for the day. Well, planning too much isn’t Rally style, so we decided to go to the Mother Russia statue and take it from there. Many of the buses from our corner go to the statue, but we didn’t get on one of those. Once the bus turned in the wrong direction, we jumped off and then found a taxi nearby. Our German-speaking driver saw no problem with the six of us piling into his Soviet-era Lada, so off we went. We didn’t exactly communicate which historical location we wanted to go to, and so we made a stop at the museum on the Volga River and took in the panorama. From there, we found an underground tram station near the large Lenin statue and finally headed in the right direction. The Mother Russia statue is on the top of a small hill so she can be seen throughout the area. So, to get to her feet (you have to touch the statue or you haven’t really been there), we walked past a couple of reflecting pools and smaller statues and carvings. Then, we passed through a room with an eternal flame to commemorate the Russian soldiers who lost their lives in World War II. From Mother Russia’s feet, we could appreciate the scale of the statue and have a nice view of the city and river below. The journey back from the statue was much easier than the one there; we just had to take the underground tram five stops. We celebrated another good day in Volgograd with a big dinner at a café on the block that the Thunderyaks had found the night before. Dinner turned into drinks with the owner and his friends, who were also trying to help our Italian friends come up with a solution for their car problems. By the end of the night, Vlad (the owner and overall guy in charge) was calling us all brothers; he also thought that since we were coming from Alaska, we were practically Russian-Americans. Just before we left, we shared a bag of coffee from The Grind in Girdwood, Alaska, to cement our friendship. Starting Point: N48°42 E44°30
Ending Point: N48°42 E44°31 Distance Traveled: 0.7 miles |
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