Day 21 - to the beautiful Samarkand

One assumes that today is another uneventful day.   I hope that Clive and Ces are not staying in an Intercontinental Hotel again tonight because, if they are, they'll be bored as usual.   And that would mean bored all day tomorrow as well since it's another rest day.   However, my guess is that they're in a very average hotel since we've heard nothing over the wires.

We might hear some news tomorrow if Clive can find an internet connection.   How hard can that be?   After all, Samarkand was where the very first paper mill (outside China) was built in the 8th century.   So it's not exactly nowhere.

Not a bad place for a RestDay ... I wonder if Clive and Ces will go out and explore.

Clive has some work to do on the car to sort out the wobble.   He had given his spare king-pins to another car who couldn't continue without them.   That other car, in turn, had loaned his spare set to the race leader.    Apparently the whole topic was getting a little sensitive and political until bad luck intervened in a good natured sort of way.    The bad luck was that Clive's king-pins did not fit the other car, and the good natured outcome was that the king-pins were returned to Clive.   Conveniently, for Clive, any sensitive politics would now only be between that other car and the race leader.   Phew!!

Otherwise, a set would have had to be couriered to Iran.

And we thought that this was just a whole group of pals having a jolly good romp across Asia.

Day 20 - It's ok, I've left the keys in a safe place!

As Peter has already mentioned, we had another huge transit yesterday (Tuesday).  About 750 kms which was fairly uneventuful, apart from the 5am start.   Uneventful is definitely a blessing during these long transit days.

The car developed a very scary wheel wobble at around 50kph which was easily fixed by travelling at 100+ although this was an issue in the towns!    We thought it was the king-pins playing up, so last night upon arrival at the hotel, we tightened them and went to bed with fingers crossed.

However before going to bed, there was the matter of dinner.   That was a complicated affair with a choice between chicken with potatoes or nothing with nothing.  The chicken was lovely ... well, it did kinda look like chicken!    It reminded me of a Frankie Boyle joke where the diner asked:

"Is there a vegetarian option?"

to which the answer was:

"Yes, f*uck off!"

Another early start this morning but a short day to the Uzbekistan border.   All started well but the wheel-wobble was back with a vengance so I am no longer sure about the king-pins.   I've tightened all the steering system, so we'll see tomorrow.   For now we're in another Intercontinetal Hotel so all is very nice.

Getting here was an adventure, especially at the border when Ces asked

"Clive, where are the car keys?",

"It's ok Ces, I've left them in a safe place!"  I replied sheepishly.

I'd actually locked them inside the car!    One broken rear quarter light later and we were away .... luckily it's a nice temperature here (about 25 degrees) and the broken window is on Ces' side!

Exhibit A and Exhibit B - door handle that fell off in Mongolia
... and keys that Clive put in a safe place!!

We're a little bored (Clive, that's twice that you've been bored in an Intercontintal Hotel ... Peter) and waiting for the next time trials to start on Day 26 in Iran ... then we hope to start moving up the leaderboard.   Each day, cars break and some have even caught fire (Car 22 was burnt out) ... while this gets a notice on the board, it's not the way I want to get to the top of the board!

That's it for now, I am off for a beer with the huge wad of money I've been given.   It makes me feel like a millionaire, but is worth only £30!

This is only enough UZS to buy a round of drinks!
(UZS is symbol for Uzbekistan Sum, the local currency)

CD & Ces

Day 19 - another long day ... 734 kms to Shymkent

It's past midnight in KZ without any word from Car 72.    However, I notice from the official classifications that Clive and Ces have registered at the finish control, so clearly all is as well as can be expected.  

I do not hold out much hope of frequent updates, except tomorrow when they have only 200 kms to cover.  And since they will be sitting at the Kazakhstan-Uzbekhistan border for hours and hours, Clive will have plenty time to craft a creative SMS update.

And then they have a night each in Tashkent and in Samarkand ... such legendary places are definitely worthy of a photograph and a despatch ... unless of course, 100% of the energy in Car 72 is required to ensure that the 1938 Chevy gets through to Paris.

Finally, I leave you with an image of the countries through which the P2P will be passing in coming days.  It's challenging enough to be doing Kazakhstan - Uzbekhistan - Turkmenistan - Iran - Turkey.   But if they stray a little, especially to the south, they would have Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria to add to those other well known tourist destinations.

The path of the P2P over coming days ... not a relaxing part of the world, is it?

Day 18 - I'm bored!

Clive sent a brief message today saying that there would be no update, because nothing happened, because the day was really boring, and because he spent it filling in time.   So much for the anticipated excitement of spending the day lying by the pool with a beer in his hand!

I assume that the boredom is a consequene of having 2 rest-days back-to-back.  Once all of the repair work has been completed, there is nothing to do ... clearly culture and sight-seeing are not on Ces' laminated check-list.

By the time he sent the SMS (5:30pm KZ time), Clive was having a medicinal gin and tonic, which was to be followed by an early night, in turn followed by a 5:00am wake-up ... and finally a return to the adrenalin of survival and competition.  

Tomorrow night, they will still be in Kazakhstan, but then they have a couple of nights each in Uzbekhistan and Turkmenistan, followed by 3 nights each in Iran and Turkey.   It will be interesting to hear about their interactions with the locals in those countries, and whether or not they're as amicable as they were in Mongolia.

Apparently the hotels for the next umpteen nights are also really grim ... they've been advised to use their own sleeping bags.   Hmmm, Clive didn't explain whether those sleeping bags were to be put atop the beds, on the floor of the bedroom, or down in the garage next to their car.   I guess they'll make that decision when they get a first sighting (or whiff) of the hotel each evening.

One thing is sure; he won't have to fill in time again for a few weeks.

For and on behalf of Clive and Ces.

Day 17 - Too many bubbles!

Well as I mentioned in yesterday's update, we're now staying at the Intercontinental Hotel in Almaty and I can honestly say that you can never have too many bubbles in your bath or in your champagne!

We spent all today giving Fugly the once-over and found that the offside king-pin is very worn.  We've decided to leave it for the time being and pack it daily with grease and consider a change in Turkey or Iran dependant on the wear rate.

Yet again I had to adjust the brakes and this time even the professional assistance found that the brakes are not running true, meaning we both look like nodding dogs as the brakes grab and release as we come to a halt .... good for the neck muscles!  (and probably for re-effervescing the bubbles from the previous night ... Peter)

The spigot bush has once again broken free and whilst we have a replacement that was sent from Autosportif in the UK, I have decided to leave it alone for the time being.   Thanks to Mark Owen of Owen Motorsport in Oxfordshire for his opinion which played a significant part in the decision process and allowed me to concentrate the rest of the day on general maintenance, such as gearbox oil top-up, engine oil, fuel filter changes, air-filter cleaning, spanner checking and those bloody brakes!  (for your sake, Clive, I hope that you have been scrupulously following Ces' laminated check list ... Peter)

As I type, it's 5.30pm here and I've finally finished ... having started at 8.30am this morning.   It's been a long, hot, dirty day ... but now my thoughts are turning to beer!

Tomorrow is another rest day and I intend to have a day away from that bloody car and make use of the hotel pool instead!

We leave at 6.00am on Tuesday and the carnage will start once again as we head through Kazakstan and into Uzbekistan which, apparently, has a fuel shortage.   To slightly misquote what Confucius would have said "we will be living through interesting times"!

CD & Ces

PS.  I miss my Dad

(PPS:  I've no doubt that your Dad is having a great time watching your antics.  And I doubt that he has any trouble with wi-fi connections or Russian interfaces getting his updates ... Peter)

A pictorial record of westward progress by Clive, Ces and Fugly.

To make it easy for you readers, the photos are in chronological order from top to bottom ... I know how everyone hates having to read from bottom to top ... it's just not intuitive in our imperial culture.

So going back to Day something or other, here we have ....

Rush hour on Mongolia's M1

Fugly disgorging its contents for transfer to the Yurt

High density living in Mongolia

Not bad eh ... if only we weren't so tired to enjoy it

Nice line of pinafores out here ...

Fugly in full flight ... or was it a stoppage ... because it seems uninhabited!!



Nice photo of Ces ... but who's that bloke with the 'tache? ... let's zoom in a bit



Hmmm ... still no idea ... I hope that Ces knows what she's doing!

Heeya ... circle the wagons ... hide the womenfolk!



Clive says that this is somewhere ... oh, ok ... that narrows down the options.





Presumably this is "somewhere else" ... but with snow on them thar hills!


Right ... now pay attention ... this is where the quiz section starts ... especially for all you mechanicals types reading the blog.

Identify the part of the car ... and the problem

Suggest a mechanical benefit achieved by the finger action ...
and what part of the car needed the said benefit ... and why?

Is Ces sweeping the floor of Fugly ... or about to blow a poison dart at Louis Chevrolet?
(for a bonus point, when did Chevrolet ban the Chevy abbreviation?)

Now we are moving from the mechanical category of the quiz to the managerial category ...

What is the motivational benefit of having a scruffy Managing Director standing around grinning?

What is good project management?   (hint: "the early bird catches the worm")
The question is:   Was the bird a little too early for breakfast?



Clive provides a locational clue to the answer of this picture ... he says that it is in the middle of nowhere.
I wonder if nowhere is anywhere near somewhere.



Clive says that this was Wash-Day.  
The question is:   Was this photo taken before washing or after washing?

Ok, that's the end of the quiz.   Now let's get back to the human interest aspects of the P2P, especially those aspects that involve pain and suffering.

I know that's frost on the car ... but it's only a short run to the outdoor showers
... here, don't forget your ladle!!

Let's smile for the camera ... even if we are suffering
... because this the very last night in a tent.

These were my favourite gloves ... and see what the gearchanging has done to the left one
... I wonder what "glove" is in Russian!

and the final photo ... Clive is moving into his truly artistic phase ... because he labeled this photo as Man on Bike ...

Man on Bike

... if you could just put the man in formaldehyde and pretend you were related to Damien Hirst ... you could sell that photo for £1000's.


PS:  For those of you who were curious about the banning of the name Chevy, I can confirm that Chevrolet banned the use of the term Chevy in June 2010.   Seriously.   But after getting a pasting in the press and by Chevy owners, Chevrolet revoked their decision.

Day 16 - Where do I start?

Probably with a big thanks to Peter Horan for keeping the blog alive during my very extended periods offline in the middle of nowhere. 

I've uploaded some photos from the route so far, but the stay in the yurt seems an age ago.   Tonight we're in a 5-star hotel in a place called Almaty in Kazakhstan and it really is a very welcome respite from camping and shitty hotels along the way!

The camping in Mongolia was great with all meals provided by a company called Nomads.  They built showers, toilets and even a beer tent, although the beer tent usually ran dry after it sold 10 bottles!

When I would go for a call of nature at 4am, the view was spectacular.   With -10C, no clouds and no light pollution, the stars were amazing.   I could see more stars than I thought possible ... it was truly magical.

The people have nothing of material value out here and yet they are so friendly.    No stone throwing (as was common in North Africa) and no begging.   They are so dignified and so generous with what they have.   They are fascinated by the cars as well as by us in person, because we tower over them.    Apparently we all look the same!

The Russians have also been approachable and the police are very keen to get a photo of the car but not for a speed prosecution!

We're both tired and our overalls are filthy, so much so that even other competitors have commented!!    But then again we don't have a change of clothes for every night!!

We now have 2 rest days in Almaty and tomorrow we'll prepare the car so that it's for the next long haul.   But at the moment, Fugly is running well.   As of today, we're 12th overall and 9th in class ... not bad considering that on day 1, we broke down and dropped to 43rd place!    

Our aim is still to make Paris rather than the podium, but there are some timed stages in Iran and I am looking to use them to improve our position.    Realistically the early breakdown cost us a top 3 place, but I am still pushing for a top 5!

It's a long way still to go ... 4 more weeks ....  a lot can still go wrong ... but a lot can also go right!

Clive & Ces

Day 15 - "it's a bit like Glastonbury!"

That's exactly what Clive said to me today ... it's a bit like Glastonbury.   So I raised my eyebrows (I can't do one eyebrow like Roger Moore) and asked:

"which aspect of Glastonbury ... did you have music?"
"... well, no!"
" ... did you have mud?"
" ... well, no!   ... and we didn't have argumentative ghosts either!!"

BTW, it was the open spaces and the dust that he had in mind ...

As you can probably tell, Clive of Kazakhstan was in fine form today.   The car ran like a dream, once he got it moving (see later).   The distance was long, but the Chevy was very happy powering along the empty highways once it was given copious amounts of good fuel.   They were the 2nd car to arrive at Usharal, tonight's camping ground, not far behind their nemesis in the yellow Chevy.   (Hmmm, Clive would be happy ... Peter)

All of the people along the way were very friendly.  Even the police, who keep a very tight rein on speeding in Kazakhstan, were friendly to those cars that were pulled over for speeding.   Clive was pulled over for doing 68 kph in a 60 zone, so we're talking Swiss or Australian little-or-no tolerance.  Nobody seems to know why Kazakhstan has decided on such a tight speeding regime, but it is such that the P2P has no timed stages in any part of the country.   (Hmmm ... no timed sections ... friendly police ... I wonder what Clive has been smoking to have him in such good spirits ... Peter)

From a purely competitive point of view, this is all good news for Clive ... because it means miles and miles of highway speeds ... for which the Chevy is entirely suitable.   Well, more suitable than all those old and quirky cars and especially more than the old British cars which were only designed to last till the next pub.

But let me get back to the reality of the P2P ... and especially the accommodation.    This morning, they awoke at the Gulag Hotel and went to have their first proper shower of the week.   You know that this isn't going to go well, don't you.   The initial moments of the shower were quite pleasant, but the more the shower delivered hot water to flow down the hole, the more the sewage system provided warm, well, err, emm, dark lumpy stuff to bubble its way up from the same hole.  What followed was a sort of spread-eagle posture ... standing on the raised sides of the shower base ... with head leaned forward to get some water from the non-adjustable shower-head.

Not surprisingly, Clive is quite clear that he'd take camping any day over a hotel in the this part of the world.   Yes, you read that correctly .... Clive would rather sleep in a tent than in a hotel.  

Mind you, the camping is quite entertaining as well.   For the outdoor shower at the camping area, they are provided with canvas cubicles ... and a ladle.   The idea is that you ladle the shower water over yourself ... as if you were basting a turkey.   Needless to say, everyone is dreaming of the Intercontinental Hotel in Almaty tomorrow night ... so it'd better be good.

Before I forget, let me come back and explain my earlier remark about "once they got it moving".   In Clive's enthusiasm after his deft repair work yesterday, he over-adjusted the brakes to the degree that the car wouldn't move away at all this morning.   An initial cold chill was followed by sniggers and laughter ... after a quick adjustment in the opposite direction, the Chevy pulled away quite smartly.

Finally an amusing anecdote related to the Kazak who greeted Clive with "ello mate!" in fluent English and with a local London accent.   Clive asked if he'd been working in London.   No, he'd never been overseas, but he learned English in school and used to watch TV to improve it.
"From TV, really!   Which shows did you watch?"  asked Clive.
"Eastenders" replied the man.


For and on behalf of CD and Ces

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PS:  As I mentioned, all crews will be sleeping at the Almaty Intercontinental tomorrow night.   For their sake, I hope that the reality of the hotel is not still "coming soon" .... as the images on their site suggest.

Day 14 - Where locals glow in the dark!

Late breaking excitement ... Car 72 gets its photo taken ... and posted on the official P2P website ... if you listen really carefully ... you can just hear Clive shout ... "now, now, pull up the hand-brake!!"

Clive Dunster and Cecilia Agger - Chevrolet Fangio Coupe

__________________________________________________________________________________

Today was a very long transport leg ... as Clive put it "mile after mile after mile after mile through nowhere" finally reaching Semey in Eastern Kazakhstan.   On the positive side, the day was uneventful and the border crossing from Russia into Kazakhstan was a dream ... taking only one hour in total.  

Unfortunately, the car run like a pig all day ... virtually no brakes ... virtually no gears ... and a throttle that kept jamming wide open.    Just as well that there were no timed stages ... although the jamming throttle might have given Fugly some inspirational times.

Once they arrived at the hotel (of which more later), he set about trying to fix some of these problems.   As soon as he stepped out of the car, he noticed the puddle of oil.   No, not another problem.   Of course, when in doubt about what to do, always but always, open the bonnet and stare intently at whatever is in there ... whether or you have any idea of what to do.

In this case, looking under the bonnet was an inspired decision ... because it was quite obvious to our driver/mechanic that an oil pipe related to the airfilter has become detached.   Not only was it spewing oil everywhere, but it was sitting on the throttle preventing the return spring from doing it job.   Fantastic, two apparently serious problems fixed in a matter of moments.

Encouraged by such a feat of engineering brilliance, Clive of Kazakhstan moved onto the brakes, the fixing of which was a simple matter of adjustment.   So life is very good at the end of today ... and beers are in order.

Which brings us back to the hotel, called Hotel Nomad.  Clive described it as "quite special ... quite unbelievable ... like social housing ... with no bar, no restaurant".   Apparently they have to head to a cafe down the road for something to eat ... just as well that this wasn't last night when crews were arriving, hungry and tired, for many hours after midnight.   Oh, and the cars are just parked on the street.

Needless to say, there's no wi-fi, so photos will have to wait until they get to Almaty on Saturday evening.   In Almaty, they're all booked into the Intercontinental Hotel, so they're assured of all luxuries including wi-fi.   They might even be able to charge their drinks to their room.   And they have 2 whole restdays in Almaty.

For and on behalf of CD and Ces


PS:  But before we leave today's adventure, let me explain an interesting feature of the Semey region that Clive didn't mention in his despatch.   In case I didn't get an update from Clive today, I had done a bit of reading about that part of Kazakhstan, so that I would have something to say to you readers (although as an Irishman, that should never pose a problem).  

I discovered that Kurchatov, a town some 160 kms west of Semey, is much more famous (or infamous) than Semey.   Kurchatov was the ultra-secret city where all Soviet-era nuclear testing took place.   It was named after the USSR's nuclear physicist who was leading the development of nuclear weapons.

Igor Kurchatov ... friendly looking chap, don't you think

Between 1949 and 1989, 456 nuclear tests (340 underground, 116 in the atmospheric) took place here.   Is it any wonder that there are few tourist facilities in Semey.   It problably also explains why the cars are just parked on the street ... their headlights will probably stay alight all night ... of their own accord.  And they'll be easy to find in the morning!!

Day 13 - To Russia with Love ... eventually

I wasn't anticipating much of a report from Clive today because I knew that it was going to be a really long day.   But, according to the official site, the day was even longer than everyone feared.   Not only were there interminable delays at the border, but an extra 120 kms was added to the route by the local authorities.

Car No 72 was not mentioned in the official despatch, so we can only assume that they had no mechanical mishaps.   All the same, I suspect that words were few and far between inside the car as exhaustion started to make a comback.   But at least they can look forward to the comforts of a Russian resort hotel and especially to that wonderful herbal decoction.

ring, ring ... ring, ring ... gotta go ... it might be Clive of the Orient
___________________________________________________________________________________

Yes it was Clive.   It was just coming up for 1:00am in his part of Russia ... and he was sitting on the side of the bed ... waiting to get into it (the bed that is).
___________________________________________________________________________________

As anticipated above, today was a bit of a nightmare from an organisational point of view.   Clive was quite cross that the organisers had scheduled over 500 km on the same day as a border crossing.   Everybody knows that border crossings in this part of the world are a nightmare, so the organisers should not schedule lots and lots of driving as well.   

As it was, Clive arrived at the hotel after midnight but fortunately the hotel chefs had kept a buffet warm for the participants so that they could get a quick bite to eat before shuteye.   Getting a beer was a different problem because Clive had spent his meagre supply of roubles on fuel, and the hotel wouldn't allow him to charge a beer to his room.   So he had to organise a one-man rouble whip-around among his competitors for the price of a beer or, more accurately, for the price of several beers.

But I've gotten ahead of myself.  Let's roll back to Mongolia.   First wake up was at 3:00am ... to put on the longjohns and anything else he could find in the tent.  Their campsite was at 2,600 metres (that's about 8,000 feet for those of you still in imperial times) and the temperature was -10C (only the Americans won't understand Centigrade and Celsius so they'll have to look up the conversion themselves).   After the customary de-icing of the cars, and of the bodies in the outdoor shower, they drove the 18 km to the Mongolian-Russian border.  Where they waited ... and waited ... and waited ... for 4 hours.   Eventually, they fired up the cars and moved the short distance across no-mans land to the Russian side.   Where the wait was almost as long ... only 3 hours ... but more good-humoured.

By now much of the day had already passed and they still had some 700 km to cover ... meaning that many many kilometres had to be driven in darkness.   And did I mention without brakes?   Yes, there's a problem with the brakes, which Clive intends to sort out during the 2-day break in Almaty, whenever that it (eh, Clive, that'd be on Sunday and Monday ... Peter).   Meanwhile, the footbrake delivers about 5-10% of what it should, so Ces is helping out by using the handbrake whenever Clive shouts loudly enough.

Oh, and the headlights are still set for UK roads, so they're not doing a good job of picking out the cows that seem to be everywhere.   But they do light up the cows that are in the middle of the road ... in which case Clive shouts loudly ... and Ces uses both hands to yank up the handbrake.

The gear selection is still proving to be a little of a nuisance ... double de-clutching is required most of the time ... and the throttle is sticking somewhat.    Well, not so much sticking as becoming very non-linear.   This is thought to be a consequence of the conversion from US LHD to South African RHD (where the car itself was sourced).   Apparently everything goes from the pedals through to the engine bay on the RHS, and is then hooked across to the LHS by a series of rods and pulleys, from where it resumes its course as if it were a LHD car.   (I wish I had a picture of this ... a Willy-Wonka-built Chevy ... Peter).

Despite the litany of woes, Clive is clearly getting the hang of the car because he reported that he's getting the arse out much more often, and with considerable confidence in the consequences.   He's also lifted the speed considerably.   For the first time in days, he's been able to get proper petrol and the impact of the higher octane is spectacular.   130 kph is the order of the day where just over 100 kph was the best hope in Mongolia.

They're also continuing to climb their way up the leadership board but the climb is getting tougher.   After his problems at the beginning of the rally, he was seeded down with some very slow drivers, so he wasted a lot of time overtaking the fuddy-duddies.   How he's among drivers of a similar calibre, in equally quick cars, so while there's less overtaking to be done, each overtake is that much harder.

With lots of days still to go, and the occasional overtake along the way, Clive is confident that they can continue clawing their way back up the board, at least as far as the position they had before their problems started.

I can't give you their overall positions yet because they're not available, and I suspect that the officials have already gone to bed (it's now about 2:00am their time).  

I hope they sleep well, because I suspect that tomorrow will be another late finish.   Officially the distance is 548 kms ... but there also another border crossing ... this time from Russia to Kazakhstan.

For and on behalf of
CD and Ces

PS:   Clive said that he has sprouted a considerable beard, so I demanded a photograph.  Actually I'd like lots of photos, but one should be of the growth.

Day 12 - "Please show our positions on the blog"

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Late update on leaderboard:  
(WARNING:  Before you draw any conclusions, please read the footnote at the end of the blog on the interpretation of positions)

According to official results, Car 72 is still 15th overall and 9th in class.   The ghost's re-interpretation of the results suggests that Car 72 has moved from 24th overall to 23rd overall.  Now go and read the classifications footnote..
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In today's satellite link, Clive remarked (again) that the mornings are incredibly cold ... that all of the cars are iced over ... and that one of the more challenging aspects (presumably to his manhood) was that the showers, while good and hot, are outdoor!!!  

Tonight is their last night in a tent for a few days, which would have cheered them up if they'd realised it.   It seems, however, that their time-window is limited to the previous hour and the next hour because Clive was not sure of his accommodation for Wednesday night, other than that it would be in Russia.

Fugly seemed to be running well today and the only reported issue was with a rear wheel bearing.  

Clive  wasn't sure of their competitive positions but felt that he was still moving up the pack.  Then Clive asked if I could report their class and overall positions each day on the blog ... and that he'd telephone through the precise positions when he got them later.

Now, does that sound like the request of a man who is cruising to the finish in Paris!!   Nope, I didn't think so either.   But it did sound like our man Clive.   If you'd like to know their leaderboard positions, just continue reading ... there's a little essay on the scoring at the foot of this Update.

Tomorrow, Day 13, they have a short 18 kms to the Russian Border, an unknown duration at the border itself, and then over 550 kms before they reach their hotel tomorrow evening in a place called Belokurikha.   Looking at GoogleEarth, that 550 kms will not be pleasant, but at least they can look forward the comforts of a Russian resort hotel.  

I'm sure that you know this already, but Belokuikha is at the foot of the Altai mountains and is famous in Russia for its thermal springs.   I quote from their marketing material:

Altai is the habital of maral - the animal which is considered to be the symbol of health and sexual strength. Panto hematogenic substance is actively used at the Belokurikha resort in the treatment of various diseases. Effective technologies are created on the basis of applying panto extract.

Therapeutic muds are also widely used at the resort. Medical use mud tampons and applications shows successful results in the treatment of internal diseases, genital and musculoskeletal systems. Herbal teas made from vital Altai herbs are used in the complex treatment of different diseases and give sufficient results during rehabilitation programmes. We also apply herbal decoction and tincture microclysters, phytobathes and mini phytosaunas.

Clive's closing remarks today were "it's going well mate, but it's bloody hard work!"   I look forward to his closing remarks after he's had his herbal decoction tomorrow evening!

Signing off for CD and Ces.


Overall and Category Position of Car No 72

Bear with me on this because I'm still trying to unravel the scoring process.   On the official sites, there appears to be a 1st, 2nd, 3rd Overall Position within each Category, rather than across all cars.   Then, even more puzzling, there are 2x 1sts, 2x 2nds, 2x 3rds under Class Position within each Category.  Perhaps there are secret classes within the 3 listed Categories.

Have a look for yourself ....  http://www.pekingparis.com/results.php  ... you will see, for example, that in yesterday's results, Clive was listed as
          Overall Position - 15 and Class Position - 9 (Vintageants). 
But then Car No 27, also in Vintageants, was listed as
          Overall Position - 26 and Class Position - 9.  
Not too big a deal, I hear you say, but then the Irish crew in Car No 104 (who are in Classics, not in Vintageants) were also listed
          Overall Position - 15 and Class Position - 9
that is, the very same as Clive and Ces.   Hmmm ...

Getting to the bottom of this from the other side of the world is not easy.   But I did download the times from the official site into Excel and re-sorted them ... firstly using total cumulative times across the entire field ... and then using cumulative times within Vintageants Category.   On this basis, Car No 72 would be 24th Overall and 15th in Vintageants Category.   But I'll await confirmation from Clive before going to the FIA.

Day 11 - "By slowing down, we go faster"

..
Transcript of two long voicemail messages received from Tent No 72 just outside Khovd

Hello all ... not sure what Day I last reported on ... but I'll go back only as far as Day 7 ... because that morning was so cold (-3C) that I can't remember anything before it.  

Day 7 was not very exciting ...  almost nothing happened.   We started out from a place in the middle of nowhere ... we drove for hours and hours through the middle of nowhere ... and we stopped that evening in the middle of nowhere.

Day 8 was still in the ****end of nowhere ... still unbearably cold ... the camping was very grim ... but the day's drive was a lot more exciting.

The corrugations on the roads have to be seen to be believed .... it seems that the big trucks remove the surface layer ... and then the wind does its work and coats everything in fine sand.   But whatever causes it, the corrugations shake everything apart ... even the door-handles fell off today.   I have photos to prove it ... but you'll have to wait until I get to an internet connection to see the evidence.

Day 9 was a continuation of Day 8 in that more pieces broke ... and general disintegration continued.   The main problem was that the gear lever snapped off ... leaving a 3 inch stub.   This made gear-changing quite awkward ... which was especially annoying because we had to drive across a lot of soft sand.

Fortunately a Frenchman called Michel (Car No 84) had brought an arc-welder ... as you do!! ... and when hooked up to a generator at the campsite ... we were able to reattach the broken part of the gearlever.

Day 10 was fantastic.   We hit a top of 108 kph across the flat open plains ...  that was as fast as Fugly would go.  Naturally the mechanical disintegration continued ... the gearbox started to whine badly ... the gears become more and more difficult to select ... the horns stopped working ... and the wheels started to wobble badly ... the kingpins are worn.

Hungarian Bob ... one of the camp mechanics and a top bloke ... suggested that we pull out the gearbox and take it apart.    He said it would take just 25 minutes ... and was only a matter of a few bolts.  Sure enough, 25 minutes later ... Bob had the gearbox lying all over the tent ... and declared that the spigot bush had fallen out.   Apparently that's something that never happens ... but it did ... anyway Bob hammered, pushed, shoved and glued it back into place.   The gearbox no longer has a whine ... but as a result the clutch is now slightly out of alignment.

The non-working air-horns resulted from 2 problems ... firstly they had been mounted upside-down ... do they filled up with water on one of the crossings ... and secondly the fuse for the RH fuel pump was wired to the horns ... which we discovered purely by accident.   So we bought and fitted new air-horns and rewired the fuses.

As I mentioned in an earlier despatch, the radiator mounts have broken twice and are now quite loose  ...  but this looseness seems to be beneficial ... because there are no rigid mounts to break.

Through all of this, the engine has continued to run beautifully ....

As you may have seen, we set 4th and 5th fastest times yesterday on the timed stages ...  this was despite the firm resolution to stick to our new goal ... of just making it to Paris rather than trying to win.   What we have discovered is that by slowing down, we go faster ... and in addition, the navigation is easier.

Today, Day 11, is a rest day ... but despite having had showers, we still look a complete mess ... well, at least I do ... and my voice is croaky ... but we're still having the time of our life.

CD and Ces



(Clive is using a little known converse of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity.   As you recall, Einstein theorised that the faster you travel, the slower time passes.   Having disproved the usefulness of Einstein's theory by rattling the Chevy apart at very high speeds, Clive is swapping over to the little-used converse of the Theory ... The slower you drive, the faster the times.   ... Peter)

Day 9 & 10 - No news is good news!!

If any of you followers has a project meeting or a sales conference in Mongolia this week, could you pop across westward a little (toward the Russian and Kazak borders) and ask Clive and Ces what's going on.   Probably a good idea to bring some home comforts as well, because Clive and his beloved tent will be together for another 2-3 days, so his teeth might be shown to any visitors.

If you need directions, here they are:

Easy ... remember that the 1907 crews had no maps ... cos there were no roads!

As I mentioned in the last update, I was sure that the resolution to cruise to the finish was just exhaustion speaking.   This remote diagnosis was confirmed in today's official classifications ... Car 72 was 4th and 5th fastest outright in today's two timed stages.   Wait until he disconnects the cruise control.

Because of their energetic cruising, Clive and Ces are continuing to climb up the leadership board.   And with 22 competitive days to go, they can overhall both the bright yellow Fangio Coupe and that 78-year-old Aussie in the Holden.   Yes, I know that I said he was 72 last time, but precision is not the strong point of a ghost, even one living in Switzerland.   

Also, sorry about the lack of an update yesterday.   Apart from having neither news from Clive nor a change in classifications (because it was a day without time penalties), I arrived home from the Dolomites to find that I had no internet myself.   Of course, if the ghost had any empathy, he would have set up tent in the garden, but instead he and Mrs Ghost had a bottle of wine and went to bed.

Tomorrow is a rest day for the P2P at Khovd.  So I'm expecting pages and pages of updates from our fearless C&C in their '38 FCC.

Day 8 - Clive has a big moment!

How quickly the benefits of a rest day evaporate.    Exhaustion is setting in again.   And mechanical mishaps are undermining the best laid plans.

All crews are sleeping in tents again tonight .... regular tents, rather than the luxurious yurts ... so communication media are limited.   Despite today´s ordeal and the post-arrival exhaustion, Clive managed to send a dispatch by SMS.   It arrived late in my afternoon, so quite late in his night.   And if the written word could slur from tiredness, his SMS would have slurred.   If the written word could tremble from apprehension, his SMS would have trembled.

After 12 hours of driving, over the worst roads that Clive had ever seen, he and Ces arrived at Uliastay (still in Mongolia) with the top and bottom radiator mounts re-smashed.   While I gather that the outdoor shower at the riverbank campsite was better than expected, Clive was struggling to put the image of a large Mongolian truck out of his mind.    Earlier in the day, they narrowly avoided a head-on collision with the truck which was completely on Clive and Ces´ side of the road.

Clive´s message ended very uncharacteristically ... by saying that his new goal was to cruise to Paris.   I have no medical background, but my guess is that exhaustion was speaking.   I´m sure that Car 72 will be back in competitive mode after a good night´s sleep.   Mind you, that good night´s sleep might not materialise until they next sleep in a real hotel.   And the next hotel is not scheduled until Wednesday 22nd when they spend a single night in Russia.

In the overall standings, Clive and Ces have moved quite a bit up the leadership board.    Balancing Clive´s update against the official report, my guess is that attrition had more impact today than raw speed.    So when Ces takes the crew of Car 72 through her checklist tomorrow (including a check of the leadership board) the Dunsters will be inspired to something more than cruising tomorrow.

Sleep well, Clive and Ces ....




The reality of tonight´s sleep



Clive´s mind as sleep completes its repair job ...





Day 7 - Dear Nuala, your generosity knows no bounds ....

I had a phone call from Clive via the satellite phone the night before last ... and an SMS at 3:00am this morning ... promising an update on proceedings.   Yeah, I know that today was another back-breaking day ... and I know that they´re sleeping in a yurt again tonight ... but a ghost has commitments and deadlines as well!!!

The call on the satellite call was a hoot ... partly because of the time delay between speaking and receiving ... partly because I could hear Ces doing the washing in the background ... but mostly because Clive was so excited.    He explained that the P2P is the best thing he has ever done in his life ... but also the hardest ... and he tried to persuade me to take part in the next P2P ... which is in 2013.   I´d better start buying those lottery tickets.

He said that it´s quite dangerous ... and seriously scary when you have trouble out in the middle of the desert with no people, houses or cars to be seen anywhere in any direction.  It´s not like the Paris-Dakar (or whatever it´s called these days) where there always seem to be helicopters just a rotor-blade away.  The most amusing anecdote was of the system for collecting broken-down cars ... they put your car in (not on) the back of a truck ... and you have to stay strapped into the seats of your rally car ... while the said truck bumps and grinds its way over rutted roads for as many hours as are necessary to reach something.

He also said that the yurt tents were very "snug and cosy", but I think he might have been smoking yak-dung at the time.

On the good side, Clive and Ces are still clawing their way back up the leader-board, according to the official results, and with 5 weeks to go, stamina and a maniac competitive streak are on their side.   

Finally, for those of you who do not understand the "Dear Nuala" reference in the heading, I can explain.   Each time, I write "Day 1", "Day 2", etc, I can´t help but think of the Frank Kelly hilarious remake of the old Christmas song.   When Karen and I did our Alps to Arctic run in June, we would hum the tune each morning (not in public obviously).    In case you´ve never heard it before, sit back and be entertained ...



Hmmm .... as penalty for not getting blog posts to you all on time, I think we should require Clive and Ces to write and record a 12 Days of P2P.

Day 6 - Clive and Ces are catching up time rapidly

´evening all

Your worst nightmares have been realised .... no, no ... Clive and Ces are fine .... but the GhostPostWriter is back ...

... and all because not a squeak has been heard today from our hardy pair of rallyists.    It´s already midnight in Mongolia, so we can assume that no blog update is going to arrive today.

But I can assure you all that no news is good news.    Clive and Ces are fine.   In fact, if my interpretation of the official reports is correct, Clive and Ces were 4th fastest in today´s Timed Stage. and 2nd fastest in their class.    Even better news is that they were faster than their nemisis in the identical Fangio Chevy.   The not-so-good news is that the fastest time was set by a 72-year-old Aussie driving a Holden!

So you would think that Clive would have been really eager to get an update to us.   And I´m sure that he was.   But he and Ces are staying in a Yurt tent tonight, so Wifi may not be one of the features of their accommodation!!

To give you a sense of the situation, may I quote Syd Stelvio who creates the official reports (I must ask Clive if Syd Stelvio is his real name ... especially since I´ve just come from the Stelvio Pass ... maybe Syd´s another ghost!!!) ...

Tonight, we are all in Yurts, the white round portable cabins made of thick layers of horsehair and cashmere carpeting which is wrapped around a basket-weave construction, we all have little log-stoves in the centre and a chimney with a generous hole in the roof.   As darkness falls across this vast open plain at Bayanuur, a chilly air is rolling down the hillsides that flank this remarkable valley, and most of us are digging out our sleeping bags for extra covering on the camp beds.


We have dined out on bowls of chicken stew, lamb stew, rice, chips, bean salad, and a choice of two soups for starters.   A lack of tables and chairs meant a crowded dining hall, with several crews sitting on the floor… the atmosphere is remarkably good humoured and rarely does any rally experience such a united sense of camaraderie as this.

To give you a sense of what a Yurt tent looks like ... it´s somewhere between these two ....

might look like this if you booked through a reliable agency

and this one ...

might look like this if you are on a DIY holiday

We all look forward to hearing the real story from Clive ... just as soon as he gets an enterprising Mongolian to weld up a sturdy internet connection.

On behalf of the C-couple.

PS:  The next rest day is only 6 days away.

Day 5 - Rest Day @ Chinggis Khan Hotel ... somewhere abroad?

So, we woke this morning after a bit of a lie in ... all the way to 7.30am.   We had a leisurely breakfast and then made our way to check out the leader board. On Day 3, when the ignition coils had failed, we ended the day´s rally in 46th place overall and 28th in class.   At the end of Day 4, we were 35th overall and 12th in class.   This is a LONG hard rally and I am committed to putting in my best possible result ..... so watch this space! After devouring the yummy comestibles of breakfast, I looked long and hard at Fugly and found the following issues: 1.  Radiator Mountings have broken away top and bottom.   Only the cable ties are preventing the huge radiator going into the razor-sharp metal cooling fan.   (did cable ties exist in 1938? ... Peter) 2.  Fuel filters look like they´re full of crap.  The fuel pump on the main tank is noisy and hunting for fuel, even though the tank is half-full. 3.  Replacement ignition coils need to be fitted. 4.  New 16" tyres need to appear! As I mentioned before (remember the jack), Ces is very organised and has a daily check-list that she marks off on a laminated sheet using a chinograph pencil.   This list includes greasing the nipples, so I always like to ask if she'd like a hand-greasing for her nipples?   I usually get the kind of look that says not.   So whilst Ces greased her nipples and checked tyre pressures, oil and water levels, checked wheel bearings, cleaned all the glass and checked lights etc, her female counterparts on other teams went shopping or visited the spa! The chap next to me in his Rolls-Royce explained to his wife in some detail what would happen if she went ahead with the proposed purchase of a lovely rug she'd seen.   So, instead, she returned with an enormous wicker picnic basket.   My nipple-greasing team-mate is definitely the best! When I started removing the radiator, the most important repair of all, yet another local appeared and said that he could get it all re-welded within 20 minutes.  So together we removed the rad and off he went.  To be honest, if the tyre/wheel repair man from the previous night failed to re-appear with the 16" tyre, I could still start the rally, but without the 1938 Chevrolet radiator, my race would be well and truly over.  To take my mind off this worry, I again offered Ces help with her nipples, but having been rejected yet again, I cleaned the fuel filters and flushed the fuel pumps through, tidied up all round and then noticed that the 11am due time for my wheel/tyre had passed.    He was still not back by noon, but worse, my radiator man was also nowhere to be seen either.    Then I was told that one of the recovery trucks from the previous day´s timed stages had also disappeared, together with the 3 broken rally cars on its back.  Anyway, trusting in human nature as I always do (I´m sure that I just heard a thunder clap ... Peter), I assumed that they'll be back ... while at the same time seeking out the translator and the telephone number of the local police! Clive, you didn´t supply a photo ... so can you confirm that this is your welding specialist? Almost at the same time, the wheel/tyre and 2 coils arrived as did my radiator man.   Total cost?    -  Radiator totally re-soldered top and bottom and new brackets welded ... USD100 -  New 16" 8-ply tyre (you can't get those), plus 2 new coils ... USD300 -  Not having to call the police ... priceless! With the much appreciated help of Simon Ayris, we re-fitted the radiator, drilling the mouting holes larger to reduce the strain on the rad.   We also added some rubber blocks to enable some flex on the rough stages, and I extended the top hose to give more flex.   Then we fitted the new Russian coils. This was not a problem, except that neither terminal had positive or negative symbols.   Instead they had some Russian cyrillic writing.   After some guesswork, I fitted both coils and turned the ignition .... to be met with a huge blue flash from the fuse box and the smell of burning. I killed the ignition and immediatley swapped the connections over, replaced the fuse and tried again .... to be met, yet again, with a huge blue flash etc etc ....   To cut a long story short, if any of you would like 2 free Russian coils please let me know ... there are 2 nestled comfortably in the bin beside me! (Clive, "positive" in Russian is положительный and "negative" is отрицательный ... but I guess it´s too little too late ... as it didn´t seen to work whichever way you attached them ... Peter) So, as I type ,we've spent 10 hours of our rest-day fixing the car in the freezing cold (how can weather change so quickly?).   But now Fugly runs great and sounds great.    And with the new radiator mounts, we can push and push ... and then push some more ... without fear of the putting the fan through the radiator. Tomorrow ... who knows ... I am living for today!   (yeah right ... Clive is secretly working out how he can leapfrog that other Fangio Chevy Coupe ... don´t you think ... Peter) CD & Ces

We're back on-line and still en route to Paris!

Firstly a big thanks to Peter Horan for writing our blog when I was simply too tired and couldn't access the blogsite from China ... where it's forbidden.

When I used http://www.vtunnel.com/ to get around their "firewall", I found that the next day my computer would no longer log-on to the hotels Internet system ..... Probably just a concidence!   It's a shame because they are really nice, genuine people.

Where do I start?

Day 1 - The Great Wall to Daihai

As you all know, on Day 1 the timed stage was cancelled and we had an extended travel day to the city of Daihai.  During the night I was eaten alive by mosquitos, even though it's apparently not the season and the price of beer was increased by 400% as the night went on.



Amazing wildlife out here ....

So when I got out of bed on the morning of Day 2, I felt about 5% and was itching all over, even though Ces said "You´re just making a fuss!"

Day 2 - Daihai to Erenhot

The 2nd day was yet another travel day, this time to the city of Erenhot.    Today was all about racking-up the miles needed as we headed to the wilds of Mongolia ....

  

The hotel on the night of Day 2 was brilliant!   It had air-conditioning (it's still 27 degrees here at night and if you open the window, my little biting mates come in) and a strange pillow filled with dried beans ( I must get one!) .... The smallest things matter when you're so tired.

Day 3 - Erenhot to the Chinese border



Hotel Car Park - Morning of Day 3



Getting Ready on Day 3



Just about ready - Day 3

I am pleased to say that the crossing into Mongolia only took 2 hours, which is really good in this kind of environment.   Even better, we now made our way to the first timed stage!!!!

 

China-Mongolia Border - only 2 hour wait



Waiting to cross into Mongolia ... totally chilled out ... good acting, eh



Timed Stage 1 went really very well and I felt that we would be holding our own against my team mate and nemisis, Steve Hyde.

 

Fangio Chevy Team Mates



Onto Timed Stage 2, where again we were flying .... not so hard as to break the car but fast enough across such rough terrain.   While we were tootling along at about 104 kph,  the car just died.    It was as thought the ignition had been turned-off.   I checked the fuel filters, the fuel lines and then finally the sparkplugs.   They were dead!



Checking the fuel filters



F.I.I.K. what the problem is ...  
(or else snoozing in the shade)



I worked through the ignition system starting at the points and then changed over to my spare coil.... still nothing.   At this point I knew I was beaten and I called for mechanical assistance.  To cut a long story short, the coil had failed and the spare in the car was also a dud!!!

We eventually got the car started and, after 2 hours lost time, we continued on the stage, knowing that yet again fate had dealt us a poor hand.    (I seem to recall the old motto of PPPPPP ... Peter)    But what I have learned from another race competitor (Jon Nicholson) is never give up, not until the chequered flag is waived.

We were permitted to enter the final stage of the day, Timed Stage 3, but the sun was setting and we were racing due West.    I am not making excuses when I say that I could see nothing, just brilliant sunshine and sand dust.   I pushed as hard as I dare, but I was also aware that in Timed Stage 2, our radiator has broken a top mounting and there was a real risk that it would fall back into the metal engine fan!   I decided that for us, the day´s racing was over so I picked a careful route through the potholes and ruts so that we would live to fight another day.

The accommodation for the night of day 3 was in tents beside the Trans-Monglian rail line.   Of course, given the shenanigans reported earlier, not to mention the 40-minute incorrect detour into the desert, we arrived at the campsite in total darkness.    Ces and I were relaxed and calm ... not a angry word was spoken in our car ... in fact, no words were spoken ... but quite a few were screamed!!  

 

Just in case you were wondering who´s on top ...

On the positive side, the showers were brilliant, as was the warm beer.    Maybe I could have even enjoyed the novelty of the tents, but not the bloody racket made all-night-long by these 1-kilometre-long trains!



They never stop ...



Day 4 - The Campsite to Ulaan Baatar, Capital of Mongolia



Ready for Day 4 ... albeit with a broken radiator mount

Today, we left from the campsite in the middle of the desert and made our way to our Timed Stage 1 for today.    We've still got the broken radiator mounts, so we still have to strike a balance between flat out and broken down.   And remember that broken down means not only total failure but abandonment in Mongolia.  I can tell you that this focuses the mind!

Despite cable ties keeping the radiator in place, we made all three Times Stages today.   I was just a little chuffed, so I breathed a sigh and relaxed ... just for a moment.    This provoked an instant response from the gods.   The rear offside tyre exploded at quite high speed.    I discovered that losing a tyre at 80 mph in a 70+ year old 2-tonne car is nothing like the same in my XKR, but we stopped OK    Clearly the gods were giving me a warning, not a ticket.    BTW, I had been told in the UK that I´d be unlikely to find a 16" tyre in these parts, so this leaves us with one spare to cover the remaining 15,000kms ....

When we arrived at the hotel in Ulaan Baatar, a local mechanic was there attempting to pick-up some impromptu business!    So for USD300, he agreed to supply and fit 2 new coils and a new 16" tyre!   The coils are from Russian trucks and the tyre will be from who knows where, but to be honest, who cares!    (be careful, Clive, the gods are watching out for counterfeiters ... or is this a marketing lead? ... Peter).  

He's also taking me to his workshop the re-weld the radiator.   I tell you, these people are great and very service-oriented ...  no wonder their economy is taking off!

As I write, we're about to go to dinner in our 5-star hotel.   Upon arrival, Ces was given a ticket for a cocktail party in our honour tomorrow evening ... the ticket clearly stated "Please wear a gown".   Hmmm, how to transform grubby Castrol overalls into a gown ... that would be a challenge even for Trinny and Suzannah ... perhaps their next series could be entitled "What not to wear to a Mongolia Ball!".

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a rest day and we're waiting for today´s results.   At the moment we've been placed in 41st overall postion and I think 13th in class but this relates to our breakdown day so, from now on, it's push, push, push.....



And now for a word from our sponsor ...

I'll let you know how dinner goes and how the repairs pan out!

CD & Ces