Clive and Ces are relaxing in Uzbekistan ... but really impatient to get to the next timed stages ... scheduled for Iran. They are currently chilling out but bored in Samarkand. Apparently fuel has been a serious problem ... shortages across Uzbekistan and difficulties buying at just any old service station. When they have bought fuel, it's has had a very cloudy colour and has been fouling the spark plugs. Much of Day 21 was run on 5 (rather than 6) cylinders. But other than the missing cylinder, the car is running really well.
Tomorrow, Day 23, Clive believes that they will be crossing over the border into Turkmenistan. He's correct, and therefore he can expect much hanging-about sometime during the day. But then the distance is only just under 400 km so they can accommodate a delay. In addition, the hanging-about will be very pleasant in the 28C temperatures (rather than the -10C of Mongolia).
Less pleasant is the evolving stratification of the participants. As the days pass, a non-Darwinian unnatural selection is taking place. An aspect of this has already been alluded to on the official website, relating to the hiring of transport planes to leapfrog a couple of days' driving to Almaty. The upper end of the stratification would seem to be modelled on the officer class of the old British army (ie. class distinction).
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