High Point – Can I have 3? Hearing the first stamp on our Carnet from the Russians, finally realising that the Kazak customs official didn’t want an actual souvenir from me and, of course, our first sunset drive in Kazakhstan!! Read more →
High point: By far the highlight of today was the drive into the foothills of the Urals. The Ural mountains are traditionally seen as the division between Europe and Asia; they stretch nearly 200km from the Arctic in the North to Kazakhstan in the South. Although this was quite a long section with roughly 420km to cover and each of us doing two lots of one hour stints at the wheel, the scenery more than made up for the long drive. Long gone were the barren featureless landscapes of central western Russia and we welcomed the beautiful birch and pine forests of the Urals, punctuated with inviting lakes and rocky outcrops. Oh fresh air finally, I think we all took a huge gulp and it surprised me how long the conversation about our surroundings lasted; I think twenty days without a little TLC from our girlfriends and our feminine sides are blossoming. Read more →
High point: Today was exactly what the doctor ordered. After 18 days the agony was increasing exponentially. The constant view of gravestones and freshly crashed trucks by the side of the road, and near fatal accidents every 5 minutes was beginning to weigh heavy. Then today, out of nowhere, the roads stopped looking bombed, the skies cleared of smoke, and our fellow truck drivers almost started behaving themselves. Don’t get me wrong, we still have 40 tonne trucks coming at us head on, it just doesn’t happen as often. Awesome views, sweeping roads and big chat. Now this is what we signed up for. Love it !!!!
High point: Lots. It was an incredible day. We set off early and arrived in Kazan before lunchtime at the Mercedes garage. They were massively welcoming and loved what we were doing. Using a lot of body language and finger pointing we eventually manage to explain the problem. The chief then rallied the troops within 10 minutes and they started work. In the meantime he let us know, if we wanted, the lovely Veronica would show us around Kazan. Wow! She was a definite 10 for her knowledge of the town, friendliness and her legs. Beautiful. The guys at Kazan Mercedes garage were amazing throughout. We all can’t thank them enough for helping us in our time of need and if they’re ever in London and need a helping hand we’ll happily oblige (we’re good with guided tours of tower bridge, trading strategies, bean counting or golf lessons)
High point: Proper singalong to some real gems. Cab was bouncing today.
Low Point: We woz robbed. iPhone theft. Naughty naughty.
No point: The funny little waiter who suddenly lost his ability to speak English. Or deliver food. He had no point. Read more →
Distance covered on Road : 150 Miles
Highlight of the day : The Russian Firefighters Acrobatic display Team … (Sleeping in a dorm with 100 Russian Girls… James and Dave Orders Highlights only of course!)
Low Point of the Day : The traffic in Rush Hour in Nizhini Novgorod and getting lost in town for 2 hours in 40 degree heat…. Sweaty Sweaty boys!! Read more →
Hello to everyone back home,
I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to get in touch but I haven’t had a moment to myself since this trip started.
First of all a great, big, huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped to get me ready for this adventure (you know who you are). Then, a big thank you to everyone who turned up for my going away party. One of the boys had worked really hard polishing me and the girls had dressed me up in new flags and lots of balloons and I really did feel like the belle of the ball. Also big thanks to London fire Brigade for sending three of their big new engines to provide an escort; they really knew how to make a girl feel special! As we drove out of the square everyone was cheering and clapping and waving and it all got quite emotional.
After the complete shock of the accident we were faced with a 24 hr delay to enter Latvia. Our fixers had tried every trick in the book to bounce us up the queue without success. Dejected about a lost day in a Latvian truck park, we bid farewell to Taddas and Edmundo and decided on dinner in the cafe. Well that was until we realised the accident had knocked out the electricity so no food on site! Plan Z was quietly put into place and soon Steve and I were meeting the Chief of Police at the border. Armed with our secret magic potion we quickly negotiated a bounce of 300 places to number 1 in the list. They do say it’s who not what you know!!
The start of the most horrific and challenging 48 hours of the trip began in Lithuania on Thursday morning at 6.30am. We met Taddas and Edmundo our fixers and followed them north and into Latvia as we headed to the Russian border. Taddas had kindly arranged a spot of swimming on the way. Well lake swimming at a stunning lake side house owned by his friend who actually owned the lake itself which was about the size of an English county. We had planned the swim so you can all stop panicking that we didn’t have shorts on!
Day 10. Like kids in a sweetshop, the Stage 1 crew, now fully up and running and functioning like the high performing team I knew was always there, were looking forward to Wednesday with schoolboy excitement as it meant only one thing. No driving and a rest. Or so we thought.
