We get in the car, adjust the seat so that the pedal distance is just right, buckle up, and put two quarters in the slot. I choose three players, level of difficulty, my route, start the engine, hear the rumble of a muffler-less rally car, and I’m off…as if I’m in a video game. Driving […]
Once the sun came up, they started appearing. They were just puffs of dust off in the distance, and as they got closer, you could see 3 or 4 people squeezed on the motorcycle. They were curious about what two little tents and a car were doing in the flat, rocky landscape they call home. […]
When I was a kid, I used to have this thing called a ‘bubble’; it was made of Styrofoam in the shape of an oval about a foot long. It was used for swimming…actually, it kept me from sinking. The bubble was strapped around my waist and basically kept me afloat in the pool. I […]
I took off driving today out of Khovd missing one important thing…Rick. He was unable to change his flights and we had to continue on without him while he flew to Ulaanbaatar. But the show must go on so Dave, Deb, and I plotted our course towards Altai. The driving started out ok for about […]
Since we had made it into Mongolia – it was time to slow down and enjoy our surroundings. One problem was that Rick had to catch a flight. He hitchhiked a ride with another team to Khovd to try to sort out his flight issues while Dave, Deb, and I took a slow day of […]
“I’m starving!” I said as the Russian waitress brings out the menu with the usual cold grimace on her face. I eagerly open up the menu so that I can find something to eat, my eyes focus on the words and then it hits my brain; I have no idea what this menu says. The […]
At 11AM a border guard walks across the parking lot carrying passports and some forms, looking official with a stern look on his face. All of the teams perk up, and eyes follow the official’s every move; each wondering who will get the ticket to freedom. The official doesn’t say a word, scans the license […]
I had been looking forward to the Mongolia portion of the trip not only because it was the most adventurous and uncertain, but because I expected it to be the most social. Prior to this, rally teams were spread out all over Europe and Central Asia and about 75% of them would funnel through this […]
They say patience is a virtue. I’ve learned to develop my patience through traveling, but the border crossings on the Mongol Rally kick it up to a whole new level of patience that is required. For our last border crossing, “Wait” is the word of the day…and night. This was it, our last border crossing […]
The car is taking a beating. I honestly can’t really believe that it still starts for us every morning. We have taken it through rivers We have taken it over bridges that appear to be made with toothpicks We have camouflaged it in dust so it fits in with the Gobi We have determined that […]
