Mongol Rally, Day 8, 26/07

Slow start this morning as yesterday's riding was very tough in the heat.

At the hostel I met a couple of lads from Iverness who are touring the Nordics and Lithuania/Latvia on more sensible sized bikes and as usual they were in disbelief at how far I was going on the XR.

The mighty XR while still in tip top condition

A little maintenance was completed, the blown headlamp bulb was a pain in the dark the previous night and as I am about to go into Russia it would be the perfect excuse for the police to constantly hassle me for bribes. The USB charger still does not work but I will leave that for when I get to Moscow; as for the moment I am staying in hostels and hotels where I can charge my phone.

The ride to Rezekne in Latvia was again very hard, it seems that the Latvians have decided to dig up all the roads that head east and leave them in a loose gravel finish. The dust clouds are choking and the big trucks pepper you with stones as they rush past. Latvia seems to be woods, fields and lots of small farms, I did not see any industry over my whole trip.

Rezekne has a definite Soviet feel about it with lots of crumbling social housing flats and the expected big statues. My hotel is the usual lovely reception area then somehow you go back in time while in the lift and emerge to find a room perfectly preserved from the 1960's, complete with dripping taps and lino flooring.

Soviet era crumbling flats

The bingo hall next door (also bar, pizza restaurant, and general low life hang out place) is boasting a mega prize night of  100Euros! I suspect that the ex Soviet housewives of Rezekne will be there and horribly drunk later tonight!

Miles today 220M (352KM) and a lot of dust and dirt.

Mongol Rally 2015, Day 7, 25/07

So on Saturday morning bright and early, my lovely wife drove me to the airport to catch a flight to Warsaw where I had left my bike a month ago with another bike friend; Anna Wozniak.

Warsaw was in the middle of a heat wave with temperatures on the motorways of up to 38C - wow not expecting that, as the UK was dull and raining when I left.

Anna was at home, so it was great to spend a bit of time finding out about her - turns out that she has a semi medical background like me and works for Glaxo as a sales rep selling Asthma drugs.

Bike was still in great condition, I had a moments scare when it would not start, but had forgotten that the side stand cuts the ignition if down. After leaving a gift with Anna and the security guards, I set off to try and ride from Warsaw to Vilnius in Lithuania, I did not get far - Warsaw is a nightmare to escape and I spent an hour going in very hot circles not able to find the right motorway.
Eventually I asked a biker who I spotted on a large Suzuki and he offered to lead me out of town - really grateful as both me and the bike were getting very overheated.

Once moving things improved; my air jacket is brilliant, but the poor little XR was not happy above 50 mph so I had to go easy all day.

I eventually made it to Vilinius but late at night, then the Downtown Forest Hostel eluded discovery until gone midnight! Too late to go for supper so the whole day's food was a pain choco in airport and a hotdog in last service station, the Hostel sold bottled beer so I bought a cold Tuborg and was soon in bed out cold.

Total miles for the day after 12+ hours riding was a disappointing 333M (533 KM)

Oh my god here we go again! Mongol Rally 2015

So having not learnt my lesson last year, my lovely wife has again unleashed me on the unsuspecting world (or at least Eastern Europe) and agreed that I can ride to Mongolia once more.

Unfortunately work has delayed my departure so although the 2015 Mongol Rally started yesterday, I am still at my work desk for another week before donning my leathers and risking all for the sake of insanity.

Now this year the Aventurists have supplied some words for us all to speak whenever in a public forum, so here is a taster that puts us in the mood.

"Adventure used to be easier. Maps had edges and you could keep going until you fell off the edge of the world. Now you have to try hard to get lost. You've got to ignore the travel guides, you've got to throw your compass down the loo and you've got to set off with nothing but ignorance to light your path"

So to make progress after a late start I have a cunning plan.
A few weeks ago I rode my mighty steed (Honda XR125) to Warsaw in Poland and left it with the lovely Anna who is guarding it with her life until I return next Saturday - then it's head down for a thrash through Lithuania and Latvia with Moscow as my target for first proper rest and party time (hopefully there will be some very slow teams that are still in town)!

To get you excited here is the trusty steed (donated by Koh Lee Na) sitting by the Berlin wall while I was on my way to Warsaw.

As you can see from the painting I am metaphorically escaping! (pretty high brow for me)

Bigger boots, more armour and old age will hopefully keep me safe this year.