[ Hi all,
Dad's still laid up in the Victoria Palace Hotel in Kazakhstan in a fair amount of pain. Currently Mum and I are working hard to have him medevaced back home in the next couple of days.
We pass all of your comments and well-wishes along to Dad, so on his behalf, Thank you very much for the support!
-Scarlett ]
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Time to Plan (updated)
Monday (05/08)
Still in Atyrau at my hotel room; I've caught up on some sleep, but I'm still in loads of pain because of my back and hand.
Today I hope to visit a Hospital and get some x-rays on my hand and general paperwork to declare that Yes I was in a crash - that way I might be able to wave the paperwork and import tax if I dump my bike here.
Currently Plan B involves getting a train or plane if I can overcome the aforementioned paperwork issue - normally they wont let you leave if you arrived on a bike so I can't just ditch it!
Plan C is to go North with the Scamp boys and get into Russia, then take the top motorway across to Mongolia and Ulan Bator.
After I see the x-rays of my hand I can decide if it's possible. It's a long ride, maybe another 7,000 miles and two weeks.
My big adventure has become a little challenging, but I hope that with a little help from home and other teams, I'll soon be moving again.
-
So a nice girl from the hotel took me to the Hospital (more of a clinic), where they emptied my wallet before letting me see a doctor.
My right thumb is busted at the base, but the real issues is the blow I took to my left kidney. It liberated a stone I did not know I had, which is now blocking the outlet.
They wanted to operate on me today, but I declined and am now back at the hotel in plaster and with pain killers.
Hopefully my wife will come up with a plan to get me out of here quickly.
Still in Atyrau at my hotel room; I've caught up on some sleep, but I'm still in loads of pain because of my back and hand.
Today I hope to visit a Hospital and get some x-rays on my hand and general paperwork to declare that Yes I was in a crash - that way I might be able to wave the paperwork and import tax if I dump my bike here.
Currently Plan B involves getting a train or plane if I can overcome the aforementioned paperwork issue - normally they wont let you leave if you arrived on a bike so I can't just ditch it!
Plan C is to go North with the Scamp boys and get into Russia, then take the top motorway across to Mongolia and Ulan Bator.
After I see the x-rays of my hand I can decide if it's possible. It's a long ride, maybe another 7,000 miles and two weeks.
My big adventure has become a little challenging, but I hope that with a little help from home and other teams, I'll soon be moving again.
-
So a nice girl from the hotel took me to the Hospital (more of a clinic), where they emptied my wallet before letting me see a doctor.
My right thumb is busted at the base, but the real issues is the blow I took to my left kidney. It liberated a stone I did not know I had, which is now blocking the outlet.
They wanted to operate on me today, but I declined and am now back at the hotel in plaster and with pain killers.
Hopefully my wife will come up with a plan to get me out of here quickly.
Monday, 4 August 2014
This might be the end of the Rally for me
Monday (04/08)
A lot has happened since we last touched base. Currently I'm in Atyrau Kazakhstan, at the Victoria Palace Hotel.
I had a big fall from the bike about midnight last night, but thankfully another young Rally team, The Dragon Wagon [thanks to Rob S. for finding their team name] found me in the road.
I suffered the usual lacerations to my left leg, but I think my right thumb is broken and I took a big hit to the left kidney - I am now peeing blood.
I called Hugh on the Scamp Rally team and they should be able to reach me late tonight or tomorrow morning.
Stuck in my room as I pass out if I try and stand up - this may be the end of the Rally for me; I'll see how it looks tomorrow.
Sunday, 3 August 2014
"torn scrotum" is no way to introduce someone...
Sunday (03/08) morning update
Just tested the bike and it sounds awful; really like a bag of nails in a dyer, but it seems to have some power back. I still think it will probably eat an exhaust valve at some point soon.
Thankfully I've made contact with another team and I'm going to go to the border with them in a convoy (which almost might give me some options if the bike does kick it on the way).
Just two new countries and a Russian repeat then I can go home - I can't wait.
-
Found this from a few days ago:
Some random Turkish bikers bought me tea and toast on the way to the Georgia border crossing!
-
Just been with Duncan and Dave [Dad put to explain who they were, verbatim "torn scrotum", as if that explains all], who are from London. Dave is bleeding again, so after a quick inspection it was decided his stitches had been pulled. We sent him off to hospital for some maintenance.
Makes my issues look trivial!
Just tested the bike and it sounds awful; really like a bag of nails in a dyer, but it seems to have some power back. I still think it will probably eat an exhaust valve at some point soon.
Thankfully I've made contact with another team and I'm going to go to the border with them in a convoy (which almost might give me some options if the bike does kick it on the way).
Just two new countries and a Russian repeat then I can go home - I can't wait.
-
Found this from a few days ago:
-
Just been with Duncan and Dave [Dad put to explain who they were, verbatim "torn scrotum", as if that explains all], who are from London. Dave is bleeding again, so after a quick inspection it was decided his stitches had been pulled. We sent him off to hospital for some maintenance.
 |
| Poor Dave... |
Saturday, 2 August 2014
Don't go near Chechnya (updated)
Saturday 02/08
There is a reason the Home Office advises you to stay away from Chechnya for a reason.
Last night I camped off a road and slept well. The heat is high today and the region is only two blades of grass better than a desert.
The road to the Kazakhstan border is about 700km long with nothing other than heavily armoured gas stations.
I've hit serious bike trouble; it's running red hot, so I stripped the carb and tank, but they seemed okay. My best guess is it's the engine ECU not doing any ignition advance, so unburnt fuel is simply burning in the exhaust and the engine is massively down on power and running red hot.
Nice militia men have relieved me of all of my "presents", but did bring me and the bike to Astrakhan border before racing away.
Something bad was going on back down the road at the town and the people thought I was a journalist and were very angry when they found me. I had to show them my phone and camera pictures so they could be vetted!
Currently I'm sitting in McDonalds's using wifi and having lunch, looking very much like a vagrant.
Max and the lads have moved on to the border with another team, but I think I may be stuck here for a couple of days.
-
Saturday Evening update -
Just had a shower in a proper hotel with soap and shampoo; a rare occurrence in these places!
After being "helped" by the police and militia today I am now down to 2 packs of Marlboro and no Jack Daniels. James (Farrington part of Max's team) also had to let go of two bottles as part of a bribe on Friday as we drove through Russia. He made the mistake of driving next to a police car and was told it was a $100 fine. With the Jack and 1000R (£18) we avoided prison, but the policeman was not happy with the result.
Earlier in the day James was also caught not stopping instantly when waved at by a police officer. More showing of passports by everyone and there was another trip to the little office to discuss money in passports, that time they wanted $100 from each of us. James put 100R in his passport (£1.50) and they had a bit of a sense of humour failure, but told us to go away.
Dogs are a real danger at the check points; the guards like Alsatians, but thankfully they are often chained up but very pissed off with the heat.
Late Friday afternoon at yet another checkpoint I was ordered to go through to a hut to a second hut to meet some very pleasant female officers for the standard interrogation, but there was also a large Alsatian loose and pacing back and forth the room.
Being a hero, I stood in the corner and waited for another "guest" to come in and then ran out fast.
I spent the afternoon in various motorcycle shops (actually they were more like breaker yards), where everyone was really nice, but had no real idea what was wrong with the bike. Usually roars of laughter were the response when I suggested getting some spares - that's not going to happen out here!
The scoreboard so far is; 2 votes for a burnt exhaust valve, 3 votes for crap petrol, 1 vote for a duff ECU that no longer does advance.
All the hot running seems to have given it an oil leak from every joint; it now leaves a puddle at each stop, but on the plus side the back wheel won't go rusty!
I changed the main fuse again, and am now suspicious that it is involved somehow and I have just emptied my 5l jerry-can of German petrol into the thank to see if that changes the behaviour.
Now the temperature is going down, I am going to go test it out and see if we are back in business - if we are not then I am going on a vodka bender in the hotel to get my sanity back.
I have just cleared out some of my gear in an attempt to lighten the load for tomorrow.
-
Finale Saturday:
Serious mistake was made today; my only spare boxers were drying on the back shelf of Saxo when I asked Max to get out of Russia quickly... Now I have laundry issue with a month to go and very little clothes.
After a beer I found the answer to my bike problem; go on unti the bike blows up and hitch a ride with a car team!
Last night I was biking in Astrakhan in shorts, a t-shirt and trainers - the heat is deadly. The bike sounds horrible but its good enough to go on tomorrow, though its a good job it's not coming home; 2 weeks and it's almost destroyed!
The best part of the trip is the cleansing effect it has on your mind; struggling in fear countless times a day puts a perspective on life at home and how irrelevant most of the work issues are. I will be really happy to get home, but the Mongol Rally has already given me more than I expected.
I don't think anyone else has ever got this far by bike on the Southern route, so not too shabby.
There is a reason the Home Office advises you to stay away from Chechnya for a reason.
Last night I camped off a road and slept well. The heat is high today and the region is only two blades of grass better than a desert.
The road to the Kazakhstan border is about 700km long with nothing other than heavily armoured gas stations.
I've hit serious bike trouble; it's running red hot, so I stripped the carb and tank, but they seemed okay. My best guess is it's the engine ECU not doing any ignition advance, so unburnt fuel is simply burning in the exhaust and the engine is massively down on power and running red hot.
Nice militia men have relieved me of all of my "presents", but did bring me and the bike to Astrakhan border before racing away.
Something bad was going on back down the road at the town and the people thought I was a journalist and were very angry when they found me. I had to show them my phone and camera pictures so they could be vetted!
Currently I'm sitting in McDonalds's using wifi and having lunch, looking very much like a vagrant.
Max and the lads have moved on to the border with another team, but I think I may be stuck here for a couple of days.
-
Saturday Evening update -
Just had a shower in a proper hotel with soap and shampoo; a rare occurrence in these places!
After being "helped" by the police and militia today I am now down to 2 packs of Marlboro and no Jack Daniels. James (Farrington part of Max's team) also had to let go of two bottles as part of a bribe on Friday as we drove through Russia. He made the mistake of driving next to a police car and was told it was a $100 fine. With the Jack and 1000R (£18) we avoided prison, but the policeman was not happy with the result.
Earlier in the day James was also caught not stopping instantly when waved at by a police officer. More showing of passports by everyone and there was another trip to the little office to discuss money in passports, that time they wanted $100 from each of us. James put 100R in his passport (£1.50) and they had a bit of a sense of humour failure, but told us to go away.
Dogs are a real danger at the check points; the guards like Alsatians, but thankfully they are often chained up but very pissed off with the heat.
Late Friday afternoon at yet another checkpoint I was ordered to go through to a hut to a second hut to meet some very pleasant female officers for the standard interrogation, but there was also a large Alsatian loose and pacing back and forth the room.
Being a hero, I stood in the corner and waited for another "guest" to come in and then ran out fast.
 |
| Not sure what it is but it's bloody large! |
I spent the afternoon in various motorcycle shops (actually they were more like breaker yards), where everyone was really nice, but had no real idea what was wrong with the bike. Usually roars of laughter were the response when I suggested getting some spares - that's not going to happen out here!
The scoreboard so far is; 2 votes for a burnt exhaust valve, 3 votes for crap petrol, 1 vote for a duff ECU that no longer does advance.
All the hot running seems to have given it an oil leak from every joint; it now leaves a puddle at each stop, but on the plus side the back wheel won't go rusty!
I changed the main fuse again, and am now suspicious that it is involved somehow and I have just emptied my 5l jerry-can of German petrol into the thank to see if that changes the behaviour.
Now the temperature is going down, I am going to go test it out and see if we are back in business - if we are not then I am going on a vodka bender in the hotel to get my sanity back.
 |
| Goodbye Hawaiian shirt |
I have just cleared out some of my gear in an attempt to lighten the load for tomorrow.
-
Finale Saturday:
Serious mistake was made today; my only spare boxers were drying on the back shelf of Saxo when I asked Max to get out of Russia quickly... Now I have laundry issue with a month to go and very little clothes.
After a beer I found the answer to my bike problem; go on unti the bike blows up and hitch a ride with a car team!
Last night I was biking in Astrakhan in shorts, a t-shirt and trainers - the heat is deadly. The bike sounds horrible but its good enough to go on tomorrow, though its a good job it's not coming home; 2 weeks and it's almost destroyed!
The best part of the trip is the cleansing effect it has on your mind; struggling in fear countless times a day puts a perspective on life at home and how irrelevant most of the work issues are. I will be really happy to get home, but the Mongol Rally has already given me more than I expected.
I don't think anyone else has ever got this far by bike on the Southern route, so not too shabby.
Thursday, 31 July 2014
Into Russia
Thursday 31/07
I've had issues printing off my via for Baku, so I've decided to go North from Tbilisi. Just need to hop over the mountains to Russia and follow the west coast of the Caspian sea!
At the launch party there was a team of guys in an ice-cream truck, and I cam across them by the side of a mountain pass leading to the Russian border. They'd managed to blow a head gasket and were running out of time on their visas, so they weren't too sure what they would do.
I had to leave them and press on to the border, where I saw Max and the lads. Luckily though, as I am on a bike I can jump the queue, which gained me about 2 hours! The girl at the border made me fill out my customs forms three times because their example forms are wrong - it was all very frustrating.
Now that I've passed through, I've stopped to buy insurance and wait for the lads; we;re going to carry on to Vladikavkaz tonight and find a hotel room for a decent nights sleep.
I've had issues printing off my via for Baku, so I've decided to go North from Tbilisi. Just need to hop over the mountains to Russia and follow the west coast of the Caspian sea!
At the launch party there was a team of guys in an ice-cream truck, and I cam across them by the side of a mountain pass leading to the Russian border. They'd managed to blow a head gasket and were running out of time on their visas, so they weren't too sure what they would do.
I had to leave them and press on to the border, where I saw Max and the lads. Luckily though, as I am on a bike I can jump the queue, which gained me about 2 hours! The girl at the border made me fill out my customs forms three times because their example forms are wrong - it was all very frustrating.
Now that I've passed through, I've stopped to buy insurance and wait for the lads; we;re going to carry on to Vladikavkaz tonight and find a hotel room for a decent nights sleep.
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Guns and the Mafia
Wednesday - 30/07
The run to the Georgian border was good, but the temperature was up to 36 degrees, so the heat has been killing me and the bike.
I thought the border queue looked horrible, but luckily they waved me through pretty quickly.
Once in Georgia, you can see the full effects of the post-Russia involvement; huge crumbling buildings, derelict airfields and a totally polarised population - either very poor or driving big Mercs on mafia business!
The police density is incredible as every 4km you see a big American-style police car fining someone on the roadside.
About an hour after the border I was forced onto the hard shoulder by the local mafia, where they pointed a hand-gun at me and yelled in (what sounded like) German. To me it seemed like their job was to stop all visitors and invite them to their casino/brothel.
Strangely enough, when I declined the offer they wanted to escort me to a supermarket where they guaranteed a discount.
Being more than a little worried by my new friends, I donated a packed of Marlboro to them and they were very delighted; shook my hand and saw me on my way.
All in all, this is a dangerous place and I do not want to be here on my own. I've decided to drop down to the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan.
Baku is another 12 hour ride tomorrow so I'm going to bed soon, but I have found the Old Town Hostel in Tbilisi, which is an amazing city! Almost like Paris and completely out of character compared to the rest of Georgia.
The run to the Georgian border was good, but the temperature was up to 36 degrees, so the heat has been killing me and the bike.
I thought the border queue looked horrible, but luckily they waved me through pretty quickly.
Once in Georgia, you can see the full effects of the post-Russia involvement; huge crumbling buildings, derelict airfields and a totally polarised population - either very poor or driving big Mercs on mafia business!
The police density is incredible as every 4km you see a big American-style police car fining someone on the roadside.
About an hour after the border I was forced onto the hard shoulder by the local mafia, where they pointed a hand-gun at me and yelled in (what sounded like) German. To me it seemed like their job was to stop all visitors and invite them to their casino/brothel.
Strangely enough, when I declined the offer they wanted to escort me to a supermarket where they guaranteed a discount.
Being more than a little worried by my new friends, I donated a packed of Marlboro to them and they were very delighted; shook my hand and saw me on my way.
All in all, this is a dangerous place and I do not want to be here on my own. I've decided to drop down to the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan.
Baku is another 12 hour ride tomorrow so I'm going to bed soon, but I have found the Old Town Hostel in Tbilisi, which is an amazing city! Almost like Paris and completely out of character compared to the rest of Georgia.
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