Category: Peking to Paris 2019

Tired from the previous day, slept like a log.

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Ready in the morning to leave Anya and on the road

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In his usual car check at the end of each day, and under the car again Steve discovered an oil seep on the rear brake brake line. Small to the extent it can be observed but no dripping. Looked like a problem and cross checking at all stages it seemed ok. The master cylinder oil level was at the correct level so…….?

He decided to carry on until our next rest day in Novosibirsk. Meanwhile regular checks during the day.

Really important to have brakes! Aye?

The road was mainly seal, but not good seal which can be worse than metal. Some 40 odd kms of gravel travel, real rough. One sporting Time control, 1 passage control and 7 time controls.

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Country scenes en-route

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Interesting country if you can lift your head to look. Every time you look up from driving an error occurs.  Concentration is what it takes and it’s tiring. Physical driving is also draining so at days end it’s bed time…..almost. A beer would be nice but I can vouch for the fact that we haven’t had a drop….as yet. It’s really getting warmer now and beers choices are increasing as we move south west.

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Country scenes. It’s just like most places, ordinary people living in ordinary places doing ordinary things living their lives

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Hot today on the road. Other than the nature surrounding us there was nothing that stands out except the millions of white butterflies. They’re a real nuisance as they splatter yellow on the windshield so that you can hardly see through the yellow and the block up the radiator grille causing the car to overheat.

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The scourge of the butterfly!

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They hail from the spring green tree canopy at the roadside. You can see 1 meter diameter groups of them sitting around and in water holes. They are not the NZ white type.

People are friendly and welcoming, and because they can’t speak English communicating is difficult. But they really try and talking with whatever, like hands is enough to get a message through.

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Talking to people whilst waiting in a small town after having something to eat

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It’s a great experience and much different from the last time we’re here. I think it has got better in most respects but the prospects for people in the small villages will have a hard life, the same as their parents if they stay. I can see why men and women would do anything to have a better life elsewhere. Not necessarily out of Russia but out of these small towns were prospects for a full life are somewhat less.

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Arriving at Novokuznetsk . A great welcome. Thousands of people welcoming the car entourage. A neat feeling

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Those are the thoughts of the day.

The little double huts we stayed in last nigh were just great. Enough room to stow the nights gear and sleep on a roughly crafted bunk bed. Very hard but comfy.

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At the last camp with some local P2P Russian supporters and the inside of accommodation in a Yurt

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A much needed great nights sleep. These units are cheaply built and would suit as single men’s/women’s accomodation. Ideal and low cost. Not flash in the build but certainly adequate.

Our current position in the competition is  24 overall and 8 in class. Considering the type of race car competition, it’s ok.

We lost out on a gold medal and are in the silver category.

We planned our days strategy travelling mostly on seal and there were 5 time controls and two master time control stations requiring specific out timed to meet.

Our Monit and gps equipment was inaccurate or the tulip route books were incorrect. Miles out literally.

Anyhow we began the day positively and tried to ensure that we would meet the correct time and definitely not lose any points today.

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Ready to go at a Time control and the scene on the way out

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The countryside was getting better as we drove deeper into Russian territory.

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Scenery on the way

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We met all of our deadlines today. Over 566kms, relatively easily.

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Countryside and the next Time control

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The other noticeable observation is the friendliness of the people. Quite different from the other countries visited so far.

Nothing else to report other than the vastness of this country and the beauty of the fertile plains with clear water rivers and trees in their spring attire.

Last night was the last night in Mongolia.

After settling down, shower etc and meals it was 8.00pm.

Stephen attended to replace the rubber in the front suspension arm and found the rattle in the front right wheel. The shock absorber had come loose.

Not an easy job to repair due to the confined space and the lakeside was infested with trout flies. Millions of these pesky insects.

Rain/snow threatened from over the lake at any moment, but never arrived.

Bed was at 9.00 but the mess tent was like a pub in the desert. People who had Mongolian money left over, and knowing it could not be exchanged anywhere else in the world, spent it on grog. Party, party!  Kept us awake for a while.

Then later we awoke at the sound of what sounded like frog calls in a pond. One croak here responded to by a croak on the other side of the camp.

The snoring sound of the party goers sleeping.

The usual up at 4.30am, shower and breakfast.

Looking at the route books and adding the amendments planning the day ahead.

Waiting for stats at 9.05.

Got away on time heading to the first TC, but  the GPS we had borrowed from the ERA gave up the ghost. Flat battery. Our 2 GPS failed to  light up, both at the same time. We missed the STC sign in to this control centre. Bad. More bad!

Couldn’t find it. Turned back only to add to our precious time schedule.

That was it.

So we carried on disappointed knowing we would accrue penalty points.

On and on to the Mongolia border to wait and cross. It will take a while.

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Denise and the competition at the boarder – Mongolia

Well it was two and a half hours here, and then two and a half at the Russian border.

There is no hurry  by the customs and immigration.

The Russian border people were far more friendly. And the Russian side quite different due mainly to the trees that covered the hills. There are no trees in the Mongolian desert.

Once on our way the roads were superb here. Straight and smooth. Denise ate up the miles with ease. 115 km cruising.

We encountered an Aus car in distress in a remote spot enroute who had a broken rear spring. Needed assistance from the mechanics, sweeps. They Couldn’t contact the ERA control through the sat phone.

We relayed their position for the sweep team to assist.

A very tiring day. No achievement other than border hopping.

We are staying at a riverside cottage motel set up. Lovely surroundings. Shower, diner, bed.

Start time tomorrow 9.05am.

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At the lakeside camp 5

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On the road

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Scene from the Russian side

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Russian countryside. Beautiful!

GMT +7 hours meant at this location that clocks go back 1 hour. It also meant that the day was one hour longer.

The night went fast as we were buggered and woke at the consistent time of 4.30am.

The start time was at 9.35 and due to the time we had available, reread the rally work books and planned the day.
As usual the track lay before us in the vast hinterland of Mongolia. What a land a beauty of lakes and mountains, wild animal, animals like horses and geep, yaks and so forth. The barren desert just kept rolling out in front of us showings it’s special nature.

The first leg was 175kms of tarmac straight roads, a little boring but time to view some sights.

Then onto gravel travel of road dirt, dust and river rock tracks, varying from rough sandy tracks to wet slippery mud tracks. We ascended to 2500 meters altitude into mountainous country. Beautiful but hash. The roads were considered unsafe so after some really rough rocky roads at a Time Control we were advised that the event was cancelled for the onward legs due to bad weather and the resulting wet conditions.

So, we worked our way slowly at first climbing over rocks and around muddy pools of black water. Very slippery and hard to read.
Then when climbing higher some cars got stick and spun on the road and others just ended up having to be towed to the top of the next ridge.

That was all very well but descending on the other side whilst a storm was raging ahead of us the dirt tracks were like a black ice sludgy surface. Ahead we came across two cars that had spun out and we too got into a half spin that took us by surprise. We pulled out with a little help from another competitor and offered our assistance to them.
But had to move on. That’s what the “sweeps” are there for and the road that we were on produced more spinners that could be dangerous to bystanders.

The mountains and the hail and snow were fantastic. Photos will show.

So, it was downhill over the never-ending river stone roads, then barren sandy desert where roads just can’t be determined. The GPS is the tool that gets us there in the end. And so it was that we arrived at our camp destination without difficulty.

Denise and her mechanic, driver, Steve managed to bring us through this most eventful day of rallying. The pity is that Denise was built for this sort of stuff and to have the event cancelled due to other cars not being able to handle these conditions is a travesty for us. It’s the only are that we can earn points, and it’s cancelled.

At rest in the camp Steve inspects and attends to the various injuries sustained during the ride.

It was a great ride today for the car and the driver and passenger. Really great.

Sleep comes easy after a hard days slog on these unforgiving tracks called roads over here. 

Mornings are clear and windless. Cold too.

As soon as the sun comes up it gets warm almost immediately.

Bookwork is an essential to determine the days program from the changes made to the route from the 48-hour reconnaissance teams who run the track to ensure that it’s in order or otherwise. We rise at 5.00 am and get this out of the way before breakfast.

The track today is all gravel travel off main road stuff, 341kms of it. We anticipate that it will be the same as the day before.

Our start time is 9.35 and leave the camp on time heading to camp 4.

As it turns out the track started easy with the organisation cancelling 4 of the 9 STC’s.

The road was still rough with so many gullies ruts and river crossings. But the road was more forgiving.

The scenery was magnificent. With mountains and lakes laying so still at their feet.

There was no way that we could get to the TC’s within the allocated time periods. The average speeds are in the 70kms on these roads. We elected to stay cool and just do the best that we and the car could take.

Other drivers were more ambitious raced past, only to pay the price later on. Many failed along the track, not out but injured somewhat, and requiring repair at the camp.

We did well and though we didn’t break records I. The short sport section, we got on within 10 minutes of the finish time (late no penalties).

The car was fuelled up the day previous and planning ahead we filled the spare tank in the boot. A good thing too as we would have run short had we not

So, the day was good, and Denise didn’t seem to have suffered any damage. We refuelled at the camp and parked Denise outside our tent. 

Stephen, being cautious, checked under the back of the car as usual noting that the rubbers in the spring hangers had worn again, and noticed too that a U bolt holding the right rear spring to the axel had sheared off!  This could have had devastating consequences had this not been seen and made good. It meant a couple of hours work to make good under the car. Hard, hot and tedious work but not difficult in the execution, and we carried spares.

Then a shower and dinner. Dinner not so good in camp anymore. The quality has really gone downhill.

It was a good hard day and by playing it the way we did will pay dividends. It’s the story of the hare and the tortoise, we’re the tortoise if you didn’t get it.

Got our riding instructions this evening so set to get going tomorrow.

Awoke early after a good sleep in a gorgeous landscape, sun rising, grass looking like it was mown yesterday.

Morning ablutions and then breakfast.

Time to get to work planning our attack on the days program. The 380kms didn’t look that bad for the day, but it had included 263s of gravel travel, on a public road.

There were 5 STC’s in row. That means going from one sports section right into another. Sounds ok but the condition of the roads turned out to be atrocious. Hard dirt washouts, large river rocks the size of no 12 frozen chickens, gullies that sneak up on you and dry river beds. The roads are long and rough, to the extent that the time required to travel the distance gave us the option of just booting it to make the time and wreaking the car or slowing sensibly to enjoy the ride somehow. We began with the first but settled for the second because it was just too hard.

Most all but the hardened rallyers in the right vehicles pushed the boundaries. There are a few who have the wherewithal to write their cars off and have the fearlessness to do so. Good on them.

Our navigation was much better after we had devised a system that was better than the previous day. A couple of mistakes that were not all that bad, just ensured that we could not meet our set times.

It was a very hard day. When we settled on Steve decided to replace the rubbers on the leaf spring hangers. These were buggered after the last ordeal.

Other than that, Denise just took the punishment. She’s a real Trojan.

So, then it was shower and dinner time in the tent. It’s 9.00pm.

We were given the day eight amendments. The ERA decided that the 9 STC’s in a row was a bit much so has decided to cancel four of them.

It’s a 340km day but full of action. We start at 9.35, 1 hour earlier than today. Hope the roads are somewhat better but doubt it.

Few photos due to time and business in the cabin.

This was to be a 456km trip beginning at Sukhbataar square in Ulaanbaatar showing off the vehicular machinery to all the towns folk. We prepared to be at the starting gathering at 8.00am and our start time was 10.35am.

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In the square in Ulaanbaatar ready to roll

Before we started, we experienced an electrical fault that affected the navigational instruments. An intermittent problem that we just couldn’t locate. After much frustration to find the fault it seemed that it was the earth wire that was a little loose.

We got underway on time braving the local traffic. If you think Auckland or Tauranga is bad, think again. To add to the bustle is the continuous tooting of horns.    Pushing and shoving for position, just push in.

We made our way out of the city and the traffic eased. Then the Garmin GPS’s both failed again simultaneously. As we headed forward on a long inter, I tried to get the things going again to no avail. The batteries didn’t fire the units up, nor did the car electrical input. Cleared the batteries out to relocate the card and reinsert. No luck.

Then tried agin with the units batteries in place, and one came alive the other stayed dead.

So on we went with one GPS unit sort of working and then loss of power. This went on for some 50kms. At last and after the off road run began it came on again but not properly. So we followed other cars dust for direction for a time.

The ride was rough! The roads were hard and the surface dusty and potholed and really just terrible. The car rode as well as could be expected and she bounced hard and high. Steve drove hard and kept up the pace to meet the time deadlines. He did a superb job, as most of us would have slowed under these conditions. But he built the car and knows the limitations. Denise did perform. Credit to the hard yards Steve put in over the past 8/9 months.

Then one of the GPS came back on for no reason and stayed on for the rest of the journey. As did the other unit. It became so much easier from then on navigation wise.

The pressure of making sure, under speed to  follow the route correctly is quite something. But we made the camp, albeit some 10 minutes late, within the no penalty deadline.

Phew!!

The car is just amazing to hold together under these road and driving conditions. As soon as we hit tarmac, not a rattle. Terrific.

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The rolling countryside in Mongolia. It’s something to behold. Agriculture is coming on strong here and there’s hundreds of thousands of hectares

The rally has had its casualties due to the road conditions, and another vehicle rolled today. No one hurt and from the look of the car it’s still drivable. Hope so.

Officials said that some 14 cars have now left the competition for one or other reasons. So it’s tough and rough.

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Camp three. Not as nice as last nights but we’ll set out and a nice camp site

The camp is in a huge open grassy valley, like you could imagine a ranch on North America. The Nomad camp setup is just great. Food that is better than hotel food. Dinner was on at 8.00 and bed in a tent at 9.00 is welcome. 

Again it difficult to take photos enroute except when there’s tarmac so the few I’ve got are all but they are interesting.

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Waiting at a time Control and more arable land

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At the start from camp 3

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Refueling at camp 4. And parked up for the night

Awoke early as reported in the last communique.

The sun comes up early and there is no wind. Idyllic! 

Breakfast was on early. Good food too. For to be able to obtain really good food in the desert is remarkable. Freshly cooked everything for breakfast. Ate more than we normally would have. Good thing too as there was no time during this rally to eat.

The program for the day is quite a late start, meaning that we would not get off the start line until 10.08.

The navigator, having time to plan for the route and identify the pitfalls and identify the special instructions, went through the route book as best he could. There are some differences now with the introduction of a Sporting Time Control, which is timed distance to complete a short course. It’s very demanding considering the terrain.

And there can be one after another of two or more in a row.  I don’t know all the rules around it but I know from what we’ve tried that it’s difficult.

All the stages were planned, and highlighted where necessary to ensure compliance to the planned route.

Our time came up at 10.08 starting the day with a STC and with a hiss and a roar attempted to cover the leg in time. Boy oh boy it was impossible to get up to the average speed requirement. We didn’t.

So on with the next stage on the desert roads in an endeavour to get to the next time check within the required time.

Well, to cut a long story short, under the pressure of time over distance and direction finding, there were many errors of choice made. Losing track of where you should be verses where you are, the GPS day comes in the most handy. Still, making decisions of which road to take over the Mongolia desert when there are half a dozen to select from can freeze the mind. On selecting one that just looks as though it will be the correct one, then after following it for some distance you notice it’s varying from the course, means doing a cross country run to the expected correct course but in so doing the mileage changes on the trip meter and finding the next way, the indicator will be out.

The car did so well despite the tortuous terrain and tracks.

We erred and in one instance took a long way around just to end up where we began. It’s so frustrating a) to have made an error, and b) to have tortured the car and used more fuel than necessary.

This course was hard on the car. Though other competitors drove like there was no tomorrow, one of whom ended up flipping his car, a Porsche, head over heels in a known bad spot. Most of the bad spots are identified in the route book.

The occupants are ok though injured and the car will not race again.

We had a bad day, missing so many marked land marks and travelling so much further than the route book required.

We got in late. No time for photos en-route. Stress!

The days results are not available as yet so can’t post. Have no idea where we’re placed but likely worse than previously.

Today is a rest day in Ulaanbaatar. Time to work on the cars etc. maybe have a look around.

There were no starting positions posted the previous evening for day three.

Day three is for the border crossing from China to Mongolia. Our previous experience was that it would be arduous.

That evening after we had gone to bed we were awoken at 11.00 pm to be told that we should be ready to cross on the border at 7.30. Leave hotel at 7.00am. Breakfast at 6.30.

On the morning of the third day we did what were told and were ready to go and assembled as advised at the border crossing. Then waited. And waited.

Time to discuss what had happened the day before.

Lots had happened. There was still discontent over the results of the first days hill rally that was cancelled and the results averaged. Penalty points issued.

The car on that accident had been repaired and looked really good, ready to go.

We fuelled up before and only need to do so once more at a small village in the desert, the last for some 600 kms.

All the cars that were tinkered with last night were now rearing to get off the tarmac and hit the dirt/sand of the desert.

We got through the borders at about 10 am.

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Heading out of China and into the Mongolia desert. The terrain changed very quickly

The MTC was to be 13.08 in the desert somewhere. We had not a show, but will give it a go. Over the rough desert terrain Denise came alive mastering the tracks like a warrior, under Steve’s command of course. No worries!  Under the assumed stress of trying to get to the MTC on time.

We didn’t. When we did arrive the advice was that because of flooding over the previous week of rain, the entire course and competition for the day had been abandoned and that a convoy be formed to get to the evening camp. Not good news, but that’s what can happen out here.

It was a diversion from the planned course so we couldn’t follow the tulip book for directions.

So we did as we were told and made our way in line for the next 80 odd kms across the broken desert. Not much excitement but a nice introduction to desert rallying. One sand trap caught an unwary driver forcing two cars to get stuck. We flew through knowing the condition.

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Stopping and waiting for instructions before our convoy

Good fun.

The desert terrain changed as we moved through it, the sparse grass growth patterns looked like it was hand planted. A fractal effect.

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The changes on the desert landscape

On a makeshift Passage control we were back on course. From there we could make our own way according to the tulip book and the GPS route.

This too was a 80 km track and every driver had a go at pushing the boundary of his vehicle. Racing across the unroaded plains. Big boys toys in action. This was more like it!  Rough sandy and dirt tracks over rolling countryside. Some big holes and bad roads to avoid requiring constant concentration to read. Tiring to say the least but that’s what it’s about. This was good fun.

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A Mongolia temple in the desert. And the continuously changing desert

Then we were at the camp site, a serene setting somewhere in nowhere. What a contrast to what we raced through.

Tents up in uniform pattern dotted the landscape with army like central service tent for cooking and eating. The toilet tents and a large shower tent. The water heated with the large portable boiler was welcome to some. The wind was out in force and for those setting up their own tent caused havoc with flailing tents like Mary Poppins in the windy conditions. Stephen elected to pitch his own tent preferring this to cramming in together. The tents provided are small and would not have been comfortable nor cozy for two.

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The campsite and the surrounding rock formations there. And Denise having a well earned rest

The cars started to arrive in numbers and soon the site was abuzz with activity. It was 6ish in the evening with the sun going down and lots of hungry people to feed.

The diner cooked in the desert was better than the hotel food. Surprise, surprise!

Fresh bass fish with black rice and so much more.

No drinks for Steve and I. It was warm local beer. Headache material.

We hit the pit almost straight after dinner. We were “shot”.

Steve had a shower but I elected not to. Too cold to drop my clothes on the windy condition. Will make up in Ulaandaatar.

Sleep we did but awoken by music, the Beatles, then more cars coming in late, lumbering, wheezing and spluttering onto camp at around 12.30 am. Poor buggers must have had some mishap. Will report later.

At 4.00 am awoke to the sounds of what I though was Steve dismantling his tent. He’s an early riser so thought that he was attending to things. The zip noises that I thought I heard became louder and more regular. It’s called snoring. And it could be heard from all the tents. Plus some other noises and some giggling.

Time to rise and shine.

Being awake I commenced writing this blog.

Nothing else to do but write down what I can remember.

Time for ablutions before the throngs arrive and mess things up.

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Traditional welcome and singing at the last hotel in China

After a long day yesterday we got to have something to eat at around 8.30 in the evening.

The rally ended up with a vehicular mishap that cancelled the speed event. The occupants of the affected car were shaken but not hurt. Accordingly, the penalties for time of those that completed the course, which we had, were averaged out over the slowest and fastest times of those that had completed. That average time was less less than we finished at. We accrued more penalty points than those that did not finish!!

We ended up being placed 42 overall and 16 in class on the first day. Not much use arguing about. There are 35 more days to go.

The damaged vehicle will apparently be repaired with local panel beaters working all night to make the car drivable again.

It was a clear warm day today with blue skies and the days event took us through Grasslands plains to Erenhot.

Enroute we were surprised to take part in a grass track open pasture circuit comprising a sandy/dirt track cleared in the middle of a grassy farm like area.

Didn’t look like much but we started with a hiss and roar so that we could complete the course in the fastest time.

It was just great fun! The track was sandy,  had lots of rough areas and bends as well as a sand trap. A neat drive!!

This woke us up real fast. A camera was placed in the cabin to record our reaction to the course as we traversed it. Will be good viewing so long as they bleep out the swearing.

A great way to start a day.

From there onward, the road was mainly sealed and concrete highway that traversed north through the desert towards Mongolia. As we came away from the city of Hohhot, the landscape changed to agricultural land growing vegetable crops,  very like Pukekohe back in NZ only vastly larger.

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Trees being planted everywhere

The land then transformed into huge areas of planted tree forests which, although juvenile at this stage, with massive planting underway, mechanically, is jaw dropping. 

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Massive agriculture. Thousands of hectares

Hours of travel saw the same going on for as far as could be seen. In 30 to 40 years China will not only be self sufficient in timber, they’ll be expiring it to nz if we don’t start planting heavily.

China is no longer a third world country. They do not any longer slave in the field as we learned at school. They are advancing At a huge rate. Scaffolding is no longer bamboo poles, and the construction scaffolding glistens in the sunlight around enormous projects that are just awesome. Too much for an in depth dissertation here.

China is transformed since when we were here In 2013. Trees and greenery everywhere.

As we moved north into more desert like terrain, it too seemed greener although the further we drove, the untidy spruiked desert grasses became more interspersed with bare sandy patches, typical with that which we encountered on the Mongoliain desert plains in 2013.

Moving toward Erenhot, the long straight roads we drove on disappeared far into the horizon, like a perspective artists vanishing point in a painting rendition.

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A couple of ceremonial archways en-route

For the most part there is nothing but road and beautiful rolling countryside.

We then encountered the desert creatures of time past. All types of LifeSize dinosaur creatures cast in what looks like bronze, scattered in fields as though they had never become extinct.

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Dinosaurs in the desert. Had to shoot fast to photograph these animals so some shots are a little blurry

Magical and almost realistic.

Under the dinosaur arch int the city of Erenhot, a sort of oasis in the middle of a dry arid desert land lay our destination for the last night in China.

I’ve not said much of the rally and Denise, which is the reason why we’re here.

Denise purred all day. Didn’t miss a beat. We’re using a lot more fuel than we expected, but with local fuel and strong headwinds in the afternoons, could be a reason. We’re also travelling a lot faster, so… 

Most of the cars are having a good run but there is a lot of tinkering and repairing and adjusting at the days end.

There is a long way to go and the surface conditions will change dramatically when we enter Mongolia tomorrow morning.

We’re both well, although we’ve not had an alcoholic drink since the start!!

Alls good for now.

Will report the stage results tomorrow.