June/July

Tues 1 Jun 2010

Gulya tells us that typical camel trains were between 7 and 70 long and they travelled between 50 and 70km per day – with lots of time between days to rest at water holes (Oasis’) and to sell their wares. Now, that’s interesting! It was only last night, after a few vodkas, that Sue and I considered the next trip to be completed via Tibet along the Silk Road on a camel! Imaging turning up at the border posts on 12 camels asking for passage along the Main Silk Road! We would probably have to camp out for a week or more at each border crossing until the necessary arrangements could be made to allow camels to pass through without a licence or number plate! The mind boggles...

adnnn

During the morning we visited the last king’s Summer Palace – King Emir – with showcases of gifts he had received from envoys from as far away as China, Japan, Russia, Turkey and Iran. Of particular interest to us blokes was the king’s Harem, in which he housed 40 ladies in addition to his 4 wives! He must have been kept very busy as he ended up with 27 children and apparently his guests used to LOVE visiting him (They were housed next door to the Harem with windows looking over the 100m X 50m swimming pool... Half their luck, as Laurel would say!)

While the rest of the Team completed the tour, Dan, Reg and I returned to the Chev workshop and our 31 friends and completed RIP’s operation – the replacement of the rear main seal and the fitting os a speedie sleeve over the rear surface of the crank shaft. I took USD600 with me as I know how much Dealerships charge in Australia and was more than pleasantly surprised when the bill arrived – 50000Som – USD30!!! We shook 31 hands each, were wished a safe journey and invited to return one day, and drove out into the late afternoon sunshine having experienced the hospitality that only old cars like MG’s can conjure up amongst people of all races around the world! What a wonderful family the MG (Old car) family is!

adnnn

Some interesting observations about Uzbeks:

*Many of them have full or mostly full sets of gleaming gold teeth. When they smile, you have to wear sunnies... This is their way of showing and holding on to their wealth. In the case of the wives, men only have to utter the words “I want a divorce” 3 times and it is legal and binding and the wife is out on the street with what she is wearing at the time, so this way she at least has some of her wealth with her! Sad, isn’t it? Apparently they also carry their jewellery under their clothing too when the husband is in a foul mood...

*When men greet each other, they shake hands and lean forward at the same time and virtually headbutt each other on the right temple! No wonder many of them see themselves as astronomers – see stars!

*When one approaches a roundabout, you have right of way to enter and the cars in the roundabout stop to let you in... This is exactly opposite to the road rules in Australia.

*Everyone seems to splash water on the ground at home in the courtyards, out front of the houses and in front of the businesses. This has the effect of cooling the air and if we hadn’t experienced it ourselves we wouldn’t have believed it true, but it does work!

Wed 2 June 2010

Today, we had a 120km drive over average roads to the Turkmenistan border, then a 240km drive over some excellent and some poor roads to Mary, all through arid desert country.

The border crossing was slow – to be expected now! 1Hr to leave Uzbekistan and our wonderful guide, Gulya and 3.5hrs to enter Turkmenistan and meet our new guide, Gozel, mainly because they wondered how come we had driven from China to Turkmenistan without our Carnets being completed – big deal! Why can’t they make their own decision on whether to fill out the Carnet or not???

En route to Mary (The Russian name – Merv is the local name) we came across a number of large nomadic herds of sheep and goats, one using a massive camel as a support vehicle! There was also evidence of large scale cotton growing and storage, and the usual factories all closed down when the Russians left in 1991 and took all the skilled man power and spare parts with them! We arrived in Marv at 7pm so only had time for a fleeting visit around the very large and developed Ancient City that dates back from 300BC until the ground water dried up in the 18th century. Light failed us and we had to head for our beautiful hotel in the dark along an interesting track and ancient mud structures, arriving at 9pm. Worst still was we have to be up at 5.30am as the road to Ashgabat is renown to be bad and will require all of 7 hours to drive 350km! Not fair

What was fair, though, is RIP didn’t leak a drop of oil today! Hopefully we have the problem licked but it is too early to throw a party yet. Maybe a good time will be tomorrow night in Ashgabat? I hit a few bad potholes today and am sure the right front shock absorber is not dampening... Another problem to solve... Oh well, that is why this trip is meant to be an adventure – to keep us out of our comfort zone just a little!

The other cars continue to scoot along, albeit an odd problem arising every few days to test the skill of the drivers, and Dan...

Thurs 3 June 2010

Today, the sun rose early and the city of Mary looked splendid in the soft morning light from our hotel balcony. It wasn’t long though and it became hot – mid 30’s – just to warn us that the summer is coming with a vengeance!

adnnn

The road lived up to its reputation – but was not as bad as the roads in northern Mozambique or in western Zimbabwe! At least we were able to drive in 4th gear most of the way, albeit at 70kph. There was evidence that a new highway will soon link Mary with Ashgabat as some bridges are complete and some lengths of road under construction.

The vegetation was more of the same – arid desert with some cotton, wheat and herds of goats but mainly barren desert and wild camels! Water for irrigation and Ashgabat comes from this region and flows through open canals for 1000’skms - a legacy of the Russian period.

adnnn

There is a proliferation of Camry’s here – Toyota sure has made a name for itself in Turkmenistan!

Fri 4 Jun 2010

Ashgabat – Capital of Turkmenistan – half way between Beijing and Longbridge!

What a city of contrasts! On the one side, the roads are wide and in excellent condition and all the taller buildings that were kept from the Soviet era, plus all new buildings, are lined with white marble imported from around the globe. They are lit like Christmas trees, as are huge fountains that line the streets. The first president, Turkmenbasy, ruled for 22 years and had a dream to build a “White Marble City” here in Ashgabat. To this end, he certainly reached his goal before his death in 2007.

On the other side, it all seems such a waste of money when the bulk of the apartment blocks look so drab, the factories left behind by the Soviets are closed and the water for the fountains has to come from over 500km away along an irrigation canal. Maybe they have more money than I can imagine and a plan for water conservation into the future... I say this as the current Turkmen President is certainly a generous person as he has bequeathed Afghanistan free power for 3years and given Tajikistan free fuel for 1 year! How’s that for looking after your neighbours!!!

Another record: The Guinness Book of records shows that the Turkmen flag on top of a 200m pole (Imagine running 100m twice and putting it vertical!) in front of the Museum is 30m X 50m. That’s 1500m2 - much bigger than most house blocks in residential areas...

The Uzbeks and Turkmens have a lovely way of showing their appreciation for our cars and our presence – they slap their right hand over their heart when seeing our cars or when meeting us!

The American dollar is widely accepted here, even for fuel purchases, and the exchange rate varies from 2.5 to 3 Monet to 1USD. 95 Octane fuel costs us USD.45 per litre – good stuff!

Other than the many Mosques and mausoleums found in Turkmenistan, the previously nomadic people look and dress in a western fashion – short dresses for the young girls – unlike the pastoralists Uzbeks further east, who still cover their heads and some, their faces.

adnnn

Tomorrow, we leave Turkmenistan and traverse over 2 mountain passes – 1800m and 2400m high – to enter Iran – we are all looking forward to the drive and Iran – we have been told nothing but good things about westerners travelling in Iran! Bring it on... so long as RIP stays together for the second half of this incredible journey!

Sat 5 Jun 2010

The border crossing from Turkmenistan to Iran was another (5.5hr) exercise in patience... Passport control is quite efficient on most borders but the paperwork for the car is really taxing for the officials! It’s amazing how long they take to make a decision how they intend dealing with our Carnets and then the numerous departments that have to get involved one way or the other before the paperwork for the cars is complete! I can’t imagine the mayhem that 120 classic cars will cause when the official Peking to Paris Rally arrives on their door step in October this year!

So, it was goodbye to Gozel and hello to Hossein – both radical thinkers in their own ways. (Hossein said we should have brought a carton of beer with us – they never search foreigner’s cars, and if they were to find it, a simple apology would have been sufficient to keep us out of trouble!) The first problem Hossein had to deal with was to find transport as he had assumed there would be room for him in one of the MGs!!! Not sure what a 1500kmTaxi ride will cost his company, but he said we should not worry, so we will try not to... (Our 2 way radios have been absolutely essential while following the various Taxi drivers as they drive like maniacs at the best of times and go through red lights and do U turns without thought of the 6 MGs behind them calling “His left indicator is on... we are turning right... no, make that straight through...)

It being a National holiday in Iran, the mainly Kurdish people living in the North of the country were out enjoying family time in the creeks and parks that line the road from the border to our overnight stop in Bojnurd. The police were also out in force with radar guns drawn every 10km or so! The roads are excellent, being 2lane each way throughout the country, we were told. There are sure signs of wealth here compared to most of the ‘Stans but still see mud huts and mud stockyard fences in the well kept and extensive fields found lining the 250km road we drove today.

The Happiness Train, as Sue calls the MG convoy, brought smiles to many faces yet again, even the police who came to see why the traffic had stopped and virtually blocked a roundabout. We were waiting for Hossein’s friend and milked the situation as much as we could by allowing people to photograph themselves in our MGs!

adnnn

Peugeot is the manufacturer that got in on the ground floor in Iran – they are everywhere, as the Camry’s were in Turkmenistan, the Daewoo were in Uzbekistan and the Lada’s were in Kazakhstan. Interesting how the manufacturers have shared the ex Russian states! There are also numerous old Hillman Hunter lookalikes here that were made under licence many years ago and still run narrow stripped white walled tyres.

Sun 6 Jun 2010

Today was always going to be a big day – 500km to Babulsar – but we didn’t bank on the Iranian drivers being so excitable and aggressive! The antiques they use to pass us just to get a look at our faces/cars were unbelievable! They squeezed into in every conceivable gap and the motorcycles weaved between the cars at neck-break speeds – without helmets – all the while, screaming, shouting or whistling while they waved and greeted us. “Where are you from?” “Australia!” “Welcome – we love you!” How good is that!?! When we grew tired of their antiques, we sped up to 70kph in the 50kph zones, but they kept coming. Not to be outdone, we pushed it up to 80kph, then 90kph but they still kept on coming – more excited and aggressive than ever!!! When we pulled into the hotel car park, we commented how some of us were taken back to our youth when the road rules were there to be broken and driving was such a pleasure! I almost forgot to report that RIP took a knock from a Ute driver cutting us off but there was no damage to either vehicle – just more friendship and photo opportunities...

How is this for the height of naivety? I commented to Hossein, our colourful guide, that this is the first country that I have seen graffiti on walls since leaving Australia. Quick as a flash came back the reply – it wasn’t graffiti, it was Arabic writing... How dumb does a relatively well travelled tourist have to be to be noticed??? In my defence, Arabic writing is very attractive and not unlike graffiti... in my view, of course!

This is certainly a different country to travel – full of emotional twists and turns to keep us guessing. On the one side are Government/church leaders and their demands and on the other, the people – warm and friendly. We had only been in Iran 1hr and an old chap, seeing us pull over to wait for our 3rd Party insurance documents to arrive, invited us up to his flat for a drink of tea. I’m not sure if he meant Peter, or all 13 of us, but he and his lovely family invited us into his home and hearts and into the hearts of the Iranian people. He was a baker and the flat was sparsely furnished with carpets for seats and prayers – the only chairs were around the dining room table. His wife, two school teacher daughters and their children were home and we were fed watermelon and tea and discussed as much of the Iranian culture as we could in the most amiable surroundings as one could imagine. Would Australians reciprocate this level of hospitality to people of other colours??? I wonder... We were all humbled by the experience and this set the tone for the rest of our time in Iran – being welcomed warmly and invited to share people’s homes and lives!

Some interesting pointers:

10’000 Rial = USD1 (It is time to revalue and drop the 4 naughts, say I!)

Fuel costs USD 0.40cpl of unknown octane rating – possibly around 85 to 90, as our engines still suffer from pinking.

The police use Mercedes sports saloons as patrol cars – there must be money in oil!!!

We were told the tourist industry was booming in the 60’s and 70’s with much laughter and frolicking on the beaches in western clothes but since the revolution of 1979, international tourism has just about come to a standstill. “We’ve got oil – why do we need tourism” someone once said!

Mon 7 June 2010

Today was a rest day – and we all veged around the hotel, maintained and cleaned the cars and later the Boys (Dan, Simon, Macca and Dave) and Reggie went to the beach to have a non-alcoholic beer and watch the sun go down over the Caspian Sea. We wondered whether any wars were ever fought on the Caspian – maybe between canoes!!! - now it is used as a fish source, the home of the best caviar in the world, bar non and a means of shipping oil to Russia.

There, at the next table, was a couple in their mid to late 20’s – she was beautiful and was smoking a hookah – a Turkish pipe – and our curiosity got the better of us and we asked Hossein to ask the fellow if we could photograph his lady with the hookah. Well, the flood gates opened, they asked us to join them, they wanted pictures of us, they bought a hookah for us to try – a citrus one – and the stories were told! They worked in a similar industry, had met 2 months prior, were to be married in 3 weeks time and were madly in love. Hossein told us to stop telling Ali Reza that his bride, Sanaz was beautiful and he said –don’t be silly, he was proud that we approved of his choice! What a nice way to spend an afternoon in Iran! May Ali Reza and Sanaz have many happy and good looking children...

adnnn

A burning question we all wanted to ask the local population, but me more than most is what would happen if we all wore western clothes. Well, Ali Reza and Sanaz both said they would not be offended by any of us wearing western clothes – that they were curious, not offended! Then, again at the Ramset Summer Palace of the last Shah’s father, we asked an older group – 4 women and 2 men – and they said – definitely not offended!!! My theory is they wear the scarves and long clothes in Australia and expect us not to be fraudulent and to wear our western clothes in Iran. I must admit that if we were in Tehran or further south, I’, sure I would have got a very different answer to my question!

Tues 8 June 2010

Today was meant to be an easy 400km day along a dual highway along the Caspian coast to Anzaly, but turned out to be closer to 500km and very busy – the towns melt into one another and it’s difficult at times to know when one stops and the other starts! Of course, there were the hoons and the motorcyclists and this time we learnt and drove at 50kph in the 50pkh zones.

Of interest was how well the traffic flowed for 400km without traffic-disturbing traffic lights! Can you imagine driving from Surfers paradise to Coolangatta airport and back 10 times and not stopping at a single traffic light, not seeing a single accident and allowing people to filter into the main stream of traffic as and when they feel safe to do so!!! We are so over-governed in Australia!

This Caspian Sea area is a beautiful part of the world. On the one side is a warm, safe and salt-free sea at minus 15m below sea level and on the other, the Albur mountain ranges. Development has stalled with thousands of 4 or 5 story half-finished buildings everywhere as a result of the USA closing the door on funds to Iran 3 years ago. Rice fields are found on every flat piece lf land between towns. I have always wanted to visit this area and swim in the Caspian Sea since I was a little tacker and it certainly doesn’t disappoint, except, maybe, for the brown sand – which is clean at least and doesn’t stain your feet – and litter thrown everywhere. We had the option of horse riding on the beach or going for a burn in a boat – at USD1 for the horses per ride and UDS 12 for 1hr in the boat! Shops sold towels, costumes and blow-up flotation toys for the children... This reminded some of the older Aussies how Surfers was in the 50’s and 60’s.

Another thing that annoyed us was the fact that men are allowed to swim in budgie smugglers while the ladies have to swim fully clothed – scarf and all! Those wearing black looked like seals in the surf but certainly brought home to us the inequalities that exist here for women. On the brighter, they don’t have to wear Burkah’s and are allowed to go to school, university and work in traditional men’s industries, I suppose.

Wed 9 June 2010

I picked up a stomach bug yesterday (eating 35 strawberries for USD0.50 had nothing to do with it!) so have decided to lie low today at our 4 star Hotel in Anzaly on the Caspian! Hard to take! The others have gone to an ancient village and a lake where migratory birds visit throughout the summer. At least I have had time to catch with my diary and confirm some of the accommodation in Turkey and along the Adriatic Coast as we do not have a travel agent nor guide after Iran. Could be scary but adventurous, I dare say!

I had the MG centre of my steering wheel “souvenired” the other day! 3 Young guys on cycles were hanging around RIP while I chatted to two lovely young ladies 10m away about how they see their prospects in Iran. My fault for tightening the steering nut and not replacing the cover immediately! Hopefully it results in an MG purchase for the young chap one day! (Guess what? I have just found the offending part – between the seats! So I must apologise the children...)

Thurs 10 Jun 2010

Tomorrow, we enter Turkey from the East and Laurel and Lorraine enter from the West – but we only meet each other in 10 days time. I wonder how the group dynamics will change when Simon and Dan leaves and 2 of the 4 bachelors become couples. Time will tell...

Today was a lovely 450km drive in cooler conditions, initially along the Caspian coast line (more of the same – green mountains to the south, rice paddy fields, half finished buildings, litter around us and the Caspian sea to the north) to Hossein’s house near Ardabil (so that we could see how he lived in his village while he caught up with his son and his chooks), then over a 2000m mountain pass onto a plateau with green rolling hills and extensive agriculture to Tabriz, the capital of the province. The Buckingham’s had overheating problems which hopefully will be resolved before we hit the European heat and traffic, and the Slaters had fuel starvation problems, which was corrected by Dan cleaning the points on the old SU fuel pump. We will certainly miss Dan when he flies home in 2 weeks time!

While writing this diary in the hotel lobby, we met Emil who is classic car mad and has a few old bangers; best of all for me is his 1966 Mustang. He says that when the Shah took over, he ruled that all old cars should be destroyed. Some got out in time, some were hidden and the rest were crushed! What a waste! He says there are many Triumph cars around, mainly in Tehran, especially Stags and TR6’s. Maybe our next trip should be from classic car club to classic car club around the world in 365 days??? Anyone interested?

Tonight, being our last night in Iran, we decided to visit the classy side of Tabriz and have a meal that excluded the humble kebab! What a surprise! The people were dressed to kill, the young guy’s hairstyles rivalled those of the ladies and their clothing was expensive and western. The parklands and grass strips between traffic lanes was host to 1000’s of families enjoying the festive spirit that the fair in town had to offer plus possibly the 1st anniversary of the current president’s term. What a lovely sight to see the kids running around and having fun with their parents sitting on blankets talking amongst themselves.

Fri 11 Jun 2010

Today, our Woman’s Weekly tour – as Reg calls our trip so far, travelling from one hotel to another behind a guide’s car – comes to an end. From today, we enter Turkey and say goodbye to Hossein, our last organised and have to fend for ourselves. Before leaving Australia, I had booked many hotels between Turkey and the UK but had not confirmed them all, so the challenge now is to 1. See the sights along the way and 2. To find suitable accommodation for the Team. So, another branch of this adventure begins...

Driving out of our 5 Star Hotel in Tabriz, Iran, we were amazed at how many picnic rugs and colourful tents were set up on the centre of roundabouts, between lanes of traffic and even on the road surface in car parking spaces! Apparently this is a normal occurrence during the Islamic weekends, being on Thursdays and Fridays. To me, it is a serious and public display of the operation of the family unit and makes our lives back home seem very impersonal as we drive our cars, visit our family and friends and spend time boating, skiing or fishing with the boys! What am I missing here?

The 350km drive to the Turkey border on excellent roads took us past mud brick villages, fields of wheat and over green rolling hills mixed with mound shaped mountains of coloured sands – red, white, purple and everything in between. Very picturesque... En route, we visited an Armenian orthodox church, Qara Church, miles from anywhere that was built near the grave site of the local chief’s daughter who was converted to Christianity by Tataous, one of Christ’s disciples, in 35AD and was martyred for refusing to renounce her love of Jesus to the Islamic rulers of the land. After all the mosques, mausoleums and minarets of the past few weeks, it was nice to see an old church again. No doubt, I will be sick of seeing churches by the time we reach the UK! Such is life – either too much or too little of everything! Feast or famine; flood or drought etc

The border crossing was always going to be a breeze! Not! Hossein had worked there 10 years before and the process was slick and we were through in no time – after having to grease a few palms... Not my style, but when in Rome... Dan found the duty free grog shop – we expected him to – and we had our 1st beer in 7 days – Ah, what ecstasy! Then the bomb shell! The Turkish authorities wanted to search 2 of the cars for drugs!!! The Slater’s and Besly’s were singled out – obvious choice – and their personal bags, tools and spare parts X rayed and searched. Then the seats were thumped and prodded and the rest of the internals checked thoroughly. Lastly, each car was X rayed in a special room alongside trucks and semi trailers and finally our criminals were allowed to repack their cars and go free 2 hours later! They missed out finding the dosh-box, many months worth of tablets (drugs) and the contents of the second battery boxes – what unreal luck we have crossing borders – must be the bald heads and crinkly skin that gives us away!

Mount Ararat! What a splendid sight in the soft, late afternoon light with the traditional cloud hovering above the snow cap in an otherwise blue sky! This is where the remains of Noah’s Ark was reportedly found and is (almost) a standalone mountain – Little Ararat is alongside - that is, not part of a mountain range – at over 5000m. Very surreal and Very impressive... I wish we had time to see everything of interest along our route but realise the journey would never end if that was to be the case!

adnnn

Hossein decided to spend one last day/night with us – I think he must like us – and shared a Taxi and guided us to our first overnight stop in Turkey, Dodubayazit (“Dog Biscuit” according to our pronunciation!) so we enjoyed “The Last Supper” once again and thanked Hossein for his frank and colourful outlook on life in Iran and his help with the authorities on both borders and with the local constabulary.

Sat 12 Jun 2010

I missed a golden opportunity today that I will regret for a long time! I woke at 4.30am and peeped out the hotel window. The sun was rising behind Mt Ararat with gold, then yellow then white bands appearing around the snow cap before the sun rose fully – and I didn’t capture it on video as I was too tired to dress and go down to RIP to fetch the camera that I put on charge overnight! How bad was that!!! Its late nights writing the diary and checking my Hotmail account that is to blame! Not me!!! No, never...

I also found out that the top-of-the-range Tom Tom GPS I bought in February with most of the world maps on it excludes Turkey and Greece, even though the literature said 85% Turkey and all of Greece! It includes obscure places such as Albania and Slovenia but not Turkey nor Greece! Why me?!?

Before leaving Doggy Biscuit we visited the Ishak Pasa (Palace) built in 1685 (past an Army Camp with many Army vehicles and Tanks – as a show of force on the Eastern border, we suspect...) and located on top of a hill that was as steep as any that RIP has ever had to conquer - 1st gear stuff most of the way. It was obviously well used, was massif, had a library, a harem, a pillared dining room, a domed room for worship and even had dungeons! The views over the valley were spectacular and the large number of ruins outside the walls indicates that it was a big settlement in its day. Well worth the drive and visit!

adnnn

As one of the Team said once, it’s a good thing that we are all love to drive our cars! No one ever complains when our guide adds another few kilometre to the day’s trip to see something of interest!

We heard this morning on CCN that there is another uprising in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, 2 weeks after we stayed there overnight, probably linked to the upcoming elections? Sue says we were lucky as there was an uprising 3 weeks before, too. I think so too, Sue!

Today’s drive was enjoyable, being 300km over mainly good roads with the only bad section being a 50km section of road works with wet tar base. I haven’t had a chance to see the damage yet – but Dan assures me that mentholated spirits will take it off easily...There is still snow on the lower slopes of the surrounding mountains and the fields and rolling hills are green and colourful with spring time flowers.

Simon and Macca did a sterling job navigating us today, more so in Erzurum when looking for our hotel. Unfortunately, we soon found out why the managers would not respond to my earlier emails re secure parking as they had none – they wanted my credit card number for the deposit but I was too cautious for them – so we found a young student who speaks excellent English and young Burak helped us find the hotel our new hotel within walking distance of the Old city attractions and with secure parking. What a nice young man. He had dinner with us and being a tour guide in his spare time, gave us a mini walking tour of Erzurum’s main historical sites – including a few of the 360 Islamic mosques in the city!!!

The Slater’s car still has flat battery problems – there is obviously a short somewhere that requires professional help to locate and repair. A wayward rock found the Buckingham’s windscreen perfectly in front of the driver. Hope we can find a repairer her that will tackle such a large crack as to find a windscreen will be impossible until we hit Europe proper.

Sun 13 Jun 2010

We were woken at 5am with the Call to Prayer that we fear will hear much more often now that we are in Turkey. Muslims are called to prayer 5 times a day – 5am, midday, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm I believe. Just as we were entering slumber land the street sweepers arrived so it was early to rise for me!

We all agreed that the 300km drive northwards to Hopa on the Black Sea was one of the best we have ever driven, EVER! It started out in the cool of the morning along winding MG roads past green fields. We soon entered the Georgian valley that seemed to follow the river forever... 2ookm forever! The surface was good and it weaved and wound and climbed and dropped and did everything any red blooded MG driver ever wanted a road to do... Just when we thought we had seen it all, the road took a 180 degree left turn and started to climb - 2000m up the longest mountain pass the RIP has ever had to endure – all at temperatures in the mid 30’s! RIP performed like a Trojan – (misfired a few times...) - and we arrived at a fuel stop at Artvin (capital of the skiing areas of Turkey) happy but very, very tired!!! Unreal driving conditions! Unreal drive! The best, ever!

adnnn

While in the Georgian valley, we visited 2 old and unrestored monasteries (Osk and Haho), the Tortum waterfalls and had a paddle in the Georgian (?) river. The churches were off the beaten track and were built around 1000BC (and were interesting and amazing in their own way.) The water fall was full enough to produce a spray that wet anyone hot enough to stand in its way – many young people and me! Today was a most memorable day.

Unfortunately, the Buckingham’s continued to have overheating problems and forgot to secure the bonnet after one stop and experienced having their bonnet wrap around their windscreen! A few hours later, they rejoined us in our hotel with repairs planned for our rest day, tomorrow.

Equally unfortunately, the cost of fuel in Turkey is astronomical! at 3.70 Turkish Lira per Litre (USD2.35 per litre!). In Iran it was USD 0.40 - that’s obscene! On the plus side, the servos are large, modern with all major brands being represented and all with multi-product pumps – some with 8 handles per pump. Being in the fuel business, I wish I could afford a servo like the ones we are seeing here in Turkey!

Mon 14 Jun 2010

Today is a rest day. We thought we would get a list of local attractions from the hotel manager and pick and choose those we may wish to visit. No such luck! Some of us spent time on our cars; all of us washed our beloved MGs; some of us contribute handsomely to the economical improvement of the local economy in a new shopping centre that had just opened up opposite the hotel; some of us had a swim in the Black Sea; some of us had another swim in the indoor pool; some of us slept almost all day; some of us had a tour of the tea factory next door and spent a very pleasant afternoon talking to the manager on his personal balcony sipping tea; some of us had dinner on the Black Sea on a marina and drank too much Raki... That’s how 12 people who have been on the road for 65 days spend their days off! Fantastic!

adnnn

Caykur Turkish Tea Factory tour.

The tea leaves arrive loose in 30 tonne trucks and are manually raked onto the conveyor belts. After a period of drying, the leaves are cut finely and redried. Then the chaff is removed using static electricity – neat – and the tea is graded into 3 bulk bags ready for export – fine for tea bags, next cut is the best and the larger pieces become second grade tea sold into the poorer regions of the world. Very interesting... The factory only operates 4 months of the year so we don’t know what the people do for the other 8 months – probably drink tea?

Tue 15 Jun 2010

Where does one find suitable adverbs and adjectives to describe these days we are having??? Today was no exception. We started off along the holiday coast of the Black Sea – 3km from the Georgian border towards Samsun in the west - along a dual lane highway with the deep blue sea on our right, houses, holiday units and mosques on our left and craggy mountains covered with tea plantations behind the development. It was cool, drizzled once or twice, the wind blew, whipping up the sea into a frenzy not unlike Burleigh Beach on the Gold Coast, Australia and was otherwise an ideal Top Down motoring day. What a wonderful 400km drive with only about 15 traffic lights to disrupt the traffic! We fluked a boutique hotel on the Sea shore and had drinks and dinner under the stars with the sound of the surf in our ears – idyllic!

At one point, en route, we turned left and headed for another monastery (The name escapes me...). Why they build monastery’s on the side or top of mountains escapes me but the roads are generally the hardest to conquer and the most beautiful to discover. This one was no exception. The rain forest was as dense as I have seen in Bavaria and the majority of the 27km track was single lane and taken in 1st gear – Unreal! Eastern Turkey from Erzurum to Hopa to Samsun is certainly a beautiful MG area to visit!

Fuel costs in Turkey are astronomical! 95 Octane fuel costs TL3.70 – or USA$2.45 per litre!!! How terrible is that! No wonder there are so few people sharing these beautiful roads with us! One can buy 1.60 Turkish Lira for USA$1. This makes fuel at USA.40cpl look good in Iran! The servo had a Triumph Spitfire 1972 model for sale in their showroom, red in colour and very neat in appearance – I was tempted, especially if RIP was to misbehave again!

An observation: instead of the Gold Coast City Council running the regular 40+ seat bus service that is expensive and infrequent and therefore not well supported, why not sell licences to 12 seater bus operators to drive specific runs? This way, a few operators can be on the same run so that they are frequent (otherwise their mate will get the fare) and they must charge an agreed fee for the agreed service. There will be no need for bus stops – one can alight or leave the bus at any time and everyone will be happy!!! Make sense, Mr Mayor? This is how the public transport operates in eastern Turkey!!!

Wed 16 Jun 2010

We awoke to the sounds of pitter, patter rain – not a good sound for RIP’s passengers! Dan and I took all the precautions we could without putting up the hood and managed to stay relatively dry in our rain coats up a 50km winding mountain track onto the dryer plateau. It was actually quite amazing how green the fields and mountains are in eastern and central Turkey –we must have just missed the wet season? Agriculture is rife and the Turks can be proud of the effect they are having in central Asia. They are participating in joint business ventures throughout the Stans and are rivalling the Chinese in the region.

Simon managed a 360 degree spin in the rain on one mountain pass without going off the black stuff – and Ian Besly, who was following closely, wondered if Simon expected him to do the same thing! Fortunately no-one came unstuck today in tricky conditions and we all arrived in Urgup, Cappadocia, 510km away at our lovely hotel in one piece.

Thu and Fri 17 & 18 Jun 2010

Our time in Cappadocia has been restful, full of fun and expensive, all at the same time!

The Hotel Akuzun in Urgup is a boutique hotel and the owners and their children are very attentive and helpful – personal service, par none.

adnnn

Hot air ballooning was extremely exciting but also a disaster... we were the last of 60 balloons to leave the ground at about 7am and the view of the fairy chimneys and the cave homes was awesome. But, the wind sprung up and we headed westwards at 60kph wondering if the pilot’s casual attitude was confidence or if he was hiding fear... After a decent distance the pilot felt he had no option but to go for the crash landing! After 2 failed attempts he eventually committed to a landing and we all took up our emergence positions – this was for real – no playing here. The basket hit the top of a bank and flicked up, decelerated and then we came crashing down on to its side, skidding to a halt about 20m away – heads banged, shaken and bruised but not so lucky for Ian B who’s artificial hip popped out of joint! To cut a long story short, the balloon company owner and staff were fantastic, as were the hospital staff, and Ian was operated on under a general anaesthetic and had the joint put back in and was home later in the afternoon – sore but back in the hotel. Being a trouper that he is, Ian rested for another day and said “I’m going to drive to the MG factory in Longbridge – watch me” or words to that effect!!! Unreal commitment, Ian! At a guess, we geriatric MG drivers are probably cured of extreme sports for a while... We and the balloon company were certainly extremely lucky, today!!!

The rest of our 2 days at Cappadocia was spent touring the area in a mini bus looking at the cave homes, churches, underground cities, the pottery manufacturers, Turkish dancing, including the Dervish twirlers and all sorts of tourist traps. Sue found time to go to the Turkish Bath and was glad no-one else decided to join her – not sure why – and Dan and I visited a workshop to find the reason for the vibration in RIP was the stone guard I fitted was loose – an easy fix.

All in all, we commented what a lovely rest we had had here at Cappadocia and believe that this area will only become more and more popular as the world discovers the regions secrets. We have eaten and drank some of the nicest food and wine since leaving Australia here in Cappadocia...

Fairy chimneys are formed when the(relatively soft) limestone rock that was covered by about 1 mitre of volcanic lava (hard Basalt rock) some millions of years ago starts to weather, causing unusual shapes with a flat stone on top of a chimney of limestone – hence the name, fairy chimneys. The cave dwellers (Hittites from the Old Testament days 2000BC) lived in these limestone caves until many started moving to villages and towns and leaving their homes to the pigeons and other animals... Some people still live in caves today but, by all accounts, they are well furnished and very comfortable, both in summer and winter.

adnnn

Sat 20 Jun 2010

A few facts:

Some people still live in caves in Cappadocia. It is “Cool” to live in a cave...

Pigeon poo is collected from coops made in derelict caves to use as fertilizer...

Cappadocia is well known for potatoes, wine and wheat.

Tulips originated here but Holland perfected their branding...

Red pottery (red clay) originated in Avanos, Cappadocia and can be found around the world – Alexander the Great spread it around when he conquered Asia up to the border of China around 300BC. It can also be found in museums in the UK and New York.

Today was an uneventful day as we drove 520km to Bolu in cool, perfect top down weather in preparation for our short 255km entry into Istanbul tomorrow lunch time. The roads in central and western Turkey are generally excellent, are signposted in English and tend to be dual lane – a breeze to negotiate... hence boring in comparison with the roads we have travelled to date!

RIP took 44.5lt fuel today at AUS$110. This is a record volume – the tank takes 45lt and a record purchase – never have I ever had to pay AUS$110 for a tank of fuel! Makes Europe look good!

Not having booked a hotel in Bolu, we fluked a great hotel on the outskirts of town for USD$50 a double, B&B. How good is that! Makes me wonder why I bothered to spend copious hours on the internet before leaving Australia searching for accommodation when we have found good, clean accommodation along the way without having to give our credit card details over the internet!!! We live and learn...

How is this for a new meaning for fresh fish at a restaurant? While having the obligatory beer out the front of our hotel this evening, a small truck with a glass fish tank full of trout pulled up and asked if we wanted fresh fish. We said yes, but how do we cook it. No problem! The driver went into the hotel kitchen and came out with the owner and asked “How many trout do you want?” How easy was that!!! Could this be a marketing opportunity for someone on the Gold Coast, Australia?

Sun 21 Jun 2010

During breakfast, 2 chaps turned up in a black 1958 Chevy Impala to meet us and look at our MGs. What a happy family, this classic car family is! They couldn’t speak a word of English but we understood each other perfectly and laughed and swapped notes on what other classic cars were in the area, where the spare parts come from etc.

Then, the hotel manager called and arranged for us to have our cars serviced in a local workshop before we arrived in Istanbul – the completion of the adventurous section of our lovely holiday in our beloved MGs. Servicing our MG in itself isn’t ground shattering, but the fact that the workshop owner had worked until 9pm last night (Sat) and normally has Sundays off with his family is what really humbled us. He turned up at 8.30am and talked to us as we used his 2 hoists to service and repair our tiring MGs. How fantastic is that! He wouldn’t accept payment for the use of the hoists (at least we bought oil from him) so we paid him a little tip that was nothing near as much as we would have paid if we were in Australia. As I said earlier, MGs open many doors of friendship and the classic car fraternity are certainly a friendly and hospital bunch around the world!!!

adnnn

The short 265km drive along the 3 lane toll road into Istanbul was a breeze and navigating to our hotel in Sultanamet using the Bowran’s GPS was a pleasure. Istanbul is a massive and sprawling city of 17m people and I was both excited and sad at the same time! I was excited as a result of the prospect of discovering this pivotal city on the western extreme of the Silk Road and sad because we were soon to say goodbye to Dan and Simon who were planning on jetting home in the next day or two.

Macca and I had the pleasure of meeting our wives after being bachelors for many weeks and in one swoop the Team numbers swelled to 14! No more playing up for the Boys and Reggie any longer!

Istanbul - the end of the 'seriously adventurous'section of our trip - Sue said, and the rest of us agreed, that we feel like turning around and going back the way we had just come! We didn't want the adventure to end and felt quite hollow inside for a while....

Mon 21 Jun 2010

Today was a rest day for the MGs and a tourist day for us as we all had different ideas of what we wanted to see around Istanbul. Laurel, Reg, Mary and I did a walking historical tour of the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Roman Hippodrome, all in downtown Sultanahmet. Dan visited a travel agent to check up on flights home and scored one for today – 4 hours warning – only one seat left on a flight to Sydney, so we didn’t have a chance to thank him for his contribution to the health of each and every one of our MGs. We all hope to meet on the Gold Coast later in the year to share photos and relive the experiences of the Trip so maybe we will have the opportunity to give Dan the departing party that he deserves then?

Laurel having brought a lot of gear with her – much of it gifts for MG people we have planned to meet along the way – and RIP being loaded to the gunnels already, we spent the afternoon dividing all our gear into 3 piles: one for “must have”, one for “would like to have” and the last for “must be mailed somewhere” – home, France or the UK. I hate to think what the mailing pile will cost us – substantially over 70kg!!!

Tonight we had the obligatory Hat Party that Australians are so well known for around the world. Anything goes, so long as the hat is original – and not bought from a shop. The ingenuity was varied and wonderful; for example, Ian B stuck notes together (money) from many countries to make a hat – said he was trying to get his head around the money; Peter B had a wig with fan belts attached – his MG has destroyed 3 or 4 fan belts already; Kerith B had a tiger on her head with 2010 attached – as it is the year of the tiger in China; Ken wore a box with Australian flags on top and holes in the sides that he kept pushing a wooden stick through as if through his head!; Sue had her furry friends – Peter Rabbit and company – attached to her hat with a T shirt that read “Raki is the answer – I don’t remember the question?”! The winner of a local bottle of red wine went to Denise who wore a scarf with fresh cherries sewn into it... We all had a few laughs, a few drinks and a lovely meal in the hotel restaurant on the top deck overlooking Istanbul and the Bosporus while a young pianist plied her trade...

Life just does not get any better than this!

Tue 22 Jun 2010

Another tourist day was experienced in Istanbul, this time on a ferry travelling the sites of the Bosporus and Lake Marmara. Turkey is a seriously competitive western country and Mustafa Kamel Ataturk did a brilliant job of bringing it into the 21st century. The people have such a wonderful and friendly attitude towards tourists are an asset to their country. Turkey and China are rivals in controlling the Silk Road and we found evidence of Turkey taking part in joint business ventures throughout the ‘Stans. Istanbul is a wonderful city – embracing the old and the new - it was the only city for the Silk Road traders to pass through on their way to/from Europe. To do it justice, Laurel and I plan on returning for another (longer) stay...

Wed 23 Jun 2010

Today we woke to torrential rain – not a good omen, this being Laurel’s first day of the trip in RIP. By the time we had had breakfast and packed RIP, the rain had stopped but it remained overcast and we drove through a few showers en route to Gallipoli without having to put up the hood.

The exit from the city was interesting – Istanbul having a population of 17m, we expected the 8am traffic to be horrendous but of greater concern was the Bowran’s “New” GPS which took us on a tour of the back streets before finding the “Airport Highway” and sending us on our way. The road hugs the Marmara Sea/Lake and was a pleasure to drive. Yellow car destroyed another fan belt – I think this is number 5... – So the girls had a chance to visit a plant nursery and have a complimentary cup of tea while Peter did what he knows best...

Me being an honorary Australian – I left South Africa 23 years ago – I “had” to visit ANZAC Cove and do homage to the Diggers that have fallen in Wars to buy our freedom! Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and expressive and we all had the most enlightening and emotional tour of the Gallipoli Peninsular and ANZAC Cove.

Basically, on 25 April 1915, during the 1st World War, the British, French and ANZACs were meant to take “the high ground” on the Peninsular and thereby secure the Dardanelles and Istanbul for the Allies and open up a supply sea route to Russia. The Turks, under Mustafa Kamel Ataturk, defended their positions well (lost twice as many men as the invaders) and managed to keep the Allies out of Turkey for the remainder of the Great War. For me, the admiration the Turks had for the ANZACs as being “fair fighters” was particularly interesting and must be the reason we have been so well accepted during our time in Turkey. By the way, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk became the President of Turkey after the war and is responsible for guiding Turkey into the unique position of being able to unite the cultures of the West and the East – He is revered by the majority of Turks and the 12 of us on the Mini Bus!

Eceabat, on the Dardanelles opposite Canakkale, is a lovely “sea side” village and we have enjoyed our little stay here mixing with the locals and watching the activity in the Straits...

Thu 24 Jun 2010

Another cool and overcast day – and the MG Happiness Train set off for the Greek border with RIP’s passengers dressed for the worst... and Reg and Mary in the lead with their trusty GPS.

How slick were the Turks and Greeks on the border crossing! We were through in about 45 minutes, excluding the ladies visit to the duty free shops! Here, Kerith was the winner, walking away with a beautiful red leather jacket for less than half the price in Australia – and it fitted like a dream!

After driving on average roads for the past 2 months or so, it was really boring driving on a perfect 2-lane highway through Greece to Kavala! We chose to detour onto the “old main road” at one point but after 50km or so it led us straight back to the motorway. Kavala was different – very hilly with the Aegean Sea to the South – absolutely beautiful. I wish the sun had shined all day today as we had the water on our left for most of the day and I am sure the dark blue would have been replaced by aqua blue waters...

I know I made a mistake regarding graffiti when in Iran and not realising that Arabic writing was artistic, but this time there was no mistaking the graffiti on the road sign and buildings once over the border into Greece. It is a real shame that the western world has bred such non-social behaviour! How can the western world install sufficient pride into the youth of today to counteract this scourge on society? It the Turks can do it without resorting to fear campaigns such as cutting off people’s hands, why can’t the Australian Government achieve the same result?

Fri 25 Jun 2010

Having a lunch appointment with committee members of the Greek Classic MG Car Club at Edessa today, we only had time for a brief visit to an archaeological site in Kavala dating back to the 4th Century BC – before Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire. As I love history (understanding how people lived in the past) the visit sowed the seed for me to return to Greece one day and spend a couple of weeks doing a historical tour of the area. Boring for some, but fascinating for me!

The 300km trip took us 3.5 hours to reach Edessa and meet Elias (President), Max (Secretary) and Thomas (Treasurer). We had such a good time that we decided to postpone the rest of our plans and stay the night so that we could continue the fun. They came in their MGB roadsters and we ate too much, drank too much, talked briefly about MGs, MG clubs, classic cars in Greece, then moved on to deep and meaningful topics such as the ancient and modern history of northern Greece, the legal profession in Greece (Elias is a solicitor) and the sad state of the economy. In between, we did a driving and walking tour of Edessa (on the way to our boutique B & B’s – very quaint and homely) and Peter fitted another fan belt to Yellow Car – the 13th, we think!

Long may the Greek MG Car Club live and prosper!

Note: Fuel is E1.5 per litre – about AUS$2.45 per litre!!! Someone must be robbing someone blind in this part of the world! I will never complain about the fuel price in Australia ever again – Now, say that 150,000 times you Aussies! AUS$1.30 per litre is a pleasure...

Sue bought a Black doll for her granddaughter and Lorraine removed its nappy to reveal a willy! Sue was beside herself – “I can’t bring myself to give this to Ava” - so she promptly returned to the shop and bought a twin Black girl doll. Ken was expecting a refund and space saving in his MGBGT but got a double wammy instead!

Sat 26 Jun 2010

We woke to sunshine, said our farewells to our new Greek MG friends and headed off along the most enjoyable MG roads one could hope for - towards Albania. The vegetation was a vibrant green and the lakes were a royal blue – but best of all was the road was sealed (a little bumpy) and very hilly and windy – just the roads Cecil Kimber (MG Founder) would have designed our cars for if he had lived a little longer... It got better in Albania – much better. The 2000m mountain passes to Tirane were positively scary and the drive along the ridge with a serious drop-off both sides of the road was the most exhilarating experience I have had for a very long time. Buses and trucks slowed our progress and made the impatient Albanian’s even more impatient but the drive was the best I have ever experienced – and I spent 10 days in Switzerland in 2005 with RIP driving mountain passes... Unfortunately, the numerous crosses and flowers on the side of the road marking road deaths was a reminder to us to take care – but even so, we saw a person (apparently) dead on the side of the road at one point and a mirror torn from a light truck right in front of us when passing too close to an oncoming truck – another near miss indeed! Reggie and the Buckingham’s had a few scares each and this has made me realise how lucky we are to have got this far without a serious incident – Ian B’s hip dislocation in the hot Air Ballooning accident in Cappadocia being our worst accident so far... touch wood, for the superstitious!

How do you like this for map reading prowess? I thanked Reg and Mary for leading the MG Happiness Train during the past 3 days and decided to have a chance at leading the Team myself. When crossing from Greece into Albania, I thought we were on the Macedonia road and that we had to cross into Macedonia to reach Albania. Can you image my surprise when I asked the waiter at lunch time (in a restaurant on a lake with live salmon in holding tanks waiting to be eaten) which flag I should put on my flag pole and he said “the Albanian one, of course”! I wish I could have hidden that verbal exchange from the rest of the Team and now expect to be dumped as guide tomorrow! Not a good start for a career in orientation and leadership...

Having been told stories about how bad Albania was and to watch our possessions with hawk eyes, you can imagine our surprise when we saw how many Mercedes Benz’s there are here in Albania! Every second car is a Merc – some new and some old. Apparently there was a scam in Germany a few years back where Merc’s were stolen and then reappeared in Albania. Not sure if this is sour grapes but they sure make a relatively poor country look prosperous! On the positive side, we did not see or feel any negativity in Albania and, on the contrary, enjoyed the exchanges we had with numerous Albanians very much. The media certainly have a lot to answer for when writing rot to fill the pages of newspapers and on TV!

Another business opportunity: On our way down one of the mountain passes, we saw numerous hose pipes squirting water high into the air, a pretty sight but what a waste of water. It turned out that the young chaps hanging around were advertising their truck washing businesses! Enterprising hey?!

As a bloke, do not sneak around the back of a service station to have a leak. You may be met by a cranky dog on a chain but the chain may be longer than you can run in a jiffy and you may receive a nip to your thighs and bruises to your nose as you fall over... Sorry Macca, I don’t mean to be flippant but it does make good reading! We hope you don’t froth at the mouth tomorrow – a dog attack is a fearsome experience for many of us.

Sun 27 Jun 2010

I’m sorry that I have to say this - you are probably getting tired of this - but today was another unbelievable day!!!

We left Shkodra, Albania, for Dubrovnik, Croatia, in perfect, cool, top down weather but not before visiting the Rozafa Castle on the hill that dates back to the 4th Century BC although the bulk of the remains are from the 14th century at the time of the Byzantine Roman Empire operating out of Constantinople, Turkey.

The MG drive was going to be a short 200km day, through 2 border crossings, over a few mountain ranges and along some scenic roads to Dubrovnik. As it turned out, it took all day and the roads were the best most of us have ever driven – ever. I hope the video and photos we took do the route justice as the large number of switch back corners, the drive around the lake at Kotor and the deep blue of the Adriatic Sea with white sailing boats and massive cruise ships in harbour was an absolute pleasure to experience and witness. At one stage, the road around the lake was single lane and right on the water line and the sensation of driving where only small cars can go was exciting when meeting on-coming traffic.

Montenegro’s coast line was particularly beautiful. Laurel and I thought that a nice holiday would be to sail into Tivatski Bay on a cruise liner, rent a scooter and spend a week here, visiting the fishing villages, the historical sites and climbing to the top of some of the magnificent mountains. The beaches were full of bikini clad women (men and children too, but my eyes didn’t stray their way!) and the water was a warm 22+ degrees...

RIP clocked up 10,000 miles today! She is still using oil (1lt per 1000km) with an oil pressure of 50psi when hot (15psi on idle) and misfires when above 190 degrees Fahrenheit but otherwise soldiers on each day. The right driving headlight has a faulty connection and the “new” starter solenoid broke off and Dan had it welded back together again but that’s about all I can tell you about “dirty” RIP at the moment. (Not forgetting Dan replacing the rear main seal 3 times earlier in the trip!)

Mon 28 Jun 2010

Dubrovnik – A serious tourist destination! The deep blue Adriatic Sea to the West and mountains to the East, this very old and well maintained city in Croatia is both fascinating and enchanting. We spent the day walking the Old Quarter, drinking coffee, watching boats leaving from and returning to the harbour, shopping and eating. Our MG’s were rested, we were rested and we promised ourselves (again) that we must come back here soon and “do the area justice!”

Fuel 95 Octane costs 8.45 Kuna per litre and there are 7 Kuna per Euro (5 Kuna per AUS$1). This is a little cheaper than the EU countries but won’t last! From here on, Slovenia becomes the EU and we can expect to pay over AUS$2.00 per litre until we arrive back in Australia!

Tue 29 Jun 2010

Our Tom Tom read – 236km; 4.5hrs – Dubrovnik to Split. That will give you an indication of how windy the coastal road is between these two Croatian cities. The weather was perfect for top down motoring (again), the views were to die for, the numerous villages on the water line below cliffs were idyllic and the road surface was smooth... What more could a MG driver wish for? Unfortunately, the Slater’s Lucas fuel pump started missing, as it had done once before, so Ken bit the bullet and fitted a solid state pump loaned from Peter and was on the road again in half an hour! Yet again, the planning and forethought that went into this trip proved that six 40+ year old MGs can be driven 20,000+km across one third of the world by relative amateurs and still keep to a fairly rigid schedule. I know I am one-eyed when MGs are concerned but that must be some type of record, surely!

Split is another fascinating and enchanting city – not as big as Dubrovnik but probably more idyllic as there were less western tourists – heaps of local tourists – and many bars, restaurants and street entertainment all in a central area on the shore line in and around Old Town and Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace built in 285AD. We were all surprised how tall the men and women were – maybe there was a basket ball competition on somewhere – and at the lack of accommodation. At least 5 hotels were full and The President Hotel only had 7 rooms left, of which we took 6 at great expense, even though Sue did manage to negotiate the price down from E160 to E100 (AUS$150 per night). The most we have paid to date is E82 per night!

Wed 30 Jun 2010

Today is the financial year end in Australia – I hope my staff close off all the paperwork correctly while I am here having a holiday of a life time!!! Sounds cruel, doesn’t it – but someone has to check out this side of the world in a MG and why shouldn’t that “someone” be me???

The drive from Split to Rijeka, in northern Croatia, from the map, looked like 450km of rural roads with the Adriatic Sea to the left and mountains to the east. We were not disappointed! The roads were smooth and the scenery was as beautiful as it has been all the way up the Adriatic coast. This certainly is a beautiful part of the world. At one stage, Tom Tom took us up a 100km long treeless peninsular of white rock and our map did not indicate what to expect at the end... Were we going to have to return back the way we had come??? At lunch, in another idyllic location fit for a King, the waiter informed us that there was a ferry from the point of the peninsular to the mainland so we were understandably relieved with Tom Tom’s decision and enjoyed the 20 minute boat ride while licking another Magnum ice cream.

Not having accommodation booked in Rijeka, we decided to head down a cliff face and find a hotel on the water line. We found the Grand Hotel, negotiated the price down from E160 to E100 (with much silver tongue smooth talking, I may add...) and spent a pleasant evening living the life of luxury (to which we are becoming accustomed – we have not really slummed it since “Shonky Shonji” days back in Kazakhstan, as Ken calls the location of our worst hotel on this trip!)

Before leaving Australia, we were warned by many that the Adriatic Coast was a wild part of the world – that we were to expect to be accosted by police road blocks and asked for bribes and that petty crime was rife. Nothing could be further from the truth! We saw one speed trap, 3 or 4 police cars and no road blocks during the 1000km drive from Greece to Albania to Croatia to Bosnia to Slovenia! The media certainly has a lot to answer for...

Thu 1 Jul 2010

Today we left the blue, peaceful waters of the Adriatic and headed inland through Slovenia – an EU country - towards northern Italy and the rest of Central Europe. The border crossing was a pleasure – they didn’t even open our passports nor check our third party insurances – and we were in Europe... The toll road to Brescia made the 436km drive easy but bloody boring! In fact, we only took 5 hours to cover the distance – some kind of record for the MG Happiness Train!

Another change for the Team today – we meet up with the Brett’s in their MGBGTV8 from South Africa and Vin in his MGA. Mike, Lou and Vin are to accompany us to Abingdon so the MG Happiness Train will now consist of 8 cars – plus our MG guide (famous Fabio in Italy) – so our convoy driving skills will surely be put to the test yet again! While everyone got to know each other over a few beers, Ken and I shot off to British Racing Green – the local Moss agent – to fetch front shocks for RIP. Thanks Franko for the 20% discount!!! I’m not sure when I will have time to fit them as the Trip is surely going to become extremely sociable from this point forward!

Welcome to the Team, Fabio, Patricia, Mike, Lou and Vin! We look forward to getting to know you all better...

Fri 2 July 2010

Brescia, being the start/finish point of the Millie Miglia race originating in 1927, we HAD to visit the Millie Miglia museum. It did not disappoint and the range and condition of vintage and classic cars were to die for...

Fabio then guided Macca, Reg, Vin and I to the Monza raceway, Milano, while the others did a tour of Brescia and the surrounding hills. At Monza, we met 2 more Italian MG lovers and they did the impossible – they arranged for the two “closed” MGs to drive around the track. Imagine anyone in the world arriving at a given Grand Prix track, unannounced, which has been booked by the Ferrari fraternity and being allowed 10 minutes FREE track time without wearing a helmet, gloves, fire retardant suites, boots and WITH a passenger!!! This would be absolutely impossible in Australia, South Africa and in the rest of the world, I have no doubt! But our Italian friends told the authorities about our trip from MG China to MG Britain and we were in... An unbelievable experience and a big THANK YOU to all 3 of you Guys! You made our day; big time! Reggie and Macca were the lucky drivers and Mike and I were the lucky passengers and we squealed and laughed and cursed (especially when Macca passed us) and took video and many photos to record our experience! We were also given brief access to the old banked track and had fun on one of the corners driving as high up the banking as our risk profiles would allow. What a wonderful day – never to be forgotten by the 5 of us!

adnnn

That evening, we met a group of Italian MG club members at an exclusive restaurant where the food and wine served is all grown and processed locally and we experienced the height of generosity! The meal was simple, tasty and served over a long period of time with wine to tast – the way food should be savoured!!! Fabio then gave each couple a bottle of wine with the Italian MG Car Club badge engraved in the glass and photos were exchanged around the room. To top it all off, the Italian MG club refused to accept our offer of financial contribution and footed the bill for the food, drinks and the mini bus! What can I say? The MG family is a wonderful family and we all hope that we can return the favour one day when the Italian’s visit our country!

What a big day! Fantastic! Thanks Fabio and the Italian MG Car Club! We appreciate your support of our endeavour to drive from MG China to MG Britain in our little old MGs.

Sat 3 Jul 2010

Today, we leave Italy for Switzerland and Fabio guided us along Lake Garda and up the Italian Alps to Stelvio Pass, famously used in many rallies, but especially the Monte Carlo Rally. We were all expecting a challenge but this was phenomenal! The hairpin bends just kept coming and the motorcyclists were there in their 1000’s – like ants riding this way and that, up and down the pass with us. I hope the photos we took will do justice to the experience as this was another highlight for us all!

adnnn

After lunch on top of Stelvio Pass with all the bikies, we said a sad Good bye to Fabio and Patricia and entered Switzerland where we met Dominic Clancy, our next friend/guide on top of the Fluela Pass. Dominic is a Brit who lives and works in Switzerland and speaks Swiss German and French and has assimilated completely in the culture and way of life here. His passion for the country and knowledge of Swiss history and politics is vast and we are indeed indebted to Dominic for his energy and enthusiasm. We were sorry to hear that Dominic had bruised his beautiful Old English White MGA en route to meeting us and then suffered big end bearing failure en route to our overnight stop at Chur. What bad luck! The only constellation, Dominic said, was he got to drive with Vin in Vin’s “new” MGA and enjoyed Vin’s Yorkshire humour very much!

Sun 4 Jul 2010

Today, we drove to Glarus and met 18 members of the Swiss MG and MGA Car Clubs, all with immaculately prepared MGs, before heading off to conquer numerous passes and have lunch on top of Susten Pass. The 16 MGs were inspected and photographed while the company was good and the views “pretty as a picture!” These passes seem to blur into each other and our MGs are all enjoying them tremendously, even though RIP is misfiring and the Brett’s MGBGT V8front brakes are binding and the motor is overheating. A new coil has not rectified the problem in RIP, unfortunately!

Thanks Werner of the Swiss MG Car Club for your generosity at morning tea and to Dominic of the Swiss MGA Car Club for your generosity at afternoon tea. We sincerely appreciate the contribution you and your members have made to our experience of the MG family along our Route.

I lost my trip diary today– what a blow – all my names, addresses, hotel details, vehicle details, banking details – everything! I had id on my seat ready to phone Dani Ingold and must have lost it when jumping out of RIP to video the rest of the team starting up Susten Pass!

Mon 5 Jul 2010

Today is a rest day at Interlaken (”Between lakes”). Most of the Team set off to conquer Jungfrau Mountain (3400m) on a geared train while Mike and I spent some time on our MGs. I found the distributor cap was skew- probably as a result of rough handling when the motor was replaced the last time. The centre connector was broken off and the rotor button had cut a grove in the side of the cap. It is a wonder that the motor ran as well as it did! Not having a suitable replacement distributor cap, I had to replace the whole distributor with a brand new spare electronic version I had stored in the second battery container. Mike checked his brakes – right front wheel was locked on - and then Maze (President of the Swiss MGA Club) and Astrid accompanied us on a train trip up a nearby mountain where we went for a little walk, saw beautiful views of the valley and the two lakes and had tea and lunch amongst the spring flowers. A very casual and restful day was had by all.

Tue 6 Jul 2010

Dominic decided to join us to Lausanne to meet Dani Ingold before catching the train back to Zurich to be reunited with his sick MGA. Thanks Dominic for all you have shared with us and we all sincerely hope that you will visit us in Australia one day so that we can return the hospitality you have shown us these past few days.

Dani met us at a hotel high up the mountain behind Lausanne and Lake Geneva and we had drinks on the terrace with views for miles... Thanks Dani for the drinks – we appreciate your hospitality and that of the French section of the Swiss MG car club! After booking us into the Youth Hostel – Good, clean and fresh at a reasonable cost Switzerland is sooooo expensive! - we met members of the Swiss MG Car Club in a Fondue restaurant on top of Lausanne for another night of socialising with the international MG Family. The highlight of the evening was our visit to Dani’s MG collection in his basement garage – most were impressed. Mikes MG in the garage for repairs. Brake pad dropped out when putting on the hoist and ran into the wall! Very lucky indeed! No pad material left on the errant shoe – just metal to metal! The callipers had been binding for some time but the power of the V8 had disguised the problem somewhat...

Wed 7 Jul 2010

We said our goodbyes to Dani and the Brett’s (Mike & Lou were hoping to catch us up in Nevers after repairing their front brake callipers but ran out of fuel en route and then had further fuel pump problems (dirt in the pump) so stayed the night along the way...)) and entered France without stopping at a border crossing – good stuff, this European Union!!! As per our plan, the rest of the Team stayed off the highways – courtesy of our GPS – and enjoyed the French scenery tremendously.

Nevers is an old town and as our little motel was in the main street, we all took a lovely walk down to the river and then through the Old Quarter and found a romantic little restaurant with French ambience and gorgeous waitresses to practice our school French on and to enjoy their cuisine. The candles were stunning and the conversation exquisite!

Thu 8 Jul 2010

The GPS took us along more lovely French lanes and villages – but nothing could prepare us for our first sighting of our Chateau near Richelieu in the Loire Valley! The half kilometre long driveway is lined with mature trees, the 3 storey high sandstone walls with turrets are painted white – having been cleaned recently – and the moat is full of water – a natural spring. The lawns are manicured and the outbuildings are clean and ready to host a party – a Black and White party! We all parked in front of the entrance and our cameras ran hot while we posed for a set of beautiful photographs to remind us where to return to next time we are in France!!!

Robert and Emmeke bought the Chateau 10 years ago with the plan to convert it into a B & B as a means to meet interesting people from around the world. Laurel and I met the Holtslag’s in Austria when we were on RIP’s first overseas trip in 2005 and later got to know their son, Eddie, well, when he visited Australia and worked in our workshop and lived with us for 6 months while on a Round the World trip. Remembering the Holtslag’s dream, we asked if they could host 8 couples for a week in July 2010, so the pressure was on for Robert and Emmeke to complete the project and, to their credit, they did it in double quick time and in grand style! The chateau is like a home away from home and the home cooked curry they prepared for 16 tired MG travellers was enjoyed in the former stables and was tasty and most appreciated. It’s a privilege to be here...

Fri 9 Jul 2010

Today was a rest day and a late breakfast was eaten in the stables. Thereafter, we all headed 27km into Chinon for a look at the Castle and old shops and to have lunch before heading home to help prepare for our Black and White party. Since 1907, every Peking to Paris rally has always ended in a Black and White Party, so why shouldn’t ours? That’s my excuse to dress up anyway and I’m going to stick with it!

Four of our Boys – Graham, Luke, Guy and Michael – and two of their fiancés – Em and Kyle – arrived (late) from Australia to welcome us to Paris and to enjoy the Party. Thanks you lot! Laurel and I really appreciate the support you have given us for this adventure and we love you all. If Jay, Dana and our Grandies, EJ and Livi were here we would surely have a clue what it must be like in heaven!

Emmeke had arranged a pig-on-the-spit BBQ in the stable area and there was sufficient food available for an army of 200, not 20! Everyone made an effort to dress in Black and/or White and made a grand entrance in couples – what a fun sight. Some were formal; some were casual while others were outrageous! Vin’s “spook” outfit was comical and Peter proved yet again how attached he has become to his long haired, dreadlocked, white Yak wig! Not to be out done, Pete handed out a pile of prizes for things like “Spit the Dummy” award, “Most unprepared car” award, “ Most exciting manoeuvre” award etc, which was a hoot. I would have come up with totally different awards but I guess Pete knew that so ensured that he had the upper hand once again... Thanks for the fun, Pete.

Sat 10 Jul 2010

The day eventually dawned for us to visit the Le Mans race track – Classic Le Mans 2010 – which is run over a 24hr period for classic cars every two years. It is a two and a half hour drive northwards and we were plied with a smorgasbord of classic cars passing us well before we neared the track. Porches’ were dime a dozen but the rest of the old and not so old cars were a delight to see and hear!

The French MG Car Club had invited us into their parking area and we were given Pride of Place in front of their hospitality tent. Thank you Philip and to your club members, for the warm reception and your generosity that we experienced. We also met Marina of the Belgium MG Car Club there who had taken a keen interest in our trip from way back and who made us especially welcome.

This was a hot day, very hot day, but the racing was hotter still and the 24 hours was broken up into 12 by 1 hour races for a team of up to 3 people. They had to sprint across the track like old times, which was exciting to see in the flesh, starting at 4pm Saturday and finishing at 4pm Sunday! One MGA and a few MGB’s were out competing against the field carrying the MG banner but we could not return Sunday to witness the completion of the event so am not sure how they fared.

Off the track, there were reportedly 5000 classic cars, bikes and caravans to feast our eyes on. There were also stalls everywhere to tempt us to part with our money, whether for car bits and pieces or just food and drink! Best of all we were allowed into the pits to get up close and personal with the racing cars and their drivers. Unfortunately, the heat put a serious dampener on things for those not particularly interested in the old cars and racing but for the rev heads, it was pure heaven!

Sun 11 Jul 2010

Mona, one of Emmeke’s friends, was at the Chateau last night and offered to help guide us into Paris for our photo shoot in front of the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Where do these lovely people come from who offer to help us out in the eleventh hour? We drove towards Paris and met Mona and Rod en route, who guided us along the Seine River where we had our first glimpse of the Eiffel tower rising magnificently above the city. My heart skipped a beat as the realization that another of our goals were about to be realised – to have a picture of RIP with the Team in front of the Eiffel Tower. En route we stopped in the Champs Elysees and took a photo of our cars in front or the Arc de Triomphe. We were there amongst the traffic and no-one hooted at us or asked us to move on. To the contrary, people were taking photos of us taking photos of our MG steeds... Isn’t life great!

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Next was to see if we could do the same in front of the Eiffel tower. No problem – we angle parked in a tourist bus zone, and again, no-one moved us on, so we scrambled between the traffic and took hundreds more pictures of our cars – as did half the tourist population in the area. Feeling bolder than ever, we then decided to test the police resolve and left the MGs there while we had lunch in a restaurant nearby. Over an hour later, we returned to find everything as we had left them, except that other motorists had taken a leaf out of our book and also started parking alongside our cars...

Having achieved a BIG goal, we split up for a few days until we were to all meet again on the ferry over the Channel to the UK. The Buckingham’s headed off to catch up with the Tour de France, the rest of the team headed back to the Chateau while the Slater’s caught up with their Peace friends and stayed the night with us and our 4 boys in Paris. Laurel, I, the Boys and their fiancée’s went to a dance show at The Crazy Horse, which we had on good authority was the best in Paris at the time – the show was excellent and the dancing girls, perfect! Unfortunately, grog was included in the price and the walk home for some of the Boys was a long one...

Mon 12 Jul 2010

We had a lazy start to the day, a late breakfast, thanked our Boys and their partners for making the effort to meet us in France and share our experience with us, said our goodbyes early afternoon and headed back to the Chateau with the Slater’s in tow. Don’t blab it too loudly but RIP does not run on fumes... Ken “lent” me a few litre and we were on our way again – very embarrassing...

Tues 13 Jul 2010

Today was a rest day – I worked on RIP and answered my emails while Laurel did the washing, bought some jewellery from Emmeke and then we all visited the nearby Chateau Azay le Rideau for a look see and to have lunch.

Wed 14 Jul 2010

I can safely say that the Bikini hood on RIP is no good in the rain. Mike and I set off in RIP for a Flea market in the rain with Lou, Laurel and Emmeke in the shopping car! Not fair! The water poured down the hood and flooded into the foot well of RIP. Needless to say, Mike caught a cold and blamed me!

As it was Bastille Day, Robert, our host, arranged for us to have dinner in a restaurant near Chinon before taking us to the centre of town to watch the fireworks above the Castle. The meal was good but the service very average and we arrived at the Castle as the fireworks were starting – perfect timing but a close shave. They were magnificent and well worth the effort we made to race there...

Thu 15 Jul 2010

We said our goodbyes to Robert and Emmeke, our perfect hosts – promising to return one day soon - and then headed northwards towards Normandy and the D Day landing beaches before arriving at our hotel in Caen and meeting up with the Buckingham’s. Here at our hotel, we had the worst meal of our trip – make that the worst dinner! We had some terrible breakfasts in western China and the ‘Stans but this was the worst dinner – no doubt about it!!!

Fri 16 Jul 2010

Today we woke to light rain, packed RIP and headed for the ferry to take us to Britain.

The ferry crossing was comfortable and smooth and Laurel and the girls found more stuff in the shops that they just had to have...

On alighting, we were met by Peter Tipping – a lovely bloke who had only heard about our trip the previous day and decided off his own back to meet us coming off the ferry to guide us to our hotel to make our lives easier – how’s that for an extended MG family! Our friends, Geoff and Pam Baron were also there to meet us but needed “local knowledge” to find the meeting point – driving up a one way street the wrong way!

Sat 17 Jul 2010

The day has dawned – we are off to Abingdon, the spiritual home of MG!

After breakfast, a steady stream of MG people started filing into the hotel lobby to meet us and to share our drive to Abingdon. It was a privilege and pleasure to see so many of our friends from the 2005 MGA Around Britain Tour and to have the support of others from the international MG family. Peter Morgan, who we met on the Around Britain Tour, offered to plan the route and to guide us to Abingdon. Thanks Peter – you came along at the eleventh hour, mate!

Pete chose B roads and we wound our way through beautiful villages and along winding roads to make a lovely day of the 100mile trip to the Dog House Inn, originally called the Greyhound Inn – but affectionately called the Dog House by its patrons! Apparently, Cecil Kimber, founder of MG, used to eat venison there for lunch each Friday and watch the T Type MGs go past, the Inn being on their road test route.

Sun 18 Jul 2010

Today is the penultimate day of our trip – 85 days in the saddle - we are off to Abingdon Square, the spiritual home of MG, to join a group of MGs in the Town Square dating back from 1927 until the just-released 2010 MG6 sports sedan model!

The weather was cool but the rain stayed away and we had the opportunity to meet and talk to many, many MG owners and enthusiasts, including the Deputy Mayor, who was walking his dog and attested his resolve to make Abingdon a MG memorial for us enthusiasts! Some of the older people reminisced after the MG factory which closed down in the 1980’s while others owned MGs most of their lives and recalled memories of days gone past. Others had travelled the world in their MGs (Roy driving around the globe in a MG Midget and the Douglas’ from the tip of South America to the tip of Canada in their MGTC) while others had restored the oldest MG on the road and another had built a replica of the transporter that took the MGA to Le Mans in 1955 when the MGA was originally launched on the world stage – at the 1955 Le Mans 24Hr race meeting.

We presented Richard Martin, Chairman of the Abingdon Centre, with a plaque of our trip and thanked him for hosting our day and opening the recently refurbished Kimber House museum for inspection. There we saw the most recent 2010 MGTF sports car - stunning – before heading to the river parking where the British Leyland rally cars were assembled in their glory. What a lovely way to spend a Sunday at Abingdon, the spiritual home of our beloved marque. Hopefully, the Deputy Mayor carries through with his enthusiasm and completes a MG park and installs a MG monument to appease the MG pilgrims that flock here from around the world.

We booked out the restaurant at the Dog House Inn as tonight is our celebration dinner. 55 people attended and the meal was great, considering, of the three chefs, one was on leave and another had broken his hand! Well done, management of the Dog House Inn!

After dinner, I thanked the participants – my new friends – for making the trip so interesting; thanked people who had come from far and wide to be here and thanked my wife, Laurel, for doing such a good job looking after our business while I travelled the world in RIP! I then handed out Completion Certificates to the Besly’s, Slater’s, Buckingham’s, McCleave’s and the Bowran’s, but the best was still to come. Sue Slater, of www.goldcoastmgcarclub.com.au blog fame, gave a slide show of snippets of the trip and an insight into her emotional journey from the time she decided to do the trip to wanting to return and do it all over again – in the opposite direction! Well done Sue – you won the crowds over 100%! What an adventure it has been for us all!

Mon 19 Jul 2010

After a late night, today was a late start of the final leg of our incredible journey – 106km to MG Motors, Longbridge, UK. Merv offered to lead the way in his MGA; a contingent of MGs joined our convoy and Richard Martin arranged for John Day, the MGCC Chairman, to wave us off at Kimber House in Abingdon. Once on the road, our two-way radio system failed us for only the second time on the trip and the Buckingham’s and Brett’s ended up arriving at the finishing post 10 minutes behind us. What an unfortunate time to let us down...

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The welcome we received from a number of MG owners and the MG staff at Longbridge was wonderful. About 8 cars and 30 people waved and honked their horns and MG balloons flew in the breeze as we rounded the entry and drove into the factory gates. The CEO, Mr Hao Wang (known as William), Ian Pogson (Chief Engineer), Guy Jones (Marketing Director) and Doug Wallace (PR Manager) welcomed us officially and Guy handed me a plaque of appreciation and commendation of us all having completed this amazing trip. We had presented the workshop manager of MG China with a plaque – MG China to MG Britain, Along the Silk Road, 2010 - and now had the opportunity to do the same with an identical plaque to the Marketing Director of MG Britain. Needless to say, our plaque had travelled over 20,000km and was a little worse for wear...

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After a quick tour of the Engineering facility by Ian Pogson – 250 Engineers designing new MG models from ground up so that the Chinese could tool up and manufacture the parts was especially satisfying to me being an engineer of old and liking the fact that future MGs will be designed by British Engineers for the world market - we were treated to a light lunch and mingled with the senior MG staff until it was time to say our goodbyes and go our separate ways – a sad moment for some and a satisfying end of my dream to be the first MGs to drive from the MG China factory to the MG Britain factory, EVER!

I wonder where RIP will want to take me next...

THE END

EPILOGUE

When all is done and dusted, we have had a very blessed trip.

Seven couples set out in six 40+ year old MG cars to be the first to drive 21000km from MG China to MG Britain, EVER. My MGA, RIP and the Besly’s MGB Roadster, can claim to be the first to have traversed from the MG factory in China to the MG factory in Britain, EVER. The Besly’s were the only couple to complete the Factory to Factory portion of the trip as I handed over the controls to Dan, my friend and resident mechanic, for 30 minutes, while a stomach bug had its way with me! Congratulations, Ian and Denise! At 69 years of age, you are both an inspiration to us all!

There were 1000’s of things that could have stopped us in our tracks – our trusty MGs could have failed us; our health could have failed us; the health of our loved ones back home could have failed us; the authorities in each country we traversed could have failed us; bandits and civil unrest could have failed us – but we got through relatively unscathed. We even had a crash landing in a hot air balloon which shook us up but more importantly, dislocated Ian’s artificial hip, but that didn’t stop Ian or us from completing the trip on schedule.

What is even more remarkable to me is we made it to our pre-planned overnight accommodation for 85 nights in a row - every night! All issues were resolved during each day and we enjoyed a beer/wine/soft drink and “chewed the fat” every night in the hotel we had originally planned to visit! That fact is phenomenal and demonstrates the reliability of the older MGs and the effort everyone made while preparing the cars for the trip! Some of the roads were highways; some of the roads were potholed; some of the roads were atrocious; we all hit numerous errant pot holes with jarring effect and thought the worst but our MGs got through regardless! Unreal!

Having 12 varying but generally strong personalities who didn’t know each other previously, in such a confined space, could also have caused major problems with unthinkable results but in the overall scheme of things, we were always able to share our daily stories over the dinner table each night and endured the journey to the end, intact.

Would I do it again? Yes, I would and I wouldn’t change much either. The changes I would make are I would limit the numbers to 4 cars and would charge a small fee to cover the incidentals I have incurred along the way – like, phone calls, internet expenses, gifts, tips, shortages with communal bills etc. Four cars would be a good balance with regards to control in traffic and at petrol stations, potential breakdowns, potential personality clashes and yet still having sufficient personalities to enrich the experience for everyone along the way.

Could “Cape to Cairo and Beyond in RIP” be the next adventure for RIP and his friends in a few years time?