Hand laundering clothes in the shower is the way forward - We've just setup a clothes line inside the vehicle to dry everything on. Works a treat when the windows are open, possibly as fast as a proper clothes dryer on a hot day!
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Washing line fitted to inside of the car...
A minor problem for us at the moment is that we never stay anywhere long enough to get laundry done. We're typically on the road for 10 hours a day, and will check into a hotel at around 8pm. Leaving at 8am the next day, theres just no time to get it done.
Hand laundering clothes in the shower is the way forward - We've just setup a clothes line inside the vehicle to dry everything on. Works a treat when the windows are open, possibly as fast as a proper clothes dryer on a hot day!
Hand laundering clothes in the shower is the way forward - We've just setup a clothes line inside the vehicle to dry everything on. Works a treat when the windows are open, possibly as fast as a proper clothes dryer on a hot day!
Backup satellite tracking page now active
Well, we're still having trouble getting the inset map on the londontosaigon.com site to work properly. But we do have a backup map that shows our location each day:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0MoardRqqU3G18GV4YGtTjjpopuyTkiEv
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0MoardRqqU3G18GV4YGtTjjpopuyTkiEv
Tuesday 28th - Turkey to Turkey, its a big place!
After a spot of laundry in the hotel sink, we make our way downstairs to Jerry.
Becky manages to ask the hotel chef if he can fill our thermos flask with coffee for a fee. Nobody here speaks a word of English.... I overhear the conversation, a comical combination of pigeon English and charades. I wasn't entirely convinced that he wasn't going to fill our flask with sand or something, but sure enough, he returned with a flask full of fresh brewed coffee. Blinding.
Back on the road, and all is well. We stop off at a road side cafe for a local breakfast, yet more football talk about "Mancheta Uniteeee". Not being a football fan, I keep nodding and agreeing that they are, quite clearly, the best team in the world.
Seven hours later we arrive at Trabzon, a fairly large city on the shores of the Black Sea. Loads of people, traffic, fumes and car horns. Narrow streets and 1001 signs for Kofte, which I think is some kind of kebab affair.
Jerry is parked in a dodgy looking car park in the centre of town. I was a little concerned, until I realised it was right next to the military police HQ - A soldier in French desert fatigues watched over as I parked, hopefully he'll keep an eye on things for us.
Becky came down with some form of bug earlier today and is now resting in bed, not feeling too well at all. I'm sure she'll be all set by the morning though. Hotel has wireless internet, so I can finally catch up with the blog and will hopefully fix the tracker too.
Tomorrow - Turkey to Tbilisi, Georgia.
Becky manages to ask the hotel chef if he can fill our thermos flask with coffee for a fee. Nobody here speaks a word of English.... I overhear the conversation, a comical combination of pigeon English and charades. I wasn't entirely convinced that he wasn't going to fill our flask with sand or something, but sure enough, he returned with a flask full of fresh brewed coffee. Blinding.
Motel car park, somewhere dusty in North-East Turkey
Back on the road, and all is well. We stop off at a road side cafe for a local breakfast, yet more football talk about "Mancheta Uniteeee". Not being a football fan, I keep nodding and agreeing that they are, quite clearly, the best team in the world.
Seven hours later we arrive at Trabzon, a fairly large city on the shores of the Black Sea. Loads of people, traffic, fumes and car horns. Narrow streets and 1001 signs for Kofte, which I think is some kind of kebab affair.
Jerry is parked in a dodgy looking car park in the centre of town. I was a little concerned, until I realised it was right next to the military police HQ - A soldier in French desert fatigues watched over as I parked, hopefully he'll keep an eye on things for us.
Becky came down with some form of bug earlier today and is now resting in bed, not feeling too well at all. I'm sure she'll be all set by the morning though. Hotel has wireless internet, so I can finally catch up with the blog and will hopefully fix the tracker too.
Tomorrow - Turkey to Tbilisi, Georgia.
Monday 27th - "Welcome to Asia"
1000hrs. We make our way to the car and prepare to hit the road. The hotel receptionist says he's counted 67 people taking pictures since 7am, not bad at all.
Just as I prepare to climb back in the saddle, a sixty something American guy wonders over. "Are you guys really going to Vietnam?" I explain that its a charity drive, and that yes we really do hope to make it that far. He laughs and says "I've been there before, keep your windows up and don't stop for sh*t, you should be OK!" A classic line from a Vietnam Veteran.
Istanbul traffic rears its ugly head yet again, it takes us over an hour to cross the bridge into Asia. But the fact we've actually made it to Asia proper makes up for everything. We pull up to the toll booths at the bridge, everyone else flashes a red colored plastic card at the machine. A card we don't have..
With a queue of cars behind us, I couldnt back out, so I accelerate through the red light and out onto the highway. We repeat this episode twice more on the same day, so I may have a stack of traffic fines waiting for me at the exit border on Wednesday...
Meanwhile the pinking from the engine is definitely getting worse... Its a bad thing, so I pull over and retard the ignition some more. Its absolutely scorching outside, but the twin electric fans over the external oil cooler seem to be doing a great job of keeping the engine cool. After several more distributor adjustments that day I find the optimum position, and its running great again - No significant increase in running temperature either.
Roads are mountainous with some severe and very long inclines in 95+ degree heat. Not much fun, especially for the poor old motor, but it seems to be coping OK.
After another long day, 9 hours driving, we arrive at a motel somewhere in the middle of northern central Turkey. The staff are fascinated by the car. Although they have no liquor licence, the manager procures us some cold beers but we have strict instructions to keep them hidden from view at all times. This wasnt to be a problem, by the time he'd told us, the cans were already half empty..!
Just as I prepare to climb back in the saddle, a sixty something American guy wonders over. "Are you guys really going to Vietnam?" I explain that its a charity drive, and that yes we really do hope to make it that far. He laughs and says "I've been there before, keep your windows up and don't stop for sh*t, you should be OK!" A classic line from a Vietnam Veteran.
Istanbul traffic rears its ugly head yet again, it takes us over an hour to cross the bridge into Asia. But the fact we've actually made it to Asia proper makes up for everything. We pull up to the toll booths at the bridge, everyone else flashes a red colored plastic card at the machine. A card we don't have..
With a queue of cars behind us, I couldnt back out, so I accelerate through the red light and out onto the highway. We repeat this episode twice more on the same day, so I may have a stack of traffic fines waiting for me at the exit border on Wednesday...
Meanwhile the pinking from the engine is definitely getting worse... Its a bad thing, so I pull over and retard the ignition some more. Its absolutely scorching outside, but the twin electric fans over the external oil cooler seem to be doing a great job of keeping the engine cool. After several more distributor adjustments that day I find the optimum position, and its running great again - No significant increase in running temperature either.
Roads are mountainous with some severe and very long inclines in 95+ degree heat. Not much fun, especially for the poor old motor, but it seems to be coping OK.
Istanbul sights and cab stitch up
Shocked that we made it as far as Turkey, Saturday night was spent celebrating in various bars around Istanbul. A late start on Sunday and straight into a quick maintenance check on the car.
All looks good, just one front wheel bearing to adjust and its ready to go again. Huge thanks to the brilliant staff of the Avicenna hotel in Istanbul. If you find yourself looking for a place to stay over there, book in with them - A great little hotel in a perfect location, friendly and helpful staff. Thanks again guys! :)
http://www.avicennahotel.com/
The rest of the day is spent sightseeing, and we take a cruise on the Bospherus river which officially seperates Europe from Asia. Have we really almost made it as far as Asia?!
Later that day we take a cab back to our hotel. On arrival the driver asks for 30TL (£15). I hand him a 100TL note, he takes it and distracts us by pointing to a landmark ahead. In the next sentence..."Sir, you gave me only 20TL, the fare is 30TL, you understand?" He waves a crisp new 20TL note at me, a note I've never seen before..
For once, I saw it coming. There was no mistake on my part, the 100TL note that I gave him was the only note in my pocket...
I tell him exactly what the deal is, and that he's picked the wrong chump to trick. He promptly apologises for his 'mistake'. My original 100TL magically re-appears. he hands it back to me and our embarrased looking driver speeds off into the darkness. Not a bad scam, but he needs more practice at it!
All looks good, just one front wheel bearing to adjust and its ready to go again. Huge thanks to the brilliant staff of the Avicenna hotel in Istanbul. If you find yourself looking for a place to stay over there, book in with them - A great little hotel in a perfect location, friendly and helpful staff. Thanks again guys! :)
http://www.avicennahotel.com/
The rest of the day is spent sightseeing, and we take a cruise on the Bospherus river which officially seperates Europe from Asia. Have we really almost made it as far as Asia?!
Bridge over the river Bospherus - Waterfront properties exchange hands for anything between 4 & 100 million Euros..!
Later that day we take a cab back to our hotel. On arrival the driver asks for 30TL (£15). I hand him a 100TL note, he takes it and distracts us by pointing to a landmark ahead. In the next sentence..."Sir, you gave me only 20TL, the fare is 30TL, you understand?" He waves a crisp new 20TL note at me, a note I've never seen before..
For once, I saw it coming. There was no mistake on my part, the 100TL note that I gave him was the only note in my pocket...
I tell him exactly what the deal is, and that he's picked the wrong chump to trick. He promptly apologises for his 'mistake'. My original 100TL magically re-appears. he hands it back to me and our embarrased looking driver speeds off into the darkness. Not a bad scam, but he needs more practice at it!
Saturday 25th - Serbia to Turkey
All those that entered the sweep stake on us only making Clackett Lane services on the M25, you've lost your bets! We just made it to Turkey.
Saturday 25th / 8am: Jerry appeared to be hungover from the rave the night before, so we treated him with a body wash and picked the flies out of his nose. A freshen up for the journey ahead. (Bex cleaned the windscreen)
Cruising along the riverside market by Nis historic fort, we dodge a weird mix of horse drawn carriages and old Russian cars, as we slowly make our way out of town. We have seen so many funky looking Russian vehicles in the area, that we’ve decided to start taking pictures. We'll list our favourite top five models on the blog soon.
Further along the route we stop at an old Serbian roadside Café to grab a quick bite to eat. Fresh stone baked bread, with handmade cheese and local ham. Mmmmmm. Then its straight into the Suva Plannina Mountains, an awesome drive through tunnels and gorges which finally leads to flat farmland as we near Bulgaria.
We arrive at the Bulgarian border, and after a quick chat with the Customs official about the genius of Manchester United, we’re ushered across the border without delay. Sofia proves to be a nightmare, very poor roads with major roadworks throughout the city, the diversions for which even had Mr. Garmin stumped… Jerry hits his first major pothole in central Sofia, a big bang but fortunately no damage.
Its hot and we’re running late for a dinner date with my parents in Istanbul. The car in front is driving at 55kph in a very rural 60 zone, there’s a queue of cars behind me. Curiously nobody is overtaking, in any other situation they’d be streaming past with lights flashing and horns blaring.
After 15 minutes of this, I decide to overtake and push on a little quicker. Literally 5 seconds after I pass the car in front, a Bulgarian Police officer appears from nowhere and waves a baton at the car.. I pull over to the side of the road , he walks over to us : “Please, your documents, passports, driving licences. Follow me”
I walk back to the patrol car, he checks through the paperwork and hands it back. After a brief chat in Bulgarian to his colleague in the passenger seat, he turns and asks where I’m headed. “Istanbul, then Vietnam” I explain.
I quickly reel off the planned route ahead. A brief silence then: “Mr Levell…..Mr Max Levell….I would like to shake your hand” Shocked, I shake the guys hand. “I shake your hand, because I think maybe you are a little bit crazy!!” Its laughs all round, they wish me good luck and send us both on our way. I did think about getting a picture for the blog, but thought it might be pushing my luck just a little. A classic moment and one I wont forget in a hurry.
Eventually we arrive at the Turkish border. The entrance formalities and brilliantly rubbish, you would struggle to devise a more ridiculous and infuriatingly inefficient system…After queuing up in your car, you reach window number 1. The guy asks if you have a visa. No, I would like a visa on arrival please. OK, no problem, proceed to window number 2. When you’ve spoken to them, park your car, walk back to me and apply for a visa.
We proceed to window 2. Do you have Turkish insurance? No. OK, proceed to the car park. Go to window number 1 to get a visa, then come back to window 2 and see me to arrange insurance…..Eventually I arrange the necessary papers and we proceed to the final checkpoint. Only to be told there’s one rubber approval stamp missing from my passport, please return to window 36. Here a Turkish customs official jokes and says there’s actually nothing missing, but he’ll stamp my passport anyway…
We make it into Turkey just as the sun is setting. After two hours on excellent, almost totally deserted highways, we see hazard lights on the hard shoulder just up ahead. An elderly man flags us down frantically. We feel compelled to pull over, after all it could be some kind of medical emergency...
Nobody in the car speaks a word of English, but we manage to communicate via a dodgy combination of French, Russian and German. Apparently his car has broken down because the battery is flat…..Hmmmm, thats a first! I ask him to turn the key so I can see what’s happening, it spins over perfectly. Its full of fuel and there’s nothing obviously wrong in the engine bay, so I explain that a jump start isn’t going to help and we continue on our way to Istanbul.
At last we reach Istanbul - Incredible traffic and an exceptionally rubbish standard of driving, ridiculously bad in fact. Some guy in an ageing Honda speeds past us on the hard shoulder absolutely flat out in the heart of town. He swerves into a regular lane, but the traffic lights change to red. The car in front of him brakes, he locks all the wheels up and snakes all over the road narrowly missing three other cars...Why is our video camera never on when we need it to be?!
Everyone from cab drivers to bikers toot, wave and shout with thumbs up at every turn. We arrive at the hotel in the historic Sultahnmet district, narrow cobbled streets lined with cafes and bars. My dad meets us there and has arranged parking for the car right outside the Avicenna hotel.
London to Istanbul
Saturday 25th / 8am: Jerry appeared to be hungover from the rave the night before, so we treated him with a body wash and picked the flies out of his nose. A freshen up for the journey ahead. (Bex cleaned the windscreen)
Cruising along the riverside market by Nis historic fort, we dodge a weird mix of horse drawn carriages and old Russian cars, as we slowly make our way out of town. We have seen so many funky looking Russian vehicles in the area, that we’ve decided to start taking pictures. We'll list our favourite top five models on the blog soon.
Mountain roads enroute to the Bulgarian border
Further along the route we stop at an old Serbian roadside Café to grab a quick bite to eat. Fresh stone baked bread, with handmade cheese and local ham. Mmmmmm. Then its straight into the Suva Plannina Mountains, an awesome drive through tunnels and gorges which finally leads to flat farmland as we near Bulgaria.
Jerry at Bulgarian cafe - Is that bonnet open?...!
Its hot and we’re running late for a dinner date with my parents in Istanbul. The car in front is driving at 55kph in a very rural 60 zone, there’s a queue of cars behind me. Curiously nobody is overtaking, in any other situation they’d be streaming past with lights flashing and horns blaring.
After 15 minutes of this, I decide to overtake and push on a little quicker. Literally 5 seconds after I pass the car in front, a Bulgarian Police officer appears from nowhere and waves a baton at the car.. I pull over to the side of the road , he walks over to us : “Please, your documents, passports, driving licences. Follow me”
I walk back to the patrol car, he checks through the paperwork and hands it back. After a brief chat in Bulgarian to his colleague in the passenger seat, he turns and asks where I’m headed. “Istanbul, then Vietnam” I explain.
I quickly reel off the planned route ahead. A brief silence then: “Mr Levell…..Mr Max Levell….I would like to shake your hand” Shocked, I shake the guys hand. “I shake your hand, because I think maybe you are a little bit crazy!!” Its laughs all round, they wish me good luck and send us both on our way. I did think about getting a picture for the blog, but thought it might be pushing my luck just a little. A classic moment and one I wont forget in a hurry.
Jerry & Bex at Belgrade fort
Eventually we arrive at the Turkish border. The entrance formalities and brilliantly rubbish, you would struggle to devise a more ridiculous and infuriatingly inefficient system…After queuing up in your car, you reach window number 1. The guy asks if you have a visa. No, I would like a visa on arrival please. OK, no problem, proceed to window number 2. When you’ve spoken to them, park your car, walk back to me and apply for a visa.
We proceed to window 2. Do you have Turkish insurance? No. OK, proceed to the car park. Go to window number 1 to get a visa, then come back to window 2 and see me to arrange insurance…..Eventually I arrange the necessary papers and we proceed to the final checkpoint. Only to be told there’s one rubber approval stamp missing from my passport, please return to window 36. Here a Turkish customs official jokes and says there’s actually nothing missing, but he’ll stamp my passport anyway…
We make it into Turkey just as the sun is setting. After two hours on excellent, almost totally deserted highways, we see hazard lights on the hard shoulder just up ahead. An elderly man flags us down frantically. We feel compelled to pull over, after all it could be some kind of medical emergency...
Nobody in the car speaks a word of English, but we manage to communicate via a dodgy combination of French, Russian and German. Apparently his car has broken down because the battery is flat…..Hmmmm, thats a first! I ask him to turn the key so I can see what’s happening, it spins over perfectly. Its full of fuel and there’s nothing obviously wrong in the engine bay, so I explain that a jump start isn’t going to help and we continue on our way to Istanbul.
At last we reach Istanbul - Incredible traffic and an exceptionally rubbish standard of driving, ridiculously bad in fact. Some guy in an ageing Honda speeds past us on the hard shoulder absolutely flat out in the heart of town. He swerves into a regular lane, but the traffic lights change to red. The car in front of him brakes, he locks all the wheels up and snakes all over the road narrowly missing three other cars...Why is our video camera never on when we need it to be?!
Everyone from cab drivers to bikers toot, wave and shout with thumbs up at every turn. We arrive at the hotel in the historic Sultahnmet district, narrow cobbled streets lined with cafes and bars. My dad meets us there and has arranged parking for the car right outside the Avicenna hotel.
A small crowd of tourists & locals soon gather around the car, asking questions and taking photos. The hotel manager says its drawing so much attention to his hotel, that we’re welcome to leave it there as long as we like. Result!
Distance = 3050 km
Time enroute = 4 days
Fuel burnt = 300 Litres (ish)
Punctures = 0
Breakdowns = 0
Police tickets = 0 (only just..)
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Progress update
Well, we're still working on fixing the pecky tracker unit for the car, it should be fixed soon -So far we've made it to a hot & steamy Istanbul in Turkey, and will be crossing the Bospherus river to enter Asia tomorrow...
Weber tweeks - Wild Bean cafe, Austria.
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