Tuesday 24 May 2016

...from the Newcastle Herald and NBN TV

Some weeks ago, our local TV station NBN ran
this item on Mark and Dave's preparation for the rally
(If the video doesn't load, click here for the YouTube version):



and now, the Newcastle Herald has this story:



Wednesday 11 May 2016

Just about all ready to go!



The car has gone, we have all the required visas and vaccinations.  We have a document saying we are allowed to bring the car home.  Now there’s nothing to do really.  There must be something to worry about.  I’m worried there is nothing to worry about. 

Well - A couple of little worries I suppose.

At the Alpine last year, we bought two 195 size tyres as that was all we could get down there. We normally use 205s. Cleaning up after the car has gone, Mark can only fine one 195 tyre.  We think there is a good chance we have sent it off with an odd tyre.  Never mind, we can take a matching tyre with us as luggage on our flight!!

All the countries we travel through on this event drive on the right hand side.  So Mark has installed an arrow (left) at the top of the windscreen in front of the driver to try and enforce which side to go for in an emergency. 

On London to Cape Town we had a very minor head-on with some Belgian boys (now good friends) when on a very narrow road we both should not have been on, they went to the right to get off the road and we went to the left.  The cars just touched gently and no real harm done but we’ll never forget it.

We are still to organise sending some tyres to somewhere in Russia and I can spend endless hours looking at maps of where we are going.

The car isn’t there yet.  It went via Japan and is now on the way to Shanghai.

Next update, hopefully from Beijing.