We have been absent for awhile. Drove through Slovakia in just a few hours. Brian Adams is playing in September in Bratislava. Mark your calendars! Crossed into Hungary and camped next to a lovely sunflower field. Too bad it was dark outside. The next morning it was on to Budapest. After seeing a Cafe Astoria, we all felt homesick and had Greek food for lunch. Saw a bit of the city. Very beautiful. More to see next year. Back to the car and straight on to the Romania border.
After being the first ones across the border (with little to no incident), we met up with the rest of the "Mongol Horde" aka 15 other Mongol Rally teams taking over a petrol station and joinned our original convoy to find a campsite for the evening. As darkness approached and we were hopelessly lost and being chased by packs of dogs we stumbled across a dark and stormy parking lot that was called a campsite. Barely had time to pitch the tents before the deluge began (tents hold up really well in the rain - thank goodness for small miracles). Spent the night playing English drinking games for no good reason.
On to Transylvania. Curvy roads, beautiful countryside and tourist trap castles. No werewolves or vampires. However there were French circus hippies at that evenings campsite which is more frightening than any werewolf. On to the Romania border. This is where the real fun began. The border town of Galati was in the middle of their evening tire fire as we arrived. The ocnvoy drove in circles until we obtained our police escort. Going at the speed of light down cobblestone streets and through crater size potholes, the police actually stopped and told us we needed to drive faster. We reached the border crossing only to be turned away by the Moldovans for not having the correct "Green Card" insurance. Camping that night consisted of playing cricket in the train station parking lot and a couple of winks in the car. All night we were surrounded by a pack of wild dogs. They appeared to have adopted us as their "Alpha" dog seeing how since there was no restroom facilities the convoy had to "take care of business" were ever we found a spot.
Long story shot, after 5 hours of sitting at the border the next morning and with a little help from the British Embassy in Moldova, we were able to get through.
Drove through Ukraine - camped at a Kebob stand which had a great food. Woke the next morning to drive to the Black Sea for a much needed swim as none of us had showered for days. Went to the Sam' Club of Eastern Europe and stocked up on supplies. Then the car problems started.
The oil leak sprayed the substance all over the engine. Car smoked and smelled much like us. More on this in our next update......
e martë, 31 korrik 2007
e hënë, 23 korrik 2007
On the Move
Roof rack is being installed. We will be hitting the road in a few hours headed toward Slovakia. Tonight will begin the camping portion of said trip. May not be in touch for awhile.
By the way...this blog may appear in English, but the computer we are using refuses to show give in instructions in said language! Only Czech! Can't wait for cyrillic in Kazakhstan and Mongolia!
By the way...this blog may appear in English, but the computer we are using refuses to show give in instructions in said language! Only Czech! Can't wait for cyrillic in Kazakhstan and Mongolia!
e diel, 22 korrik 2007
Prague at Last
Okay. So we brokedown before the Rally even began. Did you think we were going to pack it up and come home? Of course not (sorry mom) and despite all odds - we have made it to Prague! We still have to install our roof rack and get spare tires and a few more supplies but...sorry for you naysayers...things are coming along smashingly. We left the hotel in London at 8am in a convoy with 4 other teams and headed towards Hyde Park. Nearly half way there, we had to get out and push...not our our car, but the SOLAR - yes I said SOLAR - powered 2CV that our friends in the Green Team are daringly driving.
On to Hyde Park. We fought our way through all the London traffic and confusion. And after many trips around many roundabouts we stumbled upon Victoria's Gate and proceeded to the launch event where we were given a prime parking spot in front of the stage. I can't wait to post pictures of all the imaginative creations that people created out of crappy underpowered vehicles. I was glad for the opportunity seeing them there considering how many of them won't make it to Mongolia. We ran into the Windmill Giants team also from NYC. They promptly told us about their newest sponsor - the borough of Westminister had towed their car at the crack of dawn on the day of the launch. They were able to get it back thankfully - complete with a giant orange sticker listing their parking infraction.
To anyone who is considering driving in London - don't. We toured the sights with many other ralliers on the way out of London simply because we were hopelessly lost. The Queen sends her love.
After managing to get out of London, we headed towards our rendevous with our Sea France ferry and the beautiful city of Dover. And yes the white cliffs are quite spectacular. Discussions on the ferry led to a four team convoy to Prague. We drove, and drove, and drove. We overheated. We fixed the problem. We stopped for bathrooms, petrol and caffine...lots of caffine. No sleep and more than 24 hours after leaving our London hotel, we made it to our digs in Prague. Onward ho...
On to Hyde Park. We fought our way through all the London traffic and confusion. And after many trips around many roundabouts we stumbled upon Victoria's Gate and proceeded to the launch event where we were given a prime parking spot in front of the stage. I can't wait to post pictures of all the imaginative creations that people created out of crappy underpowered vehicles. I was glad for the opportunity seeing them there considering how many of them won't make it to Mongolia. We ran into the Windmill Giants team also from NYC. They promptly told us about their newest sponsor - the borough of Westminister had towed their car at the crack of dawn on the day of the launch. They were able to get it back thankfully - complete with a giant orange sticker listing their parking infraction.
To anyone who is considering driving in London - don't. We toured the sights with many other ralliers on the way out of London simply because we were hopelessly lost. The Queen sends her love.
After managing to get out of London, we headed towards our rendevous with our Sea France ferry and the beautiful city of Dover. And yes the white cliffs are quite spectacular. Discussions on the ferry led to a four team convoy to Prague. We drove, and drove, and drove. We overheated. We fixed the problem. We stopped for bathrooms, petrol and caffine...lots of caffine. No sleep and more than 24 hours after leaving our London hotel, we made it to our digs in Prague. Onward ho...
New Car - Almost
After receiving a phone call from London with news about the state of the car, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at the airport on Friday morning. (Not to mention that I was already disgruntled after sitting on the tarmac at JFK for 2 hours the previous night, another hour late landing at Heathrow due to the beautiful English weather and the fact that the plan was struck by lightening just before landing and I was then put through a 30 minute entry interview by customs and immigration about my travel plans.)
Before I left for this journey I asked our Magic 8 Ball/Mongolian GPS system that was graciously given to the team from my sister, if the boys had fixed the car. The answer was "yes". I will always trust the power of the Magic 8 Ball from this point foward. I found my teammates awaiting me at baggage claim where I was escorted to our lovely and rebuilt vehicle. Sean and Nick were still coated in black grease and grime from rebuilding the car on the previous day, but she purred like a kitten. Well, as much as a car with a 1043cc engine can purr while carrying 3 passengers and all of their supplies (not including extra gas and tires) for their 4 week excursion half way around the world.
We found our hotel and shopped for food, tools, equipment and spare parts til we dropped - literally. After a quick nap, Team MTA headed into the heart of London for the kick-off party and to meet the 199 other straight-jacket worthy teams who are participating in this year's Mongol Rally.
More stories to come - Amy
Before I left for this journey I asked our Magic 8 Ball/Mongolian GPS system that was graciously given to the team from my sister, if the boys had fixed the car. The answer was "yes". I will always trust the power of the Magic 8 Ball from this point foward. I found my teammates awaiting me at baggage claim where I was escorted to our lovely and rebuilt vehicle. Sean and Nick were still coated in black grease and grime from rebuilding the car on the previous day, but she purred like a kitten. Well, as much as a car with a 1043cc engine can purr while carrying 3 passengers and all of their supplies (not including extra gas and tires) for their 4 week excursion half way around the world.
We found our hotel and shopped for food, tools, equipment and spare parts til we dropped - literally. After a quick nap, Team MTA headed into the heart of London for the kick-off party and to meet the 199 other straight-jacket worthy teams who are participating in this year's Mongol Rally.
More stories to come - Amy
So... Ummm...Yeah
Hi there! So its started. Nick and I (Sean) flew to Liverpool the other day to begin the preparations for the start of the Mongol Rally. Flight seemed rather uneventful... except of course for Sean's usual "extra special" security pat down.
Upon arrival in Liverpool all went well and the two of us managed to not only navigate the English rail system unscathed but also found time for beers. All in all we made it down to our new car no problems... thats where the fun starts.
After some rather dodgey driving bits around the neighborhood and a QUICK good bye from the cars previous owner Nick and I headed down the highway wind in our hair and a piss poor map in my lap. Until it stopped. The car that is. Ten miles out of town from where we picked it up, the damn thing went kaboom. The long and short of it all is.... the car had no clutch. The water pump was leaking and corroded, the cam belt was about to slip, there was approximately 1/2 a liter of black sludge for oil and the air filter had been changed never. (We will go more into detail at a better time). Our good buddies, from team Skip Lizard, set us up with their mechanic who graciously housed us fed us gave us parts at cheap and helped us more or less rebuild the motor. God bless ya Steve Theobald of ST Engineering, Surrey, England.
After all was rebuilt we got on our way and cruised to Heathrow to pick up our very own paper pusher and get ready for the next days start off.... with NONE of the preparitive shopping we had planned to do. Fun laughs and good times.
SO for all you box holders out there- If you are the first box you win (I know that means Gerry Cass and Barry O') . We will be letting the bars know. Just so ya alls know.... the total cost of repairs and recovery and parts has come close to just about everything in our bank account. If you're a winner and so inclined.... (shameless shameless panhandling here) feel free to hit our PayPal account at the bottom of this page. We are also still excepting donations for the charities as well (whom we have met and are so pleased with the amount we have raised and how much it surpasses a good deal of the other teams! Thanks guys!!!!!)
We have loads of photos that we will be posting over the next few hours as well as posts from Nick and Amy to fill in rest of the trip thus far. Cheers to everyone!
-Sean
ps- we are also included in an article on MSNBC.com about the rally- hit it up and search Mongol Rally.
Upon arrival in Liverpool all went well and the two of us managed to not only navigate the English rail system unscathed but also found time for beers. All in all we made it down to our new car no problems... thats where the fun starts.
After some rather dodgey driving bits around the neighborhood and a QUICK good bye from the cars previous owner Nick and I headed down the highway wind in our hair and a piss poor map in my lap. Until it stopped. The car that is. Ten miles out of town from where we picked it up, the damn thing went kaboom. The long and short of it all is.... the car had no clutch. The water pump was leaking and corroded, the cam belt was about to slip, there was approximately 1/2 a liter of black sludge for oil and the air filter had been changed never. (We will go more into detail at a better time). Our good buddies, from team Skip Lizard, set us up with their mechanic who graciously housed us fed us gave us parts at cheap and helped us more or less rebuild the motor. God bless ya Steve Theobald of ST Engineering, Surrey, England.
After all was rebuilt we got on our way and cruised to Heathrow to pick up our very own paper pusher and get ready for the next days start off.... with NONE of the preparitive shopping we had planned to do. Fun laughs and good times.
SO for all you box holders out there- If you are the first box you win (I know that means Gerry Cass and Barry O') . We will be letting the bars know. Just so ya alls know.... the total cost of repairs and recovery and parts has come close to just about everything in our bank account. If you're a winner and so inclined.... (shameless shameless panhandling here) feel free to hit our PayPal account at the bottom of this page. We are also still excepting donations for the charities as well (whom we have met and are so pleased with the amount we have raised and how much it surpasses a good deal of the other teams! Thanks guys!!!!!)
We have loads of photos that we will be posting over the next few hours as well as posts from Nick and Amy to fill in rest of the trip thus far. Cheers to everyone!
-Sean
ps- we are also included in an article on MSNBC.com about the rally- hit it up and search Mongol Rally.
e mërkurë, 11 korrik 2007
Time to Celebrate
The official "goodbye" party has been set. Come on out on Friday the 13th of July and join Team MTA for our big sendoff! Enjoy a Genghis-tini, a Mongol Madness, or a Gobi Gimlet whilst grooving to some music (no, we will not be featuring Mongolian throat singers). Directions: Take the N or W train to 30th Ave. Head east on 30th Ave. (numbers on the cross streets will be going up i.e. 32nd, 33rd...) or if you want to save your feet for dancing you can take the Q19 bus at the 30th Ave. subway station (heading east of course) to 45th St.
e martë, 10 korrik 2007
We are just a week and a half from launch day!
Team MTA has met our minimum fundraising goal but we want to show everyone what Americans are mad of. Keep those donations coming! We would like to raise over $5000 for these noble charities. We are about half way there so start clicking the links or come out to the Send Off Party at the Quays on Friday the 13th!
We would also like to make a plea to anyone with friends and family abroad. If you know of any auto mechanics along our route that would be amazing! Also, information on campsites or friends who could put us up for a night (and provide us with a shower!) would also be greatly appreciated. And finally...if you would like to contribute some gas money...click on the Donate to the Team link at the bottom of the sidebar.
Thanks again to all of the amazing sponsors and supporters!
Team MTA has met our minimum fundraising goal but we want to show everyone what Americans are mad of. Keep those donations coming! We would like to raise over $5000 for these noble charities. We are about half way there so start clicking the links or come out to the Send Off Party at the Quays on Friday the 13th!
We would also like to make a plea to anyone with friends and family abroad. If you know of any auto mechanics along our route that would be amazing! Also, information on campsites or friends who could put us up for a night (and provide us with a shower!) would also be greatly appreciated. And finally...if you would like to contribute some gas money...click on the Donate to the Team link at the bottom of the sidebar.
Thanks again to all of the amazing sponsors and supporters!
e hënë, 9 korrik 2007
It was a busy busy weekend for Team MTA with two events and lots of final planning for the trip. We had a wonderful time on Friday at the Glen Oaks. Janene was marvelous as always (as was Scott) and it was great to see so many new faces out there! Sunday's big Night at the Races at the Irish Rover has created some new members for Gambler's Anonymous but was an excellent fundraiser.
Thanks to the amazing people at both of these fine Astoria establishments, Team MTA was able to raise over $1000 for our charities!!!
Thanks to the amazing people at both of these fine Astoria establishments, Team MTA was able to raise over $1000 for our charities!!!
e premte, 6 korrik 2007
Let the weekend begin!
Hey folks! The week of big time celebrations has arrived!Kick off your weekend right by joinning Team MTA tonight at Glen Oaks bar for a night of sweet melody provided by the lovely and talented Janene Otten. If you have not heard this girl sing you are really missing out! Rumor has it there will be some special raffle and some other musicians joinning Janene, so get out of the humidity and come have a pint.
Sunday is the big race night at the Irish Rover. The event will start at 7pm. We have a few (but not many) horses left for pre-purchase. Yes that's right. For a mere $20 you can "own" your very own equine. If your horse wins - you get half of that races pool! Bets on the horses begin at $2.
Thanks to Kristen and her friends at the joey in astoria blog for getting the word out! Click on the link to the right or go to http://astorianyc.blogspot.com/. We love living in Astoria and this site always has great ideas and activities for getting the most out of our little slice of NYC.
Abonohu te:
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