Hell in Baku

OMLE — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:20:26 -0400

Hi guys. By blind luck we found an open internet cafe on a sunday in Baku!

In the end we (team f7f7 and team wateraid) took a 200km detour to the northern Georgian/Azerbaijan border and were able to cross without issuse. We even got food accomodation and dating advice... lol.

But that was the good news. We are stuck in Baku. The ferry company will not issue us with a ticket unless we have a visa or letter of invitation. Our visa is in turkmenbashi and we dont have a letter of invtation. The azer border guards are quite willing to let us pass but the ferry company officer will not sell us a ticket, bribe or no bribe.

So we went to the turkmenistan embassy in Baku. Spoke with the friendly guy there on a saturday (its closed sat sun). He can offer us a letter of invitation which can take 10 days!!!!! Or we can contact Go Help (our charity). Go Help asks the London Turkmen embassy to ask Turkmen immigration service to tell the Turkmen embassy in Baku we are cleared and allowed a letter of invitation. When that happens it takes 1 hour for paperwork.

Beauricratic or what !!!! Basically if everything goes well we are stuck in the blistering heat of Baku until Wed/Thursday. We are considering ferry to Kazak but at the moment we are sticking it out.

As it stands We are in a totallly shit hotel room, but its a cheap 10 pounds a night. Gotta conserve money since we have a long way to go. Dangerous cooling fan, Bad air, lots of god damn misquito bites. Still what is an adventure without adversity.

Cheers from Baku,

Ben - Dyce - Michael

F7 F7

Turkey Onwards!

OMLE — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:49:12 -0400

Hey, Ben Dyce and Michael here. We are curently in İzmit, Turkey. Been convoying with the Outermancunians since prague. Hooked up with the Mongol Warriors for a bit before they went north.

Currently we´ve done , Hannover, Prague, .... slovakia, hungary, rumania ([****] roads). Then Bulgaria, Black sea coast... stayed in a hospital which acted as our ultra creepy Hotel. Then hit up Turkey and blitzed it to İzmit where we are now.

Plan is 3 days to georgia, hook up wıth team WaterAia, convoy threw Georgia and Azerbaijan to Baku. Ferry to Turkmenistan and see how things go from there.

All the love from Turkey, Ben, TeamF7F7 signing out!

F7 F7

Ready to go

OMLE — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:13:36 -0400

In Falkirk at the moment, vehicle fully loaded and ready to go. got to pick up some food supplies tonight then off to london tomorrow!

F7 F7