Following the end of the rally and two straight days of sleeping and eating weve managed to slap together a few photo albums from AJ and Drews cameras, split into the three albums that can be access via the links below:

Album 1 - Europe and Turkey:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44117&l=318d9&id=600835807
Album 2 - Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44124&l=92e14&id=600835807
Album 3 - Uzbek, Kazakhstan, Krygystan, Siberia & Mongolia:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44132&l=92122&id=600835807

Shef and Petes photos are still to come as is the HD video that we took!! Need to shave it down from 7 hours first though so watch this space!

More photos now available:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50575&l=9dc02&id=502324953

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50576&l=0ec99&id=502324953

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50578&l=e8660&id=502324953

It started to dawn on us that we had perhaps bitten off more than we could chew when the pot-holes became the size of small lakes in Northern Kazakstan. Unfortunatly (despite an initial stretch of good road) the roads in Russia were even worse and so with over 1000 miles still to go we had no choice but to reduce sleep and increase driving.

The fact that this stretch of hardcore driving started with a hangover and a night sleeping rough in the cars in a Russian city (Novabrisk) didn't help matters and with only 4 hours car sleep in another Russian city (Krasnoyausk) Wednesday night we decided that 24 hour driving was the only realistic way we could make Ulaanbaatar by the 27th.

To compound matters further it seems that the Daihatsu Sportrak is more Muswell Hill Hairdresser than serious off-road vehicle. Promtly following the immortal line from shef, "this is where the cars really come into their own" the suspension snapped on all three. With no time to find a mechanic the next couple of hundred miles were driven in the pitch black through fog and rain at a conservative 30 mph as we kept our fingers crossed that nothing else would break.

By early yesterday morning we were all halucinating at the wheel and more in need of a bath, a bed and a square meal than ever before in our lives. However, after 7 hours at the mongolian Border we finally made it into Mongolia!!!!

The last 200 miles were pretty euphoric and with Gagsy Schumacher leading the way we averaged about 50mph (this is actually impressive considering the state of our machines). By now the sore bums and rattling of the cars (Hooster sounded more like a tractor than a car) had almost become more of a reassuring companion than an annoyance - after all this was never supposed to be easy! 

We arrived in Ulaanbaator at about 1am last night. Much to our dismay the welcome fanfare we all expected hadn't materialised and we had to make do with a few toots on the horn (by us)! As we pulled up into a parking space we were picturing the typical comedy sketch of the four wheels and side panels instantly dropping off the side of each car! This gave Shef, AJ and Andrew about 4 hours grace before they had to jump in a taxi to the airport - talk about cutting it fine!!

.....so that brings to and end our trip that started out in Muswell Hill 30 days ago. On reflection its been a great experience and an achievment we will all treasure. Its a slight shame that the trip has ended in such a rush but we all knew that this was likely. Time now to look back on the last months events and who knows, maybe start thinking about the next trip..... Tuk Tuks anyone???!

Due to unbelievable road conditions and car suspension breakages weve had to instigate 24hr driving regime, being drivin for 36hrs. Slowly but surely. Positive!

Cruising through siberia, big crazy night out last night, full hangovers, but managing over 500km. 800 planned for tomorrow! Touch and go for getting flight!!

Camped out in the kazakh steppe, heading to russia via semey. Worst roads ever, potholes size of cars. Gearing up for the rush through russia. Few 1000km to go!

The last week haul has begun, no more big cities and drinking, just pot holes, wilderness and camping! Blagged our way out of 2 speeding fines 2day, all good...

Nightmare few days with 2 more broken dampers & broken exhaust manifold, now made it through kyrgy & will be hitting almaty v soon. House clubs here we come!

Yaaakshemash, we have arrive in no1 country of khazak! 10 hours at border with no food, quite efficient over here. Camped inside a circus last night, random...

Managed to blag an afterhours border crossing into uzbekistan later yesterday. Most of us are suffing badly from crossing the desert in turkmenistan where we faced 50 degrees heat going at ridiculously low speeds following a damper breaking on Nadaam Chance..Bit of a living nightmare, but were through the worst now and the car was fixed by some confused local mechanics who were convinced the Daihatsu was in fact a Yugo in disguise... We estimated the in the three days we spent in Turkmen we had over 50 docs and more than 200 official stamps to deal with. No idea what they were for!! In Samarkan uzbek now, visited some truely amazing buildings, very arabian nights! Anyway - going back to the rooms now to have cold showers and rub in copious amounts of after sun - Still jealous????? PS - Sms upates are very unpredictable as the phone coverage is pretty dodge.. So only send out the rescue crew when you see us on BBC World or hear from he embassy.... Yakkkkkk smmmishasshhh....

Ok, brief update from an internet cafe in Samarquand, Uzbekistan.  Brief because over here I think broadband is a type of hat!

The last 3 days have been unbearably hot, I think it's fair to say that at least one point everyone has looked like collapsing.  Pulling over in Turkmen to sort out some water in 50deg heat and fully beaching the car was a definite low point, but we towed it out in the end.  Glad to be out of the unbelievable beaurachracy (spelling?!) of Turkmen, it took 6 hours and at least 100 stamps to get in the place, many roadblocks with hours spent waiting for more stamps, and that's not even going into the terrible roads which snapped one of our dampers!

 Uzbek seems pretty nice, a bit cooler and a bit more westernised.  Got our culture points up today seeing some mosques, then tomorrow it's a big drive to Tashkent for the next night on the town.

Other highlights include the meal last night where a russian family threw a total of 3 stray cats in the restaurant pond, fully funny.  Don't worry they all swam out fine!

 Anyway that will do for now, by the buzz and Uzbek talk in this room it sounds like Etoo is off to a team in Uzbek, crazy!!