Some random thoughts on the places we have visited:

China:  Smog, cranes, brand new cities for 8,000,000 people.  Staggering new infrastructure. World domination but a moment away.

Mongolia:  Vast. Empty. Outrageously gorgeous.  Freezing.  Fur hats. Unimog.  Yurts. Deep blue skies and a night time skyscape of 456893trillion stars falling on our heads. My worries about how China is about to plunder it. Camping when it was -12C that's 10.3 F for you Americans.

Russia:  Did we go?  Does 2 hours in a 'rent by the hour' hotel count?  Fabulous friendship and helpfulness from the' Siberian Old Timer's'. A dash to the Kazak border in a truck that went the wrong way.

Kazakhstan:  Borat villages.  The most expensive hotel in the universe.  An incarnation of the angel of mercy appearing at Almaty airport in the form of George Winton Harding  bearing gifts of a new gear box and 70kgs of car parts.  Dust.  Brown.  Gold teeth.  The plane of shame.  2 hours sleep in a field.  Two extra husbands.

Uzbekistan:  Wonderful, friendly, smiley people.  Cotton fields.  Samarkand. Colour. Fab hats.  HUGE melons.  Currency measured in inches.  A revelation - want to go back.

Turkmenistan:  White marble.  Bugged rooms.  Insane architecture.  Free petrol, well almost.  Soldiers in very suspect hats. Sinister.

Iran:  Amazing welcome. Curiosity.  Black widows. Menacing.

Turkey:  Rain, snow.  Paddy Walker's breakout group.  A perfect day in Istanbul. Aya Sofya.  Cabbages the size of giant pumpkins. Seeing Mount Ararat.

Greece:  Rain laden skies.  Scruffy.  The vast sums of EU money spent on empty roads.

Italy:  Passed us by really.  Been before, saw it then.

France:  French. The finish.  Phew.

Comments

  1. Liz15 October 2010 at 23:37

    Very nearly there,congratulations to you & car 29. May you thoroughly enjoy your arrival in Paris,hope the fuel crisis doesn't mean a final push! What an amazing adventure,thankyou for sharing it with us- WOW! My early mornings will be very dull now! We wish you a safe drive home,we think candles before lettuces! Back for Sunday's Autumn Amble?!
    Love from Liz & Robert

    ReplyDelete

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