Sunday 17th October

It can't be all over, surely. Spent too much time chatting and saying our goodbyes that we were late leaving the Place Vendome, then couldn't find the exit and reversed into a lamppost!! No damage to our wonder car though and we headed north to Calais and made the train with 4 minutes to spare! Drove on and had a good trip chatting to some friends of other ralliers who had been following us. Surreal to be back on the M25, luckily without the normal queues.

Paris!!!

Supposedly given a lie in this morning which meant an 8.58am start time. Another beautiful drive on straight B roads, much more fun than the autoroutes favoured by some, we thought. The only issue was getting hold of petrol as there is a strike in France. After many visits to fuel stations we finally found some that we reckoned should get us back to England. Suddenly there we were in Bois de Boulogne, but had to wait on the side of the road for an hour,very frustrating, to appease the French authorities. Then we were off alongside fellow competitors, horns blaring, directed by French police in roller blades up Champs Elysses into Rue Royale where we picked up George and David and they rode our running boards into the Place Vendome-just amazing. Lots of people and cameras and chatter and Caroline, Lisa and Louise there to meet us too-what fantastic friends are they. Poor David and George were introduced to all our new friends and got in quite a muddle especially when we met them all again at the dinner later. The first prize to be handed out was the Coupes des dames and guess what, that was awarded to us! then a slide show and videos of the rally. I can't believe that it is all over but the best and most amazing experience. It might not be our last rally......!

Friday 15th October

Supposedly a lie in but we were on the road at 8.31. A nice day but not sunny. At least not raining. The amazing news is that we are 17th! We can't believe it and hardly dare breathe the words. We worked hard to get there though, but will we keep our place today? Big question especially as the only time trial was the Circuit de Bresse. We went round twice but also had to stop astride a line 3 times. All very difficult in such an unsporty car. What a pity to have such an exciting opportunity but to have to do it in such an unwieldy vehicle! Rachel's taste for the sport has suddenly been discovered. Had to drive by Beaune which was disappointing but we had another wine tasting nearby and drove on in the correct direction, unlike some. We raced on through lovely French countryside and were in time for the MTC with 5 mins to spare. Phew. Last supper as rally gang tonight, albeit in 2 shifts, and Paris tomorrow! Yay!

Wednesday 13th October

The ferry docked very late and we all got in a complete muddle getting off and onto the autostrade because the police had blocked our route. It poured with rain all day which was so disappointing as we all think of Italy as such a lovely sunny country. We stopped for a wine tasting at Andreas (one of the Italians who we love to follow) mother's vineyard which was a delicious diversion but it still rained, as it has done in Iran, Turkey and Greece. We stayed in a very nice hotel in Viareggio after slipping around on those bendy hills... A shock absorber is not great, but good enough. No time for that sort of work now. 20th today!

14th October

Yay we are 19th!! That long hard climb back from 35th has been worth it. We always said we only wanted to get back into the teens. Today was really lovely but very hard. We did 4 very steep and twisty time trials. Rachel's arms are getting well developed. Steering the old machine around those corners is something else. There were a couple of hairpins that we didn't quite make, though. A three point turn in a time trial is a bit embarrassing. All day we were in such a rush. It started with Paddy very kindly helping to adjust the clutch at 6.30. We couldn't stop for lunch, even though we were dreaming of pizza. Then finally we climbed up and up, following Simon and Rupert to the top of Europe where we crossed the alps in the most glorious sunshine and wonderful autumn alpine scenery to rival Mongolia, into France. A downhill run, overtaken by Simon on the inside of a hairpin, and into Aix les Bains at 7.00. Rachel decided to change the fuel filter after it had seemed pretty blocked today. She struggled for a while to get it off from it's awkward position in the boot, when suddenly 'pop', off it came but squirted in her eye. Very painful and burning but ok now.

Tuesday 12th October

More time trials today. Best advice so far re gears is to put it into 2nd or 3rd then try 1st. Seems to work. Or try double declutch. A lot less grinding today which is less stressful. Didn't push the time trials so hard today because it was pouring and foggy. Luckily for us the fog cleared enough to see the beautiful monasteries at Kamalka. We had lunch there then drove up and up til we hit the motorway, a bizarre experience. On the overnight ferry to Ancona in Italy now. We are eating up the countries. Ferry very upmarket. We have ensuite bathroom!

Monday 11th October

Drove to border this morning. Western Turkey is much more European than the East. But now we are in Greece, Europe proper. The engine is running very nicely but it is very difficult to change gear which is important on the tricky time trials we've had today. The first was quite straightforward but the next 2 were on steep hills with lots of hairpin bends, and rain. We skidded about a bit but nothing like the anadol which had an Italian job moment. We are not sure if it is a gearbox or clutch problem but are receiving a lot of advice.

Sunday 10th October

Rather casually leapt into car ready to leave straight away this morning, when, oops! It didn't start. Luckily Toby was just revving his engine ready to go so he was quickly called into action. The solenoid appeared to be damaged so he hot wired it and showed Suzy how to do it. Off we set on our free drive to Silivri. No controls today. We were cruising along the motorway when we ran out of fuel in the main tank so Rachel had to hop out to switch the tanks over. However the car didn't start again after. Suzy's moment had come. She hot-wired it there on the motorway and off we zoomed. At the hotel we rather alarmed porter with our exclamations over our sea view so he thought there was something wrong. Had terrace lunch but no wine because we were to meet Ian and Andy for a bit of work on the car. Craig very kindly gave us his spare solenoid and we did a few other odd jobs tightening, greasing, etc. Then it was time to go to Ahmet and Erdol's drinks in the hotel.

Saturday 9th October One of those mornings when we wake up so tired we have no idea where we are. Still in Kozakli and work to be done on the car before we leave, was the answer. So tired last night that the fact that the shock absorber fell off didn't register. Peter Banham put that back on in a flash but with enough time for Rachel to ask him why we are the only car in the rally which literally can't get up the hills. He put Paddy on to looking at the throttle which wasn't opening properly! Between them they took a stop from the accelerator and did a few adjustments and whoa! we have revs! Off we flew at speed we haven't experienced in Plymouth before. Peter was worried we wouldn't handle it, but we did. We had already decided that we wouldn't do the time trials today. After yesterday's effort to improve our position only ended in disaster, we decided to go to Abant by the motorway. A bit lazy but a lovely run through and arrived in SNOW!!! We've had it all.

Friday 8th October Our first time trial since Kazakhstan so we were quite excited about maybe improving our place. With all the cancelled Time Controls lately this has been difficult. We started with a steep hill which went up and up... into the fog and rain, the road getting muddier and more slippery, steeper and narrower, until we ground to a halt with no power at all. Changed spark plugs in the middle of time trial and got engine going again, but only for a minute, then nothing. Had to be towed to the top by the Japanese, again. Meanwhile we learned from Nigel and Hugo that the Wilkinsons had driven right over the edge and dropped 70'. That was upsetting and unnerving. Ground down to the bottom late for latest permitted time and decided not to participate in 2nd or 3rd trials but to just get to MTC. However as we tootled along in the rain, with ever squeaky wipers, car started to grind to a near halt every 5-10 seconds. Found Bruce (our saviour in Kazakhstan) who eventually discovered it was dirty fuel. Change of filter and away we went...with no lights. Bob at Passage control managed to get lights sorted after some time as it was dicky high beam switch causing problem. By this time it was really late, we had another 200km to travel to hotel and had to find another route which was on tarmac. Together with Andy and Bob the mechanics, we navigated through wild and rural Turkey in the dark where the road markings are often non existent and hard enough to see with old Plymouth lilghts if they are there. Gripping the steering wheel and peering over the bonnet we eventually arrived at the hotel in Kozakli at about 10.30. They had stopped serving dinner and Suzy had the sofa. Great!

Thursday 7th October Expecting to have a terrible border crossing into Turkey because rally gossip was well underway... Organisers must have actually believed our complaints of long waits at borders and were there to help us, but hey, for once it was relatively quick. Only 2 1/2 hours. We felt we were leaving the wilderness of central Asia and coming to a land we are more familiar with. Iran was disappointing with its rubbish and mess. Turkey isn't much better. Car not going brilliantly with the hills. Spluttered up the drive of hotel which is a ski resort so quite high. Rachel's leg covered in oil from leaking pressure gauge, again, and both of us looking a fright when Erdol insisted we get out to be photographed with the car for the press.Ha! Sorry no photos because having trouble loading them. Please keep commenting.

Wednesday 6^th October

It poured with rain all night. Is this normal for the Caspian? Time controls again today which is good as it gives us a chance to improve our place. But no time trials which is also good because the Plymouth does not like hills. Climbed a steep, tree covered hill for 30km through mist and rain and the poor car struggled its way grinding down to 1^st gear with the wipers squeaking away as irritating as a crying baby, and at the top the sun came out and it was beautiful clear skies the other side. Quite amazing. This is a better side of Iran, away from the traffic and dirt, dramatic hills and simple farming in the river valleys where they were collecting the straw in stooks and piling them up in huge stacks next to the houses. Shepherds were tending flocks of sheep and goats and the women were more traditionally dressed. We now had to come down hill in 1^st as it was so steep! We battled our way to Tabriz just in time having lost quite a lot of time on the hills. Tonight a banquet held by the vice president of Iran. We are being collected in classic cars by the motor federation of Iran….What is a girl to wear?

Tuesday 5^th October .

Quite happy to get up and out of that place but we did manage to get some sleep. The trusty Plymouth has not a scratch after last night’s excitement. Another long drive but very keen to see the Caspian Sea. It started raining and the sea was full of white horses and there was no real beach just a very busy road and ugly ramshackle buildings which could have been abandoned whilst being built or falling down and a lot or rubbish everywhere, a huge disappointment. We found one spot to wash our toes in, just to say that we had! On to the hotel, in the pouring rain with almost unbearably squeaky windscreen wipers, where we had a bed each. Such simple requests we have these days!

Monday 4^th October

Trying to cross the border from Turkmenistan to Iran on a public holiday is not the easiest job but to be one of 100 vintage cars was, to say the least, lengthy!! Passports were shown, returned shown to someone else, copied and then put in a large pile, shuffled and the occasional one pulled and a name called out. Eventually we got out and crossed into Iran with our heads covered with slippery scarves which keep coming down. We haven’t got the hang of them yet! We were met by the Iranian Rally Federation taking photos and wanting to talk to us and they had brought old cars with them. Sadly we were in a bit of a hurry as we still had 300km to drive and it was already 2.30pm. As we came into towns lots of people were lining the streets cheering and waving us on. One boy gave Suzy a packet of something which turned out to be tobacco pouches for chewing-extraordinary! Of course it got dark and the dip on our headlights wasn’t working so we were getting stressed when a car pulled across our carriageway We braked and swerved, narrowly missing the lorry on the left, and were hit from behind. What should we do, having been told not to stop in the dark so we drove on not knowing exactly what we had left behind, but having seen the car we missed being hit by another. When we finally got to the hotel there no rooms as, according rally rumour, the president is in town and has taken them all. Not sure why the president would come to Gorgan. Poor Heidi was telling us we had to fit 6 to a room, which we did, somehow squeezing in with Nicky and Craig and Paddy and Steven, and about 20 camped on the roof!

Sunday 3^rd October

Turkmenistan desert is very different to the Gobi lots of tufted grass and sand dunes. Pretty good tarmac roads and then sudden huge potholes so you have to watch the road all the time. We hit a bad one and heard a crash so stopped and got out to inspect damage, we couldn’t find any so looked under the car to see liquid pouring out of somewhere-help we thought it was the oil sump but discovered it was the radiator overflow that had erupted. Got out the bucket and collected it, opened the radiator, slowly and more came out of the cap! Two friendly Turkmen men had stopped to help us as we duly returned the collected water back into the rad and topped it up with more. They then asked for Suzy’s phone number and she pointed to her wedding ring and said she was married so they asked about Rachel! Had to disappoint them again and say goodbye! Eventually got to Ashgabat which is completely newly built having been flattened by earthquakes many times and our hotel is in an extraordinary boulevard of white Italian marble edifices which all look completely empty!

Saturday 2^nd October

Horribly early start, alarm 4.30, because organisers worried about border crossing. 5 hour drive to Turkmenistan border which bypassed Bukhara because we were in such a dash. Great pity. Road quite bumpy and really noticed missing bump stop a few times! Typically long wait at the border with the essential lunch break while we are trapped in no man’s land, again. An hour or so spent sitting on floor in Turkmenistan border control followed by a very curious Dickensian series of officers to take papers to and receive papers/stamps from. 9 in all. It is SO hot, unpleasant. Rachel still recovering from having to use the most repulsive ‘loo’ in the world. Police escort into Turkmenabat. Hotels going downhill rapidly.

Friday 1^st October

Day off but there is a fuel shortage so we went in convoy to a garage to fill up and, to our embarrassment went to the front of a long queue of about 30 cars. They must have some deal going as we were charged well over the odds for ours. Had to count out 160 notes of 1000 sum which took some time! We gave the car a check over and everything seems ok, greased it and decided there was nothing wrong but Suzy still found it an excuse to get under the car with Mickey, Andy, Ian, Peter, Toby… quite a party! The car really is running beautifully, in spite of piston rings going… bit of a greasy spark plug not too serious. Went to see more magnificent mausoleums, lunch and shopping in the market with Xavier and Toby then supper with Paddy and Steven. Lack of women on this trip!

Thursday 30^th September

Tashkent to Samarkand, doesn’t that sound amazing?! Samarkand is the centre of the Uzbek culture and stunning. Abandoned the car, to the shock of others, but we had to get out. A short walk from the hotel were 3 mausoleums decorated in the most beautiful blue and turquoise tiles so we went for a very peaceful walk around them and looked at some small shops as well-beautiful embroidered fabrics called suzani! and lovely ceramics which we resisted buying for lack of space. Aaargh! Wandered the streets and found a cup of tea. Went out for dinner with Bill and Biddy, who celebrated their 38^th wedding anniversary, to an Uzbek restaurant which served salads and kebabs but quite delicious.

Wednesday 29^th September

Another early start but the time control was at the other hotel. Rachel had two more army ration packs to pick up courtesy of George and they were enormous so we gave a few out to other drivers and made ourselves very popular! Then drove to the Uzbekistan border where we were surrounded by eager boys wanting to change money and take photos and marry us off to their friend who had a full set of gold teeth! Quite exhausting but we drove off with bricks of Uzbek money the largest note is 1000 Sum which is worth 30p! Of course the border control men took their lunch break so it took us a mere 3 hours to get through this time. Then on to Tashkent by which we were rather impressed with beautifully laid out streets and parks and all very clean. This region has had so many earthquakes over the years that they keep having to rebuild. On our way into the hotel a tiny car zoomed up on our left and caught his bumper on ours. We stopped but he carried on driving and tore the plastic thing off!! He then stopped, didn’t say anything but made a phone call. There was no damage to our car so we drove off! However later in the hotel he came to visit us. Luckily we were sitting with Erdol, one of the Turkish drivers who launched into a diatribe against this guy in Turkish and Uzbek- they are very similar apparently, and he was given short shrift-phew!

Tuesday 28^th September

Left Almaty early- 6.40am start as we had 740 kms to drive today through semi desert but reasonable roads so shared the driving and it took over 12 hours. At one passage control a man sat his child on the bonnet of the car and took photos for about 10 minutes, then the rally photographer took pictures of him and we were surrounded by too many cameras and couldn’t move! Eventually got away and arrived in Shymkent rather exhausted.

Monday 27^th September

Met Ian and Andy at 9.00 to change the front wheel bearing which they discovered needed changing yesterday. Yikes! All the mechanics were banned from working on cars so we had to do it very quietly out the back and not tell.

We then meandered off for lunch with Toby. Found a very strange little restaurant where we had to mime what we wanted and sat chatting for so long that it was nearly dinner when we got back. Went out for a drink and chips with Alex. Then back to hotel to blog, which won’t work! Try again in Shymkent…

Sunday 26^th September

Took car around the corner to a garage organised by James Elliott who has no car but has flown his mechanic, Tony, out to fix this vanished vehicle. All we really wanted was an oil change, but the garage owner spent 4 hours buying the oil, which was a bit embarrassing because there was a queue, followed by a bit of angst, for the ramp we were already on. There was lots of friendly chat other than that. We decided we rather like hanging a garage getting our hands dirty. A local pulled up thinking Rachel worked there from the state of her hands!

Alex Harvey arrived today so he took us to the green market where we bought dried fruit with a bit of a haggle from Alex, luckily because they wanted to charge £20!, a green fur hat and a pot of honey for our porridge.

Meanwhile Andy and Ian were fixing the bits we couldn’t get done earlier with the promise of the most expensive beer on the planet, ie from the Intercontinental.

We all went out to an amazing restaurant organised by Jorges which had very ‘tastiful’ food and belly dancers! We all got up and danced, only realising later that the entertainment was laid on for another party. Oops!

Can't add photos. Sorry. but will keep trying.

And please add comments because we love reading them

In spite of the rather lumpy tussocks under our tent, we slept quite well which surprised us. Had a nice stroll int Almaty, keeping to our times almost perfectly. stopped for coffee in a cafe at first time control and couldn't work out why all the organisers were hurrying us on, but supposed they wanted to get to the Intercontinental for a feel of civilisation and not hang around waiting for us. Well, 2 gin and tonics, which we felt we deserved after the rigours of claiming a room without a double bed which had presumably been booked for 2 years, cost £50! Ha. The Kazakhs know how to get rich.