Sunday 20th June

off to border, ready to cross tomorrow, Beverley listening to music, Lee playing bogle on the ninentdo...hot 35 in shade....bought bread and found good water supply at standpipe...camped.........

Saturday 19th June

The road is brown because it is thickly covered in crickets, others swarming in the air===people now all look oriental, stopped at shop they are very friendly....22km of grit and sand road--police stopped us and asked to see insurance--we showed the tickets we had been given but no good, we had paid for insurance but not given any, as we thought, they just told us to go !! Arrived at a town and drove round and round the sat nav has defineatly lost it--broken.....found a place to camp and got eaten by midges, they fly into your face --up your nose and ears...yuk,,

Friday 18th June

we think our Russian satnav is having a breakdown--we set the route but before we have even moved it is saying we have left route----set off 10,20 it is hot and a little rainy----diesel is now 25p per litre----1.30pm stopped by police all ok, have noticed peoples faces are now appearing asian......main road is now a sand desert trrack--Beverley notices that there are sea shells everywhere---was the Black sea and Caspian one big sea once? There are pink and yellow flowers spread around and its hot....after talking about it we have decided that in our experience the Russian people seem to be not very happy !!! 4pm another police stop all ok ---camped in dung beetle field....

Thursday 17th June

hot hot ...we all got chewed by mosies last night, the noiseof the crickets is drowning out our radio----driving S.E. about level with South of France or Italy...stopped by police and sent another way up the motorway because of trouble in Chechnya,,,stopped 7 more times, the last stop they gave us a sausage-----6.45pm the desert has started, we camp and see a huge spider, giant millipede, crickets, locusts, and dung beetles, the latter being brilliant -- as soon as you have finished going to the toilet they are there it all disappears in no time at all!!!!!

Wednesday 16th June

Set out for Caspian sea---east---straight across====camped in field at 7pm.....realised we have missed a time zone, yesterday we went to meet Russian couple an hour late, but they would of had to drive past us to leave, oh well !!

Tuesday 15th June

stayed at camp again to meet Russian couple at 6, they had disappeared, drove back to mountain where we had camped on Friday, too late to find new pitch...another huge thunderstorm we had to sit it out in the car--scarey!!

Monday 14th June

Stayed again---Lee checked under car and cut his head open on the door---just short of a hospital job-----went to walk to cash point -- very hot--looked down at my hands and my fingers looked like big fat sausages, don't know why so lifted my hands up and kept moving my fingers??? well I'm still alive!!!....back at campsite met a Russian family and drank tea with them.....they invite us to their house tomorrow, will meet tomorrow at 6pm

Sunday 13th June

stayed on campsite and swam in sea......

Saturday 12th June

Drove coast road and spotted a campsite----swam in sea---beautiful---is this really Russia--hot hot hot!!!

Friday 11th June

Nothing happened last night!!! I think because Lee was watching----Its 9am nobody up except me, am waiting for lorry to move on so I can go to the toilet!!! We all wash our hair with the rest of the water then a very drunk man arrives on moped, again conviced we can understand his every word--we pack up------drove to AHANA its a very busy, typical seaside resort--saw the black sea--gorgeous---drive down coast to find a pitch---found some water and cash point, there is lots of money here---lots of vineyards, never thought of Russian wine.....saw people with towels so we parked and followed them, swam with loads of jelly fish...Beverley was a little nervous of the jelly fish at first but soon got the knack of putting them on my head......drove on--nowhere to stop....Hot Hot...we drove up dry mountain track--lokked just like Spain----camped--brilliant just us!!!!

Thursday 10th June

Hot sunny--smelly, bitten itchy, sore bits;, spotty, but we are all fine....We saw Ivan again---stopped for tea (of course) made Ivan a cheese and branston pickle sandwich he gave us a bag of cherries..........Heading for coast at Black Sea--there is nowhere to stop its all rice fields and mosquitos, went past village there was no satellite dishes-----stopped by police for crossing white line--fined 200 euros--pay now or licence with-held--luckily we had enough but now down to last 100 euros emergency fine money!!!fFound parking spot but we are not hidden from road, its 8.30 and we've all had enough, Lee is so tired!! Moped comes and checks us out 3 times and then the same car a couple of times---Lee goes and sits in car for hours, not a good evening!!

Wednesday 9th June

Passed a man on a bike who was obviously a traveller, said hello, can you speak english...yes his name is Ivan and he comes from the Isle of Man...stopped for cups of tea....Ivan is doing the same trip as us---all alone on his pushbike--now thats what you call brave (or mad).......later we stopped to fill up with water at a well at the side of road in village....a lady came out to greet us, she seemed absolutely convinced that we could understand every word she said, and then she insisted on giving us a bag of fish, the bag felt warm, then as it got hotter I realised it must of been in the process of being smoked;, very kind but we have stopped eating meat and fish so had to give to local cats!! Saw graveyard full of table and benches painted blue, passing olive trees.....got lost on the dirt tracks think satnav has had a nervous breakdown.......3.30 arrived in Enck, seaside town with windsurfing and a nice beach--we took a swim--lovely----there are bars, lots of the usual junk for sale, childrens entertainment--roses and poppys everywhere---is this the same couontry??? Went to camp on a quiet beach then named it DEad Fish Beach and drove up onto cliff---later to be known as insect cliff!!!

Tuesday 8th June

found lake, the water has that sulphur smell and thick mud in the bottom and we are sharing our camp site with a herd of cows, therefore we have named this spot cow-pat beach..very smelly but thats nature!!!

Monday 7th June

9.50--29 degrees---Bopohex is a lovely, very clean city---we are enjoying the journey again now we are out of the major traffic in Moscow, we also did a bit of shopping and bought Beverley a leather jacket, just what she had been looking for,---off tom lake or black sea,,,not sure if the two join together-----found great campping spot in meadow, the colours of the flowers are beautiful......

Sunday 6th June

lovely sunny day--heading south for Tyna, did washing at standpipe and put the rubbish into the burning bin at the side of the road seems normal to burn the rubbish this way......got stopped by police--they asked where we are going --then took a photo and let us go----there is a petrol station every 300--to 500 metres---heading for Bopohex---found another lovely field to camp in.....

Saturday 5th June

Lee checked car and found what the noise is---the rear prop shaft--removed it to sort out in better place----set off on motorway and the hand brake drum fell off--Lee retieved it from middle of road---something else to fix!!!! parked up and Lee fixed everything!!...drove off road behind some trees and found a beautiful meadow wth-out mosies ---perfect...........

Friday 4th June

woke to a big storm in motel 150 km short of Moscow...hot and clammy today..............arrived Moscow (MOCKBA) 11.50am...8 lanes of traffic with zebra crossings--people just walk out-some don't even look!!!! still arriving at 12.50---at 2.20 still driving, eventually found hotel--but no thank you ---we don't like the look of it-----5.15 still driving but now leaving Moscow.....we had wanted a few days in a hotel and time to wander around the city but its just impossible....never again will we vist Moscow it's the worst city we have ever been in with the worst drivers and the worst road system --we have seen a good ten accidents today, they just seem to swerve into each other then everyone stops to wait for the police.....eventually we find a pitch off road with no horse flies and its quiet!!!

Thursday 3rd June

9.30 back on road heading for Moscow...dull and cloudy but not cold...looking for shopping centre for cash point---yesterday we took out 2000 rubels, but it was only about £40 so we need more.........arrived Novgovrod about 12pm..stopped by police...Lee knew they were asking for papers but he pretended he didn't undersstand and just spoke in English---they waved us away--question is - do we have insurance??? There is one straight road from St. P. to Moscow full of lorries of all shapes and sizes, some are just enormous, they swerve around the pot-holes from one side of the road to the other in a zig-zag,,,,the houses along the side all seem to be of the same design, just different colours, perhaps pink and green or blue, green and purple!!!! Tried to stop a couple of times but keep finding horseflies, Lee has a very bad reaction to them , so 7pm looking for hotel/motel---diesel is now 40pence per litre..

Wednesday 2nd June

Terrific storm last night, hope tents stayed dry!!....11am gave trailer away--all sorted--squashed in car but hey--doesn,t matter...but all that work and time and money and food and effort --- gone--just like that...bought another ticket for the queue and will try again....12.10pm back in queue.....2.30 in Russia;, they checked passports and paperwork time and time again, paperwork is crazy....5.10pm St. Petersburgh --the car in front is a ford focus called a ROLF!!....8.50 still driving around looking for hotel--the traffic is unbelievable its taken us hours to move just 5km. cars driving on pavements to overtake and pushing into queues--it's like every driver thinks that they are the only important one on the road----we put music on...David Bowie...now it becomes fun again....people are waving and taking photos manage to move some more.....stopped to buy satnav!!! St. P. is a beautiful city,,,very hard work for us as strangers, but well worth the visit!! 10pm found motel but no cashpoint so we just took one room and brought in sleeping bags, we can now stretch our legs out for a bit, there is zero leg room in the car!!!

Tuesday 1st June 2010

forgot to mention yesterday that Lee managed to get the spring welded--trailer all fixed now-good as new!!!.......Off to Russia today, we need to get car insurance and some cash......We have read that you get insurance at border but when we asked they said "No go transit place" and pointed at map..O.K ....at transit place "no insurance here--buy at border--20 euros please for ticket for boder queue"...O.K...so at 11.30am we joined queue again at the border..I gave them the ticket and again asked, the reply was "I no not this word insurance"...1pm...through first barrier--told to wait---asked for papers for trailer, but of course the papers don't exist--it's an old 1968 trailer--no papers needed..or so we were told....at 1.10 they said ok and sent us to next queue--1.30 haven't moved an inch....2.05 moved a few feet through red light and given custom and migration papers to fill in...2.20 still queueing...3pm same....3.30 moved a bit and handed in papers...told us we had filled them in wrong--do it again---ok---still wrong do it again and make copies---then asked for papers for trailer--explained it all again---4pm...refused entry and told to wait-----5pm still waiting..(bladders bursting)....6pm still waiting----7pm sent back to Estonia----went back to Hotel---YES Hurray..bank card still working;, so at least we are ok for tonight..........started sorting trailer out, giving all the food ect. away to passers by, soon we had about 30 people---word spreads quickly---man turned up, said he was from salvation army he works rehousing alchoholics, said he could use the trailer...will come tomorrow at 11am to collect...........then we had pizza and went to bed.....what a day!!!!!!!!!!