Mafia?

So we made it over to Thassos and drove around the Island to find the 'Waterfront Bungalow' we had booked on the internet. Not quite as it appeared on the website would be an understatement! Obviously the owners wouldn't write that it resembles a prison camp in their advertising material, but that is the closest thing we could compare it to. Dirty, cramped and quite a way from the water - we were only there for 10 minutes before we decided to make a break for it. The owner went from being nice to a lunatic in an instant too - but seeing as she had our passports we had to compromise and pay for a night there - I think we would have paid for a month there just to get out, and if she hadn't had our passports we might have tried busting out of the compound in the SJ, but in the end we just paid the cash and were pleased to be free!

After all that, we found a great hotel on the hills just above a town called Potos and decided to make it our base for a couple of days. Day two on Thassos, and we decided to give the SJ a rest - renting a 250cc quad bike - what a great vehicle! Of course you can't go round corners on it (as we discovered), and if you were to come off it would probably be the end of you, but brilliant fun all the same. We spent the afternoon taking an offroad trail up some mountains to the old town - probably an hour of trail riding with just the odd mountain goat for company - a welcome break from the tourist infested beaches. One thing that we have learnt from visiting all these countries is that wherever you go, there is always Coca-Cola, and it is generally cheaper than water. An hours ride up a mountain, and the one village shack with life in it was a Taverna selling local honey, olive oil, and of course cold Coke - served by a 5 year old.

Two days was enough for us on Thassos, so early on the third day we went and hopped on the ancient car ferry - amusingly you get about 10 greek sailors all directing the cars onto the boat, and all giving conflicting instructions - all they do is all keep shouting louder and louder until you work it out for yourself and park behind the car in front. We hit the motorway and aimed for Thessaloniki - the biggest town on the map that was on our route. After visiting an internet cafe we found a great hotel - 'Daios' and the contemporary design, brilliant air con & facilities, and free mini-bar made it the perfect place to stop. The town was actually really nice too - with many new buildings including the most amazing car park we have ever seen (really!) - you take a ticket, drive on to a turntable and get out, then a robotic arm comes out of a hole in the wall, lifts your car up and takes it away to be stacked up. It is surreal. Then when you come back to collect it, you pop your ticket in and it tells the machine which car to go and retrieve. Amazing.

Greece was hot though, and by the time we made the port town of Igoumenitsa the following night the temparature had risen again to an almost unbearable level - the sign board in the town read 47 degrees at one point, so we spent the afternoon hopping from cafe to cafe to try and stay cool in the air conditioning. Jennifer has invented the 'Suzuki Shower' in a bid to cool down a little while on the road - step one - buy an ice cold bottle of water from a garage, step two - tip the whole lot over your head. Simple. Unbelievably, the Suzuki itself stood up to the extreme temperatures remarkably well - we've put a little bit of water in and a little bit of oil, and coming over the mountain just before the port it ran a bit hot on the steeper climbs, but it kept going.

So we took an overnight ferry from Greece to the port of Brindisi in Italy, which went really well - calm crossing and by the time we had got some sleep it was time to disembark.

We headed south straight away and into Calabria - which we thought was really really nice. Very quiet, but a welcome change from the bright lights and beach bars of Greece. We stayed the first night in a small town called Amendolara in a lovely contemporary hotel, and had our first taste of the Calabrian timetable - ie everything opens for a little while at some point in the morning, then everyone has lunch, and then of course there needs to be some resting so everyone goes to bed for a few hours, then everything opens again in the early evening for a few more hours.

It seems amazing that so many people live with such a little amount of stuff - looking into peoples houses in the evening they just seem so bare, but they all seem so content playing cards and sitting in the street chatting and watching the world go by.

The following day we decided that we had to head for cooler climbs, so crossed the mountains onto the Western shores of Calabria where we spent our second Italian evening, in another small town called Scalea.

The following morning after a few credit card and language problems (all resolved by walking to an ATM) we set off up the coast. The car seemed especially slow, and after a quick inspection we discovered that the bottom mount of the right rear shock absorber had broken in half, and the shock absorber was hanging dangerously close to the road. We pulled in to the nearest town, but because it was a Sunday, everyone was in church or sat in the Piazza with a Cappacino (or wine!). A quick call back to England got us the phrases we needed (mechanic, garage, welding), but the town we were in had no such facilities. We headed back on to the main road, hoping one of the service stations would be open where we could at least bodge it up to get us to the next town. We passed a nice looking guest house and restaurant so thought it was safest to stop for the night and resume our search for a mechanic on Monday. We were warmly greeted by the owner, who didn't speak any English (relying on our broken Italian), but who seemed to understand our predicament, so we booked in for the night and he made some calls to his 'friends'. This guy was one of the friendliest and most helpful people we have met so far on the trip, however he did seem to be the stereotypical mafioso type, with an enormous house, pair of new Mercedes (in black of course) all from owning a small b&b (which was empty?). Anyway, he was helping us out and gave us a great price for a room so all was well. He made out that one of his friends would be able to come out and look at our car that evening, so we thought we may as well have lunch. On a Sunday afternoon in the middle of the mountains, all of a sudden people started arriving - they all appeared to be 'family' but from it being empty one minute to being full the next there must have been 50 people for lunch. We were welcomed to join in (and given a glass of stale wine) by the most hilarious and clumsy waiter (also one of the family). We didn't really know what we were ordering, but he seemed to understand that we wanted lunch, and a few minutes later a large plate of meat, cheese and bread came out. Then some more vegetables. Then some more. And more. Then a whole course of mushrooms. We ate everything and were stuffed. Then came out the pasta course! A huge plate of three different types of pasta - it seemed impossible but we couldn't not eat it so we struggled on. It was lovely food, but we were a bit relieved when it was done as there was just so much of it. Then, the main came out - a huge bowl of roasted meats, with bowls of potatoes and salad to accompany. We were honestly astonished! Two hours of solid eating and we couldn't move. All we could do was waddle back to our room and watch the olymics. So later that evening, we were't really sure what was happening with the car - all of a sudden a mint condition Ferrari Dino came rumbling down the hill - it was our hosts mechanic friend - so we now have the B&B owner with his black mercs, and the back street mechanic in Armani and driving a Ferrari. He had a quick look, and then somehow we arrived at the conclusion that he would take the keys to our car and come back later to fix it, so he rumbled off in his Ferrari with our keys in his pocket (nervous to say the least!). So when we awoke the next morning the car had gone - our host said it would be back with us at 10. But then he did say everything happens at about 10. We sat outside and waited but nothing came - our host didn't look worried - and at about 1400 we thought we might as well get some lunch. We made it clear we only wanted one course and sat down to some spaghetti when all of a sudden our car appeared back. 100 Euros later and we were fixed. Mafia? You decide.

So we got on our way yesterday afternoon and drove to Salerno on the coast, and today we are in Napoli doing the tourist bit. We are staying in a Monestary! Rome tomorrow!

We have been following the Russia/Georgia situation on CNN and are very relieved we are not there. We wouldn't have travelled through Georgia but we would have crossed into southern Russia where there have been military movements.

Greece!

So, on our last day on the Black Sea, we took the truck down to the next port to get some dinner, and disaster - the clutch made a big clunk and the smell that followed was overpowering to say the least. Luckily, our friendly Hotel waitress 'had a friend' who may be able to help, so we blasted across town to a backstreet truck garage. The mechanic had a quick look on the forecourt and then decided he wanted a further look from underneath, so hopped in and drove it towards the pit which they usually use to inspect lorries. Terrifyingly, he didn't seem all that bothered that he was in a vehicle about half the width of his usual customers - and it was only a second mechanic shouting and waving his arms that prevented him from disappearing into the pit (in our truck!). Unphased, he realigned himself and drove on - the final result being that only about two inches of rubber each side supported the whole weight of the car while he inspected it. A final thumbs up and he reversed it back out of its precarious position at about 30mph.

I thought that this was the end of my little micro adventure, however, negotiating rush hour traffic trying to keep up with our waitress was a whole new experience - we went through car parks, across gardens, pavements, forecourts - all hilarious.

I quite like the Bulgarian style of driving now!

Bulgaria was quite cool, hot and very cheap - all seems to be being bought up at a tremendous rate by us Brits.

We did a 13 hour drive today and have made it to the Aegean Sea in Greece - it would have been quicker but the Greek side of the first border we tried was closed - brilliant - love those borders.

Off to Thassos tomorrow so will write as soon as we can.

Finally the sunscreen has made it out of our bag

So after some very long days of driving back through the Ukraine, we tried our luck at getting into Romania and were met with the most laid back border guards yet. One short glance at our passport photo and a quick question of 'What's in the back?', which we responded with 'camping gear', and we were through.

The rain in Ukraine was constant and what were small streams on the way in were huge torrants of white water on our way back. We drove through village after village which were severely flooded and families were just stood around not knowing what to do. Some houses were completely under water and we could just see the tops of some cars. We didn't see any emergency services or help at all - it's a shame the police are only interested in stopping tourists to line their own pockets and not helping their own people. We have seen this sort of thing on TV before but seeing it first hand was a whole different story. Very sad.

Romania was very much like the Urkaine, with terrible roads and the driving standards seemed to deteriorate even further. Parts of the country were really beautiful, especially the mountains throughout Transylvania, but other areas were less spectacular - the Romanians seem to have a love of building giant concrete tower blocks everywhere. Brasov was a beautiful city and we stayed the night in the mountains above it. We visited Bran to do the tourist bit and took a trip around Dracula's Castle. All the locals we spoke to through Romania were very dismissive of the Legend of Dracula and warned us that it would be an anti-climax, which is a shame as it obviously brings a lot of tourism to the country, but it was worth visiting and we bought ourselves some Vampire blood wine! Romania was fantastic to experience, but there was something about the country we were not quite sure of, although everybody we met couldn't have been friendlier.

As we made it into Romania, the plan was to head to the Black Sea and into Bulgaria.

On Tuesday night we crossed the border into Bulgaria in yet another terrible storm. The border crossing was a very narrow metal bridge across the Danube River, which we drove across in a full fork lightning storm. Probably not the wisest! The border control here was very relaxed again and within half an hour of being in the country it seemed just lovely. We had tarmac back for the first time which our truck was happy about!

After a short overnight stop just over the border we started out early yesterday and headed for the Black Sea, which is where we are now in 35 degree full sunshine! We are staying in a town called Varna in a 5 star (!) hotel with every possible facility you can imagine. When we asked for a room, the response was 'we don't have rooms, only suites'! Perfect.

We plan to stay here for 3 or 4 days, then continue following the Black Sea coast into Greece.

Hello to everyone back home and to Auntie Elaine in Australia - really excited you are following our blog!

The Russians have ended our rally

We were refused entry at the Russian border yesterday. Various paperwork issues. Philip inconsolable. Heading south today to find the sun and a new adventure on the Black Sea. Ukrainian roads worse than ever but almost at the border. Going to Romania to try and get in. Exhaust now held on with giant cable ties.

Dodgy Border Guards

Well, where shall we start? How about at the Ukrainian border having to the bribe the guards with cash to let us into their country.

So earlier in the day we realised we didn't have the right paperwork to get into Romania, so we decided to head straight for the Ukraine. We discovered along the road that we needed a Green Card to get in but we also heard we could buy one at the border, so we pushed on. We cleared the Hungarian border control ok and got our first proper stamp in our passports!! Then we drove across no mans land to the Ukraine control where we were greeted by a scary looking soldier who gave us and our car the once over and were directed to a very friendly passport control officer. After much discussion (in broken Ukrainian and English) about whether we needed a green card, Mr P was called around the back door entrance and told 'you make me present, I stamp'!!! Mr P considered knitting him a jumper or making some such gift, but as time was of the essence we gave him some cash (5000 forints = 16 pounds). Then finally after our car was searched by another set of guards, they stamped our passports and let us into the Ukraine.

As we starting driving it felt like we had stepped into a different world all of a sudden. The scenary was stunning as we drove through the hills. Tarmac occasionaly just runs out, even on the motorway! Then the wonderful weather we have been having caught up with us again. We were driving through a huge thunder storm and the heaviest rain we have ever seen. Visiability was very poor and then we got held up in an hour long queue as we passed by a fatal accident involving a Lada and a Kamaz (massive Russian truck). There was not much left of the Lada. The standard of driving is just terrible and we knew it was only a matter of time until we saw something like this.

The plan was to get to Lviv - a city described in the Lonely Planet guide as 'gorgeous and glorious, Lviv knows its next up on the list of hot new Eastern Europeon Destinations'. We crossed a river that had burst its banks and drove through a couple of mudslides (very scary!), and finally made it to the city about 11pm last night and checked into a amazing hotel for two nights so we get time to explore where we are a little more.

On our way to this internet cafe this morning two Mongol Rally teams drove past us and we ran and ran along the street to catch them up. Unfortunately for them they were stopped by the local rozzers, which gave us a chance to catch them. They only drove down a one way street, so no fines for them today! It feels a little like we are in Grand Theft Auto here as we are constantly dodging the police. We have only been stopped once and after smiling sweetly and showing our passports, he let us on our way.

Going a back a bit, the night before last we stayed in a town called Szolnok in Hungary, at a hotel called The Garden Hotel, which was on the river Tisza. We shared the hotel with the Great Britain Canoe and Kayak Racing Team, which was cool.

The truck is going really well - the oil leak seems to have fixed itself althouth we are still checking it every petrol stop. Both wiper stalks have snapped, but we have splinted them and fixed them back together with cable ties - if they worked through last nights storms then they will work through anything! It went well through the water too - we were in quite deep at a couple of points (above the wheels) and it kept going. Fingers crossed!

Today we are going to explore Lviv, have a day off of driving and have a Roman sauna in our hotel tonight. Tomorrow we will leave and head for the capital, Kiev, and sample our first real Chicken Kiev! Hope they don't have bird flu there!!!

Map Updates

We've changed how we are doing our route - we are now updating the map on the 'route' page as we go along - have a look and you will see where we are (or at least where we last found internet access!)

Hoping to upload some photos soon too so keep checking the 'gallery'.

Goulash is rank

We are in Hungary! We were just driving through a small town called Dunafoldvar and noticed a huge @ on the side of a building, so we have pulled over and now are sat in a Hungarian library using the internet.

Yesterday morning we left our hotel in Austria and headed towards the border of Hungary. Weather has been horrible so was quite an uneventful day - just getting some miles done. We decided to aim for a huge Lake called Balaton just south of Budapest to find somewhere to stay. We noticed a castle at the top of a hill and thought that looks like our kind of place to sleep, so we drove up the huge driveway and Mrs P did her thing and tried to speak Hungarian through a speaker on the portcullis and a few moments later we were in a room. Mr P had his first Hungarian Goulash (not impressed!) and Mrs P played it safe with deep fried camembert cheese!

The weather today is still rubbish and really windy. We haven't seen any other ralliers since Sunday morning, but hoping to meet up with some as we approach more borders further east. We are tracking all other teams' progress via Adventurists website. Hungarian drivers are by far the worst so far, mental in fact, but we are just plodding along and our SJ seems to be going really well still...

Cheers for the comments everyone - keep them coming!