3. ANOTHER SUNNY DAY!!

We spent the night in Vienna. Warm and humid at times. (Please watch the "Travel Channel" for photos.) We are on the road this morning to Budapest, Hungary. Just stopped at a...you guessed it, another McDonalds. May have to subscribe by the month for internet access soon if they keep track. Will make Budapest easily today as we are ahead of schedule. Many of our visas are for entry at certain dates or later. So we have to allow for any problems that may slow us up when visas are applied for in the States. Robert had a visa service in Washington do the leg work. For Turkmenistan, the Rally Charity, "Go Help" applies for us in England. This country requires the previous country's visa on one page, than one or two? blank pages for theirs, than the country we enter next must be on the following page. "Go Help" is able to apply and receive no fixed date of entry visas for us that are good for 5 days of travel through the country. Normally if one is late entering the country on the normal visas, those days are lost for traveling through the country. If late leaving you are ...ked, and have to apply to be able to leave with many problems doing so.

Give Me The Cheap Stuff....

Just Follow The Signs...No Problem!!!

James Bond Elevator.

My Ambulance Is Bigger Than Yours.

Internet Central For The World!!!





RALLY HISTORY

Supposedly, in the early 2000s someone left for Mongolia after a few too many at a bar one night. He didn't make it. The next year 5-6 vehicles started out. The original rally grew and grew in vehicle numbers. Today like 400 may start out. Totally unfit cars are allowed without penalty ($). Like 1.2 liter engine size or less. Each tenth of a liter above that and it is a 100 pounds (like $160 penalty) Now cars cannot be older than 9 or 10? years as the Mongolians were getting too much scrap iron. (The cars are auctioned for charities there.) Service vehicles are encouraged like ambulances without penalty. Fire trucks have even been driven.

Several years ago, the original rally became "For Profit" and there was a split. The rally we are on sponsored by the "Go Help" Charity (for Mongolian charity work) is run totally by volunteers. We understand there is one person who receives a salary because they need a "warm body" for daily stuff throughout the year.

This year the rally drive off was July 9th at Horse Guards parade field in London. There are vehicles from other countries that don't come for the start. They just leave from their own towns and head East or North if they do mostly the Russian route. There is no set start date that has to be observed, and it is not a timed even. There is another US team from Alaska this year too.

My involvement in this year's Rally with "GO HELP" began when Andreas a mutual friend of Robert's and myself posted on a car chat site that Robert was looking for a "copilot" to drive to Mongolia and the rest is continuing history. Robert is the oldest participant in either of the rallies. Hopefully, he will set another record with his team "Windy City" completing this 10,000 mile driving adventure.

Robert was in Uganda doing volunteer hand surgery when I talked to him on "Skype" last September. We got along well. In three conversations, we decided to do the rally together under his selected team name -Windy City. We have only been face to face three times before that I can remember before we left for England on the same flight at O'Hare. Countless phone conversations and emails have taken place during our preparation for the rally.

Robert And His Wife Marcia And My Wife Carolyn at O'Hare. The Girls Declined To Travel With Us On This One.....Hmmmm?