Sat Comm Update - Sponsored by Lynceus

25/10/2010 - 11:50 BST

Location - Kitonga Gorge, Tanzania, 60km north east of Iringa Temp - 34C Weather - cloud cover but with bright spells - humid Driver - Steve Nav - Mac Pax - Chris Road - lots of road works, pot holed roads in between. Very twisty and mountainous as we climb and descend the gorge Traffic - light, but bus drivers are absoluely mad, overtaking us at 70mph on blind bends - have to be very careful not to have a head-on Lanscape - scorched earth, with scrub trees and tall yellow grass resembling straw

24/10/2010 - 11:20hrs BST

Back on Tarmac. 100kph speed limit. Vehicoe feels OK but will check systems as it has endured 300 miles of hammering on the most severe surfaces i have ever driven on. No longer with Police escort.

24/10/2010 - 07:17hrs BST

Still on our way to Isiolo, north of Nairobi. track was terrible and much worse than expected. From Isiolo we are back on tarmac but I gues we will be 15 hours behind the Master Schedule.

23/10/2010 - 15:00hrs BST

Through the Ethiopian side of the border, but not without having to round a posse to track down the Customs guy who had just knocked off early.

23/10/2010 - 08:30hrs BST

Temp - 23C. Location - southern Ethiopia on the Addis Ababa to Moyale (Kenya border) road Driver - Chris Nav - Mac Pax - Steve Road - narrow and potholed. Traffic - very heavy. Some trucks and other 4x4's, hundreds of tuc-tucs, adults and chidren, goats, cows and dogs - all in the middle of the road!

Weather - partly cloudy with suunny patches, could be threatening rain / thunderstorm, good visibility

22/10/2010 - 21:18hrs BST

Exactly six days on the road, 144hours. Total distance covered 7805km, 4849 miles. Average speed 33.7mph. Just driven down Rift Valley and across a bridge over the Blue Nile

22/10/2010 -19:17hrs BST

Stopped to refuel. Warned of bandits operating posing that there has been an accident. Remaining vigilant but pressing onto Addis.

22/10/2010 - 12:00hrs BST

Team in Ethiopia and on the move. Comms down to Sat phone again.

22/10/2010- 11:00hrs BST

Mac has the letter and is on way back to the rest of the team.

22/10/2010 - 10:38hrs BST

Message from UK Ops. Mac is currently in a taxi with a customs official and a guide. On his way to bank about 30kms away. We have had it from two sources that despite what the runner said this morning, the security guard there has the required letter to get the vehicle stamped. Lets see.

22/10/2010 - 07:18 BST

Cleared Sudan customs and immigration. Currently sitting in Ethiopia Immigration.

22/10/2010 - 03:19 BST

Satcom Update. Arrived at Ethiopian Border at 5;15 Sudan time. Good run from Gedaref but thank heavens for our Garmin Sat navs with the 'Tracks for Africa' mapping. A normal road map shows the junction at Gedaref as being a simple turn to The left - far from It. It was a meandering route through the village with no road signs and absolutely No chance we would have found our way in the dark. What an amazing bit of kit with some outstanding route map planning. Have been told that the border opens at 7am So we have just under 2 hours rest. For safety against mozzieswe are huddled in the car. Chris on the bed in The back and mac and steve on The seats up front.

21/10/2010 - 23:34 BST

Satcomm update. Road good - 50mph. Passed Kasala and 120 km to go before reaching gedaref and the left turn to gallabat. Passed by several police checkpoints and only once not waved through. When we were stopped they only wanted to see our passports. Has cooled off a bit and now 28c which makes sleeping in the back a lot easier. Road is very good now with just the odd truck passing by and the occasional Toyota pick up racing past at 120kph!

21/10/2010 - 21:18 BST

120 hrs, 6817 Kms, 4260 miles, averaging 35mph,

21/10/2010 - 18:32 BST

Temp 35C. Road Tarmac. Smooth to Haya junction maintaining 110kph, but then pot holed for the next 50 km -'max 30kph. Passed a village and pot holes filled in with Tarmac allowing 70kph. That lasted for 20km and now back on smooth Tarmac and back up to 80kph. Skies clear, full moon. Landscape very flat with outcrops of rock - like small hills but jagged.car going well. Some traffic at 20:30 local, but all trucks which are pulling a second 40 foot trailer.

19/10/2010 - 21:18 BST

It's 2118 BST on the 19th October 2010. We have been driving non-stop for 72 hours now save for fuel stops and border crossings.

Close to Al Wajh, Saudi Arabia, we have driven 5,570 Kms / 3,481 Miles, averaging 48 mph !

19/10/2010 -20:20 BST, 22:20 local

Position- Al Wajh, Saudi Arabia
Road- Number 5, Heading South along the west coast.
Weather- Nil. Dry, 31 dregrees C, Clear sky
Vehicle Technical Data- 106 KPH/ 67 MPH, 2500 RPM, Fuel- Full, 26 MPG Windows- open, Lights- Full beam with lower fogs and 4 spots.

Number of Poos- 2, Chris, still on charcoal tablets
Number of times being pulled over by Police- 2, Steve and Chris
Number of times we told a Radio station to call back when on a live interview- 1, Mac
Number of times Pee bottle used and not emptied- 4, Mac
Number of cats eyes that can be driven over in succesion- 142, Steve

19/10/2010 - 02:00 BST

Total distance covered after second 24 hours of driving - 2533 miles.

Please deduct first 24 hour distance to establish what we have covered in second leg. We believe it to be 1277 miles.

Reached Adama in southern Turkey at the end of the second 24 hour period.

Florescent lighting very big in Syria. Currently heading south towards Damascus.

4 in the morning local time, 16c. Clear skies, calm.

Road - dual carriageway with 110kph speed limit which we can comfortably maintain. Surface a little bumpy.

Mosques look stunning lit of by green flood lights

18/10/2010 - 15:16 BST

Dry, 21 degrees C, roads quietening out, watching F18 fighters at Eskesihir airbase, climbing through the hills onto massive wide open plains.

3700 km/ 2187 miles in 42 hours, averaging 52 mph. Turning south away from Ankara towards Adana.

Number of Turkish Trucks that have pulled out suddenly- 47 Number of Radio interviews-1 Chris on BBC Radio Oxford with Jo Thoenes Number of times water bottle was used as a Pee bottle- 1 Mac, Urrrgghh Number of times a Driver loses time in his sector- 3, Steve Land Rovers seen- 3 Hottest Toll Booth Clerk- Still Miss "5 out of 10" Bulgaria

18/10/2010 - 10:31 BST

No of expedition land rovers seen - 1 Istanbul. I'm fact number of land rovers seen in nearly 2,000 miles - 1. What has happened to our car industry?

Road - motorway. Istanbul ring road
Traffic - heavy

Temp - 21c
Weather - high cloud, good viz

No of poos pood since leaving London - 1, Chris

No of washes - one each with byoshower. We smell lovely again!

17/10/2010 - 21:18 BST

24 hours gone, 2022 km (1256.5 miles)Belgrade, Serbia.

Dry, 14 degrees C, roads reasonably quiet.

Number of Wayfayrer all day breakfasts in 24 hrs: 4, Chris
Best Looking Toll Booth Clerk: Belrade, Serbia, 5 out of 10
Most interested passer by: A London Taxi driver on Friday morning chatted to us as we queued alongside each other in Kensington.
Most number of Charcoal anti-flatulance tablets in 24 hrs: 8, Chris
Thank God for: Werthers Originals and Mule bars
Worst roads: German autobahns- no cats eyes and constant road works
Best Roads- Croatia, A3
Most beautiful Building: Big Ben on our way out of London
Most expensive Insurance: Serbia, 120 Euros for min one month, we need it for 4 hours !

17/10/2010 - 16:08 BST

Quote of the day:

Mac - how much fuel do we have in the tank?

Steve - halfway between full and half

Chris - in big school we call that three quarters!

17/10/2010 - 12:00 BST

Weather - light rain, overcast, 9C
Road - 2 lane motorway, 130 kph speed limit, surface spray Traffic - light Landscape - rolling low hills, arable with mixed woodland Punctures - 0 Engine fluid top-ups - 1 litre coolant. Not sure why. Don't suspect a leak Favourite food - Wayfayrer Chicken Casserole Average fuel consumption - 26.8mpg Funniest sight - Chris naked! says Steve Best car seen - Bentley Continental in London - says Steve Most impressive thing seen so far - Eurotunnel platform complex and trains - says Steve Most improvised adaptation - Steve washing his spoon in the windscreen washing bucket at an Austrian fuel station!
Smelliest feet - Mac (only when I took my shoes off tho - all calm now) Best aireal shot so far - Mac's bald head (don't worry, I'll have the last laugh when I throw them both out in the middle of the Sudanese Desert!
Most stupid thing so far - Steve eating a whole efferfescent vitamin C tablet in one go. Foaming at the mouth he looked like he had rabies!

17/10/2010 - 10:30 BST

Mac is driving, Chris Navigating, Steve Sleeping.

Maintaining 65 mph ( 110 Kph) on dry "A3" motorway with light traffic. Weather overcast, dry, 10 degrees C. Approaching Austrian Border, country number 6.

Punctures- Nil
Pee Bottle usage- 2
Favourite Meal- Wayfayrer Chicken Casserole, Mac Fuel Consumption- 25 MPG

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