We leave at 6.30 pm after a team reunion in front of the map and some food.
The journey has been very very long...all night long. Our major problem? The battery of one of the 2 Fiat 500 died two times. The solution? Pushing and pushing and pushing...(big exercise!) until 4.00 am, when all exhausted, we stopped at a petrol station and fell asleep in the car. The only one who was awake to check the charging of the battery was Luca...fighting with insects and nasty animals...Just 1 hour of sleep and back again driving. Tired, hungry and a bit histerical...We reach Ufa city at 8 am. The guys (poor them) spent all day to the Garage with a mechanic who kindly fixed both Fiat 500 for free.... How nice were these people!! Finally some luck. In the meantime the girls found a hotel where, instead, they spent all day in bed. At 6.00 pm the team groups up in front of a cup of coffee and have dinner with a Candian and a Polish guy they had just met. Very friendly and of great help to understand the Russian Menu. Happy to have fixed the car the team go to bed looking forward to the following day....
500Team and UlaBelga
August 5, 2007
FINALLY ALL TOGETHER!!!!!! YUHUUUUUU....
At 12.00 UlaBelga joined us in Samara! Yuppy!!! Now we are planning the journey...
August 4, 2007
On the road to Samara....
At 12.30 we reach the Kazaki-Russian border. As we get to the Kazaki passport control: “Problema problema!!!!!” say the guards. One of Carlotta’s documents was missing (the one to exit the “safety car" from the Kazaki land). Immediately we understood that the “problem” was: Prison for Carlotta . Panic. Heeeelp! The poor girl was almost in tears. Thanks to Manfredi, Paola and Luca the problem was solved and the team made it to leave the gate. After 200 rubli for a new Russian document and after a scary extremely accurate check of the Jeep finally, at 4.30 pm, we touched the Russian land. (Again!) Just 200 km to Samara where we arrived at 9 pm. What a city! It looked like the horror house of the Lunapark .
No idea of where to go and spend the night. But 2 pretty girls we stopped on the streets drove us to an hotel (we didn’t know but it the best in town! Ups!).
Dinner at the Vienna Café in the hotel with a full of grilled meat and garlic sauce. As you can see someone was very hungry!
After dinner Paola, Manfredi and Luca had a special guided tour around Samara with their new Russian friends and ended at 3 am in an very trendy Russian-Italian restaurant.
The 500team
No idea of where to go and spend the night. But 2 pretty girls we stopped on the streets drove us to an hotel (we didn’t know but it the best in town! Ups!).
Dinner at the Vienna Café in the hotel with a full of grilled meat and garlic sauce. As you can see someone was very hungry!
After dinner Paola, Manfredi and Luca had a special guided tour around Samara with their new Russian friends and ended at 3 am in an very trendy Russian-Italian restaurant.
The 500team
August 3, 2007
Our neverending story in Oral
The Italians we met in Atyrau suggest us not to drive on the Kazaki way. “It is too dangerous because the streets are horrible!” they warn us. Therefore we run to the Russian Consulat in Oral ( the only one in Kazakistan together with the one in Astena, the capital that Paola really wanted to visit…. but, seeing how things are going, forget about it!) to check whether we can extend our Russian Visa from tomorrow (August 4th) to August 10th and drive all along the Russian way towards Mongolia.
After 5 hours at the Consulat, running around the town like crazy with a taxi driver (with us in the photo) who was more crazy then us and helped us to make passport pictures and take all documents (that of course we forgot at the hotel!), we finally obtain the Visa extension.
To celebrate the success, Polly and Otta offer themselves a massage. But surprise surprise… it was not what they expected: instead of a relaxing treatment they found a sort of Doctor who crick crocked their back. AAAAAIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is it for today.
The 500team
After 5 hours at the Consulat, running around the town like crazy with a taxi driver (with us in the photo) who was more crazy then us and helped us to make passport pictures and take all documents (that of course we forgot at the hotel!), we finally obtain the Visa extension.
To celebrate the success, Polly and Otta offer themselves a massage. But surprise surprise… it was not what they expected: instead of a relaxing treatment they found a sort of Doctor who crick crocked their back. AAAAAIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is it for today.
The 500team
last day in Volgograd
We have been waiting for days for a spare part from DHL sent from Almaty Kazakhstan and every day the package seems to be headed to pretty much everywhere except Volgograd. Thanks DHL....can anyone pick our pack up in Brussels ?? :::)))
4320625212 - Detailed Report
Location Service Area
Checkpoint Details
July 30, 2007 16:48 - Atyrau - Kazakhstan
July 31, 2007 - 15:12 - Atyrau - Kazakhstan
Departed from DHL facility in Atyrau - Kazakhstan
August 01, 2007 - 02:47 - Almaty - Kazakhstan
Arrived at DHL facility in Almaty - Kazakhstan
August 01, 2007 - 23:57 - Almaty - Kazakhstan
Departed from DHL facility in Almaty - Kazakhstan
August 02, 2007 - 11:06 - Frankfurt - Germany
Departed from DHL facility in Frankfurt - Germany
August 02, 2007 - 18:17 - Brussels - Belgium
Arrived at DHL facility in Brussels - Belgium
August 03, 2007 - 04:11 - Brussels - Belgium
Departed from DHL facility in Brussels - Belgium
Luckily, we had the pieces copied and made locally by our garage just in case....should be back on the road this afternoon.
Cheers from Volgograd ( Ula Belga Team)
4320625212 - Detailed Report
Location Service Area
Checkpoint Details
July 30, 2007 16:48 - Atyrau - Kazakhstan
July 31, 2007 - 15:12 - Atyrau - Kazakhstan
Departed from DHL facility in Atyrau - Kazakhstan
August 01, 2007 - 02:47 - Almaty - Kazakhstan
Arrived at DHL facility in Almaty - Kazakhstan
August 01, 2007 - 23:57 - Almaty - Kazakhstan
Departed from DHL facility in Almaty - Kazakhstan
August 02, 2007 - 11:06 - Frankfurt - Germany
Departed from DHL facility in Frankfurt - Germany
August 02, 2007 - 18:17 - Brussels - Belgium
Arrived at DHL facility in Brussels - Belgium
August 03, 2007 - 04:11 - Brussels - Belgium
Departed from DHL facility in Brussels - Belgium
Luckily, we had the pieces copied and made locally by our garage just in case....should be back on the road this afternoon.
Cheers from Volgograd ( Ula Belga Team)
August 2, 2007
Our day in Oral (Kazakistan)
This day we decide to stay in Oral.
While that guys surf on the Internet, the Paola and Carlotta explore the city to find a place for lunch. Like a miracle, within the many little houses made of wood of this colorful Kazaki town they find a Western steak house (that will become their “home sweet home”…).
Dinner at the same place, of course. And to conclude the night… a bowling match. Bravo Luca! With no pietas he “killed” everybody!
Nighty night…
The 500team
While that guys surf on the Internet, the Paola and Carlotta explore the city to find a place for lunch. Like a miracle, within the many little houses made of wood of this colorful Kazaki town they find a Western steak house (that will become their “home sweet home”…).
Dinner at the same place, of course. And to conclude the night… a bowling match. Bravo Luca! With no pietas he “killed” everybody!
Nighty night…
The 500team
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