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Hi, 


This site is about a dream and a journey - to visit Mongolia overland during 2012, leaving Cambridgeshire, England in mid April.  We do not really have a plan but the outline of our target is to be in Kazakhstan in May/June after travelling through Europe, Ukraine and part of Russia.  After that maybe we will be in Mongolia by early July until late August.  The return will probably be slightly to the north through Russia and then to cut south-west to the Balkans and Mediterranean. 


During the journey we plan to post details and pictures of the places we visit and things we see.  These entries will be shown as diary type contributions in our Trip Report page.  We hope to include lots of pictures on the individual country pages and notes relevant to each state, as we go along.  For those who do not know,  with blog sites the most recent message is always on top - not at the end.  


We will be pleased to answer questions.  You can email us at mikeandcarolgoeast[at]gmail[dot]com or you can comment directly on the pages.  Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that we will answer all emails and comments promptly, as we will have only limited and occasional access to Wifi and the Internet, in fact probably less and less as we get further east.  Also if we get the same questions over and over we will mention it in the pages of the blog.  However things may change as the journey and our understanding of blogging develops. 


We also hope to use our trip to raise awareness of, and funds for, four different charities/projects.  Please check out our Charities page for the details and please, please, donate to one or more if you possibly can.  There is no benefit to us and all funds raised will greatly benefit the causes shown.  

Preparation - The dream  and the plan

For the last too many years we have both dreamt of a trip to central Asia overland. During the time of the Cold War and the Soviet Union it seemed the best that could be achieved would be the Trans Siberian railway to Vladivostok. However after 1990 things opened up rapidly and our own personal overland trip seemed possible. Our first plan was to go in 2004 - the year after Mike hoped to finish his magnum opus on birds in Arabia. Well that took seven years longer than expected!   So the plan was re-scheduled to 2012.

How to do it?


We love big horizons, wildlife, different people, food and landscapes and especially camping in wide open spaces. We thought about a motorhome initially but that did not seem practical at the time.  We have since discovered that people have taken motorhomes from Europe all over Asia with at least one party going to Tibet through China.   Our first plan, or rather Mike's first plan, was to do what we have done on various trips to Arabia and camp out the back of a 4X4 vehicle. That's fine for a month trip in a warm climate but probably not the best solution for a 6 -7 month trip.  After all it can be pretty inclement (we are told) in the Altai highlands of Russia even in summer and we both enjoy a decent nights sleep after a hard day at the wheel. So we then thought about a roof tent on a 4X4 but that seemed a very clumsy option and would mean quite a bit of time would be spent each day setting up and taking down our camp. Maybe we could do hotels although that option meant we would not be close enough to the open spaces we wanted.  Our solution had to give us a degree of comfort and have plenty of space for the special food supplies of Carol who is a coeliac (can't eat gluten). See her page on Coeliacs, food and health.

During initial planning in late 2010 we had in mind to replace our scraped motorhome with a caravan.  Maybe we could find a small robust caravan we could take east with us?   An Internet search came up with the 'Tab offroad', a tiny teardrop shaped wheeled home, made in Germany.  We went to see one at a UK agent and loved it at first sight.  We have now enjoyed many trips away in it within the UK. The great pleasure is that with a Tab you can stop anywhere for a cuppa or a nap, without any hassle - very important when you are no longer in your prime.

(Those particularly interested in Tab caravans can see details of the modificatins and add-ons we have done to our Tab at the following file sharing link:   http://www.4shared.com/folder/fDktlgMG/_online.html

Choosing a vehicle


Every year there is a car rally to Mongolia so we know that a small two wheel drive vehicle can get there. (See the Mongol Rally site  http://www.theadventurists.com/the-adventures/mongol-rally/tales-of-adventure).  However we decided that we would take a four wheel drive vehicle as we anticipated at least a few difficult roads and tracks over much of the route and we do like to get well off the road to camp. Having spent many years on trips within Arabia, much of it off-road, we felt we had the off road experience for the journey. However the Arabian trips were in Japanese vehicles such as Toyota Land Cruisers or Nissan Patrols and we had never got involved in mechanical stuff because they were mostly rentals or lent to us.  We thought about a Land Rover.  Although we had not had much experience of Land Rovers, other than the knowledge that they are drafty, clumsy and uncomfortable, we looked into one as a possibility because the older ones are mechanically simple and relatively easy to work on, adapt and maintain.  Spare parts are also easily come by in UK and relatively cheap and there is a good level of support from specialist magazines, Land Rover fairs and events, Internet forums and a whole community of enthusiasts willing to provide advice on modifications, mechanical problems and expedition kit.  We looked at a few and ended up with a Defender 110 County Station Wagon, (model 300TDi) in July 2011.  It had two previous owners, 15 years old but generally sound. We set about repairing and replacing bits and making modifications especially as regards storage and comfort.  Some modifications included;
a. Ditching the alloy wheels for steel ones - not so smart but a lot stronger, and allow a tighter turning circle;
b. Taking out the six unnecessary seats in the station wagon end (this thing was built for shooting parties on the moors) and replacing them with shelved storage;
c. A longer reach adjustable tow hook to allow the door to be open wide whilst still connected to the Tab caravan
d. Constructing a roof rack storage space for the 2nd spare wheel, holders for 2 diesel jerrycans, a lubes box and a second box for camp stuff, the roof is also scheduled to be a dump site for anything too awkward to go inside and a camping spot on hot nights.
e.  Various other small 12 v mods were made uchas for a fan mount in the cab, a work light at the rear and an outside 12V socket.



Mike did a short maintenance course which provided enough confidence to know that he could change a wheel bearing or universal joint should this be necessary.  Ironically a UJ went on the way home from the course and he had to allow a garage to do the job he sorely wanted to practice.  Since then he has been replacing items  and taking bits off and putting them on again, just for the experience; shock absorbers, bushes etc as well as the usual service tasks.



The route

So with a caravan and a vehicle we started to think about a route and sorting out all the other requirements for the trip.  Neither of had been to central Asia before. There seemed to be three main route options in getting to  Mongolia.  The northern and most direct route was through Eastern Europe, and along the Russian eastern highway to Mongolia - you could probably be there from UK in a week.  That route is considered the easiest option.  The most difficult option is the southern  route through Europe to Turkey, Iran and the 'stans' to Mongolia. This option suggested problems to us with visas, carnets de passage and a lot more borders and, as we had both been to Turkey and Iran, we chose the middle route.  That would take us through eastern Europe, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan and to Mongolia after a bit more of Russia.  We have not yet decided about the route home but we are thinking of  a more northern route through Russia dropping south after the Urals and then going through Rumania, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy. However even in early April our plan was changing daily! The departure date we are working to is leave the Fens Sunday 15 April and overnight near Dover and get the ferry across the channel on the Monday.    Lets see what happens.

Route on the eve of departure (14 April 2012) - black out, blue coming home



What to do on the way


On the way we plan to enjoy the scenery, meet the people, try the food and record the wildlife which gives us plenty of scope. Specifically we will be looking at birds (see the page  Mike's Bird Stuff ), butterflies and dragonflies and taking more than a passing interest in mammals, wild flowers and agriculture. We will keep a diary and take lots of pix.   Mike intends to keep detailed notes of birds at each stop and Carol, who is a coeliac and has food sensitivities, will be keeping a record of food issues (see the page Coeliacs, food and health stuff).

We have several people we hope to meet up with in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia and perhaps some friends will also visit us during the trip.

Best wishes,    


Mike and Carol