Well that's it then - finished! Almost 8000 miles in 24 days since leaving home.
The 2010 Budapest to Bamako Rally ended yesterday in Agadir (4 days early).
We are pretty exhausted but glad we stayed with it to the end, despite the disappointment of not going to Bamako.
At last night's closing ceremony we were presented with an engraved silver plate for endeavour and endurance (Best in vehicle in our category). It seems we completed the hardest day of the rally over a 7500 ft mountain which defeated several 4x4's. We actually went that way by mistake but don't tell anyone.
We left the rally for a few days and drove alone through Western Sahara (over 1000 kms round trip) to to near the Mauritanian border for a meeting with other dissidents who wanted to continue to Bamako. The majority however were going to fly back from Bamako. The few who wanted to drive back could not agree on a route or date for return. The promised armed escort consisted of soldiers stationed at strategic points along the route.
Also there were three sections where a 2 wheel drive could not go. One meant a 500 km detour which we would probably have to do alone. We very reluctantly decided that it would be foolish to go on without guarentees about the return journey.
We haven't altogether given up on Bamako and are trying to see if it's possible to fly there from Casablanca. Problem is that by Moroccan law we can't leave the country without the taxi which is stamped into our passports. We have to wait until Monday when the Customs office opens to find out if there's a way round it.
Most people have either left or are going soon so it's all a bit sad. We've met some fantastic people and shared ups and downs for nearly a month. There have been several accidents and injuries and countless near misses but I don't think anyone regrets coming.

Car trouble!

The Swedes who lost their gearbox in Italy have finally caught up. Paul, who had to replace his engine in Belgium has blown up another engine and destroyed his chassie in the soft sand. It took him two days to get towed back to the nearest town.

The Indian team now text us desrciptions of the road ahead. We call them our Indian Scouts.

Our undercarriage repairs after yesterday's trip over 7500ft mountain coast 12o Euros.

We're now heading for a place called Assa in the desert for next overnight bivuac. We have decided to stay with the rally to the end in Agadir and then drive through the Western Sahara to Mauritanian border to see what the situation is.

Offroading and repairs...

After offroading in the desert dunes yesterday, today T & G tackled offroading over a mountain..... and sustained a small amount of damage...... probably due to bragging in the last blog entry about only having to change a fuse so far! They said they thought that the dunes were scary until they met the mountain!
They are now just outside Merzouga where they have managed to find some mechanics who have fixed the crushed exhaust, made a part they think is to do with the gear box and are now making some protection for the undercarriage so they can go offroading again. While they were making coffee they also fixed the bonnet catch and cleaned the air filter... all this without being able to speak a word of each others language, now thats a service! As for how much, they will let us know but as they say there, probably no change from 5 camels!
Sounds like they have a bit of catching up to do after their repairs but think they are planning to spend the night where they are and head off early in the morning for the next leg to Tinerhir.
Mx

Hi all

We have just left Merzouga and the taxi is still going strong. People stand around at the overnight camps comparing breakdowns with various bits of their huge 4x4's like the scene in Jaws where they compare scars. We had a problem with our windscreen wipers and I had to change a fuse too.
The taxi doesn't like the desert pistes. It's like driving over corrugated concrete. We lost so much rust yesterday I don't know what's keeping it together now.

A Berber I was talking to today was very impressed with the taxi and said it must be very valuable. He said there would be no change from 5 camels. That has to be the quote of the whole trip.

Still not decided definately what to do about continuing to Bamako. We were given a copy of a letter yesterday which said that the Hungarian goverment on the advice of the British and French intelligence agencies had stopped the rally continuing. Apparently there is a bounty of $20,000 for any european tourists turned over to the terrorists plus a bonus to any village that reports westerner's movements. For $20,000 dollars I might sell Trish.
Watch this space ......

T & G

Trish and Grahams first international interview!
http://rtlklub.hu/video/80851


Looks like Trish survived the ferry crossing and it sounds like good news.....
from the entries on some of the other participants blogs it sounds like the situation in Mauritania is calmer than anticipated. Despite the earlier change of route to finish early, the rally is now likely to continue on to Mali!

Mx

Stopped by the cops!

Just heard from Trish and Graham. they have about an hour to go before arriving at Mergouza where they are setting up camp for the night. Earlier Graham was stopped by the Police... and congratulated(!) for driving at the correct speed through a small town!! Apparently theirs was the only car to do so. Sounds like the Police there favour the 'reward good behaviour' tactic rather than punishing the bad! Trish said 'Guess who was nagging him?!'

Long day & big descisions!

T&G are in for a long day today.... briefing was at 4:30am and that was after a late night drinking some suspect spirit with the Hungarians that adopted Trish! They've got a 1000k slog from Perpignan to Almeria, where they have to be on the ferry by 10:00 so no chance for sightseeing.
Sounds like they are popular with the media as they are going to be interviewed by the Hungarian TV channel today that is following the rally and the race organiser wants to interview them daily to follow their progress! So watch this space for more media links....

Yesterday travelled through Venice, Monaco and Cannes, again no chance to see much. Had a slight problem with the radiator losing water, but hopefully that's sorted as there was no water loss overnight. Also Paul and his VW Bug that broke down in Belgium has caught up after getting a new engine, so the Taxi is no longer the oldest vehicle in the rally!

Big descision to be made today as T&G have to decide whether to go on to Mali. The official rally is ending in Agadir - Morroco now after safety fears and the advice of the Ministry of foreign affairs in Hungary due to the situation in Mauritania and Mali. A few other teams have decided to go on and have been offered an army escort. I think they would like to join them but the vehicles pressing on are mostly from the race category and so are faster 4x4 types. T&G are going to be discussing it with the others to make sure that they can keep up....esp if there is going to be offroading involved. They stress that they will only go on if they think they'll be safe!

I'll keep you posted!
M

Some more video clips/pictures of the start of the rally......... Look out for the Taxi!

www.rtlklub.hu/video/80763
(1:32 seconds in you can catch a glimpse of the taxi)

www.stop.hu/video/?id=1402

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=hu&u=http://www.metropol.hu/sport/cikk/512088&ei=qndTS6D_B42i0gSy--ysCg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA8Q7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Doldtimer%2Bbamako%2Btaxi%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7ACAW_en
Oldtimer..... is that the Taxi they're referring to???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0bGz83X_pc
(1:51 secs in)

http://atv.hu/video/20100116_terrorveszely_miatt_modositottak_a_bamako_rali_utvonalan

Second leg!

The start... (more to follow)
http://atv.hu/video/20100116_terrorveszely_miatt_modositottak_a_bamako_rali_utvonalan

We arrived in Maltover Italy after only a slight detour (a hundred K in the wrong direction) to Verona airport...... fault of Hannah's Tomtom!

More drinking and celebrations at night and then a long long drive to Perpignon, France in the morning.

Bombshell !!!

Just returned from a special briefing called for 5.00pm.

The hungarian government called the rally organisers to a special meeting and told them that the rally should not enter into Mauritania or Mali. Three foreign intelligence agencies have information of a definite risk to rally participants.

The organisers have decided that the rally will only go into Morocco and Western Sahara and not continue further. We have a lot to consider. Some teams seem determined to continue to Bamako.

At least the charity donations will get to Bamako. A special container lorry has been loaded and we have transferred all our boxes to it.

We start tomorrow at 8.00am Watch this space.

T &

We're in. Both we and the taxi passed all the tests they threw at us. We feel like the poor relatives though. The taxi seems to be the only 2 wheel drive vehicle in the rally. All the others are huge 4x4's kitted out to the teeth with winches and satellite phones, distress rockets etc. Our F & M picnic hamper and assortment of Tesco plastc bags seem a little inadequate. Feel as if everyone is thinking OK, joke over - where's the real vehicle.
We caused quite a stir at the press launch and were interviewed by a scrum of TV and press reporters. Must buy the Budapest Times tomorrow.
Trish has adopted a team of three Swedes who I'm sure are too young to be travelling on their own. She wouldn't let me talk to the Hungarian beauty queens.
Party tonight thrown by the Hungarian Dakaar team whoever they are. Rest day tomorrow then off at 8.00 am on Saturday.

Hello from Budapest!

We made it!! We arrived around 6.00pm after driving around and around in the rush hour trying to find our hotel. Hotel is fantastic. All the rooms open onto a huge atrium and there appears to be a an aeroplane hanging from the ceiling in the middle. The car park is heated and we would have been quite happy to camp there. Everything is extremely expensive (30 euros per day for the car park). Internet is about 5 euros for 30 mins. Needless to say I'm typing this in an internet cafe.

Scruteneering tomorrow so fingers crossed both the taxi and we pass!

Hi All
Well , we're finally on our way. For our final two nights in the UK we stayed in an Hotel in Hythe near the channel tunnel. Trish chose it and her nack hasn't left her. Do you remember the Hotel in the Shining? Well move that hotel to the English seaside out of season and you get the idea. We were the only guests. The heating went off in the afternoon and didn't come back on until late evening. Breakfast was full english but I think it had been cooked the night before and stored in the fridge.Hotel last night in Germany was fantastic by comparison. Tonight we are in another hotel not too far from the Austrian border. We hope to arrive in Budapest tomorrow afternoon. (Only another three hundred miles or so to go).The taxi has been great so far (touch wood). Only problem has been the crap windscreen wipers and the fact that the washers freeze up every few minutes inspite of the fact that we now have pure undiluted antifreeze screen wash in the bottle.It's now snowing heavily again outside. Hope we can get out o9f here in the morning. We are in a town called Passau probably about 100 miles or so from Vienna.We'll update the blog again when we get to Budapest.All for nowG & T

And they're off.........!!

Trish, Graham, Muttley and the Taxi set off from Burnley on wednesday evening heading south through the snow via Manchester, Derby and west Sussex, never liking to set a straight and easy course! They went through the Channel Tunnel on sunday morning and have already passed through France, Belgium and by now should have entered Germany (where, fingers crossed, the snow won't be too bad!).
Hopefully they'll manage to get online in internet cafe's along the way to keep you updated.

Martha X