Hints and Tips

For all those doing the Mongol Rally we salute you.

The Mongol rally can be great fun, and this is not a set of rules to tell you what to do. It is just some advice to help you and point you in the right direction.

Border crossings.

Once we'd got out of Europe the border crossings were one of the most unexpected things we came across. Firstly theres the language problems and then the fact that you are no longer wrapped in the warm arms of Europe which we have been used to all our lives.

In my experience the border crossings are the thing that you have to de-stress for before you get anywhere near the crossing. Our quickest crossing was 3 hours and that was the one from Latvia into Russia, so we only had to complete one set of border requirements in order to get through it, 5 and 6 hours are the norm. Border crossings are best done without wanting to rush, as it will only get you stressed. also you will need to pay a little for road tax, insurance and maybe someone to translate for you, so local currency is always handy, although most borders of countries with Russia accept Rubles. Most of all always wear a smile at these points, you'll feel better for it!

Car

I have no suggestion for which car to take, I live in Italy now and if I could do it again I would get a left hand drive, only because it becomes difficult to overtake when your mate is asleep in the passenger seat (or scarey for him when he wakes up in the middle of a road with cars hurtling towards him!).

The other piece of advice I'd give about your car is get hold of it as early as possible. This gives you as much time to do any needed repairs, and also time to get out and drive it to find any problems like overheating or vibrations. You'll be driving the car for nearly 8 hours a day for 3 weeks, so a 15 minute run to the shops isn't going to find the problems that can be fixed while the thing is still in England. One team in 2007 finished preparing their car at 5 o'clock in the morning before the rally left, they managed to get to Calais before the car gave up on them!

People

The people in Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia are really friendly and helpful, remember to thank them for their time by giving cigarettes, alcohol or things they want. We gave one guy our LED heard torch for fixing the front swing arm when the bolt rattled its way off 20 miles from UlaanBaatar in the pitch black.

The Police and Phrase Books

The Lonely Planet phrase book is a brilliant way to extract youself from tricky situations with the police. If you are caught speeding or jumping traffic lights all we did was show them the page which asked if we could pay the fine straight away and then turn it to the page with James Bond chat up lines, this has the police officers in stitches!

Phrase Books don't work when you are very drunk on vodka in Moscow and can hardly speak English let alone a foreign language!

Toilet Roll

Toilet roll will be one of your most prized posessions during the rally, it was even given to the border guards in Mongolia as they did not have any for their toilet! In mongolia there aren't any service stops or public lavatories so a spade and loo roll is a must.

Take loads!