[behaln]

hey , i Have worked in turkey as well as russia , Turkish are still the easier people to deal and are much more friendlier , Russians on the other hand are quite arrogant and snooty. But currency M ( marlboro ) rules in both the countries , Have used it a lot while negotiating with the people there.

[VineetSoni]

You guys embarked on an incredible journey to unmapped sports covering 16 countries and came back with golden memories which are bound to become tales for many of us.
You guys have lived a dream which many of us can not even dream of.
Hats off to all the 4 Joes.

[behaln]

great going through the desert guys , you guys should make a movie of your epic travelogue

[Columbus_500]

I cannot believe what my eyes just went through over the last 9 pages. This is less of a travelogue but a life defining experience documented in the most gripping & enthralling way possible!!!

Seriously GKEIC Team, RESPECT!!

I thought I would say a lot more things in this post. But I am just too gripped by your tale to write any further. If ever you guys turn this into a movie, I will be there first day first show!! Keep rocking guys!

[rajeev k]

Fantastic stuff meted out by the Team. Though I bumped into this thread late finished it in one go. Your style of narration of the exploits is praiseworthy. Kudos guys, this is seven star stuff.
Like you, I also felt the same emotion at your leaving of the Micra which stood up to the test exceptionally. Nissan India may be watching.

[rejoycjohn]

Originally Posted by LongDrive lover

WOW ! speechless!.. Not much is left to be said in praise of your epic trip. And nothing would suffice or truly express the admiration and appreciation one would have for your courage/determination/passion/attitude and cool and calm heads of yours to not only dare but complete such a trip. Reading through it and literally feeling it compels one to compliment your story telling skills as much as all those other qualities of the team GKEIC.

Feeling privileged to have read it Thanks for taking time to share it in detail.

Thank you so much. We are happy to hear those nice words. One problem when you attempt such a journey is the difficulty you will face for the hangover to wear off. We would like to do it again, but this time include countries that we missed last time. Driving in Pakistan, Afghanistan and China will be really interesting.

Originally Posted by raguprasad

WOW GKEIC team, I am Lost of words to congratulate you guys on completing this Marathon journey. You guys are not just average Joes, any one can ride/drive in any favorable condition, but driving in 10kmph for hours clearly states that your are the warriors - "The Spartans of TBHP".
Just by reading your Travelogue, I have changed a lot and accepting the factors, I see this as a greatly motivating. Am sure that you Spartans have graduated to a top level in your life with this journey. kindly create a book. I would like to buy one.
Rated 5*

Thank you Raghuprasad.
We are humbled to hear that the trip has been a motivation for you. Traveling gives back a lot of experience good and bad that one can keep it back of your mind for a life time. In that way traveling is an investment of a totally different kind.

Originally Posted by behaln

great going guys , this is one amazing travelogue and quite interesting too

Originally Posted by behaln

hey , i Have worked in turkey as well as russia , Turkish are still the easier people to deal and are much more friendlier , Russians on the other hand are quite arrogant and snooty. But currency M ( marlboro ) rules in both the countries , Have used it a lot while negotiating with the people there.

Originally Posted by behaln

great going through the desert guys , you guys should make a movie of your epic travelogue

Thank you so much for all those comments. Yea what you said is true. May be its each one experience that makes up your mind. But we were lucky to have received only good experiences with Turkish and Russian folks. Not once we had to give bribes too, even though we have heard about currency M. We have heard horror stories, may be we just missed them- fortunately.
Aha, movie, we need to reach out to some producers I guess.

Originally Posted by VineetSoni

You guys embarked on an incredible journey to unmapped sports covering 16 countries and came back with golden memories which are bound to become tales for many of us.
You guys have lived a dream which many of us can not even dream of.
Hats off to all the 4 Joes.

Indeed, its memories and experience that we take away from traveling. But really we would like if more people attempt this or anything related to traveling.
Than you Vineet.

Originally Posted by Columbus_500

I cannot believe what my eyes just went through over the last 9 pages. This is less of a travelogue but a life defining experience documented in the most gripping & enthralling way possible!!!

Seriously GKEIC Team, RESPECT!!

I thought I would say a lot more things in this post. But I am just too gripped by your tale to write any further. If ever you guys turn this into a movie, I will be there first day first show!! Keep rocking guys!

Hey Thank you :-) .
I am finding it hard to find words to thank you for your appreciation. Of course if its converted to movie or even a coffee book I will announce it here too. Thank you once again Columbus_500.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Fantastic stuff meted out by the Team. Though I bumped into this thread late finished it in one go. Your style of narration of the exploits is praiseworthy. Kudos guys, this is seven star stuff.
Like you, I also felt the same emotion at your leaving of the Micra which stood up to the test exceptionally. Nissan India may be watching.

Thank you for your nice words.
Well leaving Micra indeed was hard. As I said its not the most beautiful car that we have seen around us. But it stood by us through one of the hardest terrains in the world. We are happy that our car will be serving one of the Mongolians now and as the damage to the car was really less it would have got a good value in the auction as well .

[MH-05]

Have been following your travelogue from day one, But couldn't reply as I was not a member at that time. I must admit this has been one of the best travelogues I have read so far. Thanks for sharing.

[narsi_6989]

Originally Posted by rejoycjohn

Sometime in early 2010

My friend mentioned about a road trip covering almost 1/3rd of the globe when he came for vacation. He came across this one when he was searching on the internet on how to travel by road to India from Cyprus. All of us got really excited hearing this, as we hadn’t done any major road trips after our Bangalore – Leh – Bangalore one. But the scale of this one and the logistics involved in it was huge compared to the ones that we had done earlier. Nevertheless, we thought we should give it a try.

Okay. So, I started to go through this log on 17th August (the day this log started rolling) and had to stop it almost immediately, courtesy my Ladhakh trip which started on 23rd August. When I was back 20 days later my mind was filled with Ladhakh and totally forgot about this :(.

Even before I complete reading this log, I wish to congratulate each and everyone of you for taking up this trip and completing it . I am sure this would have been helluva trip and log.

Originally Posted by MH-05

Have been following your travelogue from day one, But couldn't reply as I was not a member at that time. I must admit this has been one of the best travelogues I have read so far. Thanks for sharing.

And thanks MH-05 for reviving this thread

[rejoycjohn]

Hello All,

Today we were surprised when one of the teams who did the Mongol Rally in 2013 spotted our car in Mongolia.They were kind enough to post the photo of the car in our Facebook page. Now the car has a local registration plate.



Honestly, the pic took me back to the 40 days that we spent on road from UK to Mongolia. I can memorize almost all the incidents that happened from the day we left UK to the finish line where we had to leave our car.
Its hard not to admit that this pic made my day!
Wish I could see the new owner and wish him lots of happy miles ahead :-)

Originally Posted by MH-05

Have been following your travelogue from day one, But couldn't reply as I was not a member at that time. I must admit this has been one of the best travelogues I have read so far. Thanks for sharing.

Hey MH-05, thank you so much for following us and making your first ever post in T Bhp in our Travelogue.

Originally Posted by narsi_6989

Okay. So, I started to go through this log on 17th August (the day this log started rolling) and had to stop it almost immediately, courtesy my Ladhakh trip which started on 23rd August. When I was back 20 days later my mind was filled with Ladhakh and totally forgot about this :(.

Even before I complete reading this log, I wish to congratulate each and everyone of you for taking up this trip and completing it . I am sure this would have been helluva trip and log.

Thank you so much Narsi_6989 . The memories of road trip never dies!

[ashkamath]

That was some drive that you guys undertook in that some puny car for some distance and made for some reading for me. It is truly a travelogue of epic proportions. You guys have raised the bar and set the benchmark very very high and given a new definition to the word 'road trip'. I would also add that you guys have a very large heart, to buy a car at London, drive 16000 Kms, endure extreme conditions/hardships and hand over the keys at the end (to be sold to raise fund for charity) and fly back with your back pack. You guys had fun/adventure and also lot of blessings and gratitude from the guys at charity home and all I can say is Wow. you guys rock, you are Heroes and God Bless You and your team always.
Ashok, Goa

[deetjohn]

EPIC! Not all those who wander are lost!

Not sure how I missed this amazing road trip! I found it today and finished all 41 days in one go. It was gripping and it was once in a lifetime experience. I so feel like doing this with a bunch of friends.

rejoycjohn, your command over English is great and you do have a way with words. And you guys showed great maturity and judgement through out the trip! Thanks for sharing this great experience with us.

[KL01BE]

What a trip! I can imagine the pride you guys would feel when you are known as the first Indians to complete the Mongolian rally. Truly a commendable thing!

A very late thank you and congratulations!

KL01BE

[srishiva]

Wow !
Read the whole thing just now in one go. Epic. May I say that you guys being from Kerala, you were natural to adapt to the diverse food you consumed

[tracerspiff]

Awesome trip man! I am lost for words after reading your travelogue. You guys have real guts! Having a few mallu friends, I could imagine how your friend would have said "Da! we are going to get robbed"

Btw, Any chance of knowing how much you actually spent for this trip overall? Would be of great use for someone who wants to do something similar..

[srs_shetty87]

Originally Posted by rejoycjohn

Honestly, the pic took me back to the 40 days that we spent on road from UK to Mongolia. I can memorize almost all the incidents that happened from the day we left UK to the finish line where we had to leave our car.
Its hard not to admit that this pic made my day!
Wish I could see the new owner and wish him lots of happy miles ahead :-)

Any plans of doing anything similar soon? Was wonderful reading through the episodes and my my the views were awesome.
How did you manage to convince your heart to come out of it!