Peking to Paris: Lola reaches Almaty weekend service
Latest news from Hayden and Steven on the Peking to Paris Rally is that they have arrived at the weekend rest stop in Almaty, the biggest commercial centre in Kazakhstan and a very modern city. Lola is in need of some TLC, but the boys are fine and continue to enjoy their adventure. They are still holding the highest ‘Gold’ timekeeping classification, running a joint 5th overall and 4th in class.
Lola still has her charging problem, but the guys have been working around it by swapping a battery from their Team Air-cooled partner – Garrick Staples and Robert McClements’ #106 Beeetle – halfway through a day’s drive and making it OK. Now they have arrived at Almaty, Lola can undergo a bit of work and have her wounds attended to. We have a solid support network on the ground in Kazakhstan, so I am optimistic all will be okay. If not, we will ship them whatever they need to the next big port of call. They have tyres, suspension and generator parts waiting to go on in this service stop.
My Mongol Rally blog research suggests (and I think we all agree) that the very worst roads are behind us, so I am confident that Hayden and Steven will be reaching the finish in Paris. Even if I have to tow Lola across the line in the Landcruiser, the 356 will do a lap of the Arc de Triomphe!
Roosevelt said: “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The next best thing is the wrong thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” We are not doing nothing! I’m just awaiting verification of our current course from my commander-in-chief, or fresh orders if appropriate.
Rest assured, we have an active plan. More updates as they happen and photos as I receive them – not had any for a while thanks to non-existent data coverage in that part of the world. I am watching other blogs for some.
