TSR route plan for 2011

Obviously it can still change here and there, especially in Algeria as the authorities tend to close regions once in a while for indefinite time…

We have some changes compared to last year’s route, but only in Algeria: we take the Eastern road down South. Another change is a 3-day offroad event around Djanet, near the Libyan border, where everyone can have some fun desert driving and at the same time enjoy the amazing landscape.

You can also check the route (including a daily break-down of the stages and the destinations) on Google Maps, click here to have a look!

We can’t rest too much, hell of an administration work started with gatering all the indormation the Algerian authorities need, collcting all the documents the participants need for the visa and in the meantime write the Road Book.

Less than a month to go and we are on the road again… honestly we miss Africa already.
Someone told me once that if you are touched by the sand of the Sahara you always want to get back there.
True, true….

We are trying to make a ‘best of’ selection of the photos (needless to say, we have thousands of them) and upload to the Media -> Picture Gallery on the website.

Check it in a couple of days.

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January, 31 – 2010 ~ Sent Via SMS ( finish)
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{ EN } Grand Popo, finish!
The place is a paradise, perfect to relax with 28 degrees warm sea. Those who come along with us in March will get a lifetime experience for sure. We are trying to imagine the snow at home, but we couldn’t so far
Now we go to have some sea crayfish. From tomorrow our task is arranging car selling, car transport, accommodations, party place and our way back home – there is still pretty much to do. Cheers to all of you!

{ HU } Grand Popo, megérkeztünk!
Paradicsomi állapotok, a tenger 28 fokos, tökéletes relax a hely. Aki ezen majd végigjön velünk annak életreszóló élmény lesz az tuti. Próbáljuk elképzelni a havat de nem megy
Most megyünk langusztát enni.Holnaptól autóeladás, autószállítás, szállás, bulihely, hazaút – van még dolgunk bőven.
Üdv mndenkinek!

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January, 29- 2010 ~ Sent Via SMS
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{ EN } Heading towards the seashore in Benin, have another two days till the finish. The national parks (Pendjari and “W”. n. p.) are just gorgeous. there is very hot and powder sand everywhere, but we are seeing and enjoying interesting and beautiful places.

Our campsite will be in a village next to the Togo border tomorrow. yesterday we “escaped” to Togo, and found a village with all its inhabitants drunk from the great millet beer. it is enough to know that it is a warm muddy slop, just tastes awful. All is okay with us, cars are doing their job well, the race will be great!

{ HU } Pár nap után jelentkeztek a fiúk. beninben vannak, a tengerpart felé tartanak, még két napjuk van hátra a célig. elmondásuk szerint a nemzeti parkok (Pendjari és “W’ n.p.) fantasztikusak. nagyon meleg van és por homok mindenhol, de nagyon érdekes és szép.

Az utolsó előtti napon a togoi határnál lesz a táborunk egy faluban. tegnap “átszöktek” Togoba, egy olyan falut találtak ahol mindenki tökrészeg volt a remek köles-sörtől. erről elég annyit tudni hogy egy meleg zavaros alkoholos kotyvalék, pocsék.

Mindenki jól van, az autók kibírták, remek lesz a futam!

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January, 21 – 2010 ~ Sent Via SMS
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{ EN } The traveling between Arlit and Agadez is allowed only in convoy. Vehicles with big machine guns escort us in the front and rear. One route we saw a Super large tanker which ran off the road with lots of people trying to pull it out. Tonight We will Sample Agadez’s nightlife

{ HU } Az Arlit és Agadez közötti 300 kilométert csak konvojban lehet megtenni. elől-hátul baromi nagy géppuskások. Éppen állunk mert egy tartálykocsi leszaladt az útról, most húzzák ki. Ma este Agadez nightlife

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January, 20 – 2010 ~ Sent Via SMS
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{ EN } We are in the first “city” in Niger, Arlit. magical place. the Mauritanian Nouadhibou compared to Bruges in Belgium… not too cold, everybody and everything is covered in dust. The Sahara is big. We go to do some organizing, then tomorrow to Agadez with a convoy.

{ HU } Az első nigeri “városban”, Arlitban vagyunk. Varázslatos hely. A mauritániai Nouadhibou ehhez képest Brugge… Nincs hideg, mindent és mindenkit centis por borít. A Szahara nagy.
Megyünk ügyintézni aztán holnap konvojjal Agadezbe.

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January, 17 – 2010 ~ Sent Via SMS
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{ EN } The route from Djanet to Tamanrasset is a real horror through the Hoggar mountains, a big damned stone desert. Navigation will be interesting. The camp was bloody cold over 2700 meters. Tamanrasset has all facilities. After uploading the stuff and some tyre repair tomorrow morning we leave towards the Niger-border

{ HU } Az út Djanettől Tamanrassetig igazán horror, keresztül a Hoggar-hegységen. az egész egy nagy kősivatag, érdekes lesz a navigáció. A táborunk 2700 méter felett k**** hideg volt.
Tamanrassetben van minden ami kellhet. A készletek feltöltése és némi kerékszerelés után holnap irány a nigeri határ!

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January, 12 – 2010 ~ Sent Via SMS
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{ EN } We arrived to Djanet, the last 5 days was hard, we haven’t had a shower at all. We are the VIP people here in Algeria. Sometimes we have 12 cars accompanying us with 25 soldiers and 20 from the Gendarme. The chief of the police in In Salah told us, that in the last 20 years (he serves there) he didn’t see anything like this alert…. Two helicopters and a fighter was also standby just in case something happens to us . The police officers got the list of the members of the Hungarian Government from somewhere as they did not believe that we (especially Gabor , who is our spokesperson for one simple reason, he speaks French) is a regular tourist. They thought he must be a son of a highness at least… what else could be the reason that they get phone calls from generals and the ministers hourly in the middle of the night:  ‘Is everything is OK with their route?’
We were one day late for our schedules because the soldiers had to do a test travel (!) and test sleeping before we got there.

{ HU } Megérkeztünk Djanet-be, az utolsó 5 nap kemény volt, nem is fürödtünk. Mi vagyunk a díszvendégek errefelé, csúcsidőben 12 autó kisért minket 25 katonával és 20 csendőrrel. Az In Salah-i rendőrfőnök szerint ő 20 éve van ott szolgálatban, de ilyet azóta (akkor a Dakar járt erre) nem látott. Két helikopter és egy vadászgép is készenlétben állt miattunk. a rendőrök lekérték a magyar kormánylistát mert nem hitték el hogy Ondruss Gábor sima “turiszt”. Tábornokok és minisztériumok hivogatták a helyi fejeseket óránként hogy újra és újra ellenőrizzék, rendben vagyunk-e. A katonák lejárták előre az utat, biztos, ami biztos. Kemény

Due to a crazy fog our flight from Budapest was canceled. We were told we had to fly there in the morning at 9:45 to Zurich (!) take another plane to land in Geneva at 1PM and we had a flight back to Budapest at 6PM.
Two embassies not exactly next to each other and a nice pile of paper… not bad for challenge #1.
And 3 flights on the same day….

Gabor checking in – in vain.

After landing in Geneva we rushed to the Niger embassy. The staff was really kind and also efficient (thanks to the fact that we faxed all the application forms there a week before), we discussed some questions, met the consul and sipped some mint tea.

The building where the offices of the Embassy of Niger are – 3 windows somewhere  on the 2nd floor.

We finished within an hour even though Gabor had a long chat with the consul. And they even called a taxi to us.

Waiting for the taxi we found this next to the entrance – well, even Switzerland cannot be perfect.

We thought we arrived to the Benin embassy next but apparently they moved somewhere else so got on a tram and took a ride.

If the staff at the Niger embassy was helpful and kind those guys at the Benin embassy were the coolest diplomats I’ve ever seen. The consul only let us call him Pascal and greeted us as someone he knew from his childhood. A big smile and ‘no problem’ attitude. We knew we were in Africa.

Anyhow, we got back our passports in 30 minutes so we even had time to stop for 10 minutes at the UN Palace to meet Imogen, the brave British explorer girl we met at the Caucasian Challenge this year and chat about her experiences in  Algeria and Niger 4 years ago. We promised her to come for at least 2 days nexttime so she can cook a dinner for us.

A weird chair and the UN Palace entrance in the background.

We even had time to get lost a little bit before we took a bus to the airport. They already knew us at the airport, what else could be the reason to called our names 4 times before we stepped aboard.

No fog, no rain, no food the whole day, just a small cookie on the plane – but fresh visas in our passports.