Holy shit it’s getting close now. And there was still so much to do! Connect the new skid plates that Jeroen made for me, attach the jerrycan holder to the roof rack, extra secure the awning to the roofrack, remount the roofrack to the car, insert the new and slightly improved CarPc into the dash, pack everything in the car for the first time, get my Iran visa, get my Russia LOI and visa, ensurances, Read More →
Things are coming together and details are getting more detailed. The new date for leaving is somewhere between 10 and 15 February. documents Azerbaijan Before new year I got my first visa. It was the Azeri one, which was pretty easy to get. The people at the embassy were very nice and helpful, even when I forgot the damn note with the pickup number :P. Russia Now I’m working on the Russian LOI (Letter Of Read More →
The last months I’ve been busy working on all kinds of projects, plans and updates: Departure date changed CarPc Heater controller Heater fuel line rerouting Solar cell installation Electrical rewiring Snorkel New tires Skid plate design Oztent Jerrycan holder design New radiator and gearbox clean List of costs Departure date changed I changed the departure date. Again. The new date will be around the 15th of February. Leaving at the start of winter would give me Read More →
Some time ago I bought a tent from a guy, and he told me that getting a snorkel installed would be a smart investment. In principle it’s an insurance against engine failure when driving into water that ends up being deeper than anticipated. The engine would breathe in water and catastrophically fail. And that would be the end of the adventure. So, I decided to take this advice to heart and bought a snorkel. Once I Read More →
Since my last post I managed to install my secondhand Webasto Thermo Top C diesel heater in Butus’ engine compartment. Here I will shortly describe how I did that, might anyone attempt to do a similar thing. Sorry if my terminology is a bit vague but my mechanical English might be a little rusty. First I went looking for manuals, images and forums online that could help me to identify what I would need to Read More →
Over the last few weeks, a bunch of stuff I ordered has arrived! Also I went shopping for some more stuff. Stuff stuff stuff! This stuff includes: My Chinese made roof rack Shovel Awning Webasto diesel heater A top mattress and mattress cover This little Webasto heater will be an interesting project to install. The previous owner says it’s from an old camper van, Read More →
Yes, I’m an idiot. First, even though I know that I would be leaving in the beginning of summer, that I would drive through Iran in mid-summer (+50˚C) and would end up in Russia in mid-winter (-50˚C), my mind was still made up to do it this way. Thinking more deeply about this, I figured that a lot more preparations and modifications are necessary to the car, to be able to actually survive the trip. Read More →
Yesterday I ordered a roofrack, awning and a shovel from a Swiss site. Normally a roofrack of a decent brand would cost up to €1300. This site sells a full roof covering rack for €399. It’s made in China, but apparently very sturdy and heavy duty (and also heavy weight, about 50kg). I stumbled upon a blog post on www.landcruiserclub.net where people were discussing this rack. I decided to take the gamble. This site also Read More →
For everyone interested to tag along on the trip, here is an attempt to a detailed planning. The planning has been made up per country. It’s just a preliminary planning that might be stretched or shortened as the trip goes. Interested people are: Bas, Rudy, Alinde, Vincent, Wouter, Rianne, Hidde, Hans, Jasper, Piet. As to where and when is still unknown for most. Sorry if I forgot anyone. Fill in your name below, or let Read More →
This first post is basically a big collection of everything that has already happened and realized until now. I’ve been planning this trip for quite a while, and the shape of it went through quite a lot of changes. First it was an overland trip to South Africa, then a sailing trip around the Atlantic ocean, and finally it became Mongolia through Iran and the -stan countries. Not soon after the first thoughts of actually Read More →