Mongol Rally, Day 25: Siberian crime bait

“I never make stupid mistakes. Only very, very clever ones.”--John Peel

I have skills. Navigating around Siberia is evidently not one of them. Today we drove from the eastern Kazakhstani city of Karaganda to somewhere in Siberia. I say somewhere because I currently have no idea where we are. And this, my friends, is entirely my fault.

During our long trip from Britain, Steve has been the designated navigator. There is very good reason for this. He trained to be a scientist (now he is a cameraman) and his brain is very large. I am navigationally challenged. Always have been. Always will be. I guess this means that my brain is slightly smaller than Steve’s.

Well, on Day 25 of the 10,000-mile Mongol Rally, we decided that I would do some navigation. Why, I am not entirely sure. What I am sure about is that we are lost in the Siberian wilderness and it is my fault. Steve uses his trusty GPS to navigate. I use good old fashion maps. This strategy led us into a field, far away from civilization. The road we went down ended. It is now pitch black. Even Steve’s GPS refuses to help.

Steve also decided that now would be a good time to read the following from his beloved Lonely Planet travel guide book.

“The Altai Republic has the second highest crime levels in Russia. As a retired regional police chief (now forced to work as a taxi driver to make a living) told us, ‘Its easier to get away with stuff when you are so far from civilization’…it pays to be aware that this is the real ‘Wild East’ territory.”

Goodbye!