I'm rewinding a bit because the story in Mongolia hasn't been told...
The first day in the dirt was in Mongolia. Since we were still new to the timing procedure, we screwed up and came in 14 minutes late for no good reason. We were just futzing around in the desert taking pictures and stopping with other cars. We had a minor fuel filter problem but it wasn't a big deal.
The next few days brought the first test stages where we get to race through the desert as fast as we can and get a chance to reduce our time. We were doing very well for a few days with a time that would have been first place if not for our 14 minute penalty.
Robert and I were high with confidence and feeling competitive. I was having the time of my life exploring the car's limits and moving quickly very day over the what passes for roads in Mongolia. The camaraderie with the other competitors was strong as we all spend the evenings with beer and story shivering in the cold Mongolia nights.
Then tragedy struck when the right rear wheel nearly fell off the car. I had just accelerated slightly in a smooth area (by Mongolian standards) to pass a few pioneer cars when I felt the back end drop. When we coasted to a stop, we found the trailing right arm had just broken in half and pulled out the CV joint. It had simply fatigued from the hundreds of miles of Mongolian washboard. I knew our time at the top of competition was over and I felt responsible. I had driven the car too hard and too fast. I had let excitement overrule good judgment and I broke the car.
Alone in the desert we found ourselves at the base of a hill on top of which was a family's ger (a ger is a smaller, more mobile yurt). The four kids appeared first. Bright eyes and wind-burned cheeks they explored us from a distance for a few minutes. Once they decided we were friendly, we could hardly get rid of them. The grandmother eyed us as she was walked past us to fetch water from the river further down.
Making truck arrangements with nothing but a satellite phone is a frustrating experience. After a few hours wait, we learned that our truck had picked up another car and that they had run out of trucks. More time passes and the sun is moving steadily across the sky. We had stopped early in the day and the next town, Khovd, was 500km ahead of us. Going backwards is never an option. We learn that a truck has been dispatched from Hovd and will take 5 hours to arrive.
While Robert stressed away his time, I was having fun with the kids. The eldest, of about 12years, was a beautiful girl that was flirtively shy and smily. The two boys were typical boys. We ran around the hillside doing kungfu moves and wrestling. The youngest, a toddler, just around all of us.
They had a sweet dog that quickly learned we were friendly, vulnerable, and required protection. He started barking at passing cars to keep them away from us.
I pulled out my Iphone to show them a picture of my dog, Linus, but they were stunned at the sight of swiping through pictures on the phone's touch display. I'll never forget these kids' excitement at being able to finger swipe through pictures. Maybe this was their first exposure to a computing device?
Of course, eventually I started taking pictures of them which was a concept that they understood. But their excitement doubled when I showed them their own pictures!
The girl understood how to use the camera features first. The boys were too excited and eager to pay attention, but she was really bright. Our play fully reenergized by the addition of a camera, we ran off into the fields and hillsides again.
As the sun was getting low in the sky, two guys in an SUV come by and, understanding our position, pour us some vodka and give us beers!
With our mood adequately lubricated, our truck arrives. If you are imaging a AAA tow truck, get that image out of your head. It resembles closer to an agricultural truck to carry sheep. Having a flatbed truck is nice, but how do you put a car into it? Tow the car to the top of steepest local hill, dig a hole large enough to swallow the back the truck, back the truck into the hole, and roll the car onto the truck!
The car is now on the truck, the sun is setting, and we have a 5 hour drive over Mongolian washboard ahead, and there are 3 people in the cab of the truck. Where do I Robert and I sit for this journey. In our car of course! The trip was long, slow, and bouncy.
I played with 4 kids for 9 hours in the Mongolian desert and am glad it happened. I will always remember those kids.
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