COUNTING BY TWO… by David

From day one, Will and I counted…ks covered each day, fuel consumption, room costs, times stopped by police, ferry crossings made and the like. Why, I’m not sure, as counting was obviously not why we were travelling, but it seemed like not a bad idea at the time… In addition to counting, good and bad things happened, a diary was kept, receipts retained, and odd ball people were met. The following is a really random listing of my recollections, records, and notes measuring some of the main parameters of our journey, enumerated wherever possible, as well as a few of the more odd ball aspects. We hope you enjoy this collation of quirky, even bizarre, information…

Stuff stolen: sunglasses, sleeping bag, duvet, blankets, snow chains, tent, back up tyre pump, tool kit and various gifts (sorry, your gift was among them…)
Stuff lost or forgotten: good map of Bangkok (I’m not saying who lost it but it was not me, or Lauren…), and one of Mongolia (if not found under now chaotic piles of stuff in the back of the car.); pair of speakers for iPods (purchased on Phi Phi from a 7-11 type shop, left in our hotel, Paris).
Number of sets of visas obtained while on the road: 5 (for Timor Leste, Laos, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan)
Distance covered from Melbourne to London: 34,430 km
Duration of journey, Melbourne to London: 168 days.
Number of different road map versions used to navigate the Gobi in Mongolia: 4
Longest distance covered in any one country: 5,600 km (China)
Longest distance covered in any one day: 837 km (driving to Coober Pedy, Australia)
Best music listened to, by far (no particular order): ‘Stones, ‘Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Foals, Grizzly Bear, Burial (just ’sick’ dubstep music), Leonard Cohen, Chemical Brothers, Angus & Julia Stone, The Cranberries, Tom Waits, Pink Floyd, The Who, Fiest, Dire Straights, Kid Sam, Eddie Vedder (Into the Wild).
What we should have taken with us, but didn’t: more iPod music, to help while away the long hours.
Wheel rotations: executed on the road: 5
Car servicing carried out: 3 (Medan, UB, Kiev)
Mechanical problems occurring with our car: minor vibration in the front end (Thailand - fixed), rubber bushes holding the front stabiliser bar damaged (Kiev - replaced), leaking front shock absorber (Kiev - not replaced).
Fuel consumption: averaged 10.1 l/100km.
Worst hotel suffered: dribble of water only available at wash basin, common shower inoperative (ie no shower), no toilet seat, no toilet cistern lid, cistern unable to be flushed, cistern loudly running continuously through the night, door would not lock (later sorted), beds partially collapsed…(Olgii, Mongolia- we shifted hotels next day).
Most unexpected gift received from a complete stranger: 72 bottles of drinking water, plus nuts and dried fruit (given to us by a man from Dubai, in the car park of our hotel, Shymkent, Kazakhstan).
Coldest morning while camping: minus 11 degrees C (Altai, Mongolia, near border with Russia)
Cost of road toll between Jakarta and Merak: A$3.50 for 80km (Java, Indonesia)
Most expensive toll day: A$49 (China) for 441km
Number of (wonderful, sustaining)) emails received: 453
Number of times attempted to be pick pocketed: 1 (Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia)
Countries where it snowed: (Kazakhstan; Mongolia, Germany, Switzerland, France)
Number of times stopped by police for document checks, blood alcohol test, or for various alleged driving offences (speeding etc.): Indonesia 2 times, Thailand 1, Russia 7, Kazakhstan 8, Uzbekistan 4, Ukraine 4 (ex-Soviet states, 23; rest of the world, 3).
Number of countries driven through: 19 (includes Kyrgyzstan - I know that’s cheating, but see below)
Longest stay in any one country: 37 days (Indonesia)
Shortest stay in any country: approx. 40 minutes (Kyrgyzstan - nervously transiting without visas, for about 25km, just inside the razor wire of the Kyrgyz/Kazakh border!)
Number of aeroplane flights required: 3 each (Will took more to meet Lauren)
Longest delay: 19 days, while shipping the car from Sumatra to Malaysia.
Number of car ferry crossings required: 6 (inter-island, Indonesia)
Longest car ferry crossing: approx. 16 hours, overnight (Kupang, West Timor to Larantuka, Flores)
Number of times car required to be shipped by freighter: 3 (includes back to Australia)
Number of times car transported by train: 1 (Channel Tunnel, France to UK)
Number of times car keys threatened to be confiscated by police: 1 (Russia)
Number of times threatened to be fined by police: 3
Number of times a bribe was requested by police: 1 (Kazakhstan, by three policemen, in a police car on the road to Almaty)
Number of times “special gifts” requested, or Australian coins, etc. sought by border guards and others: 5
Lowest cost of fuel: 43 cents/litre (Russia)
Highest cost of fuel: A$2.21/litre (UK)
Number of photographs taken: 3,379
Number of haircuts had: 3
Number of times we got sick: 0
Number of different hotels stayed in; 99
Lowest cost of a hotel room: A$7.50/night (Indonesia)
Highest cost of hotel room: A$450/night (Paris - 4 people, includes parking)
Total cost of fuel consumed: A3,427.
Worst roads: Indonesia and Mongolia (tie)
Detailed pre-departure trip preparation time: approx 1.5 years.
Number of people who so generously assisted us with road directions or guidance: numerous.