MAKIN' TRACKS
Lunch in the mountains
Jan and herdsman with goats
Playing in Mongolia
Viv & Jan
Hanley
- Extreme Driving, Dodgy Diesel, and Sand Storms
Jan and her husband, Viv, travelled 40,000 kilometres over a period of four months in 2008 and 2009. Some
of their story was related in three TLCC magazines last year – Vladivostok to London. Since that time, Jan has
been writing up some of their stories and this is an excerpt from the book Jan hopes to publish later this year –
“Today we bought a cow, and other adventures of an extraordinary journey by ordinary people”.
One of my favourite expressions of this adventure was coined by
Biggie when we were discussing with him why we were doing all this
adventuring. Biggie was the young man who had helped us out on
our first leg of the trek when we had brake failures in Ulan Bataar.
He had just completed his Tourism Degree and when I asked if he
would like to take us to places no one had ever been to if we came
back to Mongolia, he replied he would. We, at this stage, had no idea
we would be back within six months to hold him to his word. His real
name is Oyenbileg Batchuluun which is why we use his nickname,
given him by Australian friends in UB. This young man became such a
part of our family we regarded him more like a son than an employee
and I think he regarded us as his adoptive parents.
He was also reflecting on why he had become a tour guide. We were
talking about how some people said they would do things and how
others just got on with it. He was also talking about how some of his
clients were only interested in going to the tourist places, visiting
during the Nadaam Festival and then sticking to a set route of
identified sites. He said he’d never had anyone say to him “Just take
us where no one else ever goes”.
After a time Biggie looked at us and said “You know what, you’ve
got to see what’s behind the mountain.”
keen for us to stay the night. Our route to get there was across
plains and then into the Altai Mountains where we would wind
our way through the great caverns created by millennia of water
erosion and probably the odd glacier. I’d seen photographs of these
mountains and thought at the time how forbidding and dangerous
they appeared. I didn’t think it would be possible for anything to
live there, let alone drive through.
We had some three hundred kilometres to travel and this would be
a full day’s drive. We would be climbing across rugged peaks, over
rocks and through rivers. The way was strewn with loose stones,
muddy tracks and river crossings.
We were in our element and felt like we were in a computer game
where you couldn’t go onto the next level until you had passed all
the challenges of the level you were on.
We started at the beginner level. Here we negotiated stony tracks
with shallow river crossings, climbing up low banks and found our
way around the base of mountains that spewed their slippery shaly
rocks down their sides into our path. The going was slow but not
particularly challenging.
We heartily agreed with him and then thought of the mountains
he had already taken us behind. The next few days we were to see
many more. He had only just begun his challenges for us.
At the next level, level two, we found ourselves in the depths of
the mountain ranges where the tracks became steeper, the rocks
bigger and the pathway less clear. We had to choose which path to
take through deeper rivers and around rocks that were so big you
couldn’t see over them. At one point, we chose the wrong path and
paid the consequences.
After leaving the takhi, the Chinese guards and our overnight
campsite, we headed for the township of T’Seel where Biggie was
As we climbed a steep mountainside we couldn’t see where to go
once we reached the top and had to rely on the fact that there was
That’s when you get to see the real Mongolia!
46 TLCC NEWS AUGUST 2010
Jan and Viv in the Altai Mountains
A couple of locals using the river as they do regularly
dirt beneath our wheels as we crossed over to the other side. After
negotiating this track, very carefully, we saw an easier path some
fifty metres below us. Just as we realised we could have gone that
way, there was an ominous bang under the car that signalled the
underside of the car had hit a very large rock. Being unable to stop,
just at that point, we had to continue driving until we came to a
more level area.
Getting out of the car and peering underneath we discovered the
spare wheel had been torn off its mounting and all that was left
was the broken chain that normally held it in place. Biggie retraced
our steps and discovered the wheel some one hundred metres
back, lying on the track we’d just passed over. Standing the tyre up,
he rolled it back to the car where we examined it. Surprisingly we
discovered the wheel had not been damaged but the fitting to hold
the wheel in place was missing and also had to be found.
Scouring the track, we did find the missing bit but we now had to find
a way to mend the chain and reposition the spare wheel. I have to say
that when Toyota find a better place to carry the spare wheel on the
Landcruiser than where it currently is, the better we will like it.
Having reunited all the pieces, we then had to find a way to put
them all back together. Not having a workshop, welding kit or any
other luxuries we had to use what we had in the car. We always
knew Mongolians were resourceful when it came to mechanical
things, and Viv has had many, many years experience driving trucks
for long distances, so I figured this challenge was not going to be
a problem.
We found a handy bank where we could drive the car up, leaving
her rear end hanging over the track. This gave us space to get under
TLCC NEWS AUGUST 2010 47
▼ Repairing the spare wheel torn
from the underside of the car
Driving on ice
the truck to make the repairs. We found a nut and bolt in the toolbox
that just happened to fit through the chain, and Biggie reattached
everything without any dramas. The wheel was then repositioned
in its place and we were all back together. In fact, the bolt holding
the chain together is still in place.
“I’m not driving on that. We have no idea how thick it is, what’s
under it, or how far it goes.”
We now realised that the Landcruiser clearance above the sand
and stones wasn’t as great as we had at first anticipated and from
this point on, had to keep clear of deep ruts, deep sand and other
landscapes that threatened to catch our undersides again.
With our hearts in our mouths, Viv eased the car onto the ice. We could
see the ruts made by previous vehicles. To add encouragement, I
don’t think, Biggie said, “Just stay out of those tracks. We don’t want
to beach ourselves.”
Back on the track, after conquering this challenge, we were ready
for the next level, level three. This came as a complete surprise and
nearly derailed the expedition. We were driving on the roughest of
tracks at the bottom of a ravine that had steep slippery sides, paved
with stones that regularly dislodged themselves and rolled down
onto the track. There was no way to go other than forward. We had
already driven over one hundred kilometres so backing out was not
an option if we met an impassable object.
This was to prove fairly challenging as this ice was slippery, surprise,
surprise, and keeping the vehicle in a straight line depended entirely
on how the ice responded. After about five hundred metres, we
thought we could see an exit and turned the car towards it. Sure
enough, within a few seconds we were off the ice and back on solid
ground.
Inevitably, after three hours of crawling through incredible terrain,
we came around a corner and were abruptly stopped by a low wall
of ice. The ice went from one side of the ravine to the other. There
was no way round. There didn’t appear to be any exit off this ice if
we did indeed decide to continue. Viv drew the car to a quick and
sudden stop, turned to our passenger and said,
“Well genius, what now?”
“Just keep on driving,” said Biggie.
48 TLCC NEWS AUGUST 2010
“No worries,” responded Biggie. This universal phrase never means
what it says and those who say it, have no idea what it means. “It’s
fine. Just keep going.”
Now that we were out of danger, we began to reason that if other
vehicles could do it, and they obviously had, then it should be no
trouble at all for the Landcruiser. We continued our trek through the
mountains and knew it was inevitable we would have to do some
more ice driving. But we were now ‘experienced’. The next time we
simply stopped, had a quick look and climbed slowly onto the ice
and drove across it. By the time we’d reached our third ice challenge,
we drove straight on without stopping and just enjoyed the thrill.
At one point, we stopped where we could see breaks in the ice to
have a look and discovered the ice was about a metre thick. But as
the thaw had begun, there was flowing water underneath the ice,
MAKIN' TRACKS
beginning to undermine its stability so it wouldn’t be long before
there would be just mud and river water to drive through.
We had now conquered three levels of this game and were about to
start on level four. The mountains and their challenging tracks were
just behind us when we came across sand, deep sand. So deep there
was no point in even attempting to drive through it as the clearance
under the car was just not high enough. This meant we had to drive
with the wheels on the top of the ridges and try not to slide down
the sides. These giant ruts were caused by mining lorries that sped
across the landscape without giving consideration to the damage
they were doing to the terrain. Because of their high clearance they
could drive at speed through tracks made by previous vehicles until
these became too deep, even for them. When this happened they
would simply move across and make new tracks with the same
devastating result. Our only alternative was to keep as far to the
left or right of the tracks as we could. On occasions we would have
to negotiate deep stream banks left by raging spring rivers as the
snow melted. This would mean travelling several kilometres off
track until we could find a way across, and then driving back the
way we’d come on the other side of the river to find the tracks we
needed to follow out of the desert.
There were times I was really challenged when Viv would declare
he was going to let the car have a play in the sand. Under normal
circumstances this would be fine, but we were on our own in the
middle of the gobi, where very few people lived. Help was not at
hand, if, in the likely event we became stuck. There were times I had
to shout at him to stay out of the sand, but oh, it was so tempting.
After several hundred kilometres of this deep sand we came over
a ridge to find, spread in front of us a huge expanse of landscape,
little of which we could see. Biggie pointed out the path, from the
back seat, but we looked at him and said, “You’ve got to be joking.”
It appeared we had passed the fourth challenge and were now
about to start the fifth and most dangerous one. In front of us, as far
as we could see, was a raging sand storm that obliterated all vision.
Driving in these storms, we were told from the back seat, could be
really damaging to the car as the sand would simply blast off the
paint, especially if the winds were very strong. Biggie told us he
thought this one would be okay, as the wind was not too strong.
This offered little comfort to the driver.
We headed down the track towards this forbidding sight, hoping we
could outrun it and keep to the edges on our way towards the far
mountains, our ultimate goal. It seemed we were doing quite well
until we were finally engulfed by the sand and dust. Viv stopped
driving as the risk of running into something such as a hole, stray
log or even the odd camel, was just too great. We would have to
wait for the sand to pass and then begin again. It soon became
TLCC NEWS AUGUST 2010 49
obvious, that part of the problem was that the actual dust cloud
the car was creating was overtaking us, effectively blinding us to
our way forward.
Stopping again, Viv waited for the dust to subside, took a good look
into the distance and began driving again, at speed, in an attempt
to keep ahead of the following storm. It was almost as though a
huge monster was watching at a distance. When he wanted to have
some fun, he’d blow in our direction, causing the dust and sand to
engulf the car. We had to find a way to outrun the dust and gain the
safety of the mountains ahead.
Driving in this stop start manner, we gradually pulled ahead of the
main storm area and clawed our way closer and closer to the goal.
When we finally were free of this challenge we found, for a change,
some gently rolling tracks that had us flying over the terrain. All
about us, as far as we could see, was an uninterrupted view of the
horizon. There was not a tree, mountain, ger or animal in sight. This
was such a change and quite a relief for our driver. Viv was looking
quite battered and was enjoying not having to concentrate too
hard.
And then, Biggie said, “How is our fuel supply holding out?”
“It’s getting down”, said the driver.
“I think I know where there might be some diesel we can get.”
50 TLCC NEWS AUGUST 2010
“Out here,” we replied.
“I’m sure of it.”
Before beginning this part of our trek, we had filled an extra twenty
litre can with spare diesel to go with the one hundred and forty litres
we had in the truck. We still think this would have been adequate,
but Biggie insisted we find a supply. It was almost as if we had met
the challenges in our game and were about to receive our reward,
Viv and I looked at each other and shrugged. Who were we to argue.
We couldn’t see how there could be anything anywhere within
fifty kilometres, so we just kept driving. In about five minutes as
we broached a very slight hill, there in front of us was a single ger.
Beside this ger was a traditional stone structure providing shelter
for several hundred head of sheep and goats, as well as hundreds of
lambs and kids. How, in this vast and barren land, Biggie had found
this ger, had us completely confounded.
Pulling up beside the animals, we all fell out of the car and
immediately were smothered by baby animals, all looking for milk.
They sat on our feet, climbed up our legs and butted until they
got our attention. Emerging from this great mass of animals, there
appeared a herdsman, clothed in the traditional deel and carrying
several kids. He had been talking to his flock, patting each animal as
MAKIN' TRACKS
Sand pit in the Gobi
Car on ice
el
Pumping Dies
it came near and generally reassuring them that spring was on its
way and soon there would be grass to eat.
Okay, he might not have been saying that but I’m sure he was
thinking it. All around him and his ger, were stones and sand and
desert. There didn’t appear to be a blade of grass anywhere.
Biggie spoke to our new friend and asked if he knew where we
could get some diesel. I thought this was like asking a stone for
some blood. But, to our amazement, we were told he would go and
get some diesel if we waited.
“How much you need?” came the question.
“About eighty litres,” replied Viv.
“You wait,” was our order and with that, he climbed onto his
motorbike and disappeared into the desert. I looked at Biggie to
ask him the obvious question, but his looked silenced me. I would
just have to be satisfied that we were getting diesel and the where
from was not to be discussed.
After about ten minutes, the motorbike returned carrying two forty
litre containers, one on each side of the bike. We had a filter funnel
that we’d thrown into the truck at the last minute, not dreaming we
would be using it here. This made it easier for the fuel to be tipped
from the containers into the tank. I noticed the motorbike rider was
concerned that Biggie not spill any diesel onto the ground. That
which did spill, and it was only a little, was carefully covered over
before we left.
We paid our money, left the funnel with our fuel supplier for future
use, had final cuddles with some lambs and climbed back into the
car. With a full belly, we continued on our way, racing across this
barren landscape, towards the town of T’Seel, where we were told
we would be staying the night. Where the fuel had come from
can only be imagined as we didn’t ever see a fuel dump or drums
anywhere.
It appeared our driving challenges were over for the day. We had
successfully negotiated all stages of the game and had emerged
triumphant but changed forever. Over the next few days we were
to meet similar challenges again, especially the sand storms that
would rush from the valleys up to the roads we were travelling on.
But nothing would be as spectacular or as intimidating as that we
had conquered already.
TLCC NEWS AUGUST 2010 51