PREP WEEK BLOG 2

May 9-16, 2010

Prep Week 2

It had taken a lot of driving but the decision was narrowed down to three groups of three cars. Safety inspection certificate along with other random German bureaucratic measures (too boring to mention) had limited our choices. 

Group 1
Audi 2.3
Peugeot 106
Opel Corsa

TOTAL $1700

Group 2
Suzuki Alto
Renault 19
VW Golf

TOTAL $2000

Group 3
VW Golf
Ford Fiesta
Opel (of some sort)

TOTAL $2000

I turned the decision over to Tony with the simple advice that I had prior experience with the Renault and wanted no part of that piece of shit on the trip. I did not doubt Tony's judgement, but also knew he had little experience with European models and makes. 

He went with Group 2. We had our cars. We would not actually pick them up until Wed of the following week, but simply knowing we had them would allow us to start working on other things, like finding out where Rob Evans was.

Rob had somehow gotten signals crossed booking a flight to Munich instead of Berlin. I had spoken to him briefly about this before leaving and asked him to keep me posted. He at the same time asked me if he should perhaps bring his gun. I hadn't heard anything since then.

I was shocked to walk into CityStay to see a man in shorts (Berlin is freezing right now) and some sort of strange toe shoes with a very angry face. This was Rob and he didn't seem to be happy. He introduced himself quickly stating the need for a run. I already had a bad feeling -guns and running, not two of my most favorites things. 

As it turned out Rob is simply amazing and incredibly resourceful, which helps to outweigh his lack of practical experience on the road. Proof of this is simply managing to make it from Munich Airport to a hostel in Berlin never having been to Germany before. 

The cars were picked up Wed. They seemed good for what they were, shitty commuter cars. Just getting them back to CityStay made me remember how difficult traveling in convey was, and this was only three not four. Trabant Trek experiences came flooding back, and they weren't the pleasant ones but rather the 6 hour debacle trying to leave Istanbul. I was trying to imagine us in Kinshasa. 

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The following day all three cars went to a junkyard Marco had lined up. We wanted to gather spare parts and have a few parts welded on. The day was surreal as we wandered a wasteland of automobiles removing tires, fuses, bead seat covers and whatever other random bits we discovered. 

Junkyard: the way they store cars in GermanyJunkyard: Getting things done

Our plan for the day called for a barbecue at Marco's 140 year old lake house after we finished scouring the scrap yard. It sounded like the perfect opportunity to unwind quickly before the rest of the cast came in. Just one problem, the Renault wouldn't start. 

For the next three hours we tried everything possible, including pushing it up and down a dirt road. Nothing worked, nothing happened. As much as I wanted to tell Tony, "I told you so!!" I simply cursed the French instead. In the end we opted to tow it. Work was always more pleasant with hot food in our bellies. Another few hours were spent investigating the problem with no luck. We had not had the cars 24 hours, nor gone more than 50km and already we'd had a breakdown. I couldn't wait to see what came next with two months to go and however many countries to come.