2 March 2008

Trabant Trek hass made it onto CNN International! We will be updated our press page with loads of new material from print to Radio to television.

The physical trek has been over for quite some time but we just reached the $20k mark with the most recent NYC fundraiser.

Lovie is in LA right now working on post production work for the potential Trabant Trek series. More to come on that as it develops.

The goal now is to raise the remainder of our goal and somehow convince Oprah for an appreance on her show. She of all people would appreciate the effort and cause behind Trabant Trek.

In the meantime keep yourself updated on what's going on by checking into the website... and if you can find a bit of spare change here and there that would of course be great.

5 Febuary 2008

We made it!!!! The determination and dedication overcame the doubt, breakdowns and criticism. There are two Trabants in Cambodia and nearly $20,000 in the bank for M'Lop Tapang and Mith Samlanh.

It was an incredible journey mired with disappointments, frustration but upon getting to Cambodia nothing but elation. Both charities put on a arrival party as nothing any of us had seen. Tears ran at seeing the children face to face that our mission had benefitted.

The work is far from over. Trabant Trek has been getting new press nearly every day. there is still a TV show to produce, a website to update constantly and most importantly jusst over $280,000 still to raise.

We hope you can help us with our last goal which is the most important to us!!!!!

As always thank you for your enduring support during the length of this epic trek!!!!

4 January 2008

A belated MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEARS to all of you out there following Trabant Trek.

We have finally made it to SE Asia and are off our route in Bangkok, Thailand. We have suffered a horrendous blow losing both a team member and a trabi -Zsofi and Dante-but will continue on to Cambodia tomorrow.

Our aim is to finish by the 8th of January, but that will not be the end for this website. Expect much more in the way of blogs, photos and video after our arrival -i.e. more time to work on updates than breakdowns, we suffered our 318th today after a 24 hour drive to Bangkok!

Currently we have raised over $14,000! While this is good it is no where near our aim. We're hoping to make it $20,000 before wee arrive and then raise the rest in the next year...... and on Trabant Trek USA 2009!!!!

We can only do this with your help.Please keep visiting for future updates and if you have any room left on your credit card after the Christmas season and can findi ti in your heart to donate we and the children of Cambodia would truly appreciate it.

Thank you,

Team Trabant

10 October 2007

Team America finally leaves Khoreg.The trabis are in the best state they have been since Turkey, other than two of the three cars have to be pushed started. Without fail after filling up with petrol Dante destroys its engine mount while push starting.

The team pushing on regardless.

8 October 2007

After two weeks of stringing along by the Kygryz embassy Lovie finally returned to Khoreg. A den of filth awaiting him, his two other team members absent from their hovel despite being on house arrest.

Two weeks of no showering had left OJ and Tony feral looking to say the least.

The next couple days consisted of minute preparations for what we all expected to be the most daunting challenge of Trabant Trek.

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We would ask you to please donate, ask your friends to donate, tell strangers to donate, do anything to help us raise the $300,000 goal. This is s strugglesome experience for all of us and your donations would help to raise spirits to know we are not doing this in vain.

If you are in the DC area please do not miss our Oct. 11 fundraiser at the Big Hunt in DuPont Circle.

THANK YOU!!!!! -Team Trabant

26 September 2007

Team Europe is somewhere in the Pamirs out of reach.

Lovie managed to catch the second flight of the day. Thankfully no Afghan rocket fire brought down his plane like one a year ago.

He landed in Dushanbe intent on getting himself a new passport, getting Tony pages added, extending the Tajik visas and GBAO permits, getting new Kyrgyz visas and booking a return flight ot Khorog.

He succeeded in finding a $60 hotel room after four hours of searching... as luck would have it Dushanbe is hosting a CIS summit this entire week and everything is booked.

Tomorrow the work will begin. Hopefully lengthy post-Soviet bureaucracy will not push the trek back far enough to miss China, thereby ended Trabant Trek.

25 September 2007

Carlos took Lovie to the airport only to be denied a flight. One a day on a 15 person prop plane. There was two the following day though.

During their airport run the rest of the team took Fez to the welder who was optimistic about repairing the break. This lifted spirits a bit before Team America said goodbye to Team Europe.

Lovie took the rest of the day to find out about visa extenstions, trying to hop a AGA Khan helicopter ride to Dushanbe ($250 too steep of a price to pay) and dealing with the bureaucracy of the OVIR office trying to get a GBAO permit extension which runs out the same time as the visas.

OJ and Tony meanwhile picked up a newly welded Fez and went to work getting the Trabants ready for the second half of Trabant Trek.

24 September 2007

Wanting to try and unload weight before climbing the 4000m passes (yes plural) OJ found a tourist Landcruiser going to Murgab (the next town 350km away) willing to take our bags and oil.

with a little of the burden removed we gassed the Trabants ready for the biggest challenge yet.

We got 22km before the weld on Fez broke completely and the gearbox mount screw came out spilling gearbox oil everywhere. The Pamir highway looked to be the thing of dreams... and that Trabant Trek might fall apart.

Fez was towed back by yet another Kamaz -our saving grace- and hours of planning followed.

It was determined due to visa expiry, weight issues and Megan's decision to leave for financial reasons that the team would split up.

Team Europe -Dan, Carlos and Zsofi- would push on with Megan using public transportation to get out of the country before the Sept. 27 visa expiration.

Team America -Lovie, OJ and Tony- would remain in Tajikistan. Lovie would take the harrowing flight to Dushanbe through the mountains while the other two stayed to sort out the Trabants.

It was evening with everyone expressing doubts of ever seeing one another again and Trabant Trek falling apart halfway through.

23 September 2007

Having said our final goodbyes to Gunther, we pushed on agian in the heavily laden Trabants.

Megan and Dan took Fez with the camping gear and no front seat at all to accomodate bags, Ziggy with nothing but bags and OJ, Lovie and Carlos and Dante driven by Zsofi and Tony with one engine, one gearbox, 75 liters of oil and random spare parts and tools.

Everything was going well despite doubts of the Trabants handling until Megan hit a bump at full speed. Carlos noticed later the left rear wheel at an awkward angle, the suspension arm had broken in half!

Tony deemed it possible to go on hoping to find a welder in Khorog. We found one before that on the side of the road who took care of it for next to nothing and then invited us into his home for tea.

We finally made it into Khorog at 5pm. The bazaar was closed, Ziggy brakes needed replacing and supplies could not be gotten... we decided to spend the night in the town the boast the best univeristy in Central Asia, namely the University of Central Asia.

22 September 2007

The Mercedes runs great, or rather as it did before only it now needs a push start as does Ziggy.

Averaging the various distances we have heard for Khorog we determine we still have 350km to go and that's not even the Pamir Highway yet.

Murphy's Law stuck again as Carlos hits the only large rock in the road and breaks the oil pan again. We spend three hours fixing it only for it to shatter (nearly completely an hour later).

THERE WAS NO DISCUSSION IT WAS GETTING DITCHED!!!!!!!

We spent the night on the side of the road packing the Trabants with only what we absolutely needed, we would no longer have a strong vehicle for the weight. LOTS got thrown out.

The Merceds was stripped for anything useful including among other things the petrol and seatbelts (good for tow ropes).

OJ and Lovie replaced the alternator on Ziggy before joining the others for sleep in the newly packed Trabants.

21 September 2007

Trabant Trek enters and small town to fill up with gas and find a new battery for Ziggy. The only battery available is a used one from a Lada Niva, which will only fit tied down insde of the Trabant.

With all four cars working we push forward wary of more breakdowns.

Within an hour the Mercedes will not go into gear. This time Lovie, OJ and Tony vote to ditch the ever troublesome car fearing a full day of repairs. They are outvoted and a Kamaz is flagged to tow the yet again supported support vehicle back to town with Carlos at the helm.

Lovie and Tony head first in Ziggy looking for a mechanic. Finding one they wave to the Kamaz to stop and Carlos runs into the back of it putting yet another dent in the hood of the Mecedes.

Lovie, Carlos and OJ speak to the mechanic about trading for his Moscovitch to get the spare parts over the Pamir. All looks good and then negotiations head South and it is decided to fabricate a clutch plate. There are no spare parts for a 1982 Mecedes station wagon in Tajikistan.

We sleep at the mechanic's house across the river from Afghanistan.

20 September 2007

Coming down off the pass with Lovie leading in Ziggy hits a crater sending the whole Trabant into the air. The underside plate bent and Ziggy sounding like an out of tune motorcycle Trabant Trek pushing on.

After crossing a river Ziggy stalls out and will not start despite Tony's efforts. it is discovered that in going airborne Ziggy sheered off the exhaust manifold and broke and engine mount. Both are replaced, but the Trabant will still not start, the battery and alternator being the likely culprits.

The Mercedes tows it until nightfall and the entire team sleeps on the side of the road.

19 September 2007

The clutch plate on Dante broke. Luckily it was not one of the parts discarded in earlier attempts to lighten the load of the struggling Mercedes.

Within four hours it is oprational again and the we push on to the 2200m pass and the first GBAO checkpoint. We set up camp not far from the checkpoint high in the mountains.

19 September 2007 Early Morning

Dante breaks down and will not go into gear. Tony, OJ and Lovie exhausted from hours of driving look quickly but then decide to fix it in the morning.

18 September 2007

Brady's flght leaves at 2am and Trabant Trek is supposed to leave after they recieve their GBAO permits at 7pm. Delays ensue to make sure fotos are transferred and graphics for the intro are completed.

We all leave after dropping Brady off at the airport at midnight. We intened to drive until we are too exhausted to sleep.

17 September 2007

Group discussion on whether to head back over the Anzop pass to exit Tajikistan or to head for the Pamirs. The Pamir Highway wins out and Carlos does to work obtaining the proper GBAO permits to cross the autonomous region.

Lovie and Brady finally find a haphazard but relatively cheap way for Brady to get home flying from Dushanbe to Moscow to Frankfurt to Las Vegas to Los Angeles over a three day period.

16 September 2007

Brady decides to look for a ticket home from Dushanbe, fearing more breakdowns and delays.He and Lovie spend all day trying to find one of the four flights out of the provincial outpost.

The rest of the team prepares to tackle the Pamirs with Tony and OJ working on the car and Megan, Zsofi and Carlos going to the bazaar for supplies.

15 September 2007

The Mercedes turned out to be fine. It was a late night scare. Fez on the other hand had a broken bearing, no easy task.

The decision was made for Brady, Zsofi, Dan and Megan to go ahead with flagged down Kamaz drivers while Lovie, OJ, Tony and Carlos stayed behind to fix the cars.

It was a lengthy process taking the entire day. OJ and Lovie explored a glacier 100m from where Fez broke downwhile the tire was being mounted.

The drive over Anzop pass in the darkness was memorable passing 3500m (2 miles)above sea level before plunging back down into the dust. the visibility deteriorated till only the taillights of the Trabant ahead were visible... and then suddenly there were tanks blocking the road.

The four cars were stopped only once prior to entering Dushanbe, where a police officer forgot to take his baton out of Fez providing a nice souvenir for Carlos.

The four arrived six hours after finishing the work on the car to Dan with a bottle of vodka and everyone else asleep.

15 September 2007 Early Morning

Intent on arriving in Dushanbe Dante, Ziggy and the Mercedes pushed on through the night sure that Fez had already arrived in Dushanbe. The going was treacherous with limited visibility due to dust storms created by passing Kamaz Trucks.

At 3am the three cars passed Fez broken down on the side of the road with a note. It said, "the wheel came off while driving, we are at a cafe 3km back down the mountain".

We found Megan and Dan asleep at a closed down cafe. Having not eaten all day the rest of us went further back down the mountain to a truck stop Carlos had seen driving up. It was then Tony, driving the Mercedes, hit an exposed pipe which he thought ripped the brake line.

Brady, Lovie, OJ, Tony, Carlos and Zsofi piled into the remaining functioning Trabants and slept at the truck stop.

14 September 2007

Brady woke up to the cold first, he had slept atop the Mercedes. Lovie and Tony followed as they had slept outside as well. It was the first cold of the trek. The Fan Mountains were beautiful, easily the most scenic drive thus far of Trabant Trek.

Five hours after starting out the Mercedes once again busted the oil pan. This time at the hands of OJ. There was a group discussion on whether to ditch or keep the unreliable support vehicle with Lovie and Zsofi being the only two wanting it to continue "supporting". Undemocratically the decision to keep it won out and Tony went to work repairing it while Dan and Megan went ahead in Fez.

Ziggy, Dante and the Mercedes followed three hours later through dust filled twisty mountain roads.

14 September 2007 Early Morning

Ziggy died and Tony, Lovie, Brady and Carlos stayed awake replacing the alternator. We drove another 40km before decided to camp in the Fan Mountains.

13 September 2007

Once again rushing to beat the visa expiry date we unfortunately had to make a tour of the much anticipated Samkarkand quickly. The morning had to suffice as the border lay an hour away and closed at 6pm.

Little hassle on the Uzbek side but then Bradford decided filming the Tajik border guards would be a good idea and nearly got himself arrested while the rest of us were told how "good" we were.

In the first Tajik town we were lead by the German "World Hunger" group to the an amazing cafe quenching our starvation.

12 September 2007

The start of the day started as complete confusion. An hour and half to get to the gas station and fill up. Then cars going every which way until Lovie and Brady were left completely alone in Ziggy.

The Mercedes eventually pulled around and found them following them the rest of the way to Bhukara. Ziggy did manage to get caught in a speed trap along the way, 79km/h in a 70km/h zone. Lovie mentioned that Brady was a US police officer and the charge seemed to go away, though the questions ensued.

We all met up near Samarkand's famous Registan.

11 September 2007

Lovie stayed in bed horribly ill all day as we all went out to explore Bhukara. It was spent filming for the show, National Geographic and Hungarian TV.

The full day along with an early wake up for a 270km drive to Samarkand had everyone in bed early.

10 September 2007

157km from Bhukara Dante ran out of gas. Fez had 11 liters and Ziggy 6 liters. They took off in seperate directions to find enough fuel for all four cars.

Ziggy made it to a cafe -afterBrady and Lovie pushed it 1km- and then managed to get towed by a slightly unstable but thoroughly amusing Kamaz (large Russian Truck) driver. He continually referred to the Trabant as a Mr. Bean. Ziggy made it back before Megan and Dan who were piloted Fez and had drived all the way to Bhukara to get gas.

Trabant Trek pulled into Bhukara near midnight exhausted from a FULL day of running out and trying to find gas.

9 September 2007 Evening

The road through the desert lacked petrol stations forcing us to only partially fill up with one liter water bottles full of gas siphoned from a local's truck.

Before properly running out of petrol we parked the Trabants behind a massive sand dune. This was camping for the night.

9 September 2007

Plans to get on the raod early fell by the wayside as Fex took longer to get fixed than expected. OJ, Carlos and Tony worked on getting it out and a new one in. Being the first repair of any note it took little longer than anctipated.

The axle fixed we got on the road slightly before dusk with the hope of driving over 500km to Bhukara.

8 September 2007

Crossed a miserable bridge that nearly ruined the Mercedes once again. All the while Fez was being towed due to a broken axle.

We arrived later than expected as usual. The enormous old city walls of Khiva appeared from around the bend. It was stunning. The Trabants paled in comparision as they passed through the North Gate.

The day was spent meandering around what had become a massive outdoor musuem. The evening had us eating as a team. Lovie had found while walking around and the meal, beer and wokda was wonderful until the bill came... we had been overcharged by $10. The bill was contested to no avail -OJ's Russian not being sufficient to properly argue-

She followed us all the way back to our hotel yelling at each of us individually during the course of the walk. In the end we gave her another $3, which was not satisfactory.

7 September 2007 Evening

Stuck at the Uzbek border with OJ and Megan sorting out the paperwork Brady and Lovie set up a bowling lane with plastic bottles and a soccerball. Everyone including the border guards got involved.

Amazingly we managed to befriend the guards and then pass through without paying ANYTHING. It as a first since Europe.

The guard was hesitant to let us leavemimicing a noose around his neck and saying director, but after a few photos we managed to persuade him to let us not spend the night at the border and head towards Khiva.

Camped on the side of the road 50km from Khiva.

7 September 2007

Sitting at the border waiting for the officials to finish with lunch Tony and Zsofi decided to head into town for water. They were arrested.

Brady and Lovie went to look for them and could not find them. The day was getting later, the border was closing and we were missing an owner of two cars and one Trabant.

Frustration mounting Tony and Zsofi arrived, the guards were demanding $40 per car which our guide paid and after an hour of excruciating paperwork we passed into Uzbekistan. It was like entering the promised land!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 September 2007

We finally sorted out the entire visa extension by 2pm and made our way to the Northern border well aware we would once again not make the crossing.

We camped 10km from the border in deep sand preparing ourselves for a much anticipated departure from what had quickly become a frustrating country.

5 September 2007

Another night was passed in the dusty "parking lot" near the border. Again Ilyan, the guide failed to show up promptly despite his promise of 10am.

We sat waiting. By the time he finally arrived we were famished and decided due to Dan's newfound wealth -$30- that we would make use of the local cafe.

After a mammoth meal we were shooed out of the cafe by the police to wash the cars -dirty cars being illegal in Turkmenistan. The car washing turned into a celebrity signing. 70 people gathered aroundthe cars being washed, a melon salesman appreared to cater to the crowd and we were mobbed signed hands, scraps of paper and answering textbook school English. The police were not happy...

We were taken away from the crowd, who followed us in multiple cars, to a closed down bazaar that looked oddly like a prison from afar. KGB guards evidently came to guard us for the night and then without warning after we were settled other people came, who sincerely frightened our guide, to spirit us away to a hotel. Being "honored guest" we could not be left at a bazaar and must be provided accommodation in a proper hotel which we had no money for.

with no running water, It was less than proper accommodation.

4 September 2007

The formerly empty border was a mass of exhaust fumes, locals tapping on the windows of the Trabants and oddly big screen TVs.

Our guide was nowhere to be seen, nor was our tow for the Mercedes. We sat waiting in a storm of dust knowing full well there was no chance of crossing the border again today and no idea of when or how we would.

A small car arrived, the Merc was towed, the oil pan was welded, put back on, our passsports were faxed to Ashgabat and OJ and Lovie ran out of gas on the way to the airport. The two did discover that trabants can run on normal engine oil in a pinch.

3 September 2007

Megan woke everyone up drunkenly. She had been up with Marlena drinking vodka with our host til the early hours.

Before we could even head out to have the welder look at the Mercedes Dan slipped in the shower resulting in a massive gash. As we waited for the doctor to make a house call we weighed the options of getting across that day... they looked grim.

The Mercedes could not be fixed, Dan's back could not be stitched. We made a rush for the border only to be denied. Tents went up and the cars were unpacked a hundred meters from the border, that was the night.

2 September 2007

Awoke to the sound of the massive truck approaching and the soft howling of the fire pit we had camped next to.

After packing we were off again on a road that did not justify the name road, street, path or otherwise.

The cratered mess wreaked havoc on the cars and our bodies. 50km from a destination it finally ruined the Mercedes. The oil pan this time looked irreparable.

A tow and a local's house to sleep were offered within an hour.

1 September 2007

We awoke early to our guide urging us out to see sights we did not want to see. He had not picked up on the slow moving pace of Trabant Trek.

Before leaving we met a truckload of cyclists who were going from Istanbul to Beijing. We shared a few stories before heading out into the Ashgabat for three hours of walking around.

The three horus past quickly and before anyone knew it we were ont eh road again for the one real sight we would see in all of Turkmenistan, the Darvaza Gas Crater.

300km through the Desert, a massive truck ride through the dunes and we were finally there. It was bright enough to be seen from 30km away on the highway. It was more impressive up close and a wonder how anything like this ever came about.

1 September 2007 5am

Ashgabat looked like a deserted Las Vegas in the early morning hours. Massive buildings, odd lights, broad avenues... it was not what any of us had expected. The surreal city did not keep us awake. We arrived at our first proper hotel since the start of the trip and prompted fell into our mattresses already asleep.

31 August 2007

After what seemed like a week on the ferry we stepped foot on Turkmen soil only to be fully immersed in the worst beuracracy any of us had seen.

Six hours and $600 later -with a guide named Ilyan sent from the tour company we had to have- we were on our way.

Having heard petrol was cheap we had waited to fill up til Turkmenistan. Lovie ran out of gas, got lost, siphoned it with his mouth from a passing motorist and caught up with the rest of the crew who were paying $1 for 15 liters of petrol.

Having filled up the Trabants and once again fighting visa expiry on the 3rd the team sped for Ashgabat.

30 August 2007

Another night on the ferry and talk meandering about of not arriving til the following day due to priortized ships and ill winds.

29 August 2007

ETA for the ferry upon leaving berth was 4pm. About that time we were informed it would be another day until we arrived to Turkmenbashy.

The accommodation was less than pleasant with rat eaten mattresses and toilets that wouldn't haven been used in Abu Ghraib Prison. in addition we our food supply was running low and the crew was keen to make any dollar they could off of us...

28 August 2007

The ferry port is where we spent the entire day. Leaving the country for a reasonable price seemed more difficult than getting in.

After numerous arguements, delayed ferries and a complete emptying of our pockets we managed to board the lovely ship Azerbaijan around 4am parking the Trabants amongst the train tankers full of petrol.

27 August 2007

Carlos and OJ sorted out the visa issue while Tony and Lovie went to the Russian and US embassy in hopes of getting a new passport and visa for Tony. Ass luck would have it, someone had turned in the passport and it would be arriving at the embasssy the next day -the same day as our departure for Turkmenistan.

26 August 2007

Tony and OJ woke up early for another search along the side of the road.

The rest of the team then met up with the duo a few kilometers from the day's sight, the Qobustan mud volcanoes. As usual we could not go a day without the authorities. The police pulled over Fez and Dante for an "illegal U-turn". Dan whipped out his press press managing to get out of a $100 fine.

Skirting down a dirt road kicking up dust we managed to navigate our way to the untouristed mud volcanoes. Volcanoes would imply heat which there was none of. The gurgling was more akin to a bout of bad bowels than anything resembling a volcano.

25 August 2007

We met Parvin, Carlos's friend from the internet. He put all of us in his small apartment for no charge. The valet kids in the parking lot downstairs did charge a small price for parking though.

Tony in a panic realized he had lost his passport somewhere on the road to Baku and went to look for it with OJ while the rest of us explored the city. He came back that evening still without a passport.

25 August 2007 3am

We introduced Brady to Trabant Trek upon his arrival by sleeping in a dusty flat piece of Earth near the airport.

24 August 2007

We spent the night in "No Man's Land" between the Georgia and Azerbaijan border sipping homemade Georgian wine that had been provided by the border guards.

The Georgian border guards has let us through onto a bridge over a rock strewn river only to be denied by the Azeris. It was a memorable event all of us sprawled out across this bridge in no country what so ever.

The Azer border guards did not seem thrilled to see us -or that we had been to Armenia. We were let through finally and made a 600km beeline for Baku. We were meant to be picking up Brady at 3am from the Baku airport.

23 August 2007

In a rush to beat the August 25th expiry date on our Azerbaijan visa we fled Tbilisi as fast as we had come in.

There was one last thing to see before departing Georgia, Davit Gareja. The monastery was one of the highlights of Georgia and we could not leave without seeing it.

Supposedly an hour form Tbilisi it took us the better part of the day to get there. We were taken in by a monk who had lived there for five years. He offered to let us spend the night. We had to politely refuse despite our desire to stay in the extraordinary place.

We took off in the night down a road that was infinitely worse during the night for a run to the border.

22 Augst 2007

Entered Tbilisi early in the morning after a night camping on the side of the road. We found Marlena full of stories in a posh hotel.

22 August 2007 1am

The border crossing was again hellish. Armenia wasa bureacratic nightmare while the Georgia side wanted to take our Trabant oil.

We argued for hours knowing that if they took the oil Trabant Trek would be over. Eventually we wore them down and were allowed to cross into the ever hospitable country.

21 August 2007

Left Yerevan today with Tbilisi being the goal. The Mercedes has a protective shield on the oil pan and gas tank.

The Tbilis Hwy was astounding in beauty. It was smooth sailing until Megan noticed what appeared to be a ghost town slightly on the highway. We stopped for a glance only to be chased down by the Armenian military guns out and Russian being shouted. We were evidently too close to the Azerbiajan border, with whom the Armenians have strife.

After an hour of negotiations with the top brass in the Lada we finally managed to keep our tape of the day (minus the segements regarding the border).

20 August 2007

We met with Oran, an NGO working with street children in Yerevan. It was an uplifting experience to see not only locals working but the massive contributions to the center form overseas.

Unfortunately Dan could not be there. He was taking one for the team attempting to find a welder. The Mercedes oil pan needed a protective cover like the Trabants to avoid anymore mishaps like in Georgia.

19 August 2007

Does anyone out there know a web designer that can help us get the photo gallery up and running? If so please leave a message on our message board.... if not and have something else to say please leave us a message. We appreciate on the encouragement on the road.

Thanks, TEAM TRABANT

18 August 2007

Arrived in Yerevan yesterday tacking on the ninth country to the journey. The border crossing in Armenia was a laborious five hours. We left the border at 11pm, our communal wallet $500 lighter.

we are hoping to meet with Zartonk-89 tomorrow morning and then take - on what has been promised as a good road- the Trabants to Tibilisi hopefully stopping for a late lunch at Lake Sevan....