Peking to Paris 1906 >> 2005

10,000 miles or 16,000 Kms of never, never roads, unbelievable experiences and challenges.

Well now there's a book about both the 1906 & 2005 events. But it's no ordinary sort of a book. It's real, it's live, 341 pages of facts, stories & excellent photos.

It's a real treasure & available to buy.

The name of the book is "The Great Peking to Paris Expedition" written by the actual "actors" in the 2005 event, & published by Harper Collins.

Christopher has copies of the book available (limited number) for $60. People can contact me directly if they want one.

Christopher Boyle christopher@thirdbearing.co.nz

Scroll down this page to Chris's story to wet the appetite.

Read the last piece of drama about the re-enactment of the 1907 Peking to Paris Car Rally, underneath the motocross articles on this page.

8th July, 2005 - Christopher Boyle on the Peking to Paris Rally Thursday 7th July 11.30am in Hoxter Germany, and it is raining cats and rabbits! Left braunlager 8am and had a fantastic ride over a mountain passin thick fog and low cloud.....

Eiffell Tower in the centre of Paris standing proud over all 5 vehicles!

Done! Reception by the

Australian Ambassador and plenty of Moet!

And my final thought on the matter - I could turn around and head back to China and do it all again!

Thanks for your interest! Christopher

Police reports etc slow us down but we are on track for a 1pm finish under the tower-looking forward to the champagne.

Of all the vehicles and days for this to happen - we have been very lucky. 2 hours to go! Christopher

Gidday

58 days into this thing (The 1907 Contal Tr-Car replica)- sitting 60km outside of Paris ready to have the final super and conclude adventure tomorrow noon under the Eiffel Tower.

Seems hard to believe that it is nearly over - 16000km on a 1907 three wheeled motorcycle. The trip has been a blast with many great adventures had.

I have decided I need to more of this so intend to become a fulltime adventurer-just as soon as I can figure out how to fund my existence.

Spent yesterday wandering the monuments and battlefeilds at Verdun in France, very sobering treading on the ground where over 500,000 men had lost their lifes in an effort to defend/capture some dirt (well historic dirt).

As one fellow stated - another momentum recognising mans ignorance - and part of that rings true - what mans made go to such drastic lengths for possession of soil? France, Belgium and Holland have been a pleasure to travel through - such history and landscape, just beautiful.

The documentary is planned for release on ABC Australia and National Geographic in October.

Check out www.abc.com.au keyword pekingtoparis, or www.pekingparis2005.com.au . Now for some leisure time in France and Holland.

Hope some of my ramblings have been worthy of your reading.

Cheers all, Christopher

Thursday 7th July 11.30am in Hoxter Germany, and it is raining cats and rabbits! Left braunlager 8am and had a fantastic ride over a mountain passin thick fog and low cloud, carved up several sportsbikes on the wet roads, and two trikes!

The Contal is superb for these conditions- a chasis that can not handle the conditions so it requires real riding, too much power for it capability giving a sense of speed, and three wheels so when it does slide in the wet it at least does not fall over!

I have now had my second talk from Mick in two days about my aggresive riding-note to self...I must be more responsible-yeah right!

Mick fell off the front of the bike two days ago just over the german border being silly, lucky at low speed so only his ego got damaged- which was also lucky as I nearly ran over him! The worse part was the whole event was captured on film-right after he browned the camera crew (can't help it these young boys!) - so expect to see that on "funniest home videos" shortly!

With 5 days to run to Paris the pressure of the heavy traffic on european roads and time on the journey are starting to take their toll- tempers are shortening, everyone is feeling very fatigued and the group is fracturing.

Mick and I are still having a blast and have gone off to the north alone to play on back roads whereas the rest of the group have elected direct main roads and are very focussed on the shortest and easiest route to Paris.

We suspect from snippets of info this morning that the group has split into four, us, the blue de dion, the Itala, and the rest.

Lack of a democratic process (read as - lack of coordinated democracry without leadership - must be the Ggerman influence), communication and agreement is causing some exciting times.

For us the fear is the last week becomes a transport leg without the fun of new experiences -

hence our chosing back roads and small villages.

The documentary from this trip will be intereting-having watched the crews working and knowing they have to deliver to a sunday 7.30pm audience, the way they portray the adventure and the personalities will be the key attributes of a good program - a hard task to deliver against.

Europe is definately an expensive place- the cost to survive through Russia for a month will not even cover a week through Germany.

With the trip drawing rapidly to a close the mind starts focuses back to the life that will follow in NZ and the realisation that for the first time in a long while I have completely switched off from the daily pattern of life back home.

It is an indication of how hard and focussed this trip has been with only 7 rest days over 60 days of travel, each day being on the road for at least 12 hours, often more.

For a 'non physical' adventure it has been draining-need a holiday now-maybe the Greek Islands, get a tan and show of my Russian beer induced belly.

This trip has been an absolute blast, a real pleasure and a learning experience.

Take care and trust all are safe and happy.

Christopher

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Look further down this page for a new update of his story.

Did someone say the All Blacks won the 2nd test?

Look further down this page for the whole story.

Friday 1st of July - Hard to believe that 49 days have passed and there are only 12 days remaining to this journey!

Left StPetersberg on Tuesday after 2 days of lazying about - it would have to be the most beautiful city and charming that I have ever visited.

I will return as there is so much to see and it is such a cruisy city to be in, great architecture, history and water, leaves Venice for dead but that is only my opinion!

The run through to the border was uneventful except for the rough roads and rain which indicated to us what was to be expected over the next two days.

The border crossing into Latvia on Wednesday took 3 hours after waiting 4 hours for the paperwork to turn up!

The town we stayed at was Rezekne, 50km from border. Wet! But the hotel was cheap and warm.

The countryside looks more like rural NZ, but much older houses and many deserted.

The economy is better than most of Russia with the roads benefited from EU funding - the supply line from Europe to Russia.

Though the country is falling victim to youth drift to the wealthier countries such as England.

Thursday we crossed to Lithuania which was more of the same with greater evidence of disposal income-house renovations and boats parked in driveways, and machinary to do manual tasks as opposed to many humans with shovels, both the Itala and yellow De Dion broke down today, with the De Dion having its fuel leak repaired and making it to camp under its own power.

The Itala is still being plagued with ignition problems and arrived into Poland today on a trailer-day two of problems!

With four currency changes in as many days I am not sure what is good value at the moment.

We did suffer a set back last night when Johns trailer was broken into along with Henry's 4WD-all their personal gear was stolen as well as my brand new M/C helmet and ducati bag and large pile of cash! We have had arun of such incidences in the last two weeks and appears it will only get worse.

All of them seem to be inside jobs as well. But tomorrow all cars will be back on the road!

The Contal is going great and the back country lanes in Polland are a treat!

Take care. Christopher

Driving out of Moscow 7am Fri 24th to avoid traffic. Beautiful city with amazing architecture,Stalin style and blend of colonial.

Nickoli hosted us for our 3 days in the city which included many fine restaurants and site seeing. Dad, mick and I used his new apartment by the university-superb!

The russian hospitality really is something you have to sit back and enjoy as they will not let you pay for or organise anything-it is just the russian way!

Meet an interesting corporate lawyer in a cafe at the conservatory. By red square. Young and very wealthy-7 series BMW and single room apartment-image is everything! And cars are number 1.

We were pulled over doing 130kph through town, 90kph limit, quick chat with police and we where off again, going even faster, comment being "I normally do 200kph"- and this is all without seatbelts-and very few accidents seen!

Makes me think we have gone too far with our controls in NZ.

The wealth in Moscow is a dramatic shift from what we have seen in the rest of Russia - $1m aparments very common. A city I would like to return to.

One of the intertesting comments I have heard here is "you can't help it if your father is poor,but you can control if your father in law is!" Cash is king.

And this has been embraced in only the last 10years, Russia truly has accepted capitalism - all the advertising is European cars and cellphones - the two parasites of the west.

Unfortunaley many of the youth here cannot afford healthcare or an education - but they all have cellphones - a growing epidemic of our evolving society.

We are now on the road for three days to St Petersberg, with a ball on the 27th at the palace.

Dad has joined us for 5 days and is on the Spyker today having a blast.

We had drinks at the Australian Ambassadors residence on wed. night.

I ended up taking about 15 ladies for a blast around the block on the Contal - all smiles, it really is the vehicles of choice for maximum thrills.

Resulted in many invites to things in Moscow, but unfortunately we have to leave, one of the ladies was involved at high level with Moscow Circus, real shame to miss her invitation to the circus.

Well that's me, beautiful sunny day on the road, 250km to do today and camping tonight.

Only another 18 days left-all going very fast. Chow.

Christopher

Hi everyone this is from a few days ago as received call late last night from Chris just having arrived in Moscow.

They are sleeping in a unfinished new apartment and as the workmen were still working in the next door apartment with a drill at 10pm Moscow time it was a little noisy for much conversation. Sound happy enough although the last few days have been in heavy rain dodging the truckies.

Gidday there

Quick one to use up internet time.

Meet an interesting guy last night on a ferry that Mick and I took to access some back roads and to get away from main drag that group was taking. He is a Professor of Philospohy at Nzhni Novgorod University (town we are in tonight).

He invited us back to his grandfathers house that he now keeps as a weekend bach in a small village 200km from NN.

He prepared a full tradtional dinner of sausages, omlette, fresh spinach,spring omions and parsley from his garden and a Lean fish soup, finished off with tea (chai) - fantastic meal that was a pleasant change from usual fried stuff.

Interesting man researching gender issues between men and woman in Russia - as you can imagine we just didn'y have enough time to discuss our collective knowledge on the subject so I may need to come back and research further with him!

We headed of about 10pm and did the 50km to camp in under an hour-finally a smooth road. Had time to stop and take photos of incredible sunset over feild of lavender and reeds.

Sun sets at about 10.40pm and rises at about 4.30am, hence why I am only sleeping about 3 hours a day!

Quite incredible - we where in the original tiaga country that the guys struggled through 100 years ago. The people here are so generous and they get very upset when you try to repay them. Cruised into NN this morning and have had a lazy arvo. Moscow in two days - should be great.

Time is now racing by.

Have function with Australian Consulate in Moscow and then Ball in St Petersberg....clothes are now perfectly dirty for the event...who needs a dinner suit! Chow.

Christopher

Hi everyone hopefully this is not a repeat of this update. Chris has had some trouble with the email list over there and this doesn't seem to have been sent to everyone. This is from Thursday of last week.

Hi Guys

Have finally found an internet grey box in western Siberia in a town called Ishin (another horrible grey place with hotels (read - no shower, toilet or running water...and shocking service - gotta love consistency!).

Got in last night at 11pm after a 16 hour day travelling 620km over roads that make the north range road look like a state highway!

Dr John has given an appraisal on my back injury and we are guessing fractured vertibrae with options of fly home or to Moscow or take more drugs, will keep pondering this for another 24 hours on the blind hope that a russian back ferry arrives and cures me overnight....which is exactly what the pre world war two beds are trying not to let happen...the dip in the middle is so back that even a banana would have back issues by morning (not that I sleep with bananas!).

Though two nights ago while camping in the middle of nowhere with 5 million mosi's and several thousand ticks...about 10 local youth turned up at 2am (no one sleeps here) and stumbled over my tent...in my haste to leap out I was not fully clothed - which caused them great ammusement so many photos and mosi bites later I convinced them to leave so that I could get some sleep before our 5am departure.

I am now convinced that Alexi Sayle has been clowned multiple times and released in Russia - they all look the same as he does...the only thing that varies is the different meal and quantity in their mouths! When russians speak to you it is very in your face...when they realise you do not understand them they lean closer and speak louder! Thius also includes a shower of vodka spittal as well!

Russia for me is becoming a love hate relationship-some of the people you meet are horrendous - but service, aggressive, rude, yet others are salts of the earth, and you can meet both types within minutes of the other.

While travelling yesterday we stopped at a cafe that had two caged black bears that where being kept in hideous conditions - the owners did not appreciate the small protest from the small kiwi contingent of world animal rights...and they also refused to serve me lunch!

The next stop was west of Omsk at a cafe at 5pm (please note that I use the world cafe in its loosest sense here as they have a limited menu - alcohol and meat, no comfort, zero customer service and far too many insects in and around the food.

Outside where a bunch of young ladies celebrated a work do...the camera crew decided I should be filmed dancing with them unbeknown to me. So on going back outside I was dragged onto the external dance floor by Marina and Tatiana (both youth alcoholic aid workers) -

I protested but it appears Russian women like a struggle...I lost and now the photo evidence shows me hobbling around a dirt dancefloor alongside a major high with injured back....and then there was the vodka and the request to stay...this country is dangerous.

Anyway great ladies working on a crushing cause as alcoholism is out of control in this country...their youngest client...an 8 months old infant with alcohol dependency and her 18 year old alcoholic mother!.

The dance was the least I could do, and I had to promise to return to next years work do before they would let me lead!

The team dynamics within the expedition will make interesting case studies...I am constantly surprised by the inability of intelligent human beings to effectively communicate plans for a day! But hey, thats why we need consultants right!

The front spring on the Contal broke again yesterday so that is being repaired this morning. Luckily it happened on a striaght road and the 5 large trucks had just gone past.

Last week when it broke the bike took off into the forest at speed, luckily Mick managed to jump off the back without injury!

The Itala has done in its ignition again, as has the yellow De dion.

The blue de dion has damaged its magneto and cracked a radiator. So the mechanical challenges continue!

Another 10 days to Moscow....this country is huge. Looking forward to more encounters with the locals, have been challenged that we cannot live for the next 5 days on no money...ie get everything laid on for us...so Mick and I are considering this...those it may come with the risk of marriage....but I'm pepared to sacrifice Mick for a worthy cause!

Take care.

Christopher

Western Siberia

Apologies for typos in last correspondence - it was typed SMS on a phone travels over rough roads at 50km per hour. Whereas this one has been typed on a russian lettered keyboard so many of the keystrokes are guesses!

More details on > www.pekingparis2005.com or

www.abc.com.au

G'day everyone, It's been bloody hard to find internet access in Siberia, mainly because the place is so much more backward than expected.

The Soviet Union left nothing behind when it collapsed and you're hard pressed to find toilet paper in the hotels, let alone modern technology.

But we're in Tomsk now, a large city that feels a bit less Third World than what's come before it.

Leaving Mongolia was hard because it was such a fantastic country.

After driving out of Ulan Baatar, we were briefly pummelled by a snow storm before emerging again into blue skies and that glorious, wide-open landscape. Unlike the Gobi Desert in the south, the north is very grassy with patches of trees here and there.

We camped our last night in Mongolia beside a river on a small flat in an idyllic spot with a wonderful sunset. Herders rode across to check us out, unselfconsciously riding into the camp and having a look.

A handful of Buddhist monks strolled in and conducted a blessing in our ger.

I climbed the steep hills overlooking our sight and looked out across the valley to the hills a few kilometres away and sat there while the light faded very slowly from the scene. Beautiful.

The border crossing into Russia was a long and complicated process for a number of reasons that resulted in the group being split in two.

John and a few others went on to the night's destination of Ulan Ude while the rest of only made about 100km past the frontier before having to call it quits for the night.

We ended up in a small town that hadn't seen foreigners since an American delegation six years ago. The police offered us secure parking in their compound but when Warren Brown and I took the Contal and Itala there we were held for a few hours.

This was a worry because no one spoke English to tell us what was going on. We joked nervously about getting free accommodation while a solidly built Russian female officer made endless phone calls about us to god knows who.

Then Keith and Louise Brodie turned up after being ushered directly to the cop shop by police who were waiting for them on the road.

Finally, an English teacher from a nearby village arrived; this had been what all the phone calls were about. We quickly had things sorted out and everyone smiled . particularly us.

That night turned into a huge one as we Aussies learned the hard way that Russian vodka is much more debilitating than anything back home.

I was apparently carried back into the hotel with my feet dragging and head lolling by two security guards and was comatose for most of the next day. I've hardly touched the stuff since, but you can't avoid a few shots because the Russians force it on you in their efforts to be hospitable. They kill you with kindness.

Russian roads are the most god-awful tracks you can imagine. Outback tracks are better than the main highways we've travelled and I'm not exaggerating.

The Contal broke a main spring on our second day. Chris, riding solo with me sleeping in the sweep vehicle behind, indicated the need for welding to a Siberian villager who, miraculously, pointed to a house 20 metres away.

We took the Contal around the back and two blokes welded and reinforced the busted spring using a very dodgy stick welder in less than an hour.

Bush engineering at its best. The spring lasted several days before we could get a new one made in Irktusk.

To cut a bunch of long stories short, we skirted the south of Lake Baikal, which is a beautiful place that's still sporting the last of its winter ice as summer begins.

We've stayed in the most shitty hotels you can imagine, from a "resort" that didn't even have dunny roll in the bathrooms to a hotel that not only lacked paper but lacked a toilet seat and shower head, and didn't even have a drain hole in the bathroom floor.

I was robbed of hundreds of dollars by a Russian who walked into my room while I was getting dressed one evening, too, and then endured hours of useless cops.

But there's a magic to the locals that even the worst experiences can't dull.

Chris and I stopped in a village yesterday and ended up being invited into someone's house for tea, which turned into a meal. From this we ended up in a banya, a Russian sauna/bath where you're whipped with birch branches (the leafy bits, not the sticks!) and feel incredibly clean afterwards.

Then we had lunch back in the original house. The family was relatively poor and had been forced into self-sufficiency by economic circumstances in Siberia - there's little work and not many prospects - but they grew more than enough food for themselves, raised pigs, had a milk cow and more.

Inside the house, things were sort of old-fashioned middle class, ie, basic but very pleasant. Their hospitality was extraordinary.

We were lucky in having Kim Traill from the ABC with us to translate (the pay-off being that ABC now has footage of Chris and I with Ivan the retired Siberian steel worker all naked in the banya).

The Contal's steering broke a few days ago. The weak point, the Austin steering arm, snapped despite the support bracket we'd made. It was an exceptionally lucky escape though.

Chris was not in the front seat at the time, I was riding slowly, and the Contal just veered gracefully off the road after I'd already slowed it down a lot more. I bailed out into the soft mud (it was raining) and the Contal tracked past big tree stumps, missed the marsh of fetid water beyond, and rammed squarely into a discarded truck tyre that caught it, softened the blow and saved any damage being done.

It could have been a disastrous event but turned out to be absolutely harmless.

If I was a religious bloke I'd be thanking the Big Fella and spending a long time paying him back.

John meanwhile has had a dream run in the De Dion.

This car was totally untested and unproven before it left Sydney but it's been the most reliable vehicle of the expedition. He decided to trailer a day head to Tomsk a couple of days ago in order to have a rest day and to service the car.

When the rest of us arrived yesterday, the Itala and Spyker weren't running, the other De Dion was in desperate need of some work and only the Contal was reasonably happy.

Hence the rest of the expedition called a day off here but John has driven on ahead while the going's good.

Back in 1907, the Spyker was sent to Tomsk on a train with a dead ignition. In 2005, the Spyker was trailered into Tomsk with a dead ignition. The ghosts of 1907 came to haunt the Itala too - it also has a failed ignition.

Chris and I both have crook backs. Chris hammered his riding up front in the Contal after we replaced the broken spring because the blokes who did the work tightened the shackles so much the suspension was bound solid; the first bump was all it took and he hasn't been able to ride in the thing since.

That was a week ago and he's having a massage as I write, hoping it'll help.

The "Made in America" seat I bought at great expense for the Contal broke again yesterday, and

this time it was a spring that snapped.

The temporary repair has reduced

the spring travel to not nearly enough and 200km of Russian bumps have taken their toll on me. Hopefully it'll be okay until I can find a proper fix for the seat. There's a hell of a lot more to tell you all but I'll leave it at this for now.

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO - What a Ride!"

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7th June, 2005 : Peking to Paris - Christopher Boyle sends another memo. Got to www.pekingparis2005.com . for more details

Gidday. have left Tomsck this morning on route to camp 320km down the road-about 14hours driving.

I am now in de Dion as my back is well stuffed.

Had a small russian woman go to work on it yesterday-she punched above her weight - but not to any real benefit. Every time I tensed up she slapped me!

The Itala is still in Tomsck having its magneto rewound by some bikies (same group we partied with in Irstck) - in 1907 the Spyker magneto also played up here, and Stynus was towed in with burnt out coils so the faults of the original race are plaguing us.

John in the blue de Dion has gone a day ahead but has now split his radiator so we will catch him tonight.

Contal going well with new springs and now a broken seat.

The hard terrain of the Gobi desert is behind us, but now we have the big miles to do each day and I feel the cars are going to suffer mechanically.

There are no comms in Siberia so all this info Info is coming via SMS. My 14 minbute call home late last week cost the best part of Nz1000-wont do that again.

Have no access to emal either. Siberia is a vast land of bogs and forests day after day, a littlesick of it now. While it is very green it has this underlying feel of grey and is very dirty.

Camping out is to run the gauntlet with tics - and I have already had to slice up one of the camera men to remove one - the buggers hang on! Stopped in small village on Saturday- Mick and I and ABC camera crew. Ended up ina baja (sauna) being beaten with birch branches by an old man.

Came out very clean and red - as we had started with a fair bit of vodka on board I had not paid any attention to cameras being present in baja - so I am now trying to negotiate the edited out of my nude body going onto interrnational prime time TV!

The life for these guys is tough - the elders reminise over the loss of communism, The youth embrace the change - but the reality is 95% unemployment, high death rates and large amounts of alcoholism and drug abuse with many of the villages dissapearing.

A very hard life- most people we meet are drunk - even at 8am in the morning, and alcohol dominated the shelves in stores.

Every time we stop locals appear with vodka and trying not to be rude I am normally seeing double within four shots - as no one else will drink with them. Sun is out but it is cold.

After the baja the locals put on a banquet for us and since they found out I had no children they rounded up every available girl in the village meet me - the translators would not tell me what was happening so after much more vodka and home brew I was confronted with the risk of being kept captive.

The farewell was long and involved much kissing and tears and chapstick!

I am now wise to these tricks!

We are third of distance in time and km's.

Time is going very fast but it also feels like I have been doing this forever. 40kmph is not fast but just the right speed to see it all!

Talk soon. Christopher

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Peking to Paris re-enacted

www.pekingparis2005.com

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28th May, 05 - a reminder of what these guys are riding!

The Contal Tricar Replica

Good morning all, you can get a brief update on www.abc.com.au ,

then go to abc online, there search abc online for peking to paris.

At 6am Saturday morning the reports are only up to Wednesday. If you have a real time player it may be possible to get the daily report made by the abc correspondents with the expedition. bpb

27th May, 2005

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> Hi everyone from Donna about Christopher Boyle's epic trip!

> I received a quick phone this morning from some place in Russia.

Yesterday > the Contal, Chris, Mick ( the other rider) and tail end support crew were > held for 8 hours crossing over from the Gobi Desert into Russia.

This has > left them about 250km behind the rest of the group.

The country side > shows > the ravages of the many wars that plague these areas.

The villages are > all > behind multiple locked walls. The vehicles are locked in the Police > compounds over night to insure continued transport the next day. >

> Chris, despite having had last nights food laced with something not so > good, > seems in good spirits, however Mick Matheson is very poorly this morning. >

> He is not sure when he will be back in contact, but I will email when I > have > any further information. ----------------------------------------------------------------->

> "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving > safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in > sideways, champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other, body > thoroughly > used up, totally worn out and screaming, > "WOO HOO - What a Ride!"

19 May, 2005 Hi Guys - day 4 of journey just completed.

Now in a hotel called Saihan Kaiyuan Hotel in a town 100km east of the Mongian border.

Today was a 10hour day and very cold under clear blue skies.

Yesterday we drove through a 120km 4 day traffic jam in north western China with over 10,000 trucks on the other side of the road.

Lots of street hawkers on bikes in the middle of nowhere selling noodles and beer to truckies who have been out there stuck in these jams for days.

The roads are in terrible condition with holes that will swallow a car if you ventured into one.

The trucks all try to make up ground on each other by overtaking up to 4 abreast, and obviously the speed of the Contal catches them unawares (we have had it up to 70Kmh but very unstable) - at one stage yesterday we where on a downhill run and the contal got a considerable weave going as we had removed the suspension damper as it had twisted and locked the suspension rigid - so I was trying to slow it down before it flew!

Stopped when three trucks decided to have a go at each other on the uphill towards us.

Our only path was through a very large hole on the shoulder of the road, so with the rear wheel locked (which also gives no comfort as we keep shearing off the calliper mounts on our only brakes on downhills) - the trucks would not budge and somehow we got between the truck and the hole (hitting the hole was not an option as it launchs the trike into an out of control two wheeled weave).

Mick and I both said a couple of quiet thanks.

I still struggle with the corruption here, we have to keep paying more each day for officials of each govt and minders to accompany us.

We are be constantly shadowed by the army in survelliance vans albeit antiques.

We gave them the flick today by faking a brake down and then shoot up a side road behind a village. Ended high in the hills in a quarry with some excavator drivers so made some friends- handed out hats!

The film crew also wanted us to recreate some off road footage so with onboard microphones and camera we set abut recreating the efforts of Pons from 98 years ago - the body is still suffering from the experience.

I put the film director on the front of the contal for 50km so he could create the documentary having experinced the hardship! We stopped in a small village 150km west from Jiling and ended up in the kitchen of the local motorcycle dealer eating my army rations from Prepared Foods - simply fantastic and a much needed change of diet.

After trading t-shirts with the owner, playing some pool and drinking a beer - all outside we headed off.

Great people and a pleasant change from the Govt people! The town we are in is at 1500m and is heavily influenced by the Mongolians.

Tomorrow is a big day into mongolia, may get held at border. The next five nights are camping through mongolia in Ger's - yehah. Hopefully it will be warmer.

Take care and check out www.pekingparis2005.com for updates.

Christopher -------------------------- Christopher Boyle Ph +64 21 434614

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Well the day has finally arrived - the start!

6.30am departure from the Kempinsky hotel down to the original start place for the 1907 event outside the old Italian Consulate in the centre of town.

The first dice with the traffic of China - thankfully whilst crazy they are not agressive.

The ABC camera crew led the way doing there best to clear the way with Peter on the Yamaha motorbike travelling back and forth up the arcade shouting directions.

The offical start involves some local beauty queens and a lot of typical chinese hype.

The journey today is along the freeway for 50km and then a rapid climb up onto the Mongolian plateau.

The climb will be step enough to test the 12bhp De Dion Butons, with John contemplating overheating problems and a trip in the trailer for the 1912 blue car.

The 8km to here in the Contail was a surprising comfortable trip with only one major bump that has confirming my need for life long membership of a chiropractic society!

Stay tuned for more as this thingarmer.

Take care and check out www.pekingparis2005.com for updates.

Christopher -------------------------- Christopher Boyle Ph +64 21 434614

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Well the day has finally arrived - the start!

6.30am departure from the Kempinsky hotel down to the original start place for the 1907 event outside the old Italian Consulate in the centre of town.

The first dice with the traffic of China - thankfully whilst crazy they are not agressive.

The ABC camera crew led the way doing there best to clear the way with Peter on the Yamaha motorbike travelling back and forth up the arcade shouting directions.

The offical start involves some local beauty queens and a lot of typical chinese hype.

The journey today is along the freeway for 50km and then a rapid climb up onto the Mongolian plateau.

The climb will be step enough to test the 12bhp De Dion Butons, with John contemplating overheating problems and a trip in the trailer for the 1912 blue car.

The 8km to here in the Contail was a surprising comfortable trip with only one major bump that has confirming my need for life long membership of a chiropractic society!

Stay tuned for more as this thingdka and trying not to be rude I am normally seeing double within four shots - as no one else will drink with them. Sun is out but it is cold.

After the baja the locals put on a banquet for us and since they found out I had no children they rounded up every available girl in the village meet me - the translators would not tell me what was happening so after much more vodka and home brew I was confronted with the risk of being kept captive.

The farewell was long and involved much kissing and tears and chapstick!

I am now wise to these tricks!

We are third of distance in time and km's.

Time is going very fast but it also feels like I have been doing this forever. 40kmph is not fast but just the right speed to see it all!

Talk soon. Christopher

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Peking to Paris re-enacted

www.pekingparis2005.com

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28th May, 05 - a reminder of what these guys are riding!

The Contal Tricar Replica

Good morning all, you can get a brief update on www.abc.com.au ,

then go to abc online, there search abc online for peking to paris.

At 6am Saturday morning the reports are only up to Wednesday. If you have a real time player it may be possible to get the daily report made by the abc correspondents with the expedition. bpb

27th May, 2005

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> Hi everyone from Donna about Christopher Boyle's epic trip!

> I received a quick phone this morning from some place in Russia.

Yesterday > the Contal, Chris, Mick ( the other rider) and tail end support crew were > held for 8 hours crossing over from the Gobi Desert into Russia.

This has > left them about 250km behind the rest of the group.

The country side > shows > the ravages of the many wars that plague these areas.

The villages are > all > behind multiple locked walls. The vehicles are locked in the Police > compounds over night to insure continued transport the next day. >

> Chris, despite having had last nights food laced with something not so > good, > seems in good spirits, however Mick Matheson is very poorly this morning. >

> He is not sure when he will be back in contact, but I will email when I > have > any further information. ----------------------------------------------------------------->

> "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving > safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in > sideways, champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other, body > thoroughly > used up, totally worn out and screaming, > "WOO HOO - What a Ride!"

19 May, 2005 Hi Guys - day 4 of journey just completed.

Now in a hotel called Saihan Kaiyuan Hotel in a town 100km east of the Mongian border.

Today was a 10hour day and very cold under clear blue skies.

Yesterday we drove through a 120km 4 day traffic jam in north western China with over 10,000 trucks on the other side of the road.

Lots of street hawkers on bikes in the middle of nowhere selling noodles and beer to truckies who have been out there stuck in these jams for days.

The roads are in terrible condition with holes that will swallow a car if you ventured into one.

The trucks all try to make up ground on each other by overtaking up to 4 abreast, and obviously the speed of the Contal catches them unawares (we have had it up to 70Kmh but very unstable) - at one stage yesterday we where on a downhill run and the contal got a considerable weave going as we had removed the suspension damper as it had twisted and locked the suspension rigid - so I was trying to slow it down before it flew!

Stopped when three trucks decided to have a go at each other on the uphill towards us.

Our only path was through a very large hole on the shoulder of the road, so with the rear wheel locked (which also gives no comfort as we keep shearing off the calliper mounts on our only brakes on downhills) - the trucks would not budge and somehow we got between the truck and the hole (hitting the hole was not an option as it launchs the trike into an out of control two wheeled weave).

Mick and I both said a couple of quiet thanks.

I still struggle with the corruption here, we have to keep paying more each day for officials of each govt and minders to accompany us.

We are be constantly shadowed by the army in survelliance vans albeit antiques.

We gave them the flick today by faking a brake down and then shoot up a side road behind a village. Ended high in the hills in

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