Some have asked that I include a picture of the splendid bouncy castle that I mentioned yesterday. It really was spectacular so I have bowed to their wishes, though the pic only shows about half the ‘castle’. I had intended to take more pictures in the morning but it had been deflated, sadly.

Figure 1 The silver item on the left is a propeller driven plane. There are trucks and steam engines and lots more….

Figure 2 The view from our hotel dining room in Ufa

We had a good drive across the Urals to Ufa. The day started with a trip to the local racing circuit where Mike surprised the organisers with one of the faster times. Since the Bentley isn’t really designed for race circuits, it is a testament to his driving skills.

 

Then probably the most scenic drive so far through what could be the Alps except much longer and wider. The Urals really are beautiful, though (at least at their softer Southern fringe) less rugged than the Alps and much less so than the Pyrenees.

 

Ufa is strangely unknown for a city of over a million inhabitants. It is the Muslim capital of Russia and the capital of Bashkortostan. The population is largely Bashkir and most road signs are in Bashkir as well as Russians. It is the Muslim capital of Russia and there are some splendid mosques including the as yet unfinished Al Rahim Mosque which dominates the city as you enter it from the south. It apparently has as a relic a hair from the Prophet’s beard.

Figure 3 The Al Rahim Mosque in Ufa which dominates the skyline as you enter the city from the south

We booked a garage early and ended up being sent to the local Toyota dealership. The men there seem quite excited to be working on analogue rather than digital and seem to be doing a great job, though only made possible by Mike’s planning – they didn’t have brake hose but he had and didn’t have a flaring tool but he also had. He also explained how you can only bleed the brakes with the car jacked up so the wheels are off the ground as they have to be turning for this to happen.

 

So Mike is in the garage getting the car fixed while I’m writing. Doesn’t quite seem a fair division of labour….

Figure 4 Moonlit madness

Mike’s artist wife Rowena (see https://touch.facebook.com/smallhythestudio/?__tn__=%2As-R )  has been inspired by this blog to paint her imagined scenes from the rally. The one above, called Moonlit Madness, was inspired by Mike’s 50 km drive through the night in the desert in Mongolia with no brakes. It captures the uncertainty about where to go. Arguably it is easier to drive without brakes at night because at least you can’r see what you are missing…..

 

Mike and Doug are fundraising for the Harinder Veriah Trust.  It provides essential equipment and tuition to enable the poorest of pupils to attend the Assunta School in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. It is a worthy cause and particularly close to Doug’s heart since his first Cub Scout Bob-a-Job week aged 6! The brothers have been supporting the school ever since. To donate or find out more please follow this link: https://www.gofundme.com/7hf8j-peking-to-paris-2019