Thirteen on the Thirteenth

Is the Thirteenth a good day to start an Overland journey when the truck has Thirteen passengers?! Time alone will tell. I can never forget the day that I was made redundant: Friday the 13th of October 1989, when my life changed immeasurably for the better... No more 9-to-5s for me, thank you very much!

The passengers onboard Dragoman's truck 'Giselle' are a good mix, though rather older on average than one would usually expect. From the the original group that left Dover on the 17th of March, there is just me, and trip-leader Jay. Warren and Jan, who joined the truck in Xian after a mixed itinerary through Indian and Pakistan, are still on board. We have all spent the last 15 days in Beijing, waiting for the new passengers to arrive. All are now here - a mix of Brits, Canadians, Australians, and an American.

I really enjoyed Beijing. It is a fascinating city, though very spread out and rather difficult to get around, as mentioned previously. I got a lot done, though, both looking around the city and onlnie, sorting out the new maps and photos that I hope you have all has a look at.

We are now in Datong, having had to catch the train from Beijing, to meet the truck which had been stranded here. The train trip was excellent, and very interesting - I am really glad that we were able to include it.

I am just posting this little Blog to let everyone know that there is little likelihood of internet access in Mongolia, so if you don't hear from me for a month or so, don't be surprised. Ditto Facebook Friends. I will update this, and that, when it is next possible!!