London to Mumbai by Road 2016 – Revisited
Day 17 – 13 September 2016
Laughter, Long Roads and New Friends
The day began with one of the funniest moments of the entire journey.
At around 7:00 am, Dayal headed to the nearby filling station in search of toilet facilities. Finding a restroom completely empty, he happily went inside without giving it a second thought. A few minutes later, as he emerged looking refreshed, he was greeted by a long queue of ladies waiting patiently outside.
Only then did he realise his mistake.
In his sleepy early-morning state, he had accidentally walked straight into the ladies’ toilet!
The expressions on the ladies’ faces said it all. Meanwhile, poor Dayal’s face turned several shades of red. With his head lowered in embarrassment and without uttering a word, he made a rapid retreat back towards the motorhome while the rest of Team Kontiki laughed uncontrollably.
It was certainly one way to start the day and gave us all something to chuckle about for many miles afterwards.
After breakfast, we resumed our journey eastwards across the vast Russian landscape. The days were now settling into a familiar rhythm of driving, fuel stops, meals, and more driving. Our priority was to make steady progress because our Russian visas had strict validity dates, and we needed to exit the country on time.
The distances involved were enormous.
By lunchtime, we stopped at another filling station where we prepared a simple meal of fried chapatis accompanied by tinned patra leaves that we had brought with us. It was another reminder of how useful it was to carry supplies from home while travelling through remote regions.
The afternoon was spent covering more kilometres through seemingly endless stretches of countryside. Russia’s sheer size was becoming increasingly apparent. Roads stretched towards the horizon, villages appeared and disappeared, and mile after mile rolled beneath Kontiki’s wheels.
At around 5:00 pm, we stopped at a service area to refuel and stock up on supplies. It was here that we had an unexpected and enjoyable encounter.
While browsing in the shop, we met three friendly young women who were fascinated by our motorhome and curious about our journey. Once they learned that we were driving all the way from London to Mumbai, they bombarded us with questions about our route, where we had come from, and where we were heading next.
For almost half an hour we stood chatting and sharing stories. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and encounters like these reminded us how travel creates connections with people you would otherwise never meet.
As evening approached, we continued driving until we passed a small town and found a filling station with ample parking and good facilities. It seemed like the perfect place to spend the night, so we pulled in and parked up.
It had been a tiring day.
The constant driving was beginning to take its toll, but we knew there was little choice. To stay on schedule and ensure we exited Russia before our visas expired, we would have to continue covering long distances for several more days.
After spending so much time cooking in the motorhome, none of us felt particularly inspired to prepare dinner. Instead, we decided to treat ourselves and visit a nearby local restaurant.
The decision proved to be an excellent one.
We enjoyed a delicious meal of chicken in rich gravy served with rice, which tasted even better after a long day on the road. It was a welcome break from our usual campsite cooking routine.
Back at the motorhome, we rounded off the evening with a little “fire water”—Bacardi and Coke—while reflecting on the day’s events. There had been laughter, new friendships, long roads, and good food.
Not a bad day at all.
As we settled into bed, the kilometres to Kazakhstan were gradually decreasing, Kontiki was performing beautifully, and Team Kontiki remained in high spirits.
Tomorrow would bring another long day on the road, but for now, we were content simply to enjoy the adventure.
Distance travelled: Another long day across Russia
Location: Somewhere east of Moscow, Russia
Night halt: Filling station parking area
Highlight of the day: Dayal’s accidental visit to the ladies’ toilet and meeting three friendly local girls at a service station
Dinner: Chicken gravy and rice at a local restaurant
Evening drink: Bacardi and Coke
Join us tomorrow as Team Kontiki continues its journey across the endless Russian landscape, racing against visa deadlines while heading ever closer to Kazakhstan and the next stage of our epic London-to-Mumbai adventure.
