The officer who outlined some of the road rules

Ready for the sight test

We arrived in Tianjin, China’s fifth largest city and major port for Beijing. Weather cold and there’s lots of smog but the signs of spring are evident; the trees showing snaps of green foliage, pink and ceruse blossom is in bud and the magnolias starting to bloom. 

 We commenced” the process” to get us on to the road and we underwent  “the body examination” as a precursor to gaining our driver’s licences. Thankfully this examination involved; firstly having our photograph taken, and then having our height and weight recorded and presenting for a sight test.

 The next step was to present our medical report at police headquarters and a very helpful policeman outlined, in a very formal and  lecture like manner, the rules that we should abide by when driving in China. He was very explicit that drink driving would result in imprisonment and following police instruction was the highest order. He also indicated that road rules change across China’s sixty three provinces. Fortunately we only drive through thirteen provinces and now we all have official Chinese driver’s licences.

 Luckily, we have Queenie our government approved guide to help us with the process and along the way we are learning a few lessons

Lesson One: if you lose your way in a big city hail a cab, give the driver the address and your vehicle  then follows the taxi to the destination. No need for a GPS with this method.

This was aptly demonstrated by Queeenie when she and the driver lost the way to the hospital. Queenie hails from Chengdu so like any tourist she has to interpret the map and may not have all the local knowledge, but with this fail safe”hail a cab” method I am sure she’ll get us where we need to go. 

Lesson Two: when presenting for the medical, to obtain your Chinese driver’s licence, it is a good idea to wear your glasses in the photograph.

This eliminates the need for the sight examination. That was a real bonus for some of us as we didn’t have to use sign language to indicate which way the Chinese characters were placed. And for “moi” less than six twenty vision in the left eye could have presented a problem.

Lesson Three: should you consider a road trip, like we are doing, make sure you do it in a group, with a reputable guide and bring mounds of personal paperwork  with you. Ken’s scanned birth certificate arrived as an email attachment so hopefully we have all the paperwork now.

These processes would be unmanageable if you were on your own but with the help of our guide and the good will of the officials we meet today the process has begun.

Next : release of cars, car registration and clearing customs but that’s for Wednesday.

Also a bit more paperwork if you know what I mean!!!!!

Staff ready and waiting for us at Tianjin Hospital

The boys at Ad & Sal's wedding

The journey has begun as we have departed Melbourne unlike many other travellers whose travel arrangements have been so affected by the consequences of Icelandic volcanic eruption. Meeting up with some of the group confirmed that they, too, were pretty tired after a week where our plans seemed to be evolving at a rapid and challenging pace. But the good news was that we could fly out, so suck it in as they say!

On Friday we were notified that we needed to bring additional personal documentation including our birth certificates. This created a dilemma at our house as we couldn’t find one certificate and that resulted in $250 fee to engage a someone  to source the certificate and to get it  to us in Beijing by 8am Monday. The copying and scanning to ensure we have multiple copies of everything has taken days but hopefully we have the piles of paper to verify who we are and to demonstrate that our   intentions are good

So after months of talking, hours and hours of emailing and even some slumber time, dreaming, things are moving.

With the end in mind, the chairman of the Abingdon Works Centre of the MG Car Club, UK informs us that Abingdon Market Square has been booked for our arrival on Sunday 18 July. The organisers are anticipating there will be more cars than the square can hold so the gathering will spill over to the meadow along the River Thames a lovely setting for a picnic. Sounds like a perfect end to a long and dusty journey…here’s hoping!

The end is always about returning to family and friends as travel always makes the heart grow fonder in terms of feeling so thankful. Thank you to our  family who had to put up with “manic Mum” for the last couple of days; trying to decipher what was required, to manage skype, the blog,   the cameras and the downloads to name just a few of the obsessions which took on monumental proportions of time and head space; as well as trying to leave happy puppy dogs, a tidy house and neat garden.  The positive vibes, the traveller’s stone for direction and clarity, the hugs and the yummy food plus the plans for our return and excitement of meeting our soon to be born grand daughter  certainly point us  to the end.   

What do we know about the beginning? We arrive in Beijing today  and will be met by Queenie, our guide. She has a tight timeline for us for the next few days. We have to go to the vehicle bureau for a vehicle licence and then have a personal “body examination” a precondition to gaining our driver’s licences. To do this we have to go to a hospital. We hope to have customs clearance and licences by 21 April so we can start the drive.

So the end and the beginning have a bit of shape……………..

Newsflash: The Icelandic eruption has had implications for our team as we have just learnt that Madeleine  is stranded in London. She was to fly from London to  Beijing to start the drive with us. Fingers crossed she will get to Beijing ASAP. Hang in there Madeleine.

Would you believe Benjamin Bunny, Peter Rabbit and Mr Jeremy Fisher are in the case!

You’ll never guess what. When I went to finish packing my case Young Benjamin Bunny, Peter Rabbit’s cousin, and Mr Jeremy Fisher were hiding deep down, under my polo shirts.  They had decided to join their old friend Peter Rabbit and get out into the big wide world and meet some new friends. Jeremy Fisher has spent his whole life in England, amongst the buttercups at the edge of the pond. He is sick of eating butterfly sandwiches, minnows and roasted grasshoppers and he wants to try some different chow.

Young Benjamin Bunny is over trying to escape Mr McGregor’s clutches and he wants a bit more adventure in his life. He’s likely to lead Peter Rabbit out of his comfort zone because he is much braver, and some would say sillier, than Peter. Benjamin is still dressed in that tam-o-shanter and he  has the pocket handkerchief which he took from the scarecrow. I do hope old Mr Bunny, Benjamin’s father and old Mrs Rabbit, Peter’s mother know what these young devils are up to, because I’d hate them to worry!

It’s getting exciting. The passports are back. The emails have been flying in all directions as we try to tidy some loose ends and ascertain who is doing what. Tricky when you have always been independent travellers; but now we are part of a group of twelve, however we will manage and at the end of day share a laugh.  But that’s the untold story for a much later blog.

You will be aware that sadly there has been  an earthquake some 1000 kms from our intended route. The good news is that the first four vehicles have arrived and  should be processed (whatever that means) for us on Monday. We are hopeful that the two Queensland vehicles are not far behind.

I completed the Defensive Driving course on Monday. I am pleased to report that I already exhibit some defensive driving skills, that is, I drive SLOWLY (some of my friends and colleagues won’t believe that), leave a car’s distance between my vehicle and others,  sit up and close to the steering wheel holding it at “the quarter to three position”, but sadly my ability to slam  on the brakes  and to stop on a twenty cent piece and then redirect, saw me as a complete failure. And I was driving an automatic! I experienced a high level of anxiety and confided to the instructor that I was, probably, too old and my reactions were too slow compared to most of the gen Xers and Ys  in the class. It remains to be be seen whether or not much of what I learnt apart from ”expect that other drivers will make mistakes and assess your options to avoid or minimize the situation” will apply where we are going.

In an attempt to cover as many contingencies as possible and to compensate for my shaky navigation skills we have purchased a gadget so that if we lose sight of the other cars  “the lovely Karen’s voice” will guide us  to our destination. Seemed to work OK on a trial run around here at the weekend but programming in the many provinces along the route could be another challenge.

Last purchase tomorrow is a power board to charge up all the bits we are carrying. Just hope we have packed all the necessary and compatible electrical leads as I’d hate to have to revert to handwriting.

I’d never heard of Nanhui and I am still struggling to find it on the map of China. It is a district near Shanghai, I am told. What’s so important about Nanhui you might ask? For those who are planning to follow this journey on the MG Gold Coast Car Club website you’ll know that Nanhui is the home of MG China and Longbridge the home of MG United Kingdom. So for the MG marque, a convoy of six classic MGs driving from Nanhui to Longbridge will truly be an historic feat; something that has never been done before and will hopefully go down in the annals of MG history. Along the way the team is looking forward to meeting up with members of the MG Car Clubs in Europe. They will drive with us for part of the European leg.

For Dave “the master mind” behind this adventure to start and finish at these important MG sites is at the heart of the experience. The symbolism frames the journey. He is absolutely committed to MGs.

For some of the other adventurers the journey itself is everything. Just getting through and experiencing life on the road is what it is about. There are plenty of examples of small groups driving a similar route but in most instances they are in four wheel drives or equivalent. The Peking to Paris which features classic and vintage cars will set off on a similar route in September but that event is actually a race with a variety of different vintage and classic cars.

Our convoy consists of one MGA and five MGBs. One MGB soft top and four MGB GTs.

MGBs were built from 1962 to 1980. In 1965, the MGB GT was added to the range. The MGB was the world’s top selling sports car of its era, the first to reach half a million and the top British sports car of all time. The MGBs toughness and reliability is reputed to be  suited to long distance motor sport. Let’s hope this still stands true.

Matt  at the MG Gold Coast Car Club  has just about completed linking Simon’s vehicle satelite to google earth. So this means if you are   interested you  can follow the route we are taking and see it all from “a bird’s eye view” without  any of the shakes and rattles which  we will be experiencing and with a bit of luck you’ll see Nanhui and Longbridge too!

We signed on for this adventure as we didn’t want the “white bread” travel experience. Let me tell you we are getting “value for money” in terms of the challenges we are confronting and we haven’t even left!!!! First it was the cars and now it seems,  at the Stans travel agents suggestion, we may need to re-route our journey. That’s an “untold story“for another place. Then, this morning’s radio, a news flash indicated civil unrest in an area we travel though. YES, we are registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and YES  we are undaunted with emails and phone calls discussing strategies to beat Murphy’s Law!!! If there is a  way around these minor obstacles then it will be found…so hold on and watch this space!!!

With nine days to go we are still waiting the return of passports so at this stage all that we can do is check to ensure that as much as possible is covered. Family and friends know that when we travel we are pretty laid back in our preparation and packing. We usually pack a few hours before departure. We aim to travel with one small case each and take a change of clothes. We figure we can buy or access any of our needs wherever we go.

Preparation for this experience is DIFFERENT. I have spent more time checking, gathering bits and pieces and thinking about a variety of contingencies than ever before. Packing up to live in New York, for two years, was easy compared to the exhaustive list of “must dos” for  this journey.

Just hope everything has been covered…….we have car documentation, shared spare parts, carnet de passage, car insurance, an extensive first aid kit full of antibiotics and medications, international driving licences, medical/vaccination statements, visas, maps, summer and winter clothing and it all fits (WE HOPE!!!) in the tiniest of cars, …anything else?????

Extended travel and time away from family sometimes creates personal dilemmas.  For us this period  on the long drive will coincide with the birth of our first grandchild, a little girl due on May 11, 2010. We had already committed to the trip when we were told the exciting news. I considered flying back around the due date but at that time we will be heading into Kazakhstan and beyond.  I weighed it up and decided that Ken needed a navigator as we will be driving a right hand drive vehicle in countries with left hand drive. The navigator will be the one who has clear visibility and makes the calls in terms of passing and over taking.

Peter Rabbit will join us on the trip and will be photographed savouring the highs and lows of the journey. When we return home he will be the key character in a book for our granddaughter, “Peter Rabbit along the Silk Road ” Seems corny and clichéd but there you go and should you see a cuddly Peter Rabbit in a photograph then you”ll know what it is all about!!!!!

The best laid plans have certainly gone astray in freighting the cars.

Would you believe that the four Victorian cars are on the container ship to China  whilst the two Queensland cars were left on the wharf in Brisbane despite clear instruction that it was imperative that these cars were shipped with the four cars from Victoria. The Australian freight company responsible for shipping was very apologetic and indicated that “the shipping company had short shipped the 40′ ex Brisbane and would re-schedule it to the next vessel.” Dave claims  the ship’s captain instructed “No more! The ship is too heavy” just as the stevedores were about to load the container with the two MGs onto the ship!

This meant Dave’s car, RIP and Ian and Denise’s car, were to be  rescheduled to the next available ship and would arrive on the same day that we were to arrive in China, April 18. It was still possible that we  could all start driving together.

However a follow up email received yesterday indicated  a further delay of three days at the Australian end  due to an investigation into the death of a stevedore in Sydney.  The new estimated arrival is April 19. It remains to be seen how long it will take to complete all the processing of these later arrivals but it is obvious that the cars won’t be ready to start the drive as originally planned.

I assume this means the two Queensland cars and drivers will now have a delayed start and with another guide. It is so disappointing for Dave, Dan, Ian and Denise as they were the lead drivers and initial participants in this adventure. The four Victorian cars will probably head off as planned and it is not clear when the catch up will occur.

Dave continues to be upbeat saying “We are not sure where that leaves us now but one thing is for sure – we will be the first MG’s to drive from MG China to MG Britain, EVER, no matter what obstacles are put in our path”.

Just wonder how we will go shipping our cars home from the UK in July. We intend to bring the cars back to Australia in keeping with the terms of the Carnet. There is no point selling the car in the UK as MGBs are very cheap there. Furthermore,we could be very attached to our car as HOPEFULLY,  it will have served us well!!!!

What will become of the car once we get home?  Guess our little red vehicle, having served us well  will become  part of Ken’s stable, along with the E type and MGTF.

I have been thinking we should name the car…..maybe “little red terror” but that’s not politically correct is it, so …………put your thinking hats on!!!!

Two weeks to go and we are still awaiting the return of our passports……..fingers and toes crossed!!!

Ian and Denise's 1977 MG - B is waiting on the wharf in Brisbane!!!