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Old 11-22-2008, 07:49 AM
BlueGerbil BlueGerbil is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Germany
Posts: 89
November 08-10, 2008: From Berlin to the border of Belarus

On Saturday we totally rearranged the loading of F1 and F2 at our accommodation in Berlin. Berthold Wolf, our partner, whose rooftop boxes were at good services for us while loading the material, was also present. What would Matthias do with all of the equipment if he did not have the roof boxes?! In the end, Berthold also attached a spare-windshield on top of the roof box of the F2 ? we will still be able to use the Pacwolf-boxes without restrictions. Awesome!

Our first and at the same time our most important stop on the way to Poland was Frankfurt/Oder. There, we received 3,000 liters of bio-ethanol. The refuelling of the tanks worked out smoothly. This was definitely our last bio-refuelling stop before we reach Alaska! Within three hours all available tanks in the Jeeps and trailers were filled up by using our own hoses and pump. Peter Ren?, our camera man, was forced to take an unintentional bio-ethanol shower. He would have had a hard time to explain himself if he had gotten into an alcohol check afterwards ? his jacket smelled like alcohol as if he had already celebrated an extensive vodka-party in the early afternoon.

Around midnight we headed on our way towards Warsaw. During a spontaneous break, F1 and F2, along with its sleeping crew, were standing peacefully next to each other in a parking lot of a polish supermarket for two hours ? a much needed time-out for everyone. According to plan and after a smooth drive, we reached Warsaw early Monday morning.

First of all: Thanks to the fantastic preparations by the German Embassy in co-operation with Hoch-Tief, our stay in Warsaw turned out to be a thoroughly successful experience! Early, but with a prosperous start: Matthias had an appointment with the Polish breakfast TV, at the Rondo Onz ? the building in which the press conference, banner exhibition and the presentation of our vehicles was supposed to happen ? that was a perfect fit. It was the best location, great atmosphere and high focus on the project. During the press conference, outside, our vehicles drew the attention of the pedestrians. After our contacts in Warsaw signed the cars, we had made plans for photo- and film-shoots in the city. The once completely destroyed but true-to-original rebuilt, wonderful old town is world cultural heritage for a reason. After visiting the castle courtyard and the old town market, the final view from the cultural center above the city was a highlight. We would like to specifically thank the German Embassy and Hoch-Tief for this exceptionally well prepared day.

On the way to Minsk there was another challenge waiting for us: There should be a trucker-story for the expedition-book at the border to Belarus. ?The long wait? is the working title for this chapter. Unfortunately this actually became our motto for the next 24 hours. First, a Polish border official refused to let us continue our journey to Belarus, with the reasoning that our vehicles and its trailers were too big. The second try to pass the border crossing ? which was prepared by our team in Limburg ? was just as difficult. Suddenly we were told by the Polish border officials that Belarus definitely will not allow us to enter. Pressure and stubbornness of the Polish border officials caused us to find an alternative possibility to cross the border. Thus we decided to try the border crossing for trucks. With this, our Tour de Force just started. With lots of patience and after negotiating for three hours, Matthias succeeded in ensuring our way out of Poland. Despite that the German Embassy and our team in Limburg clarified all formalities beforehand, the A.T.A. Carnets ? forms that are supposed to make the customs clearance of our equipment easier and faster ? again and again became our crux. The processing of these bulky forms required a lot of time. In this case they were the reason for almost 17 hours of nerve-wracking waiting and back-breaking discussions. Finally, the German Embassy set the process in motion: If it were not standing up for us against the highest level of the Belorussian government agencies, the special authorization for the expedition would have taken even longer. With the best intentions and well-prepared, we reached the Belorussian border ? afterwards we drove to Minsk, tired and one day later than planned.
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