Imagine exploring new worlds, touching unfelt emotions and pushing dreams to reality.

 

Imagine unseen views, reaching secluded areas in an unforgivable nature.

Imagine a massive adventure, real, rough and tough.

 

Imagine melting with different cultures, tasting religions, exchanging smiles and building friendships all around the world.

 

Imagine, driving a 25 year old Toyota Landcruiser around the world.

 

EXPEDITION - ROAD OF BONES

 

TEAM:

Roman Giger - ‘81 - Switzerland

Ward Claes - ‘85 - Belgium

 

EQUIPMENT:

Toyota Landcruiser HJ 60 1985 - Heavy duty model

220 liter dieseltank

40 liter watertank

2 solarpanels

4 batteries

aircompressor

2 person rooftent

recovery equipment

(handwinch/sandboards/hi-lift jack/...)

 

MISSION:

To drive from Malaysia to Russia and back to Switzerland.

Main goal on this trip is to drive in Siberia, where The Road Of Bones will be the ultimate test for vehicle and drivers.

 

ROUTE:

Currently we are in southeast Asia and heading up north which will lead us on an adventurous journey to Cambodia, rural Laos, all across China and straight through the Gobi dessert in Mongolia.

 

After completing The Road Of Bones in Siberia, both ways, our journey will continue along the old Silk Road trough central Asia where we will cross the high altitude mountain ranges of the Pamir, Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Himalaya. The Silk Road will then take us to the hidden treasures of the old Persian empires in Iran and Uzbekistan.

 

We will leave the Asian continent and enter Europe traversing oriental Istanbul.

After crossing the Balkan states we will reach central Europe and finally arrive at our endstation in the heart of Europe... Switzerland.

 

The entire journey will take approximately 50 000 km and will bound us to a nomadic outdoor life of 12 to 18 months on the road.

 

THE ROAD OF BONES:

The Road Of Bones is also known as the 'Kolymsky Trakt' or Kolyma Highway. This defying 1825 km long dirt road connects Yakutsk with Magadan and is the most eastern road possible to drive in Russia.

 

Two towns by the road, Tomtor and Oymyakon claim to be the coldest inhabited place on earth outside of Antarctica

In the surrounding area temperatures reach 42C (108F) in summer, but drop to -70C (-94F) in winter. This part of Northeastern Siberia is one of the less-known and less-visited places in Asia.

 

The road was constructed in the Stalin era of the USSR by the inmates of gulag camps from 1932 until 1953.

It is treated as a memorial, because the bones of hundreds or thousands of the people who died while constructing it were laid beneath or around the road.

 

The road was in a state of disrepair and is not traversable by standard road vehicles because of washed-out bridges and sections of road reclaimed by streams. During winter, frozen water actually helps river crossings.

The main mode of freight transport into Magadan has always been and still is shipping. The main mode of passenger transport is air travel.