Fjord Riders and Team Bilnor are now all back in Sweden and Norway.

You can download our film which is 90 minutes long. It's lots of action and with subtitles in English. Samples from the movie can be seen on youtube.

You'll find the torrent file for downloading in the Media pages. You will need some kind of bittorent client. The video is downloadable in two versions: One .iso (4GB) for burning on DVD and one XVid.avi (700Mb) for less quality. Please have some patience as my computer is not connected 24h/7days.

Today our plan was to shortly visit Timbuktu and then leave south because nobody seemed to be able to pay for the Lada, but as we now are in the end of the world things change very quickly. We start the day by getting a guided tour around centre ville of Timbuktu which has a very interesting history. The day is also spent with dealing our car with the Timbuktu mafia which are a bunch of young guys flashing with their mobile phones and claiming to be the friends of Ari Behn (prince of Norway) while he was writing his book here in Timbuktu. They also try to get customers for our car but after seeing quite a few we realize that Timbuktu is not a good place to sell the Lada. People here are very poor and we don't want to just dump a quality Lada for nothing. It feels a bit sad anyway since here in Timbuktu we for the first time in Africa meet other Lada Nivas. At least two of them. In the afternoon we are on our way back to the hotel but we are suddenly stopped by the police. It shows out that we miss some paper for the car and the police want us to pay a fine of 80 Euros. Since they also refuse to give us a receite for the money we do not pay the fine and after a long time at the police we manage to escape but still without the papers in place. We suspect the mafia also was involved in this. Now there is a problem with clutch in the car... This day never ends and we find a good mechanic that help us but the problem is still obvious. We are not very keen on driving from Timbuktu when the car is like this but as a sudden all things change. The police arrives and they obviously regrets trying to fool us. The papers are now in place, maybe because we claim to belong to the big race of Budapest Bamako. The chief of the police don't want to be associated with corruption since we are claiming to take the case further. Just a few minutes later the military arrive and it show out they are both willing and able to give us the 1500 Euro we want for the car. 40 Minutes later we sit in the hotel writing contract and the Lada Niva is sold to some generals of Timbuktu. After the deal is closed we quickly arrange our departure which will be at 4'o clock next morning. Getting out of the city after making this car deal seam like a smart thing to do and tomorrow we will be on our way back to Bamako. This is the end of the story of Lady Lada Niva as we now it and hopefully it will serve well her in Timbuktu.

Today we start the day with trying to update the website in Douentzas only internet cafe (internet by sattelite) but since Douentzas electricity is coming from a local diesel aggregate and since this is not at all stable, I give it up after some time. Instead we visit some of the 15 Norwegian missionaries living and working in Douentza. At noon we start our trip to Timbuktu and it is a long piste with hard packed sand. The best thing to do is to keep a steady 80 km/h and almost fly over all the small bumps. A quite fun drive that last for some hours until we reach the Niger river. Here we have to take a boat and we are lucky to get on the first one that arrives. We pass some hippos in the water but they are quite shy and not very easy to catch on camera. Well in Timbuktu the same thing happens as allways when we come into a new town. Lots of people start following us on their mopeds and try to buy our car, guide us or get us into one of their friends hotel. It is quite tyreing to have so many people shouting and trying to get your attention but we have become quite used to just ignore all opinions and just do what we want.

Next morning we continue on the track and pass lots of villages again before we arrive in Bandiagara. After some food we continue a litle track going in to Dogon Country. The Dogons are very proud of their roots and living close to the nature. They are hard working farmers and during our trip we are impressed of all the women and kids working in the fields. The nature is an incredible mix of dramatic mountains, dry sand, rivers and green irigrated fields. The Dogons themselves are a mix of muslims, christians and animists and there is lots of holy places and interesting history to learn about them. That is why we get a guide to lead us through. A guide is essential to get the background and not do the wrong things, e.g. walk on the holy places. We spend a two day walk in Dogon wih our nice guide and we also se lots of the Tellem Villages that are build high up in the mountains. The Tellems are not here anymore but they used to be a people of pygmees living in small caves in the mountains. They were a strong and mythic people and the Dogons believe they might have been able to fly (or at least use some magic powder to climb in the mountains).

On the second day we leave our guide and continue the journey through Dogon Country with the Lada. We pass some really hard off-roading in the mountains, driving on steep roads and through a rocky piste. When we reach the plains we spend the rest of the days driving trough villages and tons of soft sand. We visit a market and it is fun being with the friendly Dogons. They are always smiling and waving to us. In the evening we reach the last big city before Timbuktu.

This day we were planning to go Timbuktu but in a spontanous moment we decide to take a little track heading into the mountains of Dogon. We pass a lot of small villages and many woman are decorated with earrings. The landscape is incredible beautiful and the villagers seeme to be very productive. Everywhere there are people working on the fields or building houses or making bricks from the mud. There is quite a lot of water here so the vegetation is beautiful with palm trees and nice rock formations. When the dark comes we suddenly realizes that we are on steep cliff and we decide to spend the evening and night there. It is incredible to be out in the nature with only the light from the moon and the stars while cooking some dinner on our stove. To bad we already exchanged our tents in Bamako for different souvenirs but anyway the mosquito nets is all that is needed.

After leaving Bamako we use two days two arrive in Djenne, where the famous mud build moske is situated. We have to take take the Lada on a little riverboat to get there and the town itself is really nice and beautiful. It is not a lot of tourists here even if we meet a few. When driving in a car there is always lots of people coming up to you and many people want to buy the car. We spend the night in Djenne and enjoy the village life.

After a couple of days in Bamako it is now time for a some adventures. Morten, Håkon and Öystein is going home while Aasmund and me are going to take the Lada up to Timbuktu. We are also planning to visit Dogon country.

Today we arrive in Bamako!

We found some guys in a garage who could use our suits so now the race is over for us. Fjord Riders lives on. The Niva has managed extremely well in difficult terrain and in sand we have the lightest car to pull out when stuck. We have not followed the race route all the way. It is no fun sitting, eating and living in your car all day when you are on a trip like this. The days we have really done the whole etape we have arrive at two, three in the night and then the start is at seven the next morning. This is nothing for Fjord Riders and we have done excactly what we wanted to do, this also have included some very nice off-piste driving.

Now we are trying to sell our car and it seems to be a little difficult to sell a Lada in Africa. Let us hope for tomorrow. It is by time the Africans discover this little wonderful car!

Today we gradually leave the Sahara Desert and enter the Sahel steppe. It is still a lot of sand but vegetation and dry riverbeds increase in numbers. There are animals everywhere and one have to be very cautious when driving. Mules, camels, cows, goats are crossing the piste with no warning. With more vegetation there is also more settlements. During the day we pass a lot of small villages. Some places there are lot of kids waving and asking for gifts but we finally stop at a very small village where people are very calm and and curious. They seem to be very happy to receive paper, pens, reading glasses, soap, disinfection and other small items that we bring. We are now in Mali navigation gets very confusing. In the end we are completely lost. All bigger tracks are gone and we are passing riverbeds and rocks until we are totally stuck. We ask for direction several times but all roads seem to end nowhere or they split up in tiny tracks. After some nice guys hang on the Lada and show us out of the area we finally reach the bigger track and in the dark we slowly move closer to the first city of Mali. There we meet Team Bilnor who already had some food and are ready to continue. Morten and me are totally finished so we find a small Auberge where we have som food and a bed.

This was a long day and some really nice desert driving. We start of quite Ladavise by two times having to stop for repairs of the cooling system. A good thing that we brought some extra hooses so we can replace the once that are leaking. Since we are a big team driving together Bilnor, Fjord Riders and Dusty Fox we manage to repair the Lada very effective and by noon we actually are doing quite well in the competition. Somehow we finnish with our repairs just in time to reach every geocache after all the others have been walking round searching for some time. We can just follow the others and tick of the points. Anyway the drive for competition quickly dissapear when we get out of the desert and see the open sea. We decide to skip the rest of the point and take a bath. Fresh and cold but well deserved. After bathing we drive on the beach and further through the chaotic traffic of Noukachott.

This day we also stop a few place to hand out some small gifts too people living in small tents along the piste. It is really a shaking experience since the people are really desperate and way too poor. It is not fair. Their are screaming and dragging us desperately. After giving a football, some shoes, pencils and papers and glasses its getting too difficult and we continue the route with a tear in our eyes. Anyway I have to point out one thing: before this race I felt a bit concerned about driving a rally in one of the poorest countries in the world, as we would only play around in their country. But by giving some things it feels a bit more ok, we also pay alot to lokal salesmen and someone have said that the Budapest Bamako make about 2% of the tourism in Mauritania. Also when the rally drive by people are quite fascinated and interested in what we do. I think people here see us as adventurers and not only as tourists.

Life in the Lada is like being in a running garage. There is allways something to fix. The last days we have changed the coolingbelt fixed the doorlook and the windows in addition to the leaking hooses and the change of the gearbox. Everything is breaking down but everything is also repairable.

Today we drive into Mauritania. Most of the day is spent to get through all the different offices to get all stamps and papers ok. It is chaotic and a bit difficult to understand where to go and in which order. Slowly we progress and after getting out of Morocco we drive through "no mans land". Here is a lot of mines along piste. It is important to not get of the tracks. We manage fine through the soft sand and arrive at the Mauritania border. Here is a new round of offices and after giving away some tea and Euros we are free to go. We go to Noahdibou and its a very poor city. Chaotic and real African. On this picture you see another Lada Niva friend while crossing into Mauritania. To the left is a proof of how dangerous this place can be. A wreck of a car which hit a landmine.

Western Sahara. This was also a long day with mostly paved roads. We had a few geo-challenges and one of them took us down to the beach. It is fun to drive the Lada in sand. Our Swedish friends in team "Dusty Fox" swam out to a shipwreck where the geo-challenge was supposed to be hidden but they didn't find it. We see some United Nations camps and a lot of morrocan military. In the entry of every city there is also a police checkpoint where we have to show our passports and give some information on our trip. In the evening we reach the campsite south of Dakhla. Tomorrow we will cross the border into Mauritania. It will be a few quite hard stages into the desert.

Today Team Bilnor wanted to do the off-road piste while Morten and me stayed on the paved roads. We had a nice and calm day and we spend some time in a market and went out to see the old ruins that was made for "Star Wars I". In the evening we cached up with the cars who made the off-road track and Team Bilnor is happy with their day. Today we all sleep in a big camp. It's a nice atmosphere as the last beers and Hungarian spiritousa is passed around. Finally the temperature is comfortable even in the night and we all sleep well in our tents.

This morning we drive through a harsh and stony desert. There are many rivers along the piste but the rivers are not like the ones we are used to in Norway, - filled with running water. Here, it is water maybe once a year during rainy season. For the moment there is no water, only humid earth. Here and there there are a few persons, one is stuck with his moped, empty on gasoline. Others are caring for their donkeys, camels or goats. We stop a few times to give them some water, bread or olives. These are natural gifts in this harsh environment and also what they ask for. After passing the stony desert we arrive in an area with oasis. There are palm trees and small villages along the route. We pass Forum Sgid which originally was the campsite for yesterdays etape. We are now some hours behind the rally but no worries, we are here for the adventure not for the competition. Today both me and Morten and Team Bilnor are happy to take time to stop a few places and spend time among some people not only in the car. We eat kebab and buy some supplies as dates and tea.

Today is the first real African day. We meet at 7 o'clock an when the start is set some cars quickly disapear into the desert. Some take this race very seriously. We are not in a hurry en already at the first village we stop to have a little break, buy some bread and water. In the beginning of this day we have some really rough terrain. Big rocks and bad tracks. The funny thing is that while we are humping and bumping around in our 4-wheel drives we meet local trucks that come with their cargo. No problems there. We pass lots of different terrain, a river and lots of sand. Sometimes the sand are soft and we have to deflate our tires. After some time we get a good momentum and pass many difficult sand pistes. Along the route we have to stop at some checkpoints and write down the letters we find there. Navigation is always incredible difficult as there are many small roads in all directions and we all the time has to follow the GPS. Its really not easy and we get lost many times. After passing an old forgotten village we pass a field of dunes. Its an adrenaline bomb and all the time you have to care to have good speed to get over the small sand dunes. Since we are many cars we help each other pushing when we get stuck and it feels like a little miracle when we arrive at the other side. The Lada manage extremely well and even better when we deflate the tires. On the other side of the dunes we come to another river and with some recognition we find a place to drive through. It is becoming dark and we still have a long way to go so in the end we decide to take a guide. We are very near the Algerian border and with 200 km left to the next city we think its the best solution for us. This day was maybe one of the most exciting days of my life. With the beautiful scenario and the thrill of driving in dunes I am hooked. Its hard work but an adventure like nothing else.

The border crossing into Morocco goes remarcably smooth and after changing some money and filling up the gasoline reservoir we head south. Our first impression of Moroccan driving etiquette is positive. People want to help out and show us the way. We are driving through some beautiful sceneries in the Riff-mountains and later the Atlas. The temperature slowly decreases as we are climbing higher and higher. At the top we are at about 2000 meters and we are in a snowstorm! Late in the nigh we arrive in Merzouga which is the first real desert in Morocco with sand dunes. We find a really beautiful hotell/kasbah here and enjoy a nice berber dinner. Thanks to Morten skills as a salesman he quickly get friends with some berbers and soon our take is full of friends. As the evening passes the bargaining continues and Morten is very appreciated. He is trading like real Berber and for them this is a way of life and great fun. At two o'clock in the night the deal is set and We buy a used but beautiful, indigo Touareg chache for Knut. In return they get a Budapest - Bamako t-shirt 50 Dihram (5 euros) and a bottle of Pastis.

This is a day with a really long route and quite some pressure to come in time for the ferry from Almeria to Nador in Morocco. It's not a very interesting day and be now we are quite borrowed with higways. Things change a bit when we drive through spain and the further south we go the crazier the trwcukdrivers behave. They drive their 8 tonns truck like thy where a normal car and one have to really watch out on the road to avoid accidents. In the end it turns out to be a real race to reach the ferry and the last three ours our GPS tell us that we will be there 5 minutes before the boat leaving. No problem with spannish time and when we finally sit on the ferry we enjoy some well deserved beers. We are on our way to Africa.

Today we are waken 9.30 by Team Bilnor calling us on our cellphone. They are already on their way into France. We are still sleeping io the other side of Italy, one country and 5 hours behind. This is also obvious when we start driving since we spot no other cars of the Budapest - Bamako race. A few hors later when arriving in France we get our hopes up again.

The other cars have probably done some geochallenges in Italy today and we slowly starting to catch up. We reach Montpellier at around 24.00. Tomorrow will be a long day.

At 7.30 we meet at the Heroes Square to load some of our charity items into the bus designated for this task. Team Bilnor has brought some really big boxes with hospital equipment and even the Lada had room for a computer and some medical equipment.

The Budapest Bamako is a big event in Hungary and all people we meet have heard of the race. Lots of people also come to wave us goodbye this freezing cold morning. Morten and me are very happy to dress up in our Fjord Riders driving suits. The suits has shown to be not only nice when its cold, but also quite functional when driving the Lada, which any minute might need some attention.

While driving out of the starting area we are given the race-sheets which tell us how to earn some points in todays etape. After stopping one hours to get our video eqipment up to date we head for the challenges and it show out to be really fun. The coordinates we have been given take us into some nice offroad terrain. Actually it is very hard to find the places since the route given by our GPS not always is possible. After finding one of the geocahes and failing on two we decide its enough offroad driving for us and go to get some gulasj at a small restaurant. It taste delicous.

Bresica in Italy is supposed to be the finnish of this etape, but since we are in Slovenia we decide to have a nice dinner in Ljubljana. Because of the dinner we are now a bit behind schedule and since the Lada is not really a car made for paved roads, the speed is quite slow. We are now about 5 hours behind the other competitors, but this will soon change when we reach the desert.

This has been an adventures day, and we are now sure there is some kind of "Lada Good" up there who look after us.

Also we now know that driving a Lada in Hungary was not a bad idea. The mechanics we find here are some real eastern european masters of improvisation. After one hour our gearbox is down on the floor and a new one is loaded out of a truck. While Morten and me enjoy ourselves with screwing apart the old gearbox a new one is carefully fitted into our Lada. Several of other problems is also solved meanwhile, and like a little miracle we are back in the game. Half a gearbox and a lot of experience richer.

We are now in Budapest and the Lada is parked at the square where the race will start tomorrow at 9 o'clock. We have been out drinking lots of bears and all the Norwegian teams have met for a real Norwegian "nachspiel" at our hotellroom.

Tomorrow the race start and we head for Bamako.

Shit, the worst nightmare is happening.

Only 120 km from Budapest in the middle of the night Lady Lada Niva gives up. 5th gear fall out and all kinds of strange sounds start filling the cocpit. Soon all gears are crazy and we finally manage to park next to a shopping mall.

It's freezing cold and we are preparing for a sleep in the tent when two policeoffisers show up and give us a lift to a hotel. Tomorrow we will either have to fix the gearbox our self or we have to find a garage that will do it. This has to happen before midnight because then we will have to be in the big square of Budapest for the start of Budapest - Bamako. By the way, rumors say that Team Bilnor now are at their hotel in Budapest and ready for action.

What a beautiful start of the adventure of Fjord Riders.

At three o clock in the night we arrive in Prague. We are visiting an old friend of Knut, - Kristof and his girlfriend Vendula. Even if he Kristof is supposed to be at work at 8'o'clock next morning he and Vendula greets us welcome and we stay upp all night drinking lots of snaps

Next morning Vendula takes us for a sightseeing and we see the wonderful buildings of Prague. Its freezing cold and it doesn't help that we only brought summer clothing. Its supposed to be warm in the Sahara.

Thank you Kristof and Vendula for a really nice time and see you next time!

Tuesday night Morten arrive in Malmö together with our friends from Team Bilnor. On wedensday we leave for Budapest, a journey that does not start very well:

Morten and me decides to go in front while Team Bilnor still are running round in Malmö buying snus (Swedish kind of chewing-tobacco) All Norwegians do this when they come to Sweden, but since the Lada is not a fast car we think they will catch up later. This never happen and after several wrong turns of both the Fjord Riders and Team Bilnor we finally end up in two different ferries going to completely different places in Germany.

That is the Last we have seen of Team Bilnor...

"Lada is a name of a small, fast sail boat, typical for the river Volga, where the Lada-factory is situated. The Lada-boat goes back to the vikings, who used to colonize the slavic territory by coming from Scandinavia through the place where St. Petersburg is today. They where using the vast inland waterways of Russia for trade and soon took over the language, religion and some habits of the slavs but they where actually the founders of the first statehoods that eventually became Russia. As a funny detail of this history and the traveling vikings, the cars made by Rover in England and the ones made by VAZ/Lada in Russia have about the same little ship as a logo. "

With this background history you now knows that the Norwegian Vikings again explore the world in their Lada, this time in the name of Fjord Riders.

Suddenly I realize that we are only one week from leaving while the to-do-lists still are long as the road to Budapest. On top of this the engine suddenly started overheating yesterday.

The weather in Malmö is not very nice at the moment. One day it is raining, the next days it is freezing cold. Anyway things have to be done and since I have no garage they have to be done in the streets. I am really looking forward to leaving this behind and getting warmed by the sun in Sahara.... - knut

During Christmas holidays I am visiting my parents in Norway. The Lada serve as my skimobil. - Knut

Our Lada is now almost ready for the road. Today we got our Visas and numberplates.

Today I went with South Swedish Offroaders to Tomelilla to participate in some real offroad driving. They said that this track was an easy one but for me it was quite challenging. At least it looked quite impossible when we arrived. The Niva had no difficulties and after three rounds I felt as safe as can be. I managed to destroy a bit of the exhaust system but hopefully it's easily repaired. I have uploaded some pictures to our media library. -knut

Fjord Riders are now on googlemaps. During the race we will upload waypoints and you can follow us day by day. To have a look just click on the map above.

Today our Lada got an important update. Radio, speakers and a casette-deck is now installed. What a feeling. I am so looking forward to cruising the desert with Øystein Sunde in my ears...

Our friends in Team Bilnor buy a Toyota 4Runner. Team Bilnor consist of the brothers Åsmund and Håkon Bie Aalvik and Øystein Andrè Lègdene.

Both Morten and me have completely fallen in love with the russian car Lada Niva. Its a real car. After some searching we find a nice one made in 1997. Russian quality at its best, we hope... At least it looks very good.