Overlanding to Australia: Part 13
Haydon Bend finds himself alone in Phnom Penh , South East Asia, as he gets the Land Rover in tip-top condition, but not for long
Haydon Bend gives the dependable Defender muchneeded TLC while wife Me-an raises more funds
When you return to a crazy, cool city like Phnom Penh after taking four months off from travelling, it makes you realise why you have just worked your arse off saving to continue this amazing journey we have enjoyed – and are hoping to enjoy for the next 12 months. The stark contrast in cultures is amazing and a feast for all of the senses.
I'm solo at the minute as Me-an is back home at the coal face getting one extra week in, while I flew ahead to get the Defender ship shape. It feels strange to be travelling alone, especially in this part of the world, and I do miss my wife (and Asian tour guide).
But I get by okay and arrive at the hotel with all my bags and the spares that I need for the next few days working on the Defender. I arrive in the heat of late afternoon and put off going to see the car until the next day.
Leaving it here was harder than you might realise, as our car is our life during this trip and we have trusted a garage on the other side of the world to look after our home and means of travel. Not forgetting that the car and all our possessions are impossible – that is too expensive – to insure, so there was quite a lot at stake.
I oversleep due to jet lag, waking up at 09.00 am and get in a motorbike chariot and head to the garage. I arrange for Peter, my chariot pilot, to pick me up at 5.00 pm and withhold payment until the end of each day. Peter is happy with this arrangement as he gets a guaranteed $7 a day. This will be my commute for the next few days when conducting the running repairs. I sit back with my large coffee and enjoy the cabaret that is South East Asian life on my way to find the Defender.
Sure enough she is parked where we left her some six months prior to taking a train and bus journey from South to North Vietnam (as foreign vehicles were not allowed). We also had a short stop in India to ride some more trains for 2000 miles or so before returning back to the UK for a while.
Half a year on, the Defender is covered in dust and cobwebs and looks magnificent, like something out of Indiana Jones. I survey the condition of our car and all appears well. Door open, key in and – pow – it fires up first time.
Over the moon, I skip with glee and go to have a chat with the bloke who has been keeping an eye on her. I tell him the plan for the next few days and he offers me the use of the garage car lift for my repairs when it is not in use.
Over the next few days my life becomes a hot and sweaty wrestle with many of the consumable parts underneath the car that have perished, including bushes and ball joints. The lift seems to be in constant use, so most of my time is spent on my back with sweat in my eyes, wiping oil and grease across my forehead.
The work gets done, apart from an issue with the drop steering arm. I bought a replacement ball joint kit for the arm but it isn't going to work as the arm has worn to the point that it won't hold the component parts of the new joint correctly and needs replacing.
I haven't prepared for this and don't have a spare. Luckily the garage does and I speak to the boss about fitting it. I enquire if they have the correct Land Rover puller needed to remove this part, which is notoriously difficult to get off. Of course they do, he tells me. Perfect! I carry on with doing work to the rear of the car, happy to pay an expert $7 an hour to swap this part.
We start work at 08.00 am when Kong, a 28-year-old qualified mechanic, turns up. We have a conversation as best we can about the job in hand. I get lots of smiles and yes after yes. Perfect, I carry on with my work.
An hour passes and he seems to be getting on well. I'm aware of some banging and tapping but don't want to interfere. He keeps returning to his workshop and getting different pullers and bigger hammers. At this point I realise they don't have the Land Roverspecific puller. With all the hitting and pulling that has been going on, I'm thinking that the part must now come off, as I'm not sure of the integrity of the original part even for a shortterm bodge. I have a look and notice all the questions that I had asked previously – and which got all those smiles and yeses in response – actually meant nothing.
He has been using the incorrect puller and has made a mess of the thread on the steering box. I haven't done this job before, but I did watch a Youtube video the night before, so I am well aware that it is a difficult job – hence my questions before commencing work.
For the next two hours, as midday approaches, we wrestle and pull and reengineer the existing puller to be able to fit it correctly to give it an even downwards pull. Once we were pulling in the right direction, off she popped. My first thought is for the threads of the shaft. The retaining nut is scrap, but the threads on the shaft and the splines look okay and just need dressing. If not it would have been an epic job. I'm not even sure what would have been involved, but one thing is for sure: there would be a wait for the parts. We reassemble the steering with track rod and steering damper and have it all back together before 5.00 pm, as Kong promised.
This little mechanical adventure has given me a better understanding of the different levels of workmanship. I don't mind doing the simpler and more labour-intensive jobs myself as I learn as I go and do enjoy it. However, I still face the dilemma that if something serious and complex goes wrong you have to trust someone to do the job as I don't have the skills or tooling to be able carry out the work myself.
This said, do you really want open heart surgery on your car in a developing country? It's a tough call and something we will have to weigh up when in Australia where the level of workmanship should be of a better standard – and the price will definitely be higher.
As I get the work done a little ahead of schedule, it gives me time to do some extra research ahead of our planned crossing into Thailand and down to Malaysia.
Thailand's rules changed a few months back while we were on the road. The first change came when we needed to cross from Laos to Thailand. At that time it was unclear if we would be able to obtain one of the new permits as we may have been classed as camper van, which were being excluded from obtaining a permit. We managed to secure the permit and crossed without issue.
At that time there was rumour of a guide/ chaperone being required in the future and sure enough that has now came to fruition. For a two-day crossing of Thailand, not taking in any of the sights, it has been quoted that we should expect to pay £1000 – far from ideal.
I now await the arrival of my good wife and we may roll the dice.
“Half a year on, the Defender fires up first time – I skip with glee”