Off-road maniacs go east
Bieluga 2006 is not just an off-road expedition. It is the second part of an adventure and information project initiated last year when a group of off-road enthusiasts drove 10,000 kilometers through the most fascinating regions of Ukraine and Russia - Krasnodar Krai, the Caucasus and Kalmykia - all this with a mobile press office on board of one of their top-class 4x4s sending news in real-time to hundreds of journalists in Poland. The 2006 edition of Bieluga will lead around the Black Sea, through Moldova, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Syria and ending in Istanbul.
"The idea has a history many years long. With Penetrator automotive club we took part in expeditions to Siberia, we transported humanitarian aid to Georgia or Polish school manuals to the Crimea. That's when we got to know the region and the people," says Przemysław Maciążek, co-organizer of the expedition. "Bieluga is the fruit of these experiences. Our aim is to combine a top-quality, extreme adventure with the popularization of these countries through our informative projects," he adds.
Organizers are still enrolling new participants, but because of the extreme conditions only very experienced drivers can join. For Michał Rej, vice president of Dagomed-Pharma - producer of homeopathic drugs, off-road is a way of life. Every year he spends some 2.5 months on different expeditions. Next week he starts his two-week-long journey through the Australian desert and in July, for the second year in a row he will join Bieluga.
"This expedition is not just about wallowing in the mud. It gives an opportunity to see the beautiful wild areas that probably in 10 years' time will be covered with concrete buildings. A car or a motorcycle are the only means of transport that can take you there," Rej says. He can go on for hours about his off-road adventures - struggling through the Gorgany mountains or getting stuck in ruts in the middle of nowhere.
Taking part in off-road expedition is not a cheap pastime. According to Rej, preparing your car for an expedition consumes some zł.80,000-100,000. Then there is an enrollment fee, which in the case of Bieluga, a non-profit expedition, amounts to zł.20,000 per driver-pilot team. Finally, participants have to foot the bill for food and petrol costs. Accommodation is usually your own car or tent and one can't count on taking a hot bath at the end of each eventful day. But those who have experienced the adventure say it's worth giving up a week of hygiene for an adventure you'll remember for the rest of your life.
