They bought an old clunker for the remaining trip. It was much cheaper than paying a cabbie for the eleven-hour ride, and the seller didn’t ask any questions. Shortly after dawn, they took off in their rusted vehicle, headed northwest for a small town called Hatgal.
The terrain required slow and careful driving, with mountains, desert land, coniferous trees, and wildlife popping up unexpectedly at every turn. When they saw another vehicle, half the time it was too big to fit on the road with them, so they had to pull over to let it pass. Heavy trucks raced down the street at dangerous speeds, and there were a surprising number of pedestrians, who used the byway to get around on foot. They carried heavy packs. Without sidewalks, a misstep or distracted driver could easily result in a fatal
