Mongolia Charity Rally 2008
Extract from the Mongolia Rally 2008 website:
10,000 miles of pot-holes, bandits and dodgy suspension…
Oh, and it’s all for charity
The Mongolia Charity Rally is a pan-continental drive across five mountain ranges, two deserts and more barren and inhospitable lands than you care to shake a gear-stick at. Starting in London, the final destination is the capital of Mongolia, beyond the Gobi desert, Ulaanbaatar.
On 5 July 2008 teams will set forth to the sounds of a traditional Mongolian Naadam festival in the heart of London, complete with fermented mare’s milk, some fine music and a crash course in traditional Mongolian wrestling and archery. Once off the island the road is your shepherd – you could choose to take in the delights of Poland, Ukraine and Russia, or boldly point your vehicle in a southerly direction towards Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Whichever road you take, you’ll be faced with a wealth of makeshift mechanics, border bribery, mutton kebabs and pure unadulterated adventure, before passing into the realms of immortal glory at the finish line in central Mongolia.
The Challenge
Starting from London, the rally finishes in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar around four weeks and a whole heap of adventure later. It’s between about 8 and 10,000 miles depending on the route you choose. We don’t believe in telling you what to do or where to go as this is supposed to be an adventure not a cosy guided driving tour, so the world is pretty much your oyster. To get to the end teams have gone as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as Afghanistan on what can only really be described as somewhat circuitous routes. What happens to you between London, the deserts, mountains, bandits and wilderness is anyone’s guess. In a normal year just over half the teams make the finish line in one piece.
If you want a full support crew (or any support crew) you’re in the wrong place. If nothing goes wrong, then everything has gone wrong. You only start having fun when you break down in the desert with only a short stick and some chewing gum to fix your car. If your automobile completely lets you down and all else fails, e.g. the sky has fallen on your head, you may be able to get to Mongolia by scabbing a lift from other cars. However, you are supposed to be on an adventure not in a nursery class so if the sky does fall on your head, prop it up with a windscreen wiper and carry on. If you’re worried, stay at home.
What’s The Point
The world is just a little bit too safe. Gone are the days where the edge of the map called you forth to discover what lay beyond – satellite maps and GPS have it laid out before you leave the armchair. What if you want things to go wrong? What if you want a bit of unknown in a world full health and safety measures? What if the words “adventure travel” conjure images of old ladies on a guided tour to Everest base camp with all the danger and real adventure neatly removed? What you need is the Mongol Rally.
Imagine yourself in the middle of the gargantuan Kazakh desert, your car slowly being shredded by the dirt track your map says is a motorway, completely lost hundreds of miles from civilisation with no back up crew to rescue you. Just you, your wits, your increasingly brown pants, a car that the laws of physics say shouldn’t have got you past Peckham Rye and a slightly angry looking man with a gun.
If this all conspires to make you think, “my goodness that’s a terribly silly idea” the Mongol Rally is probably not your cup of salted Mongolian tea. If, on the other hand, you think “hang on by gad, that’s exactly what I need” you’ve found your calling, so read on to find out what we’ll be doing this summer.
Our trip is completely self funded, any money we raise through sponsorship will go directly to the chosen charities. We are raising money for Save The Children, The Battery Hen Welfare Trust and Cancer Research UK.
