We have decided to get out our comfort zones and compete in the Mongol Rally, the lofty task of somehow 'rallying' from Goodwood racetrack to Ulan Batur, the capital of Mongolia this Summer for the Christina Noble Children's Foundation. 

As the crow flies this is a shade over 15000km, practically a third of the circumference of earth...

What sets the rally apart from other excursions are some key limitations, our method of transport is our Ford Fiesta packing a whopping 1.3L engine. This makes the whole experience more interesting, as we will be travelling through central Asia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia being the most inhospitable....possessing some of the worst roads in the world on thin little tyres, relying heavily on our Ford engineering skills (non-existant).

We are also going without any type of support and only a theoretical route.... At first we know where we are going, through the tunnel to France, Belgium, Germany, then through the Czech republic, maybe a bit more of europe (to find some more absinth), and on further into Eastern Europe..... The route starts to get cloudy as we hit the Ukraine and Russia. Then who knows once we get onto a dirt/sand track in a mountain range or desert... We will just head east. (i'm superglueing a compass to the dashboard at Goodwood). We only have one definite destination along the way, the Pamir highway in Tajikistan. This is the second highest road in the world (6000m), we thought we would add chances of altitude sickness into the mix! Have a look at one of the bridges we will tackle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHyDtXdiI2g  

We are expecting some novel border crossings along our trip and will be stocking up on vodka and cigarettes in a big way before we head off to bribe our dodgy Russian friends!

We would be very grateful for any sponsorships, we have a whole car to plaster with stickers, flashing signs, someone suggested fur to keep us warm........ anything you can think of....  this will feature in any publicity we get, definitely a possibility considering our convoy to the channel tunnel and our route through Europe. 

Our target at the moment is £1000, we are so grateful for any donations. We are also donating the Ford when we arrive in Ulan Batur.

Thank you for reading! We look forward to showing you what the hell went on after we get back, assuming we do get back  ! 

From the Christina Noble Children's Foundation:

The Christina Noble Children's Foundation is an International Partnership of people dedicated to serving underprivileged children with the hope of helping each child maximize their life potential.  Our programmes in Vietnam and Mongolia seek to protect children at risk of economic and sexual exploitation, while ensuring these and other children in need have access to basic care and educational opportunities. The programmes include: emergency and long-term medical care, nutritional rehabilitation, educational and vocational training and job placement. This is accomplished within the context of the family and the community whenever possible, and always with love and respect for the dignity of each child as an individual.

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