If we told you that we were going to Mongolia you would most likely wish us farewell and happy travels. But. What if we told you we were going to drive to Mongolia in a car we swapped for no more than a tube of toothpaste with no navigation, no assistance and no clue?
Well. In 2016 we (Tom and Libby) have set ourselves the daunting task of achieving this. The event is known as the 'Mongol Rally' and it seeks to raise money entirely for charity
The Mongol Rally has very few rules.
Rule 1 - Small and Unsuitable - This applies to the car, the car can be no faster than a 40year old tortoise with a 1ltr engine capacity and its not compulsory but should be purchased with spare change. After all, an adventure is only an adventure when things go wrong. Where in the name of Uranus would the fun be in cruising 10,000 miles in a 4x4? If you look at the car and think; "That is the right car for crossing a desert," then we would have got it badly wrong.
Rule 2 - On Our Own - That's right, we are totally on our own, from the minute we start our travels we are entirely dependant on our lack of self dependance and need to do some fast growing up. With just a map and a compass for direction, getting to dover will be a challenge.
Rule 3 - Save the World - Seems only fair that by having this mother of all adventures we give something back. So in order to take part we must raise a minimum of £1000, half of which is donated to the 'Cool Earth' charity and the other half goes to the charity of our choosing.
With these rules clearly laid out it makes a trip to Mongolia seem like an impossible task. The car is specifically selected to make the rally tougher. It's no fun if it's too easy. If we wanted easy we would save and go for a spa weekend.
With a small and unsuitable car, we're more likely to break down (and ourselves) so we're more likely to interact with the locals, so we can remind ourselves we're alive without jamming a fork into our eyeballs.
What do you need to do?
Give as generously as it see's you fit. As stated the event is entirely charitable and not a penny goes on getting us there, we have to find that money and do what we can with it.
50p, £10, £100... whatever you have will make a difference to the massive efforts going into these organisations for many years to come.
Where does the £5300 get spent?
It costs the three hospices £16,000 A DAY! to run and care for the children at EACH. This is a monumental figure and with your help we hope to pay for a days care and upkeep at the Milton Hospice which costs £5300. There is huge efforts that go into keeping this hospice running and with one more day paid for by you, it allows every child at the hospice get the 24 hour care they need and deserve.
Why 2016?
Yes it's a long way off but this year was fully booked. Saying that, even if we could have gone in 2015 we wouldn't have. The time from here till departure will be spent raising money, planning the route, buying the car and contemplating why the hell doing it.
