THE ULAANBAATAR or BUST BLOG

uuch-laa-rai bi…ruu zov yavj bai-na uu Ulaanbaatar. “Excuse me; am I going in the right direction for Ulaanbaatar?” 

Well we have done the easy bit; we have committed to the 2013 rally. Why would we do this you ask…it’s all about taking on a real life challenge, and in the process of an adventure, raise serious money for those less fortunate than ourselves – our charities.

The Ulaanbaatar or Bust Blog will be used to keep everybody updated on our progress in preparing for the rally. You can see a number of question marks on the front page of the flyer; these will be replaced with information / links etc., as we progress. 

The Basics

We drive a low powered very small un-modified car from the UK to the Capital of Mongolia. It’s around 16,000kms, depending on the route we decide on. There is no support and we have to arrange everything including route, navigation, permits, accommodation and visas. When we get to Ulaanbaatar the car is auctioned off and the money raised goes to charity.

Team Name(s)

Although we intend to enter the rally as one team, to comply with the event rules we have to enter each car as a separate team. So we have two team names. Although our plan is to complete much of the event together, there will times when we will drive separately.  

Team: - “The Wombats Khan” – Neil and Jo Seabrook wombatskhan@gmail.com 

Team: - “The Kanga’s Khan” – Ian and Ruby Thompson kangakhaan@gmail.com 

Charity 50% of the charity money we raise will go to a charity that we choose; the other 50% goes to the Mongolian Rally Charity – yet to be decided for 2013 (the 2012 charity is Lotus Children's Centre Charitable Trust ).

We are identifying an Australian based Charity, and hope to have one selected by the end of this month. 

Along with raising cash, we will be delivering many seemingly obscure items to us but essential  items to those less fortunate, for example; prescription glasses to communities along the route.

We will be running a number of events through the year to generate money for our charities and raise sponsorship to complete the challenge.

Fund Raising

Having to fund an event like this entirely on our own is not something we have a great deal of experience with, not only do we have to purchase the cars, we have to budget for food, accommodation (tents), visa’s, flights, fuel and equipment.  Not to mention things like insurance – you have an accident in the Gobi desert – you are on your own for the vultures!

We are working on around $30,000 per team for the trip.

We have started generating funds already, Neil and Jo now delivering the Local Community Newspaper to 520 homes every Tuesday night, this not only generates a little cash, but increases our fitness, preparing us for the event.  By delivering the Community Paper we make around $140 a month, which should pay for ½ of our budgeted $3,000 for fuel, for one of the cars.

Car

We have considered a number of different cars, although the selection was limited due to the engine size restrictions. We have all decided on the Suzuki Jimny. The rules dictate we must have a car in good condition, less than 10 years old that will survive the 16,000km drive…as a majority of this will be off road. Cars will be auctioned off at the end of the rally, and 100% of the money raised will go to the rally charity.

Route

We have decided to research 3 different routes, allowing some flexibility to take into account changes in political situations along the route between now and June 2013. The more countries we go through of course means more expense on visas. 

Help

How can you help make this a great success:-

• Join in with the events we arrange. 
• Contribute to our charities. 
• Sponsor the Teams. 
• Spread the word to your freinds and family.

We will advertise the events and how to help through this blog. 

The Cause

Two teams dedicated to              

changing the lifes of those less fortunate.