Getting Ready (Team WombatsKhan)

A real family effort to get the car stickers on, a mornings work well done. Spaces left on doors for the official rally logo's....

Team Update

Final blog update from Australia. Team WombatsKhan set off to the UK tomorrow, and Team Kangakhann set off Sunday. Really bad photo of WombatsKhan taken during a rest period from Sunday Times photo's....We are not media stars....

As we depart Australia we leave knowing we have raised over $22,500.00 to date for Coolearth and the PMH Foundation. Thank you everybody for being so generous..

Adventurist Update (Yet another Start Location)

Some very important information about the UK launch

We've had a situation which somewhat affects the UK launch of the Rally. Last week the plonkers at English Heritage decided that despite confirming all was OK and telling us we should announce it to you fine folk; that they were a little scared of the great Mongol Rally and wimped out.

Anyway undeterred we just worked night and day to find somewhere better. Up yours Dover.

And by god did we find it. Just 40 miles down the road is one of the most impressive castles in the world, and they've kindly agreed to let us take it over for the weekend. If you simply cast your eyes upon the picture below we think you'll agree.

 

Curry Night

Team WombatsKhan had a lovely Saturday night with friends and family, the music was provided by our very own Welsh and Kiwi  rugby choir almost to the theme of swing low sweet chariot, yes we had the Lions tour on, and the Wallabies won (just!!)....

 

We found homes for many of the gnomes, thanks again to Helen who decided they should be auctioned off to those who bought them in the first place - magic. We have little doubt she could in fact sell sand to the Bedouins.

 

The evening highlighted again why Lindsay and Brad keep getting 'invited' back, the food was top notch - thank you both.

 

We finished the night off with a sweep stake on how far the team would make it on the rally, and when Jo and Neil would first fall out. A bottle of the best Kazakhstan vodka (aviation fuel) to the winners when we come home.......

 

Media Blast

Just a quick update from WombatsKhan, we have an interview with the (WA) Sunday Times next week, and they expect the article to be published Sunday the 7th. Here's hoping this will generate a little more interest in the Rally, and our charities.

Quick update from WombatsKhan.

We finally have our visa's and 'should' now be legal travelling through Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and finally China when we travel home from the finish line. 

Julie of Perth Graphics Centre delivered our car graphics on Friday and they look absolutely fantastic. Massive thanks to Julie for sponsoring the team we truly appreciate your generosity. We just have to sticker up the car before the rally start, must remember Julie's instructions...there are 100 Wombat footprints.........If you ever need quality decals / stickers please check out Perth Graphics Centre  first, and ask for Julie, seriously good products from such a friendly bunch of people.

We have our curry night next Saturday, and have Jo's parents cooking for us, they fly in from Cornwall (UK) this Thursday. The food is sure to be scrumptious, if you haven't RSVP'd yet, please do so soon.  

We haven't stopped banging the charity drum just yet, we have a load of PMH teddies to sell before we head off, Jo and Neil will be placing them in strategic places around the workplace this coming week. It's another opportunity to support the PMH Foundation with a few dollars, and take something home with you. 

Our plan is halt our charity efforts once we have sold the rally car, this in theory should take place around October this year. So we have plenty of time yet to make thousands more for the PMH Foundation and Coolearth.....

Please keep those donations flowing..thanks to all. Neil from team WombatsKhan.

 

 

 

Team Update

We have 3 weeks now until we land in the UK and enter the final week of preparation prior to driving to Dover Castle for the rally start on the 13th July. Both teams are still awaiting on the final few visas to come in, hopefully this week will see our passports safely back in our hands. 

Jo and Neil (WombatsKhan) are undertaking further first aid training, including stitching a wound, and putting in a drip. Any volunteers out there with good veins, we need practise!!! Our first aid kit will take up half the car, but at least we are prepared!!!!! 

We have received a little more information on plans for the rally start in Dover. On the Saturday night all the teams arrive at Dover Castle and complete the final registration paperwork, then set up camp in a nearby field. Saturday night there is a 'black tie' ball for the teams, and guests at the castle. At mid day Sunday the 14th July we cross the start line to the sound of cannon fire from the castle battlements. Both teams then head inland a little and board the car train that takes us under the channel and into France. We then navigate our way through France, Belgium and into the Netherlands where we stop for our first night of the rally. 

Our plan is for both teams to remain together for the following couple of days, then Jo and Neil (WombatsKhan) and Ian and Ruby (Kangakhann) go off separately. We then meet up in Russia a week or so later. That's the plan anyway. 

Ian and Ruby are taking a high tech approach to navigation with GPS assistance. Jo and Neil are using maps and a compass. We will see who has the most entertainment along the way..

As we get closer to the rally start we will be able to let you know how you can follow the cars on a map. Basically each team is given an telephone number to text to each day, this SMS message updates the tracking software on a map, and those watching our progress can see where we are, updated every 24 hours..

We also plan to update the blog whenever we see an Internet cafe along the way. This might mean limited updates whilst we drive through remote areas, such as the Gobi desert. 

When we get to Mongolia the cars are handed to the Adventurist organisation who arrange for repairs to be carried out, stickers to be removed ready for the cars to be sold. The cars are then put up for auction, and hopefully sold. All money raised from the car sales goes to a Mongolian charity. 

As teams will be travelling out of Mongolia following the rally they will be reducing the amount of gear they need to take So the Adventurist do the same with camping gear, tooling and car spares, and sell it all off, profits again going to a local Mongolian charity.  

Jo and Neil expect to have approximately 160 to 200 kg of equipment in and on the car, we only have a total baggage allowance of 40kg for our flights out of China, so we will be leaving a lot behind us.

Thanks for reading, and many thanks for your donations to date.