Right. The Big One. Three of us Kriegspielers (Smirnoff & The Dalai Soapy) are going to drive 8,000miles across Back of Beyond central next July, all in a good cause.....dig deep. Happy to take snaps of any terrain folk want (cheap attempt to keep this piece on the BoB page!). Here's what were doing, and - critically why - we are doing it. Thanks all.
northern Uzbekistan this September. 'Time spent in recon' and all that....
Chaps
As some of you will know, my younger sister died in May this year of a misdiagnosed melanoma. It started under her big toe and ended up in her brain, and killed her very quickly indeed. She left behind a wonderful husband and three lovely young teenage girls.
The cancer spread so fast that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to her properly, and so in her memory, and to raise awareness of the dangers of melanomas, I - and two equally unhinged friends (Smirnoff & The Dalai Soapy) - have decided to raise £100,000 for a melanoma charity by taking part in the 2014 Mongol Rally.
main minaret in Bukhara. The patches are from Frunze's shelling. Excellent.
The Mongol Rally takes place annually between the UK and Ulan Bataar, the capital of Mongolia. It’s a three week, eight thousand mile drive, across inhospitable terrain, along some of the worst roads in the world….and all in a car which has an engine no bigger than 1L. And they don't like you to take a 4WD car either (not that that would make much of a difference in a 1L car…).
Our route will take us through Europe, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, across the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and then - finally - Mongolia. We expect to complete it in three weeks. And while it will be ‘epic’ in the true sense of the word, it will also be bloody hard work.
Bukhara. The entrance to the notorious 'Ark'. Apparently the Emir's band played a light repertoire from here, as heads were being removed in the square below...
The charity we are raising money for is a small Scottish cancer charity, based in Glasgow, called ‘Melanoma Action and Support Scotland’ a.k.a. ‘MASScot’. They were, and continue to be, hugely supportive of my sisters family through these very difficult times.
All money raised through donations and sponsorship will go directly to the charity. All costs will be covered by the three of us.
Can I ask you therefore to dig deep and support something that is very close to my heart and in a very good cause.
Here’s the link:
http://www.justgiving.com/Steve-LanganYou can read more about The Mongol Rally here:
http://www.theadventurists.com/the-adventures/mongol-rallyThank you all for reading this.
best regards
Steve
A Dervish....
A Turcomen....
the walls of Khiva..
Khiva fortlet near the main gates....
and last, but by no means least, our guide this September, who will be joining us again next July......Bibi!
So, fellow LAF'ers, dig deep.
thanks
Steve
(all pics taken on my recon this September)
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April 27, 2024, 10:49:20 AM
April 16, 2008, 04:09:20 PM