London to Ulaanbaatar: Two South Africans take on Mongol Rally
Two South African globetrotters will drive from London all the way to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in the annual Mongol Rally to raise money for charity.
Two South Africans living in London will participate in this year’s Mongol Rally, a journey from London to Mongolia and “one of the toughest adventures on the planet,” to raise money for charity.
Jeremy Bortz has visited 52 countries.
Experienced travellers Jeremy ‘Jazza’ Bortz (also a cricket writer for TheSouthAfrican.com) and Dylan Burt, who have each visited more than 50 countries, teamed up with their fellow adventure-loving friends, Mark Moloney from England, and Adam Corcoran of Australia to drive from the British capital to Ulaanbaatar, leaving on Saturday 13 July 2013.
The Team is called “There and Bactrian,” and takes its name from the Bactrian camel, an animal native to the steppes of central Asia.
“The rally is a ridiculously crazy adventure to travel a third of the way around the world over some of the world’s toughest terrain from London to Mongolia and raise a whole heap of cash for charity in the process,” said Jazza on the team blog.
Dylan Burt has visited 54 countries.
They aim to raise £500 for Cool Earth, a rainforest charity that works alongside indigenous communities to protect the world’s most endangered rainforest, and £1000 for Parkinson’s UK, the country’s largest charity funder of Parkinson’s research. So far, they’ve invested more than £55 million in groundbreaking research to advance understanding of Parkinson’s and what causes it.
Although the journey has not yet begun, they have already exceeded their target and raised £1,425 for Parkinsons UK and £694 for Cool Earth.
The Mongol Rally is very flexible, explained Jazza, “The mode of transport you use to get there is up to you, some people do it in ambulances, others on motorbikes, as is the route you take and the amount of time you take to get there. While there are “Celebratory Welcome,” parties in Ulaanbaatar four, five and six weeks after the event kicks off, some teams decide to race and have done it in just seven days while others have taken three months.”
Their route will include Romania, Iran, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia, and they are planning to to arrive in Ulaanbaatar in time for the last party.
The Mongol Rally is organised annually by London-based The Adventurists, the company whose mission statement is “Fighting to Make the World Less Boring.” Three South African girls completed the journey in 2011 in six weeks.
Follow the journey on http://thereandbactrian.tumblr.com
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