London to Mongolia – we made it!

On 13 July, three friends and I set out on a crazy adventure known as the Mongol Rally. Our aim: to drive 10,000 miles in a three cylinder 990 CC Vauxhall Agilla from London to Mongolia in six weeks. And whilst doing so, to raise as much money as possible for two fantastic charities – Parkinson’s UK and coolearth (coolearth works with local communities to secure forests at risk of being destroyed within the next 18 months).

Fast forward to the end of August and some 10,600 miles (17,000 km), over 1,000 litres of fuel, 10 punctures, 1 attempted robbery by the Afghanistan border, 1 blown ABS, 1 smashed window and 1 bent bash plate later, we made it to Ulaanbaatar!

There was no prescribed route and teams could get to Mongolia whichever way they wanted. For us this trip was about the “Stans”, countries you’re unlikely to visit again. Thus we drove non-stop through Europe to reach Istanbul in 52 hours before heading through Georgia and Azerbaijan.

In Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, we boarded a cargo ferry that took us across the Caspian Sea and into Turkmenistan. From there we headed east into Uzbekistan and Tajikistan before heading slightly north into Kyrgyzstan and then Kazakhstan. Since there is no border crossing between Kazakhstan and Mongolia, we travelled through Siberia before entering Mongolia for the final 10 days.

While certainly no holiday, it was one of the most incredible adventures I’ve been on. I’ve never had to work so hard on a trip before – not only was there the six months of planning but the six weeks on the road were both mentally and physically draining. Given how hard we’d had to work, the sense of accomplishment as we crossed the finish line was immense and the elation uncontrollable. With some incredible support from so many people, we’d worked our socks off to make our dream a reality and a real sense of pride enveloped us as we drove across the finish line.

And although we’ve been back in London for two weeks now, the trip is still sinking in and thinking back makes me smile. We covered some 10,600 miles (or 17,000 km) and travelled a third of the way around the world over some of the planet’s toughest terrain. We experienced 50 degree heat as well as torrential rain that turned roads into mud baths. We dodged far too many car-swallowing, rally-ending potholes in Turkmenistan, experienced beautiful ancient mosques and madrasas in Uzbekistan, drove along the roof of the world on the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan and hiked in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

We ate what must have totalled hundreds of somsas (a central Asian variation on a samoosa), sampled many assorted horse-meat platters in Kazakhstan and drank too much vodka. We camped for more than half the trip but also spent a good fair number of incredibly uncomfortable nights in the car.

We spent 30 hours stuck on the Caspian Sea because the port in Turkmenbashi , Turkmenistan, had been closed for the president who was town! We experienced the nightlife in Tbilisi (Georgia), Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) and aside from one incident on the Afghanistan border where our tents were stolen, met friendly, welcoming and curious people everywhere we went.

The best part about travelling is the people you meet and the friends you make – and this rally was no different. Although we barely knew the other Mongol Rally teams and had only met briefly at the launch party, if at all, the spirit and sense of camaraderie on the road was amazing. We’d all been on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure together and an incredible bond was very quickly formed.

Most importantly, though, we’ve raised over £3,000 for our two amazing charities. We’re not done yet, though — both websites are still up and running and any and all support would be sincerely appreciated. Here are the links if you are interested:

• Donate to Parkinson’s UK: www.justgiving.com/mmoloney
• Donate to coolearth: www.justgiving.com/bactrian-cool-earth

It was simply the most incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Where to next?!