Well we made it! It took us 26 days to complete The Mongol Rally 2007. We made it back to England a few weeks ago now, we decided not to take the trans-Siberian train to China as originally planned. We had so many amazing experiences on the rally, we felt it would be better to absorb the rally and experience the trans-Siberian at a later date.
This is the last post on this blog as the www.rustyrhinos.com website will shortly redirect to a new Rusty Rhinos website that we are launching. All new posts and information will be published on the new site.
The new website will contain a link back to this blog, it will also contain information about our route, our photos, the Rusty Rhinos Experience video and much more.
---
Adam
Sunday 9 September 2007
Wednesday 15 August 2007
SMS Update
We have arrived in Ulan Bataar and successfully completed The Mongol Rally 2007. Thanks to all for your support.
SMS Update
Car bodged together this morning, now back on route at a slow pace due to terrain and car condition.
SMS Update
On route to Ulan Bataar, another leaf spring snapped and front prop shaft fell out. Spent night at roadside.
Tuesday 14 August 2007
SMS Update
After some night driving and an early start today, we've made Arvayheer. We lost our 4wd functionality again!
Monday 13 August 2007
SMS Update
Just passed the 8000 mile mark, 4wd bodged back together, now heading for Arvayheer in the rain, weather cooler.
SMS Update
After spending a day lost in the Gobi, made it to Bayanhongor. Snapped another leaf and made up a replacement.
Saturday 11 August 2007
SMS Update
Made it to Altay a day later than planned after engine cut outs, overheating, exhaust snapping and tyre blowout!
Thursday 9 August 2007
SMS Update
We're now heading for Altay about 270 miles away in the Gobi desert, we should hopefully arrive tomorrow.
SMS Update
After getting lost in the Mongolian mountains and spending time replacing another spring, we made it to Khovd.
Wednesday 8 August 2007
SMS Update
Currently heading for Olgii to obtain some much needed petrol, then will head for Khovd for the night.
SMS Update
Crossed into Mongolia at midday, superb scenery and great weather. Limited mobile reception, blog updates reduced.
Tuesday 7 August 2007
SMS Update
We arrived at the Russian-Mongolian border at 8pm local time, but its closed! We'll be camping by the border.
SMS Update
We're about 100 miles from Mongol border, driving through spectacular mountain range. We completed 7000 miles today.
SMS Update
We're about 100 miles from Mongol border, driving through spectacular mountain range. We completed 7000 miles today.
SMS Update
Tarmac still exists, we've found it in Russia! We've now passed Barnaul and are heading for the Mongolian border.
Monday 6 August 2007
SMS Update
Started on the 28th, suspension snapped, exhaust fell off, now fwd we leave Kazakhstan and are in Russia on the 6th.
Sunday 5 August 2007
SMS Update
We passed the 6000 miles mark today. We've just passed Ayatoz and are heading for radioactive Semey.
SMS Update
After spending the night in the car in the mountains, we're on route to Semey and have just passed Taldy-Korghan.
Saturday 4 August 2007
SMS Update
We've arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan at 5.30pm local time. Now heading north to the Russian border 700 miles away.
Friday 3 August 2007
SMS Update
Due to losing 2 days in Kazakhstan so far, we're continuing to battle over night on to Almaty. Local time 10.20pm.
SMS Update
Made it to Shimkent. Ran out of local currency but managed to negotiate using dollars at local petrol station.
SMS Update
Snapped another leaf (another fabrictated). Killed shaft so front wheel drive only! Now attempting Shimkent again.
Thursday 2 August 2007
SMS Update
Now on route from Aral to Qizilorda, exhaust fell off this morning, but has been bodged back on, roads improving.
SMS Update
Snapped leaf spring just outside Aral at 4pm yesterday, leaf replaced with spare with friendly truck drivers at 8pm.
SMS Update
We spent a day and a half getting from Aqtobe to Aral due to the craters in the road. We mostly went off road.
Tuesday 31 July 2007
SMS Update
At 10.30am we have finally arrived in Aqtobe, however we have been towing a broken Lada for the last 70 miles.
SMS Update
On the road again after spending the night in the car. 6 rough hours sleep obtained. Everything is covered in dust.
Monday 30 July 2007
SMS Update
We seem to be convoying in the middle of the night with the Kazaks we met earlier. We had a great dinner together.
SMS Update
Met some Kazaks on route who we stopped with to have thick warm milk and strong chilled vodka. 4000 miles completed.
SMS Update
We would really like to know who is visiting our blog, send us a text with any news. Thanks.
SMS Update
Still on route to Aqtobe on one of the worst roads so far. The road has craters in it, we can barely average 10mph.
Sunday 29 July 2007
SMS Update
Some good offroading today. Camped out a mile or so from a track. Cooking rice under moonlight.
SMS Update
We've been convoying with Team Clouseau from the Kazakhstan border to Atyrau. Now we're heading to Aqtobe alone.
SMS Update
Camped just over Kazak border last night. No sign of Borat, just mosquitos. Now off to find fuel and currency.
Saturday 28 July 2007
SMS Update
Alex is looking forward to eating slightly melted birthday cake once into Kazak later today :-)
SMS Update
While getting lost as well as the closed border last night, a petrol tanker driver helped by giving us free petrol.
SMS Update
After losing a day to a closed border, we are on route to Astrakhan to get to the Russian-Kazakhstan border.
Friday 27 July 2007
SMS Update
3.39am: police block. After reading passport upside down asked for one smallest english coin for his own collection.
Thursday 26 July 2007
SMS Update
Made through Russian border with no problems, but we had to pay a bribe to leave the Ukrainian border.
SMS Update
We were unavoidably pulled over again about 40 miles from Russian border by the police for speeding! He let us off.
SMS Update
Ukrainian police just attempted to pull us over, but we dodged them by ignoring them and driving on.
SMS Update
We spent the night in a quirky hotel in Kharkiv, we had a filling breakfast. Now on route to Doneck, Russian border.
Wednesday 25 July 2007
SMS Update
We made it to Kiev this morning, spent an hour getting lost. We're now hacking it through heavy rain to Khariv.
Tuesday 24 July 2007
SMS Update
Just crossed the Ukraineian border after an hour of security checks. We've met 2 other teams just before Ukraine.
SMS Update
After spending 3 hours finding a closed camp site, we drove through the night towards Krakov, then slept in the car.
SMS Update
We crossed into Poland from Czech Republic yesterday at 8.30pm. Border patrol were wary of us and checked our car.
Monday 23 July 2007
SMS Update
We were told there is no way we would make Prague last night going at 50mph but we did - at 10pm. Now to Krakov.
Sunday 22 July 2007
SMS Update
Still in Germany at 4pm -yawn- Actually it has been really good, we detoured through some windy hilly terrain.
SMS Update
We had 3 uncomfortable hours sleep in the car at a lay-by. Now at 7.30am 22nd July we're heading towards Dresden.
SMS Update
France, Belgium and Holland all clear, although we did spend an hour lost in a less desirable past of Brussels.
Saturday 21 July 2007
We're about to launch!
This is it! Saturday 21st July, we've loaded the car and about to set off for Hyde Park in only a matter of an hour. From now, we'll be updating our blog via SMS so you can follow our progress.
Thank to all the people who have supported us, made donations to the charities we've chosen and helped us in some way with the preparation for The Mongol Rally 2007.
Adam
Thank to all the people who have supported us, made donations to the charities we've chosen and helped us in some way with the preparation for The Mongol Rally 2007.
Adam
Saturday 14 July 2007
Rusty Rhino sorted, bring on The Mongol Rally 2007!
With just under a week to go and a near last minute problem with the fuel tank, we're all sorted and ready to go.
Alex came up with a superb quick fix to stop the leak and so far it seems to be holding. We (Alex) should be ready if the same problem reoccurs ;)
Our Eurotunnel tickets also arrived, we'll be on the tunnel around 6pm on the 21st of July. That should give us plenty of time to get to Folkstone from when we launch between 1 and 1.30pm from Hyde Park, London.
Adam
Alex came up with a superb quick fix to stop the leak and so far it seems to be holding. We (Alex) should be ready if the same problem reoccurs ;)
Our Eurotunnel tickets also arrived, we'll be on the tunnel around 6pm on the 21st of July. That should give us plenty of time to get to Folkstone from when we launch between 1 and 1.30pm from Hyde Park, London.
Adam
Friday 13 July 2007
Rusty Rhino turns leaky
It couldn't be any other way, a week before launch and ol' Rusty decides it is time to take a leak. The fuel tank appears to be leaking some amount of petrol, not good! Given the time left to launch, we are going to struggle to find a replacement fuel tank, so we'll be cladding it all up and monitoring it over the coming days.
Apart from the fuel leak problem, the rest of the Rusty Rhino is pretty much ready to go. We still need to get two more spares, a battery and a cam belt. The engine bay area modifications are complete, we have our toolbox bolted into the chassis and a foot pump.
Adam
Apart from the fuel leak problem, the rest of the Rusty Rhino is pretty much ready to go. We still need to get two more spares, a battery and a cam belt. The engine bay area modifications are complete, we have our toolbox bolted into the chassis and a foot pump.
Adam
Sunday 8 July 2007
Mongol Rally BBQ Meet
Following the cancellation of the Wales weekend due to bad weather, we decided we would go for the BBQ meet on Saturday 7th July.
The turnout wasn't huge, but there were 10 teams including us. There was another SJ and a few other interesting cars. It was good to find out more about every one's experiences and plans so far.
The guys from the Nissan2do team were extremely helpful, they were testing the ralliers' cars batteries and alternators. We discovered our battery is at 82% capacity which is not bad, however we do have a fault with the alternator. We are trying to decide what to do with it, as it is not recharging the battery correctly. Having said that, we have not had any problems yet, even when driving at night with the lights on.
We are currently carrying a spare alternator and are looking for a spare battery.
Apart from the BBQ meet, we've packed and finish the majority of equipment and supplies that we will need. These include (lots of) car spares, tools, medical supplies, water containers, portable solar shower, cooking and camping equipment and of course large amounts of water and food.
On the food front, we've tried to stick to dried and packaged foods as tinned food does weigh quite a bit. We have a good variety of food now, we even have some junk food to cheer us up when we need it! :)
Finally, we've decided to use the Euro tunnel to make our way to France, tickets all booked and we're ready to set off.
Less than two weeks to go!
Adam
The turnout wasn't huge, but there were 10 teams including us. There was another SJ and a few other interesting cars. It was good to find out more about every one's experiences and plans so far.
The guys from the Nissan2do team were extremely helpful, they were testing the ralliers' cars batteries and alternators. We discovered our battery is at 82% capacity which is not bad, however we do have a fault with the alternator. We are trying to decide what to do with it, as it is not recharging the battery correctly. Having said that, we have not had any problems yet, even when driving at night with the lights on.
We are currently carrying a spare alternator and are looking for a spare battery.
Apart from the BBQ meet, we've packed and finish the majority of equipment and supplies that we will need. These include (lots of) car spares, tools, medical supplies, water containers, portable solar shower, cooking and camping equipment and of course large amounts of water and food.
On the food front, we've tried to stick to dried and packaged foods as tinned food does weigh quite a bit. We have a good variety of food now, we even have some junk food to cheer us up when we need it! :)
Finally, we've decided to use the Euro tunnel to make our way to France, tickets all booked and we're ready to set off.
Less than two weeks to go!
Adam
Tuesday 3 July 2007
Return from Mongol Rally and final visa update
A few seconds into planning the return journey we decided the only way to come home is to plan it when we arrive in Ulan Bataar. We have a vague idea of routing. The plan is to "hop" onto the trans-Siberian (trans-Mongolian section) railway and go from Ulan Bataar to Beijing.
Spend sometime in Beijing, then catch another train to Shanghai and finish off there. We'll fly straight from Shanghai to London.
On the visa front, we had to get some Chinese visas for the return journey. We got these done through Real Russia again. Their service is excellent; we've already obtained our Russian and Kazakhstan visas through them.
The visa team at Real Russia remembered my passport from the last time it was at their office and spotted that I had been incorrectly issued with a single entry visa to Russia. They immediately sent my passport to the Russian embassy and I have now been issued with the must have double entry visa for Russia.
For anyone who has a Russian visa and can't read the language will soon realise it is impossible to identify if you have a single or double entry visa. Real Russia have an article at http://www.realrussia.co.uk/visa/how_to_read_visa2.asp which will help you interpret a Russian visa.
Adam
Spend sometime in Beijing, then catch another train to Shanghai and finish off there. We'll fly straight from Shanghai to London.
On the visa front, we had to get some Chinese visas for the return journey. We got these done through Real Russia again. Their service is excellent; we've already obtained our Russian and Kazakhstan visas through them.
The visa team at Real Russia remembered my passport from the last time it was at their office and spotted that I had been incorrectly issued with a single entry visa to Russia. They immediately sent my passport to the Russian embassy and I have now been issued with the must have double entry visa for Russia.
For anyone who has a Russian visa and can't read the language will soon realise it is impossible to identify if you have a single or double entry visa. Real Russia have an article at http://www.realrussia.co.uk/visa/how_to_read_visa2.asp which will help you interpret a Russian visa.
Adam
Monday 2 July 2007
The Mongol Rally 2007
On our postings there is a lot about the car but a few people have asked what we are actually doing as they can't find the information! So I have bumped some of the stuff from previous posts so you can see what we are about.
We are Alex and Adam aka Team Rusty Rhinos
On the 21st of July 2007 we will start our rally in Hyde Park, London, heading off into the unknown, with the intention of eventually reaching the finish line, in Ulan Bataar, Mongolia.
The challenge
Travel a third of the way around the earth, from London to Mongolia via a plethora of countries most people haven't heard of in any crap car that has an engine with no more than 1 litre of power.
We will be on our own, with no support team or backup of any kind and certainly no GPS or any hi-tech navigational equipment. In fact, nothing hi-tech will be anywhere near us! This should take 3 to 4 weeks, but judging by our vehicle, who knows when we will end up in Ulan Bataar!
Visit http://www.mongolrally.com for more information on the event.
Why on earth are we doing this?
Our aim is to raise money for two charities - Hopes and Homes for Children and Mercy Corps Mongolia. Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Hope and Homes for Children has a mission to give hope to the poorest children in the world - those who are orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable - by enabling them to grow up within the love of a family and the security of a home, so that they can fulfill their potential.
You have all been very generous so far and we have raised over £1200 but we would like to raise more for the worthy charities. We hope that you will be generous with your donations, even if you can only afford £1, this will really help us reach our targets which we would love to exceed. You can dontate using the links on the right of the page. The big "Donate Now" buttons!
It goes without saying, that we also plan on having a great time on this amazing adventure while helping a worthwhile cause.
The car
A 1985 Suzuki SJ 410. That's a 1 litre engine, providing us with 45bhp of pure unadulterated power. The car is damp, rusty, slow and old (and it sometimes smells funny). It provides a comfort level similar to that of a camel. At the end of the rally we will sign the car over to a charity working with the children of Mongolia.
Thank you...
...for visiting our fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor us online. Any donation is much appreciated and welcomed. Check back at www.rustyrhinos.com to view our progress.
Donating through the links on the right is fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: The charities will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
So please sponsor us now!
Many thanks for your support.
Adam and Alex
We are Alex and Adam aka Team Rusty Rhinos
On the 21st of July 2007 we will start our rally in Hyde Park, London, heading off into the unknown, with the intention of eventually reaching the finish line, in Ulan Bataar, Mongolia.
The challenge
Travel a third of the way around the earth, from London to Mongolia via a plethora of countries most people haven't heard of in any crap car that has an engine with no more than 1 litre of power.
We will be on our own, with no support team or backup of any kind and certainly no GPS or any hi-tech navigational equipment. In fact, nothing hi-tech will be anywhere near us! This should take 3 to 4 weeks, but judging by our vehicle, who knows when we will end up in Ulan Bataar!
Visit http://www.mongolrally.com for more information on the event.
Why on earth are we doing this?
Our aim is to raise money for two charities - Hopes and Homes for Children and Mercy Corps Mongolia. Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Hope and Homes for Children has a mission to give hope to the poorest children in the world - those who are orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable - by enabling them to grow up within the love of a family and the security of a home, so that they can fulfill their potential.
You have all been very generous so far and we have raised over £1200 but we would like to raise more for the worthy charities. We hope that you will be generous with your donations, even if you can only afford £1, this will really help us reach our targets which we would love to exceed. You can dontate using the links on the right of the page. The big "Donate Now" buttons!
It goes without saying, that we also plan on having a great time on this amazing adventure while helping a worthwhile cause.
The car
A 1985 Suzuki SJ 410. That's a 1 litre engine, providing us with 45bhp of pure unadulterated power. The car is damp, rusty, slow and old (and it sometimes smells funny). It provides a comfort level similar to that of a camel. At the end of the rally we will sign the car over to a charity working with the children of Mongolia.
Thank you...
...for visiting our fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor us online. Any donation is much appreciated and welcomed. Check back at www.rustyrhinos.com to view our progress.
Donating through the links on the right is fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: The charities will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
So please sponsor us now!
Many thanks for your support.
Adam and Alex
Sunday 24 June 2007
Rusty Gets a Snorkel
Been busy today fitting a snorkel. Or rather, I handed tools to Moss whilst he did most of the bending and cutting!
We needed to do something about the air feed. The first matter is that as the air feed at the moment is quite low down and therefore can easily suck in dust (and I would imagine we are going to come across quite a lot of it!) and if we submerge in water, it will go straight into the airbox - not good. So we needed to raise the point of the intake. The other fact is that the current air feed is located tightly next to the battery - which is very restrictive of airflow.
After rummaging around looking at various different pipes, we found an ill-fitting aluminium bull bar that was previously donated. This would make up the main piping for the snorkel.
Luckily the bend was pretty much the right shape. Mounted this onto the pillar with basic clamps and self tapping screws. Hole drilled into wing ready for the intake pipe.
All pipework connected to the airbox. Also plugged up the other side of the airbox which would usually go to the manifold - the pipe goes quite low in the bay and will pick up unwanted dust which would take away the point of having a snorkel(which would usually heat the intake incold weather but we have been advised that this doesnt tend to be an issue when a snorkel is fitted). Hopefully the lid to the air-freshener will not be missed.
All fitted and ready to go. Sucks well, sounds good and the engine seems to be breathing better which has improved performance. Total cost: a few pounds :) And yes, that is a plant pot for the top hat - mounted with an aluminium bracket :)
(Zoe messing with some screws which are vaguely holding the plastic arch in).
Alex
We needed to do something about the air feed. The first matter is that as the air feed at the moment is quite low down and therefore can easily suck in dust (and I would imagine we are going to come across quite a lot of it!) and if we submerge in water, it will go straight into the airbox - not good. So we needed to raise the point of the intake. The other fact is that the current air feed is located tightly next to the battery - which is very restrictive of airflow.
After rummaging around looking at various different pipes, we found an ill-fitting aluminium bull bar that was previously donated. This would make up the main piping for the snorkel.
Luckily the bend was pretty much the right shape. Mounted this onto the pillar with basic clamps and self tapping screws. Hole drilled into wing ready for the intake pipe.
All pipework connected to the airbox. Also plugged up the other side of the airbox which would usually go to the manifold - the pipe goes quite low in the bay and will pick up unwanted dust which would take away the point of having a snorkel(which would usually heat the intake incold weather but we have been advised that this doesnt tend to be an issue when a snorkel is fitted). Hopefully the lid to the air-freshener will not be missed.
All fitted and ready to go. Sucks well, sounds good and the engine seems to be breathing better which has improved performance. Total cost: a few pounds :) And yes, that is a plant pot for the top hat - mounted with an aluminium bracket :)
(Zoe messing with some screws which are vaguely holding the plastic arch in).
Alex
Saturday 23 June 2007
Hopes and Homes for Children
I wanted to reiterate Alex's last post and thank everyone who has donated to both of our charities. Everyone has been very generous and donations seem to have come from everywhere. In fact, the £500 we wanted to raise for Hopes and Homes for Children was completed in under a month. We launched our Hopes and Homes for Children campaign on the 29th of May and as of the 22nd of June we passed £500.
Please visit the Hopes and Homes for Children website by going to http://www.hopeandhomes.org to see how they help children around the world.
Adam
Please visit the Hopes and Homes for Children website by going to http://www.hopeandhomes.org to see how they help children around the world.
Adam
Thursday 14 June 2007
Almost £1000! Thanks for all the donations so far...
We have almost raised £1000 between the two charities which we think is brilliant! Only just over a month to go so both me and Adam are very much in anticipation to get going.
Keep the donations coming! If you are reading this and are not sure how to donate - it's the big Orange "Donate Now" buttons on the right hand side to this blog :)
If you are a company and would like to sponsor us on our event in any shape or form, contact us or leave a comment below.
Alex
Keep the donations coming! If you are reading this and are not sure how to donate - it's the big Orange "Donate Now" buttons on the right hand side to this blog :)
If you are a company and would like to sponsor us on our event in any shape or form, contact us or leave a comment below.
Alex
Sunday 10 June 2007
Rusty Rhino gets stickers and other goodies
Got some stickers made up and put on Rusty Rhino sides to raise a bit more awareness of the event (oh and because I like the look of them). Also added a spare wheel to the bonnet so we are now carrying 2 spare wheels. Mounted it by sawing some very long bolts and securing it to the bonnet. Seems pretty solid!
Whilst Zoe was putting some tape on the indicator, I fitted a toolbox in the engine bay. Securely bolted in. Great use of space. Now I just need a new toolbox for work. Hmm, I guess sacrifices need to me made!
Now for the grand finale. It has been said to both Adam and I on more than one occasion that the Suzuki SJ is not a comfortable vehicle to drive several thousand miles in. So I thought a little bit of luxury should be added. With much discussion and a budget of zero, Zoe decided that the passenger needs a vanity mirror. Glass taken from a 1978 Range Rover wing mirror and cable tied to the sun visor. Very classy indeed.
My International Driving Permit has now arrived which is useful.
Alex
Whilst Zoe was putting some tape on the indicator, I fitted a toolbox in the engine bay. Securely bolted in. Great use of space. Now I just need a new toolbox for work. Hmm, I guess sacrifices need to me made!
Now for the grand finale. It has been said to both Adam and I on more than one occasion that the Suzuki SJ is not a comfortable vehicle to drive several thousand miles in. So I thought a little bit of luxury should be added. With much discussion and a budget of zero, Zoe decided that the passenger needs a vanity mirror. Glass taken from a 1978 Range Rover wing mirror and cable tied to the sun visor. Very classy indeed.
My International Driving Permit has now arrived which is useful.
Alex
Tuesday 29 May 2007
Mongol Rally 2007 progress
We re-launched the blog yesterday, well, a new banner was made for the site which we are very proud of and we've also updated the colour scheme.
Many thanks go to Fr^KaZoiD for the new really cool new banner, who is now also our Mongol Rally graphics design artist :)
In car news, we've plugged a hole in one of the windows which was causing water to go inside the car when it rained. We've also had a few issues with the car since the shackles were installed, but that is all in hand.
We're now pushing our fund raising campaign toward Hopes and Homes for Children. We've just passed the £600 mark for Mercy Corps and we want continue to raise more for Mercy Corps, but our focus is Hopes and Homes for Children as it is lagging behind the Mercy Corps fund. Please donate whatever you can to either of these two causes by clicking the Donate Now button on the top right of this web site.
We had to miss the Mongol Rally meeting on the 26th of May due to prior commitments, but we will definitely be attending the meet planned in June in Wales.
---
Adam
Many thanks go to Fr^KaZoiD for the new really cool new banner, who is now also our Mongol Rally graphics design artist :)
In car news, we've plugged a hole in one of the windows which was causing water to go inside the car when it rained. We've also had a few issues with the car since the shackles were installed, but that is all in hand.
We're now pushing our fund raising campaign toward Hopes and Homes for Children. We've just passed the £600 mark for Mercy Corps and we want continue to raise more for Mercy Corps, but our focus is Hopes and Homes for Children as it is lagging behind the Mercy Corps fund. Please donate whatever you can to either of these two causes by clicking the Donate Now button on the top right of this web site.
We had to miss the Mongol Rally meeting on the 26th of May due to prior commitments, but we will definitely be attending the meet planned in June in Wales.
---
Adam
Sunday 20 May 2007
Visa progress and route update
We got the Mongolian and Khazakhstan visas, the Russian visa was the last visa we would need to secure a route to Mongolia.
It was always going to be a difficult one to get. But with the help of an agency, it took 2 weeks and more than twice the cost of any previous visa to get the Russian double entry visa. We needed the double entry visas just to get to Mongolia using our proposed route.
We now need to do some more work on our return trip plans from Mongolia. If we decide to come back through Russia, we'll have to sort out an additional Russian single entry visa in Mongolia (as there are no multiple entry visas for Russia currently). The alternative is to trek back through China, which we can get a visa for beforehand.
Our route has been changed since the one posted originally, mainly due to visa requirements of the other countries on the original route and the (lack of) time we have to get them all. See the two maps below for an update on our planned route. You'll probably need to click on the images to enlarge.
---
Adam
It was always going to be a difficult one to get. But with the help of an agency, it took 2 weeks and more than twice the cost of any previous visa to get the Russian double entry visa. We needed the double entry visas just to get to Mongolia using our proposed route.
We now need to do some more work on our return trip plans from Mongolia. If we decide to come back through Russia, we'll have to sort out an additional Russian single entry visa in Mongolia (as there are no multiple entry visas for Russia currently). The alternative is to trek back through China, which we can get a visa for beforehand.
Our route has been changed since the one posted originally, mainly due to visa requirements of the other countries on the original route and the (lack of) time we have to get them all. See the two maps below for an update on our planned route. You'll probably need to click on the images to enlarge.
---
Adam
Tuesday 15 May 2007
Rusty Rhino has a lift
Been doing a bit of work on the SJ with a bit of help from my brother, lewis. Bought some lift shackles and shock relocation gadgets to raise the car a bit which will give us more ground clearance for the rough stuff. Bought them from ebay from a mamber and because we are doing this for the Mongol Rally, he gave us some discount, so big thanks for that. The kit really is top quality and looks very strong. To check out his items, go to http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZnofearzuksQQhtZ-1
Pic of the new shackles:
Pics of the Rusty Rhino now lifted. The rear tow bar has also been removed as it is a waste of space and weight for us and will also give us some more ground clearance.
And a pic of me soaking wet from fitting them in the rain. They were not terribly difficult to fit - It helped that the dimensions of the kit were spot on. Looking forward to testing it off-road again as the decent tyres were already a vast improvement!
---
Alex
Pic of the new shackles:
Pics of the Rusty Rhino now lifted. The rear tow bar has also been removed as it is a waste of space and weight for us and will also give us some more ground clearance.
And a pic of me soaking wet from fitting them in the rain. They were not terribly difficult to fit - It helped that the dimensions of the kit were spot on. Looking forward to testing it off-road again as the decent tyres were already a vast improvement!
---
Alex
Sunday 6 May 2007
Rusty Rhino has some work done...
As part of our grand Rusty Rhino modification plans, we've recently carried out some changes to the Rhino.
We've installed a set of 4 new(ish) tyres, they have raised the Rhino a bit, giving it a a more fit for purpose look! And after much fiddling around with cables and drilling holes in the wrong place, we managed to install a backup set of halogen headlights. They were a bargain at 8 pounds something off of eBay!
In other news for our rally, we've now sent off our applications for the double entry Russian visas. This has had the affect of nearly bankrupting us meanwhile our Mongol Rally 2007 spend keeps spiralling out of control and has just surpassed the £2000 mark! Ouch!
We've also received our Mercy Corps fund raising t-shirts and car stickers. To read about the latest at Mercy Corps - and to see a link to our article on their front page! ;) - go to http://www.mercycorps.org.uk
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Adam
We've installed a set of 4 new(ish) tyres, they have raised the Rhino a bit, giving it a a more fit for purpose look! And after much fiddling around with cables and drilling holes in the wrong place, we managed to install a backup set of halogen headlights. They were a bargain at 8 pounds something off of eBay!
In other news for our rally, we've now sent off our applications for the double entry Russian visas. This has had the affect of nearly bankrupting us meanwhile our Mongol Rally 2007 spend keeps spiralling out of control and has just surpassed the £2000 mark! Ouch!
We've also received our Mercy Corps fund raising t-shirts and car stickers. To read about the latest at Mercy Corps - and to see a link to our article on their front page! ;) - go to http://www.mercycorps.org.uk
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Adam
Sunday 29 April 2007
Kazakhstan visa is here!
After a degree of pondering about how to go about getting the harder visas in comparison to the Mongolian visa, we decided to try using an agency. How impressive was the service we received! We completed the application form and paid online last Saturday week for the Kazakhstan visas. Sent off the passports to the agency on Monday, and we had them delivered back to us (with the visas) yesterday, a week after we signed up online. The service also allowed us to track the progress of the visa application online.
If anyone is interested in using the visa service we used, it was through a company called Real Russia. You can reach them at http://www.realrussia.co.uk.
The Russian visas are next in line!
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Adam
If anyone is interested in using the visa service we used, it was through a company called Real Russia. You can reach them at http://www.realrussia.co.uk.
The Russian visas are next in line!
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Adam
Friday 20 April 2007
Rusty Rhino fit for purpose!
After a lot of welding and a few clamps being fitted here and there, the Rusty Rhino was declared fit for purpose and ready for The Mongol Rally 2007.
Now sounding more like a sports car with a new weird clamp fitted to the exhaust, the Rusty Rhino drives no faster, but certainly has passed its MOT!
It has been a week of progress, as we also received our Mongolian visas. They took less than 5 working days to be issued, a very efficient service from the Mongolia embassy and we didn't even pay for an express service!
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Adam
Now sounding more like a sports car with a new weird clamp fitted to the exhaust, the Rusty Rhino drives no faster, but certainly has passed its MOT!
It has been a week of progress, as we also received our Mongolian visas. They took less than 5 working days to be issued, a very efficient service from the Mongolia embassy and we didn't even pay for an express service!
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Adam
Sunday 15 April 2007
Rusty Rhinos Taking Over the Internet!
We can be found on the Peterborough Evening Telegraph: http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=2230746§ionid=4419
As well as the Chingford Guardian: http://www.chingfordguardian.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1299188.mostviewed.rusty_rhinos_on_rally_for_charity.php
One website is also combining a lot of rally blogs. Some of our blog entries are featured here: http://www.pandarama.co.uk/blogs.asp
For some unknown reason, someone has posted (or attempted to post) a link to our Guardian article here: http://mongolia.blonkey.com/2007/04/01/rusty-rhinos-on-rally-for-charity-644734.html
We also at one point featured on the front page of the peterborough today website and we are still currently linked to from the front page of the Mercy Corp website
http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/
Here as well: http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/whereilive/redbridge/display.var.1299188.0.rusty_rhinos_on_rally_for_charity.php
(copy of Guardian article)
We are here too: http://www.thebestof.co.uk/redbridge/news/36098
Pretty good going! www.rustyrhinos.com and www.rustyrhinos.co.uk is now also active which points to this blog.
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Alex
As well as the Chingford Guardian: http://www.chingfordguardian.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1299188.mostviewed.rusty_rhinos_on_rally_for_charity.php
One website is also combining a lot of rally blogs. Some of our blog entries are featured here: http://www.pandarama.co.uk/blogs.asp
For some unknown reason, someone has posted (or attempted to post) a link to our Guardian article here: http://mongolia.blonkey.com/2007/04/01/rusty-rhinos-on-rally-for-charity-644734.html
We also at one point featured on the front page of the peterborough today website and we are still currently linked to from the front page of the Mercy Corp website
http://www.mercycorps.org.uk/
Here as well: http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/whereilive/redbridge/display.var.1299188.0.rusty_rhinos_on_rally_for_charity.php
(copy of Guardian article)
We are here too: http://www.thebestof.co.uk/redbridge/news/36098
Pretty good going! www.rustyrhinos.com and www.rustyrhinos.co.uk is now also active which points to this blog.
---
Alex
Saturday 14 April 2007
Interesting statistic and the Rusty Rhino goes for an MOT
It is the Rusty Rhino - so - it failed on....being rusty. Not too suprising...so it is going to get welded up and then it will fly through on the re-test. Not too bad really! At the same time I feel emotional about getting rid of some of the legend that is the rust. Actually I don't, I am writing for the fun of it.
Anyway, for the interesting statistic: There are more bears in Kazakhstan than humans. Nice!
Hmm.
--
Alex
Anyway, for the interesting statistic: There are more bears in Kazakhstan than humans. Nice!
Hmm.
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Alex
Saturday 7 April 2007
Press Coverage - London Guardian 05/04/07
Thanks to Adams superbly written press releases we have got quite a bit of interest in the local press. This is a scan taken from the London Guardian on the 5th of April 2007. They got the information correct...and we managed to get a very cheesy pic in too...can't be bad! Peterborough Evening Telegraph to follow I reckon :)
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Alex
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Alex
Saturday 31 March 2007
Off roading and posing...
Today we finally got to take some cheesy photos, posing with our Rusty Rhino (The SJ410). See image below. Hopefully this will personalise our fund raising and promotion to encourse more donations to our selected charities.
Apart from our amateur photo shoot, we got to do a little bit of off roading, it was good to see what the Rhino was capable of doing. It seems to wobble and bounce around on road, but take it off road, and its a totally different beast. It seemed to plough through most things and that is without a great set of tyres on there.
Some more work needs to be done on the car and we have some modifications to make, but everything seems on track! MOT due up in a week or so, so once that hurdle is passed we can focus on the off road mods.
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Adam
Apart from our amateur photo shoot, we got to do a little bit of off roading, it was good to see what the Rhino was capable of doing. It seems to wobble and bounce around on road, but take it off road, and its a totally different beast. It seemed to plough through most things and that is without a great set of tyres on there.
Some more work needs to be done on the car and we have some modifications to make, but everything seems on track! MOT due up in a week or so, so once that hurdle is passed we can focus on the off road mods.
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Adam
Monday 26 March 2007
Is Charity Ever Not Charity?
Is doing something for a good cause not as important when you are doing something for yourself at the same time?
Being honest, one of the main reasons I participated in the Mongol Rally is for the experience. The ability to see new places, meet new people and mix with different cultures in a way that is not normally possible.
Does my enjoyment or my ability to experience these new places and people devalue the charity work being carried out?
A few people have made some comments to me about this, but I don't really understand why. I agree that it is not as selfless when you are doing something for yourself as well as benefiting a charity, but surely that doesn't devalue what you are doing? To the recipient, whether you are enjoying yourself or not, the charity work in whatever form it takes, is something that is much needed.
I would say that any charity work should be enjoyable, even if you are not experiencing something new or doing something you enjoy, there would still be enjoyment and satisfaction from knowing you are making a difference and helping.
It is a no lose situation.
I'll quite happily admit that I'm not doing the Mongol Rally just for charity; of course I'm doing it for the experience. I'm also very happy that I can choose and help a number of charities through this experience. It would be naive of anyone to think otherwise...
Feel free to post your comments.
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Adam
Being honest, one of the main reasons I participated in the Mongol Rally is for the experience. The ability to see new places, meet new people and mix with different cultures in a way that is not normally possible.
Does my enjoyment or my ability to experience these new places and people devalue the charity work being carried out?
A few people have made some comments to me about this, but I don't really understand why. I agree that it is not as selfless when you are doing something for yourself as well as benefiting a charity, but surely that doesn't devalue what you are doing? To the recipient, whether you are enjoying yourself or not, the charity work in whatever form it takes, is something that is much needed.
I would say that any charity work should be enjoyable, even if you are not experiencing something new or doing something you enjoy, there would still be enjoyment and satisfaction from knowing you are making a difference and helping.
It is a no lose situation.
I'll quite happily admit that I'm not doing the Mongol Rally just for charity; of course I'm doing it for the experience. I'm also very happy that I can choose and help a number of charities through this experience. It would be naive of anyone to think otherwise...
Feel free to post your comments.
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Adam
Sunday 25 March 2007
Press coverage?
I've been trying to sell my flat recently and I was apparently a lucky winner in a competition (I thought that only happened to people on TV & Radio). I won a commission free sale of my flat through my estate agent.
The promotion featured in the local Wanstead & Woodford Guardian. When the estate agent asked me to place a comment for the promotion, I thought I could use this opportunity to promote our justgiving.com donation website.
I asked them to publish our site URL on the promotion page in the Guardian (it was worth a try). However, it appears that the point was missed. As you can see from the statement in the photograph, it implies I'll be using the funds saved "towards" my rally car which isn't quite the case since we already have our rusty rhino!
A fine example of an attempt to promote our cause, but failing miserably!
Still, I'm very pleased and grateful to the agent that I don't have to pay any fees ;)
See pic below (click to make larger) and the bit under the title of "Woodford Green Office Winner"
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Adam
The promotion featured in the local Wanstead & Woodford Guardian. When the estate agent asked me to place a comment for the promotion, I thought I could use this opportunity to promote our justgiving.com donation website.
I asked them to publish our site URL on the promotion page in the Guardian (it was worth a try). However, it appears that the point was missed. As you can see from the statement in the photograph, it implies I'll be using the funds saved "towards" my rally car which isn't quite the case since we already have our rusty rhino!
A fine example of an attempt to promote our cause, but failing miserably!
Still, I'm very pleased and grateful to the agent that I don't have to pay any fees ;)
See pic below (click to make larger) and the bit under the title of "Woodford Green Office Winner"
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Adam
Saturday 24 March 2007
New stuff arrived!
Bought a few things for the trip...
Got a *ahem* few compasses. I think Adam has some sort of thing for them judging by the overkill...
Got a team t-shirt. Quite impressed by the quality so willl get another one shortly...
And the much needed jerry cans for times where there are no pit stops. Rusty and dirty, perfect :)...
Still hanging on for the much awaited maps!
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Alex
Got a *ahem* few compasses. I think Adam has some sort of thing for them judging by the overkill...
Got a team t-shirt. Quite impressed by the quality so willl get another one shortly...
And the much needed jerry cans for times where there are no pit stops. Rusty and dirty, perfect :)...
Still hanging on for the much awaited maps!
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Alex
Monday 19 March 2007
Fund raising progress (part 2)
£200 isn't bad. On addition to that is the tax relief, which adds a fair chunk.
Thought I would post this as it gives a guide to how we are doing. This is for the Mercy Corps
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Alex
Thought I would post this as it gives a guide to how we are doing. This is for the Mercy Corps
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Alex
Sunday 18 March 2007
Fund raising progress (part 1)
It has been a week since we launched our justgiving.com fund raising websites, and we've raised just under £200 between the two sites.
It is looking fairly promising, although I must admit, the start-up donations were from Alex and I, but someone had to get the ball rolling! :-)
We are focusing mainly on the Mercy Corps Mongolia site at http://www.justgiving.com/themongolrally2007, once we achieve our fund raising target here, we'll start to advertise the Hopes and Homes for Children site more aggressively.
Today I sent out an email to some friends and family in a bid to get some more donations for either Mercy Corps Mongolia or Hopes and Homes for Children, I hope the emailing proves fruitful. At the very least, it will raise awareness of our event. I think fund raising is always more effective when you talk to someone about the event in person. We'll have to see how it goes...
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Adam
It is looking fairly promising, although I must admit, the start-up donations were from Alex and I, but someone had to get the ball rolling! :-)
We are focusing mainly on the Mercy Corps Mongolia site at http://www.justgiving.com/themongolrally2007, once we achieve our fund raising target here, we'll start to advertise the Hopes and Homes for Children site more aggressively.
Today I sent out an email to some friends and family in a bid to get some more donations for either Mercy Corps Mongolia or Hopes and Homes for Children, I hope the emailing proves fruitful. At the very least, it will raise awareness of our event. I think fund raising is always more effective when you talk to someone about the event in person. We'll have to see how it goes...
---
Adam
Thursday 15 March 2007
The Route
We wanted both a challenge for us and the rusty Suzuki as well as having the experience of seeing different countries and terrains. It would be pretty boring to take a route through well known countries or to try to take the shortest route, so we have come up with this:
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Alex
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Alex
Tuesday 13 March 2007
Charity please!
So I mentioned in my last post that we made the rally, but I haven't explained why we are doing this.
There are two reasons, to raise money for a couple of very worthwhile charities while having as much fun as possible exploring some less conventional places in this world. Sometimes everything feels so near and so touched by tourists, I think this will be a unique way of experiencing new places and cultures.
The charities are Mercy Corps Mongolia, whose overall goal is to support rural communities to provide a better quality of life for rural residents. The donations are collected through Mercy Corps Scotland (HQ) and then distributed.
The second charity is Hopes and Homes for Children, whose aim is to give hope to the poorest children in the world - those who are orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable - by enabling them to grow up within the love of a family and the security of a home.
So please please please support one or both of these charities by visiting our fund raising websites at :
http://www.justgiving.com/themongolrally2007 (for Mercy Corps)
http://www.justgiving.com/themongolrally07 (for Hopes and Homes for Children)
And without trying to sound too cheesy, every donation however small, makes a difference.
Thank you :)
---
Adam
There are two reasons, to raise money for a couple of very worthwhile charities while having as much fun as possible exploring some less conventional places in this world. Sometimes everything feels so near and so touched by tourists, I think this will be a unique way of experiencing new places and cultures.
The charities are Mercy Corps Mongolia, whose overall goal is to support rural communities to provide a better quality of life for rural residents. The donations are collected through Mercy Corps Scotland (HQ) and then distributed.
The second charity is Hopes and Homes for Children, whose aim is to give hope to the poorest children in the world - those who are orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable - by enabling them to grow up within the love of a family and the security of a home.
So please please please support one or both of these charities by visiting our fund raising websites at :
http://www.justgiving.com/themongolrally2007 (for Mercy Corps)
http://www.justgiving.com/themongolrally07 (for Hopes and Homes for Children)
And without trying to sound too cheesy, every donation however small, makes a difference.
Thank you :)
---
Adam
Monday 12 March 2007
First blog entry
Well I've finally got round to setting up a blog. We should probably have done this earlier! Just a quick post to outline what is happening with Team Rusty Rhinos.
Team Rusty Rhinos is made of Alex and myself (Adam) and we will be competing with a 1985 Suzuki SJ 410, which we bought for £300 in February 2007.
And most importantly, I can confirm that we have been successful in entering the Mongol Rally 2007.
There are only 200 places in the Mongol Rally 2007, the first 50 were almost released on Wednesday 7th March, but the Mongol Rally servers went into meltdown, so they released 100 places on the 9th of March.
From about 6:50pm on the 7th of March, both Alex and I were frantically hitting F5, F5, F5 waiting for the places to be released. We probably contributed to the first meltdown on the 7th (Sorry, I'm sure we weren't the only ones!). At 7pm, places were indeed released and my browser claimed there were only 54 places left out of the 100, 46 places went in a split second! Anyway we secured a place, and apparently the 100 places were swallowed in under a minute!
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Adam
Team Rusty Rhinos is made of Alex and myself (Adam) and we will be competing with a 1985 Suzuki SJ 410, which we bought for £300 in February 2007.
And most importantly, I can confirm that we have been successful in entering the Mongol Rally 2007.
There are only 200 places in the Mongol Rally 2007, the first 50 were almost released on Wednesday 7th March, but the Mongol Rally servers went into meltdown, so they released 100 places on the 9th of March.
From about 6:50pm on the 7th of March, both Alex and I were frantically hitting F5, F5, F5 waiting for the places to be released. We probably contributed to the first meltdown on the 7th (Sorry, I'm sure we weren't the only ones!). At 7pm, places were indeed released and my browser claimed there were only 54 places left out of the 100, 46 places went in a split second! Anyway we secured a place, and apparently the 100 places were swallowed in under a minute!
---
Adam
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