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A few weeks ago a friend introduced me to this society. And never before have I ever taken to a challenge like this one. This is the Africa Rally: “Massive, ridiculously hot, covered in deserts and some of the wildest jungles in the world; Africa calls The Adventurists like a siren in the night. Come hither and do thyself a mischief, she says. So really we only had one solution, to make the turn south and head into the fray in search of the sort of moments to tell our grandchildren about over and over again until they fear coming to visit us in our old people's home. Thus the Adventurists' Africa Rally was born. They said the cars would never make it, they said the roads in monsoon season were impassable; they said this was the most ridiculous and stupid idea they'd ever heard of. But the twenty-eight brave teams that made it to Cameroon in the pioneering 2008 Africa Rally proved them wrong, and in the process of doing so raised vast amounts of cash for charity.” The 2009 rally is happening this Christmas. I was offered a team position but, fortunately, I have sense to realise that wandering into the Sahara desert unprepared is suicide. But. I found the concept of driving a 1 litre left hand drive banger through jungle and desert into Camaroon compelling, especially after watching the endeavours of others. So. I’m going to try in Christmas 2010. The first step is getting on the official books; the next step is to get a suitable car and start the marketing machine. Oh, and plan a route. I’ve started a blog which I have vowed to only update with interesting news over the year. Any goons in the Reading or London area that want to get in touch, help out, travel with or stand and laugh and point out the numerous comical ways I will die please feel free to contact me. I hope to bring you some small parcels of entertainment in the coming year. niT (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:16 |
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| # ? Nov 20, 2009 22:18 |
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Isn't there another goon who does this every year or something similar? Hopefully he posts in this thread and you guys can hook up and share information and tips.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:19 |
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I hope he sees this thread. I have no doubt in my mind that I may not get to the start let alone the finish.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:30 |
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I said come in! posted:Isn't there another goon who does this every year or something similar? Hopefully he posts in this thread and you guys can hook up and share information and tips. I think the OP is that goon.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:30 |
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This looks very cool. Is it open to just anyone that finds themselves in London on 13 December with a 1 litre left hand drive and a bit of spirit? Best of luck, OP.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:33 |
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I've always wanted to do the Mongol Rally but taking three to four weeks off work is just too much; it's a real shame.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:34 |
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^^^^^^oh gently caress you^^^^^ There's another race that goes from England to Mongolia, I think. Same concept; small cars, no fwd, etc.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:39 |
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Holy hogs, this is too cool. I'd move to London to do this. No doubt in my maybe.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:41 |
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Noblesse Oblige posted:This looks very cool. Is it open to just anyone that finds themselves in London on 13 December with a 1 litre left hand drive and a bit of spirit? It's open in as much as you have to register and pay a £650 deposit. You're locked into raising £1000 in total (if you fail then it comes out your pocket). Other than that, yes, free to go, free to take any route and so on. Thanks for the luck, it will be used.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:45 |
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Make sure your team has a videographer or at least a decent videocamera!
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:52 |
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This is the goon I think. His team was called the Mongolian taxi service, but the website seems to have disappeared. If you find his blog then read it as it was an excellent diary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUxR0m8EHcg
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:56 |
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My friends and I have a spot in the Mongol Rally for 2010, but all of us then got life commitments (jobs, more school) that will keep us from it. We're still doing it, just not in 2010. Good luck, I'm really jealous!
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 14:59 |
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If you are wondering if it's possible to drive across parts of Africa without 4WD, it is. An episode of To Gear was dedicated to driving across Botswana. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OETj9aTYO2Q Good luck to you, if this comes to fruit. Should be an interesting experiance.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 15:19 |
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I did this last year! We went from London to the gambia in a mk2 golf, good times all round! Highlights included going through a minefield to get into mauritania and driving through the desert for days, seeing nothing but sand and camels. I was supposed to be going to sierra leone via timbuktuu this year, but lack funds sadly. We were horribly unprepared, bits of the car fell off, we had to bribe half of africa, but overall it was an amazing experiance!
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 15:29 |
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swiss_army_chainsaw posted:I think the OP is that goon. Nope, it is not.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 15:33 |
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I said come in! posted:Nope, it is not. So who was it?
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 15:47 |
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Best of luck to you on your adventure. Be sure to name your plucky little car. I would suggest "Oliver".
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 15:52 |
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swiss_army_chainsaw posted:So who was it? I don't know! If I knew I would obviously say so! I forgot! If you continue to disagree with me, i'll cut you!
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 16:24 |
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I said come in! posted:I don't know! If I knew I would obviously say so! I forgot! If you continue to disagree with me, i'll cut you! I want you on my team for the next Mongol Rally. You can be the brooding hothead. I'll be the token female. Now all we need is the lovable fat guy and/or goofball, the science dude and the all-around leader.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 17:30 |
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swiss_army_chainsaw posted:I want you on my team for the next Mongol Rally. You can be the brooding hothead. I'll be the token female. Now all we need is the lovable fat guy and/or goofball, the science dude and the all-around leader. Can I be the slighty fat nerd that knows some mechanics and stops you fighting each other?
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 18:05 |
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swiss_army_chainsaw posted:I want you on my team for the next Mongol Rally. You can be the brooding hothead. I'll be the token female. Now all we need is the lovable fat guy and/or goofball, the science dude and the all-around leader. gently caress yes, this is gonna be great. 
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 18:57 |
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I work with a guy who drove from London to Cape Town. It took him nine months. He drives a beautiful Series Land Rover with a water system, roof tent, etc. I drove from Denver, CO to Panama City, Panama last winter over seven weeks. It's a fantastic trip which I would highly recommend. There's a huge overlanding community on the internet although most of us use trucks and SUVs.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 19:10 |
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So it is supposedly too dangerous to hold Paris-Dakar these days but a bunch of guys driving 1 liter hatchbacks without support teams is fine? I understand it is not safe from the "you might crash and burn" or "breakdown and die of thirst" perspective but are they/you at all worried about the "beheaded by islamist rebels" dangers?
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 19:16 |
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^^^Africa != The Middle East Someone shooting you for your petrol or tyres, more likely.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 19:33 |
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Rogz posted:^^^Africa != The Middle East You must have missed the part where i specifically mention Paris-Dakar which has not been held in Africa since 2007 because of the threat of Islamist violence.
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 19:43 |
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I was actually in rural Ethiopia for the summer of 2008; this looks awesome. There were a surprising amount of expat families we found there (I was teaching English with a service organization), so you might be able to get some help along the way. Africa is a bloody amazing part of the world if you keep your wits about you. I'd love to go back someday. Thanks, OP, now you've got me itching to do something stupid like this 
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 21:32 |
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My goodness. I read this thread this morning, and have been thinking about it all day now. I seriously think I need to do this. Do you know if a lot of American teams have run/run it now?
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| # ? Nov 07, 2009 22:57 |
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NihilismNow posted:"beheaded by islamist rebels" dangers? I think it is more likely that I will get lost and die, or drive over a land mine. In other news, I tan well and am half Malaysian, so I can pass for Muslim (I even know words to the Qu'ran and have a palestinian neck scarf thing). Ironically I also tend to have a beard and wear a black fedora, I get mistaken for the Jewish pursuasion from time to time. I believe the specific threat on the Paris - Dakar is the fact that it is a big western event going in to a Muslim country and thus attracts a lot of political attention. A bit like doing a race through Iraq ('Death Race East' perhaps?). This rally is more like a bunch of lads in a pub asking their mates for some petrol money so they can gently caress about in their cars for a month. Octagon N posted:My goodness. I read this thread this morning, and have been thinking about it all day now. I seriously think I need to do this. Do you know if a lot of American teams have run/run it now? This is exactly what happened to me when I found out about it. Which is why I decided to just loving do it rather than be sensible and, like, plan it and poo poo. Yes, there have been septic's doing the rally, mostly the one to Mongolia as it's a bit easier and covers more countries. Technically this has only been going since 2008, so your guess on the number of our British cousins going is as good as mine. Serious note. Throughout the year I will be looking for team members. As I strike off each of my friends one by one I will be increasingly more
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 00:11 |
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bring guns
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 00:13 |
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Hologram posted:bring guns Have contacts, will be sorted for 'hostile environment survival equipment'
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 00:22 |
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niT posted:Can I be the slighty fat nerd that knows some mechanics and stops you fighting each other? You may also need to save me from being carried off by hostile locals. Furthermore, it would help if you had a magical amulet given to you by your archeologist grandfather. Or...are you the last prince of an oppressed kingdom on a journey to reclaim your throne? I said come in! posted:gently caress yes, this is gonna be great. I almost forgot: we're going to need a black guy. Can you handle that?
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 00:46 |
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swiss_army_chainsaw posted:
Thanks to biking, I'm really really tan nowadays. Can I help? I'll be the plucky minority sidekick with a penchant for making automobiles run (well) and women run (away from me). Oh, and I can cook well.
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 01:25 |
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swiss_army_chainsaw posted:all-around leader. 
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 04:18 |
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niT posted:
Got email? I don't have plat. My AIM is in my profile as well.
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 04:29 |
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xie posted:Got email? I don't have plat. My AIM is in my profile as well. Send mail to here and I'll reply with my real address: 
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 09:26 |
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Bookmarking this thread in anticipation of six months from now, when I too have failed to convince anyone I know to come risk their lives in Africa.
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 17:50 |
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You're gonna get wet.
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 17:53 |
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I heard Robert Plant wrote Kasmir while driving through Africa...
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 18:00 |
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Octagon N posted:Bookmarking this thread in anticipation of six months from now, when I too have failed to convince anyone I know to come risk their lives in Africa. It's very difficult to get anyone to agree to do this. I'd rather go with a goon than by myself though. Stay in touch.
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| # ? Nov 09, 2009 09:24 |
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My team the Gentlemen of Fortune did the Mongol Rally earlier this year, it's tougher than you would believe, at lot tougher, great fun though and we raised more than £2000 for charity.  Yes our car was still leaking fluid. I was going to do an awesome pictures thread but haven't had the chance yet. If you're looking for an idea of what your in for our blog might be worth a scan, there will be more pictures going up soon too. http://mongolrally09.theadventurist...rtune&page=blog Here are a frew choice extracts Gentlemen of Fortune posted:Closing on on Erzincan. Took a scenic route through the hills and had chai with a man who once had a moustache to his knees. He gave us a dishcloth. Gentlemen of Fortune posted:Met an English team at the border who were waiting for 6 hours, strip search, fingerprinting, the lot. We passed through in less than 2 without all that. Oh boy i love being Scottish!! Gentlemen of Fortune posted:I reckon the Kazakhs should spend some of their oil money on fixing the road to semey. Currently getting our front right suspension fixed in a wee garage on the way out of town. Then our penultimate border crossing. Have to drive as far north as barnaul in Russia to find the road to Mongolia. Plan is to get as far along that road as possible today then camp. Time to get out of nuclear fallout hell! Gentlemen of Fortune posted:I am very glad to see the soviet bloc mullet and no-sleeve tshirt combo is alive and well in eastern Russia. Gentlemen of Fortune posted:We're on the final road into Mongolia. Got supplies and ready to hit the mountains. Think the front right wheelbearing is going judging by the squeaks. Not sure of the consequences of ignoring it either... Gentlemen of Fortune posted:The break fix lasted about 30km! I've clamped off the back breaks and we'll carry on. No rear dampner now either so we're shedding weight. Gentlemen of Fortune posted:50k after our last update square fox hit a bump and totalled their oil filter, despite 2 hours trying to bodge a repair in a howling thunder storm they were going no where. Danny and Sash stayed with them for the tow tomorrow as, with water pouring through the roof, we loaded what was left of our car with 2 girls and made a dash for ullan battor. The roads were a horrible mix of dirt track and seemingly evasive half completed stretches of tarmac. We got there at 5 in the morning, I am typing this in a five star hotel I know some American teams attempted the Mongol and I sure one or too made it despite their obvious shortcomings  Good luck.
Zalakwe fucked around with this message at Nov 09, 2009 around 11:27 |
| # ? Nov 09, 2009 11:18 |
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