ADVENTURE: Mongol Rally: Launch Party

Mongol Rally Launch

[Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of posts by former stated feature artist, Charlie Grosso, as she takes on the 10,000 Mongol Rally.]

After months of preparation, we finally kicked-off The Mongol Rally from Klenova Castle, about an hour outside of Prague.

The Mongol Rally is presented by The Adventurists (namely Rob and Joolz) who drove from London to Ulaan Baator in the summer of 2004 on a lark, thus began the adventure.

You might be wondering, what does it cost to do The Mongol Rally?

To start, each team has to pay an £850 rally fee. There is a vehicle deposit of another £800, which will be refunded to you once you complete the rally or have properly disposed of your car if you break down somewhere along the way. Each team has to raise at least £1000 for the charity. You have the cost and headache of visas, hostels / camping, gas, car purchase, repair, food, and beer and bribe money—all of it are on you and your team and none is provided for or supported by The Adventurists. The cost adds up quickly, which is why many teams endeavor to get sponsors.

Team SM Stowaway

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had some time to contemplate the rally and have come to realize one can have one’s own Mongol Rally if they so desire. The adventure in the rally is that there are no structural supports. The rally has no specific route, no check-in points, no help along the way—you are on your own until you pull into Ulaana Baatar and hand over your car keys for the charity auction.

So…then what do The Adventurists do for you and your £850?

Well…they take care of the paperwork and fee for importing the car in collaboration with the NGO in Mongolia. There is a fantastic kick-off party at Goodwood, UK and another one in a castle in Klenova, Czech Republic. You get stickers for your car, t-shirts, a nicely printed pamphlet on useful things to remember along the road, and some wet-wipes. When you complete the 10,000-mile drive with your teammates and drag yourself into Mongolia, there is another party there to welcome the dirty and road-worn you!

Hmmm…..

Are you thinking what I am thinking? Yeah…I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of weeks now. Except, I have gone through with it and arrived at Klenova Castle with Pam, where the excitement grew. Different teams arrived by the hour. Some of them did the London kick off and others were just pulling in.

Mongol Rally Team Member

I walked around the campground, checked out everyone’s car, met every combination of team possible. Strangers approached me, but knew who I was because we had exchanged emails, tweets, or Facebook messages, and all of sudden I was a part of this community. A community of adventure-seeking, boundary-pushing, travel junkies just like me! The 800-year-old Klenova Castle was filled with a sense of camaraderie for what is to come and there was no need to explain my motives for wanting to do this to any of them. They only know too well.

Then I wonder…

What will the cost be for belonging to this community? I’m about to find out.

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