Reunit
ed for the journey home with (a now fully recovered!) Will, Veterans Aid fundraiser Olly Cardozo and his trusty taxi have now made it to Omsk; a mere 5583.5 km from London – as the crow flies.
The route our trio have elected to take is not the most direct and will take account of their depleted energies and (Mildred’s!) – but with the rally behind them ‘avoidable privations’ are not to be sniffed at!
They still have a long way to go and the focus now is on whether the redoubtable ‘Mildred’, who had 400,000 miles on the clock when she left London, will make it home! Do London taxis really ‘go on for ever’? She’s certainly a tribute to her manufacturers! Our latest from the frontline of fundraising:
Hi all,
We’ve arrived in Omsk after a long haul from Novosibirsk. We are both a bit sad that the Mongol Rally ended at the Mongolian border, but at least we saw the Mongol heartland, and a few yurts and yaks. We slept in a wet field just off the motorway and are now gunning for Moscow and St Petersburg. Google maps reckons it’s about 4000km there so, with a day off to explore Moscow, we should get there on time. Hope all is well in the UK. However wet it is at home, the cold here is pretty miserable! – See you all soon, Olly, Will and ‘Mildred’
They made it! VA’s Mongol Rally fundraising team of four, depleted by unforeseen circumstances to two, both of whom sustained injuries along the way, finally crossed the border into Mongolia!
Olly Cardozo – driving force and ultimately ‘sole driver’ – and his superannuated London taxi ‘Mildred’ – survived close encounters with potholes, rear-end shunts in the middle of nowhere, nights in jail, tense exchanges with border guards and a few first aid stops. But we can now report that they are on their way home – dented and undefeated.
Olly’s latest text to his father, received 8 September 2014 07:27, follows:
Hi,
Heading out of Altai region now. Went to Mongolia, as far as we could without having to import the car (Mildred!). Now on our way back just past Mayma.
Got 460 km or so to Novosibirsk (where we plan on sleeping).
Lovely two nights driving in the mountains, camping by icy rivers with wild animals sniffing around the tent at night (apparently Altai has many wolves and bears!) though probably just a wild dog or something.
Will try to send an email so Veterans Aid can post something confirming that we got to Mongolia and finished the rally; not Ulan Bator sadly, but still Mongolia – and we’re now under way back to London.
Sad it’s over . . . but still have a long way back!
Those of you who have been following this story will know what a toll it’s taken on the three young men who set off so many weeks ago to raise funds for Veterans Aid. None of them envisaged that illness would reduce their number or that Olly and ‘Mildred’ would face so many difficulties along the way. Remember, there is still time to contribute to their Just Giving page and help them reach their £2,000 target.
Veterans Aid will be organising a very special welcome for them – date and details to follow!
They made it! VA’s Mongol Rally fundraising team of four, depleted by unforeseen circumstances to two, both of whom sustained injuries along the way, finally crossed the border into Mongolia!
Olly Cardozo – driving force and ultimately ‘sole driver’ – and his superannuated London taxi ‘Mildred’ – survived close encounters with potholes, rear-end shunts in the middle of nowhere, nights in jail, tense exchanges with border guards and a few first aid stops. But we can now report that they are on their way home – dented and undefeated.
Olly’s latest text to his father, received 8 September 2014 07:27, follows:
Hi,
Heading out of Altai region now. Went to Mongolia, as far as we could without having to import the car (Mildred!). Now on our way back just past Mayma.
Got 460 km or so to Novosibirsk (where we plan on sleeping).
Lovely two nights driving in the mountains, camping by icy rivers with wild animals sniffing around the tent at night (apparently Altai has many wolves and bears!) though probably just a wild dog or something.
Will try to send an email so Veterans Aid can post something confirming that we got to Mongolia and finished the rally; not Ulan Bator sadly, but still Mongolia – and we’re now under way back to London.
Sad it’s over . . . but still have a long way back!
Those of you who have been following this story will know what a toll it’s taken on the three young men who set off so many weeks ago to raise funds for Veterans Aid. None of them envisaged that illness would reduce their number or that Olly and ‘Mildred’ would face so many difficulties along the way. Remember, there is still time to contribute to their Just Giving page and help them reach their £2,000 target.
Veterans Aid will be organising a very special welcome for them – date and details to follow!
