..........................................................
APRIL 5
If this Mongol Rally lark is more stressful than filling out the visa forms, we’ll never make it! This has not been an easy week. It’s almost come to blows over the phone with Franco and me trying to go through the various paperwork to get us into these countries. Every visa has to be downloaded, studied and filled in meticulously, before you part with a small fortune in costs. Nerves are beginning to get frayed, and we haven’t even driven the car yet! So we have two highly charged people shouting over each other on the phone and making mistakes every time. So I can only imagine what it will be like two weeks into the journey when we’re both knackered and still only half way there. Anger management classes may have to be attended in the coming weeks.
FUNDRAISING
All is going well with the fundraising and we’re amazed at the goodwill that’s out there.
Firstly, we wouldn’t even have a website to be blogging on or fundraising on if it wasn’t for my two nephews Matthew Costello, who designed the site, and Paul, our IT techno whizzkid. I’ve been busting their chops so much since this started that they’ll be raising money in the hope I don’t come back from Mongolia. Thanks, boys. You’ll get your reward one day.
Shields Autopark have been maginificent with their generosity in donating the car, and promise to make sure it gets us all the way to Mongolia.
Thanks to Kevin at Footprints in Glasgow for donating a top class tent and camping equipment plus great advice for the trek.
And Vodafone are saving my bacon by donating a mobile connect so I’ll be able to write my Sunday Mirror column on the hoof, plus, keep the website informed of our journey.
In emergencies, Hire-A-Phone in Hillingdon, Glasgow, are giving us a sat phone. Let’s hope we don’t have to use it as the call costs will truly bankrupt us.
All of the major sponsors are listed on our website, but there have been great individual contributions from my old pal Brian Dempsey, and also Willie Haughey, as well as Arthur Shevill. And it has to be said, first to put his hand in his pocket was Gordon Airs, the legendary chief reporter of the Daily Record, before me. That will cost me some good red biddy when we meet up in Ireland in the next couple of weeks.
Other friends and people I haven’t seen for years have been in touch to support, and that is really what the spirit of this trip is all about. People like Jim Cassidy who I worked with and his wife Frances, Helen Liddell, Kevin Beatty, and Gary and Ross at my local Post Office.
And I’m hoping to be writing a regular column with my local newspaper the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser in the run-up to the trip, to help get local firms on board.
We’re having a fundraising ceilidh at the end of the month, and everyone is pitching in, from my cousins Ian and Martin Smith who are playing the music, to my local Indian takeaway, Chilli’s Tandoori who are providing the buffet.
It should be a great night with top raffle prizes pledged so far including a return flight for two to Barcelona donated by Flyglobspan and also two Virgin Trains first class return tickets to London. Also thanks to Carlo at Guidi’s restaurant for providing a prize of dinner for two, and thanks also to Ash at the Café Shabab in Newmains and to Russell at the Koh-I-noor in Glasgow who have donated meals.
More sponsors for the raffle are coming in daily, and, of course, one of the star prizes will be a half day pampering at the exquisite Ginger’s Salon, Chapelhall, provided by my sister Sadie. We’ll keep you informed.
ROUTE
We’ve been trawling through the internet reading the endless blogs of people who have been on this journey, and the more you read, the more exciting the adventure looks – if a little daunting.
I was amazed to hear from an old friend Tom Bryce last week, who is actually working as an engineer with AMEC out in Kazakhstan. It’s brilliant, because he can give us the lowdown on what not to do and point out the pitfalls, and, of course the potholes as we make our way across the country.
We’re still working out the route, and it there will be no hard and fast plans on that. Everything will depend on how well things are going once we are on the road. It looks like it will get really tough after Poland, and by that time, The Odd Couple might be ready for splitting up! But the grand plan is to go across Kazakhstan and into Russia before Mongolia. But we have the options of going south to Uzbekistan and Krygystan once we have the visas for all these countries.
