I have been grounded in the US for over 6 months now. My last major adventure was India (country 21 for Wok the Dog) and I’ve stayed put for an incredibly long amount of time. These last 6 months have not been without adventures but they have been of a different variety than those I have while traveling abroad.

Well….that is about to change. Several months back, I impulsively snagged a spot in the 2012 Mongol Rally. The Mongol Rally is adventure philanthropy at its best. A 10,000 mile overland drive through some of the toughest terrains in the world, going from the UK to Mongolia, across 3 deserts and 5 mountain ranges. It will be one wicked, unpredictable adventure while raising money for charity (The Adventurist have raised over 2 million British Pounds).  Sounds fantastic doesn’t it? YES! YES is what I say to an adventure of this magnitude. So, I impulsively signed up for a major car rally, without teammates, not knowing exactly how I would be able to pull it off, and unable to drive a stick shift (yep…none of those things stopped me from saying yes to adventure.)

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Universe has conspired indeed. I will be running in The Mongol Rally with Pamela MacNaughtan of SpunkyGirlMonologue. Not only has the Universe conspired to wrangle up a couple of amazing teammates for the rally, it has also brought us HostelBooker as our first rally sponsor!

2 women
1 tiny car
10,000 miles
1 chariety
and a whole lot of adventures in between

Oh yeah!

Between now and the official rally kick off, I will update you on rally preparation, from visas to travel logistics to the car search to fundraising and maybe an occasional “AM I INSANE?!” freak out or two in addition to the regular SpyTravelogue Posts. Naturally, I will get myself into a ridiculous amount of trouble and promptly report back to you this summer.

Our tentative route (the rally has no specific route — you can get to Mongolia any way you choose and there is no organized support along the way) at the moment look  something like this:

Czech Republic Kick Off — Slovakia — Hungry —- Romania — Serbia — Bulgaria — Turkey —- Georgia — Azerbaijan — {Cross the Caspian Sea and avoid being captured by Pirates} — Turkmenistan — Uzbekistan — Kazakhstan — Russia —- Mongolia !!!

I will attempt to shoot as much for “Wok the Dog” as possible along the way. I am excited to see how being a part of the rally will change the way I shoot this epic documentary project that has been going on for the last 15 years. Stay Tuned.

Team SM Stoweaway is eager and ready to take on the toughest overland drive in the world this summer!

Subscribe to SpyTravelogue and take on this great adventure with me. 

* I can’t stop watching this video from last year’s rally. Every time I watch this video, I am 75% Excited, 10% scared and 15% believe that I’ve lost my mind!

** If you are dying to find out more about the rally before I am officially on the road, Sherry Otts, Ottsworld, an amazing woman, fearless adventurer and a great friend ran in the Mongol Rally in 2011, you can read about her experience here to get you excited for what is ahead.

Related Posts:
The Greatest Adventure Beckons — What Do You Say?
Your Wish is My Command
Growing Pains from Traveling at Lightening Speed

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