julia & damian's rally blog - 2005

People's generosity amazes me ...

Whilst I was dropping off Moo Moo's wheels and tyres this morning at ATS in Chichester, a chap got talking with me about 2CV's and his interest in central Africa, his sister, politics and motor bikes. I wish I had had more time to talk with him. And just before I dashed off for our rabies injection, he donated £10.00 to Send a Cow. So a big thank you to Mr JIM WRIGHT.

D.

A clutch of chickens, half a beehive or a pair of goats?

Thanks to everyone's generosity, our fundraising efforts are beginning to gather momentum.  Ages ago I said that I wanted to send Old MacDonald's Farm to Africa - well, we're getting there.  Actually, we've just passed the half way mark.  So please keep it coming in!

Saving energy the Solio way ...

Better Energy Systems Ltd, are in the enviable position of producing a gadget that almost everybody with a mobile phone or iPod would give their eye teeth for, especially those who lost their tents at Glastonbury last weekend and needed to phone home for dry clothing, only to discover that their phone needed charging and they're stuck in the middle of a very wet field without a plug in sight!

Welcome to the Solio. A small, beautifully designed, hand held solar power unit for re-charging 'hand held gadgets' - perfect if you're at a pop festival, on the train or sunning your back on a beach and you need to keep in touch with family or friends.

Simply plug in your phone or iPod and let the sun do the rest.

The Solio couldn't be better suited to solving our re-charging needs throughout the Mongol Rally. With almost all of our time spent behind the wheel, the Solio means that we can just stick the re-charger to our windscreen and keep on driving whilst our gadgets our re-charged en route. Leaving our cigarette lighters free for more essential comforts, such as making coffee and hot dogs!

You can buy the Solio online or find out more about Better Energy Systems Ltd. by visiting their website at www.betterenergy.co.uk

We'd like to thank Better Energy Systems for sponsoring the Mongol Rally.

D.

A BIG THANK YOU to ...

We would like to THANK the following people ...

D.

Car Boot Sale - Part II

On our second attempt at Car Boot Sales, we were determined that we weren't going to be intimidated by the punters - but they knew how to make us feel like defenceless, trapped animals, circling the car, ready to pounce when the starting whistle went off ...

J.

Cake Sale ....yummy, yummy!

Thanks to the generosity (or was it greed?) of my colleagues at work, we raised £115 for Send a Cow last week. The mountain of cakes, biscuits, cheese straws and sausage rolls didn’t even survive

J.

Car Boot Virgins ...

Last Saturday we did our first Car Boot Sale, in Chichester. And I can't believe that we were haggling over ... more here

Wired for sound ...

I've just picked up our Eton FR200 wind-up radios from Nevada Radios of Farlington, near Portsmouth, and they're brilliant.

Nevada Radio has not only given us one to test during our trip, but have generously donated another one for our 'Fundraising Auction', that's taking place on Saturday 2nd July (details being announced soon).

The Radios are really cute, quite small, robust and come with their own little cover/satchel, which means that should our car break down en route, we can sling the radio over our shoulder and listen to it whilst we try and walk our way back to civilisation.

I think the most ingenious thing about it is that with only about a minutes winding one can get up to an hours listening. But if laziness sets or I can't persuade Julia to wind it up for me, it will take batteries, it can also be charged using mains electricity or even the car's cigarette lighter. So absolutely perfect for our trip, particularly as it can receive AM & FM stations, and more critically for us, Shortwave, so that we can listen to the World Service.

So if you're thinking of camping this summer, or have a very remote cottage in the highlands or beach hut in Norfolk without electricity - here's your audio system sorted out. Nevada also do a vast array of other serious and rather trendy radios which you can buy online at their website here ... www.nevada.co.uk

D.

If you love food, you'll love this ...

Friendly Food - Tasty People

Our all time favourite local restaurant in Emsworth is Fat Olives, who have very kindly donated ...this

D.

Pipped to the post with 16 seconds to go ...

Even to confess that I'm writing this blog at 10.30 pm (ish) is rather sad. But I have to confess, Julia and I have spent the last 3 hours ....

D.