Embracing the greatest adventure on the planet

Marketed by the organisers as “The Greatest Adventure on the Planet”, the Rally saw over 250 teams make their way from London to Ulan Bator in Mongolia – a 15 000 km stretch across 21 countries.

With the rules for the Rally including that teams must raise at least £1 000 (about R17 500) for charity, and that they could only take a car with an engine capacity of 1.2l or less, it meant Richard and the team had to settle for an absurdly small car totally unsuited for the job.

The team, named The South Afristans, a play on the fact that a bunch of South Africans would be passing through all the old Soviet “Stans” -Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakstan – also included Susanne Ostermann, John Paul (JP) Hunt and Jessica Morgan.

They elected to participate in the Rally not only to be part of the adventure, but also to raise funds for The Gumboots Foundation.

“We chose the Gumboots Foundation, because they represent South Africans living out in the world trying to give back to their country,” says Montjoie.

“If just a few South Africans living overseas could see us, perhaps they would be reminded of their African roots and feel inspired to give something back.”

The Gumboots Foundation supports projects around South Africa with a current focus on education and early learners, support for crèches and orphanages, and support for parentless households.

Arriving at the Heathrow Airport, The South Afristans were picked up with Stan the Van, a 1994 Subaru Libero 1.2L with over 200 000 km on its clock.

Stan was going to be the team’s home for five weeks.

The teams left London on July 20, and headed their various ways into Europe.

Passing through England, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany on their first day of driving, the tone was set for the rest of the trip. In order to cover 15 000 km in little over four weeks, The South Afristans had some serious driving to do averaging around 500 km per day, and Stan was only capable of cruising at about 90 km/h.

“No land speed records were to be broken,” says Montjoie.

According to Montjoie, Stan’s first breakdown would occur in the Czech Republic, where he stripped a rear hub.

“A friendly local managed to tow us at breakneck speeds through rural Germany to the nearest Subaru garage. After a day’s delay, we were back on the road.”

He says the journey continued smoothly through Bulgaria into Romania, where the team visited the renowned Bran Castle, as well as driving on the Transfagarasan Highway, a spectacular road that twists and turns its way up and down the Southern Carpathian Mountains.

The team then progressed through Bulgaria, Slovenia, Hungry into Turkey, through Istanbul towards Georgia, where Stan suffered another setback – a burst water hose this time.

“Stan was by then almost permanently overheating as we headed further east into Azerbaijan and across the Caspian Sea into Turkmenistan, which is described as the North Korea of Central Asia due to its strict entry requirements, and historically bizarre dictatorship where days of the week were renamed after family members.

“Visiting the Davarza Gas Crater, a natural gas dubbed Door to Hell, which was set alight 40 years ago and continues to burn, was a special experience for us.”

The team then made its way further north through Uzbekistan, mountainous Kyrgyzstan into Kazakhstan. Following a brief stop in Kazakhstan to repair Stan’s collapsed suspension, the team headed into Russia and finally reached the Mongolia border, after which the real adventure was to start.

Montjoie adds: “In summary, the trip was an incredible experience; challenging at times with loads of driving and time spent in the car.

“Temperatures reached over 45 degrees Celsius in the deserts we passed through, but it was a once in a lifetime experience allowing us to visit countries and see places one would not normally go to, well off the beaten track!

“The trip has left me with an improved understanding of Eurasian history, culture, geography and politics, as well as a greater appreciation of how we should host visitors to our beautiful country.”

Team South Afristans raised £3 000 (about R52 500) for the foundation.

More information can be found on the team’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/southafristans or the website at www.southafristans.co.za.

Countries visited were England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. – @SabeloBoksburg