“ No one really believed in us ending this,”
ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
“ It motivates us more to finish it,” she said.” We are pretty confident the car can make it.”
There were plenty of obstacles--their car withstood some severe beating on more than one occasion, they lost their way in Mongolia and got stuck in the sand in the Gobi desert, and visa complications in Russia almost forced Pamudurthy out of the rally--but they survived it all.
As the three friends travelled across France, Italy, Austria, Poland, Belarus and several more countries, they found themselves being welcomed into locals’ houses, eating their food, sharing cultures.“ We packed Maggi and all to‘ rough it out’ but they( the locals) are doing everything they can, pack food like our moms do back home,” said Pamudurthy.“ The hospitality of the locals is the highlight.”
Everywhere they travelled, they found people cared about the cause they were raising money for.“ People in the remotest provinces of France concerned about children in India,” said Kuttaiah.“ Smallest of small villages wanted to donate.” By the end, the team had raised enough money to help 150 children for a year in shelter homes across India.
Yet, the three Bengaluru-based friends--Sunaina Pamudurthy, Binoy John and Bhairav Kuttaiah ended their 48-day trip across 13 countries, five mountain ranges, three river crossings, and a massive desert to reach the finish line in the 2016 Mongol Rally. All this to raise funds and awareness for children in Indian shelters.
“ No one really believed in us ending this,”
The Route
London to Milan London( UK) Paris( France) Bordeaux( France) Toulouse( France) Barcelona( Spain) Montpellier( France) Marseille( Spain) Grenoble( France) Geneva( Switzerland) Milan( Italy) Milan to Chelyabinsk Milan( Italy) Bologna( Italy) Venice( Italy) Salzburg( Austria) Munich( Germany) Prague( Czech Republic) Warsaw( Poland) Minsk( Belarus) Moscow( Russia) Chelyabinsk( Russia) Chelyabinsk to Ulan Ude Chelyabinsk( Russia) Novosibirsk( Russia) Ulgii( Mongolia) Ulaanbaatar( Mongolia) Ulan-Ude( Mongolia)
Source: huffingtonpost & rushlane
26 Vol 2 | Issue 1 | Mar- May 2017