We're back

We've finally made it home safe and sound after spending a lot longer in China then we ever anticipated. It came as no surprise to us that it costs twice as much for the 2 hour train journey from Heathrow to Peterborough as it does to go from Beijing to Shanghai (12 hours overnight and about 10 times the distance)!

The event had raised over quarter of a million pounds before we even set off and will undoubtedly continue to have more money coming in over the next weeks. We saw first hand in Ulan Bator that there was a great need for charity support and are sure that all of the money raised by the Mongol Rally can start to make some big differences.


We have so many people to thank for making this trip a success. Everyone who has contributed, whether it be financially or by providing support or a service has been an integral part of the team. Particular thanks need to be extended to the following...

Roger's Bodyshop, Crowland - Before the rally our 150 quid banger was out of action with a failed alternator and didn't look in such good shape. Roger and Richard, it is testament to the quality of your work that the repairs you did managed to last nearly 10,000 miles and delivered us safely to Mongolia.

Heltwate School & Sir Harry Smith School - Your assistance in raising money for the two charities was vital and special thanks go
to all the pupils and teachers who were involved in making the rally the triumph that it was.

Continental Tyres - For sponsoring the team by supplying a full set of Eco Contact tyres for Molly. We had two blowouts on the way to Mongolia and neither of them were the Conti tyres! In fact they were still in excellent condition when we reached UB which says a lot about the exceptional build quality.

Collins - The Collins Mini Atlas (2003 edition) is perhaps the finest navigational tool known to man. For thousands of years we have been looking for the best way to find our way around the world, originally using the stars and sun and more recently with the internet and global position systems. All are now obsolete. If you don't own a mini atlas of the world you should definitely pick one up. At very least they have some interesting information on world climate and the oceans. Useful for passing the time on long car journeys.

Ben Shaw - Considering you didn't know us all that well it was great of you to let us stay for over a week in your apartment. You have a place to stay in Peterborough should you ever need it... Travelodge.

Other Teams - Felix Joseph and William Mark for the company, kettle and easy perks. Dave and Dave for the Volkswagen Polo snow tyre and 10 litres of fuel on our last day. Anyone who lent us local currency or bought us food/drink on the way.

So that concludes Operation Panda... We'll get a picture online for every post soon and setup a gallery so you can all see more of what we got up to.

Thanks again,
Tom, Tim and Molly x