ADVENTURE: The Mongol Rally

The Eighteenth-Century Swiss author Madame de Stael once said, “Travel is one of the saddest pleasures in life.” If travel is a lovely single malt Scotch, The Mongol Rally is akin to crack.

The Mongol Rally is a 10,000 mile unsupported car rally traveling from London, UK to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. It is adventure philanthropy at its best. Driving across 1/3 of the world in a tiny car, 2 continents, 14 countries, 5 mountain ranges, and 3 deserts; all while raising money for a local charity in Mongolia. I decided to leave all the creature comforts of NYC, put my career on pause for a moment, and willingly subject myself to a potentially hazardous journey.

In life there are a hundreds of ways to die an unexpectedly painful death and thousands of ways to waste away slowly and unconsciously. To feel alive often involves risk. To risk pain for love, risk humiliation to sing, risk potential harm to ascend the highest peak, risk rejection and publish…being ALIVE involves risk. Life dares you at every turn to see if you will take the bait.

I am taking the bait. I want to see where my limits are and expand beyond it.

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ADVENTURE: The Mongol Rally - Never Piss Off The Fixer

Lachlan is learning a lesson.

[Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of posts by former stated feature artist, Charlie Grosso, as she takes on the 10,000 Mongol Rally.]

First thing Wednesday morning we arrive at the Turkmenistan Consulate in Baku (yet again, this is starting to feel like Groundhog Day) to see about Pam’s visa. Ishmael, the fixer, is already there along with a few other ralliers. Fully understanding what is at stake here, I walked straight up to Ishmael and said hello to him first before I chatted it up with the rest of the ralliers.

Enter Lachlan.

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ADVENTURE: Mongol Rally: Launch Party

Mongol Rally Launch

[Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of posts by former stated feature artist, Charlie Grosso, as she takes on the 10,000 Mongol Rally.]

After months of preparation, we finally kicked-off The Mongol Rally from Klenova Castle, about an hour outside of Prague.

The Mongol Rally is presented by The Adventurists (namely Rob and Joolz) who drove from London to Ulaan Baator in the summer of 2004 on a lark, thus began the adventure.

You might be wondering, what does it cost to do The Mongol Rally?

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ADVENTURE: Two Strangers Take on the 10,000-Mile Mongol Rally

Charlie Grosso in Istanbul preparing for Mongol Rally[Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of posts by former stated feature artist, Charlie Grosso, as she takes on the 10,000 Mongol Rally.]

Dear Readers of Stated Magazine,

How are you? Please allow me to take a moment of your time and introduce myself and what I am doing this summer. My name is Charlie Grosso, and a 140-character description of me reads something like: Art Gallery Director. Photographer.  Adventurer. Brand Consultant. Rule Breaker. World Traveler. Writer. Possible Spy. Only fitting I Live under an Alias.

I am taking on The Mongol Rally this summer—a 10,000-mile unsupported car rally traveling from London, UK to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. The Mongol Rally is adventure philanthropy at its best. We take on the adventure, roam across 1/3 of the world in a tiny car, and raise money for local charities in Mongolia at the same time. The rally has raised over £3.5 million for charity since 2004.  

I will be tackling The Mongol Rally with Pamela MacNaughtan, a fabulous woman I met on Twitter (yes, I don’t know her in real life, not yet…). We are team SM Stowaway and we are one of the few all-women teams in an 85% male-dominated rally.

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