With your generous support, we raised $6,060 for New Light, an organization that provides safe shelter, education, and healthcare for victims of trafficking, women in prostitution, and children rescued from red light areas in Calcutta, India.

Blonde Ignition recently visited New Light. It’s very nice to see where our donations went and how we have affected people’s lives. Thank you again for your kindness and support!

These kids are learning relaxation tequniques in the Kalighat red light district of Kolkata that people in the States pay $50/hour for. Some instrumental music is playing, and they are instructed to sit quietly with their eyes closed. Many assume the yoga pose, which I think is adorable. Dealing with stress and anxiety is one of New Light’s challenges with small children. These kids are often exposed to violence and neglect.

Nearly impossible to hold a camera steady with these guys around. They are all photo hams. This is an evening shelter for kids in the Dalit community. Historically, they come from a caste that did the dirty work of society–cremations and handling of the dead. Although technically illegal to discriminate, these kids would have a rough time getting into an after school program with the upper castes.

Nap time here is more like siesta. Kids get lunch after school (they only go from about 7am-11am) and they are lined up to nap. Boy can they crash out. I couldn’t believe the commotion these kids deal with every day. These two on the end never stopped cuddling. That one sitting up was definitely an instigator…he kept sitting up and checking everyone out. There’s always one.

The newest addition to the New Light community is this wonderful boys’ home. There’s actually 20 boys here, but these are the ones who happened to be home to give us a tour. They kept us entertained with all their questions and showing us their schoolwork. It was pretty cool to see how proud they were of their library and all the books they could read whenever they wanted. I had to take a step back and think that without New Light, they’d be living on the streets of the red light district. That’s no life for anyone, especially a kid. Especially in India.

Yaks US Support Staff here….the Yaks appear to have successfully crossed into Mongolia! While they may be radio silent until reaching UB, here is a catch up of daily updates to report:

Mongol Rally Day 27 (8/9/13): After 7 hours of administration, what seems to be typical now for border crossings, we have arrived in our 16th country, Kazakhstan. We are staying in the Shymkent. Tomorrow we visit the city of Turkistan in the south, then make our progress towards our 17th country, Kyrgystan.

Mongol Rally Day 28 (8/10/13): Today we saw the Yasaui Mausoleum in Turkistan, described as Kazakhstan’s most beautiful building. The only reason we made this detour was because it was Sara’s burning desire to see the stunning place featured on the cover of the Lonely Planet’s Central Asia book. Imagine the hilarity that ensued when we discovered the photo is not of the Yasaui Mausoleum, but the Shrine of Hazrat Ali… in Afghanistan.

Afterwards we drove to Taraz, where we will spend the night. Tomorrow, we will cross into our 17th country, Kyrgystan.

Mongol Rally Day 31 (8/13/13): A couple days ago, we entered Kyrgyzstan with ease, prompting us to bypass our intended overnight stop at Bishkek, and continue to Cholpon-Ata, a resort town on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul. Cholpon-Ata is described as the Cancun of Central Asia, but we found this place to be an unworthy comparison. It was just a beach, and a poor one at that.

The following day, we went north to exit Kyrgyzstan. I noticed my passport was not stamped upon entry and that Sara’s was stamped twice. We knew this would cause some problems at the border and sure enough it did. After a 30 minute delay, they explained that a tourist with no incoming stamp is required to exit from the same point at which he entered – about 9 hours away! But since I was American (and probably because I was a Mongol Rallier), they would let me out of the country at this border. Crisis avoided.

Today we visited Lake Kaindy, Kazakhstan, where lies the Sunken Forest. In 1911, an earthquake caused a landslide, flooding the area. The 100 year old spruce trees still stand today, rising out of the turquoise water, and given the cold/freezing water, the submerged branches still have their needles.

Mongol Rally Day 33 (8/15/13): On our way from Almaty to Semey yesterday evening, we stopped in the small town of Kabanbay to tighten our squeaky roofrack. A man and his son walking by saw Sara (and her pearly whites) and soon thereafter invited us to eat dinner and stay at his home overnight. There we met his wife, his two children, his sister, and his mother, all in a one bedroom house. It was a great experience and demonstrated the hospitality of the Kazaks.

As a parting gift we left our Romanian red rubber donkey, Magarette, with his daughter.

Socko was pretty torn up about it.

Today, we completed the drive to Semey, known best for being a Soviet nuclear testing site from 1949-1991. The region’s exposure to radiation still effects the health of people in the area today.

Mongol Rally Day 34 (8/16/13): We are in Barnaul, Russia – our 18th country. This is the home stretch. There are no more detours. No more day trips. No more sightseeing. All eyes are on the finish line.

The next time you hear from me, in about 8 days, I, along with my amazing teammates, Sara Narezo, Kara Kahler and Socko, and our durable steed Yolanda, will be in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia, having successfully completed the 2013 Mongol Rally. Hopefully. Mongolian roads have a way of beating cars into submission.

Below are some of the photos the Yaks took in Khiva and Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

Updates from the past week:

Mongol Rally Day 21 (8/1/13): This morning, we drove around Ashgabat, known as the White Marble City, to view the pristine, white marble, gold accented buildings. The city, which is nearly deserted, has the feeling of a fictional city from the future.

Then we made our way north to Darvaza to view a strange, but spectacular attraction. The Gates of Hell were created by accident when a natural gas mine collapsed. The crater was lit to burn off the gas which expected to last a few days. But 40 years later, it is still going strong.

Mongol Rally Day 23 (8/5/13): The roads in Turkmenistan have been the worse we have seen thus far. Despite being paved, the roads look like they’ve been carpet bombed. We damaged two rims on our journey, which we had banged back into a circle at the border town of Koneurgench, and spent yesterday night there.

Today, we crossed into our 15th country, Uzbekistan, and drove to the former fishing town of Moynaq. Moynaq was formerly a bustling port for the Aral Sea, but in the 1940’s, water was diverted to irrigate the desert. In an epic f*ck up, the Aral Sea shrunk to 10% of its original size. The shore is now 200 kilometers away. An armada of rusted ships lay in beds of sand, as a sad reminder of Moynaq’s past glory.

Mongol Rally Day 25 (8/7/13): Yesterday, we departed Nukus only to realize that we were short one yak. We rushed back fearing Socko was going apeshit. We found him face down on the hotel floor. So sad.

Relieved at his recovery, we drove to Khiva, an ancient city of Uzbekistan that dates back to the 6th century. The structures of the old city, Ichan Kala, which is housed inside a fortress gate, are still intact.

Today, we continued east and will overnight in Bukhara. We have travelled 6,000 miles thus far.

They Came. They Saw. They Conquered.  Wearing yak hats.

And a kick-ass red dress.

This is the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, affectionately known as The Gates of Hell. The Soviets drilled for natural gas here but the ground collapsed. To prevent gas from leaking into the environment, they lit the gas to burn it off, expecting it to stay ignited for a few days. This was in 1971.

If you squint it looks like Boss Floss is standing in front of a stuffed deep dish Chicago style pizza.

Ralliers from Lumberyaks and Machiniacs look into the Gate.

Socko hopes not to be tossed in and promises to be a good little monkey from now on.

Below are reports compiled by Team Yaks in the Box US Support Staff from various of their Facebook posts and other sources summarizing their harrowing journey across the Caspian sea…

Mongol Rally Day 16 (7/29/13): We obtained our Turkmenistan visas and went to the dock to board the cargo ship to Turkmenbashi. There we were met by a dozen Rally teams. Unfortunately, Baku lived up to its word origin, meaning “pounded by wind.” We were unable to sail due to bad weather. Better luck tomorrow.

From Blond Ignition (7/29/13): The boat across the Caspian is on a wind hold, but spirits are high here at the Baku, Azerbaijan customs and immigration holding area. We had to sneak out for hot food and acceptable toilets (and wifi). Yes, somebody brought bagpipes.

Mongol Rally Day 20 (8/2/13): After waiting many hours and shuffling between two ports, with false starts and stops, misinformation and no information, we finally boarded the Academik Topcubasov, an Azerbaijan cargo ship, four days ago. We set sail for our scheduled 14 hour ferry across the Caspian Sea. But with a couple of extended delays, due to weather and port traffic, we docked in Turkmenbashi 36 hours later.

Boarding the ship, and poor Yolanda in the cargo hold.  We did get a nice sunset leaving Baku.

We were grateful for having a room to sleep in. Most of the other teams did not and slept on the floor in a common room or on deck. With no food except the potato chips and cookies we brought on, I unintentionally celebrated Ramadan by fasting for the journey. It took 7 more hours, waiting in a dozen lines, to clear customs. I’m never taking another cruise again.

There was one toilet for everyone to use on the Slave ship to Turkmenistan. If you’re confused, let me explain: Yes, it’s a western toilet. Oddly, they have used cement to encase the whole thing and put foot holds so that you can squat there. This was quite an act for the girls because the foot spots were too far apart. Brings an air of seriousness to “Did ya fall in?”

The bar on the Caspian Sea prison boat and some of the prisoners. You can’t buy water. You can buy beer, Coke, vodka, chips, nuts, or–this is odd–an entire bottle of Russian ketchup. No matter what you order, it’s five dollars. Bastards.

We are now in true foreign lands where the familiar luxuries of practicality and reason are unexpected. After a long shower, hot meal and warm bed, our batteries were charged and our spirits were up. Today, we drove to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. The scenery was of desert and power lines, reminiscent of Mad Max’s Road Warrior, with the bonus of roadside camel herds. Although the highways were paved, they were heavily dented; we lost our third hubcap. A nice local drove up alongside us 15 minutes later, with hubcap in hand, trying to give it back. We politely declined.

PS.  The Gypsy celebrated her birthday while on the ship….Happy Birthday Gypsy!

The Yaks in the Box spent days 12-15 traveling from the eastern shore of the Black Sea to the western shore of the Caspian sea, traversing the width of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Mongol Rally Day 12 (7/25/13): Leaving Batumi, we stopped at Gori, the birthplace of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. After hearing the gals gush over how hot a young activist bad boy Stalin was, we stopped in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Tomorrow, we reach Baku, Azerbaijan, on the Caspian Sea.  Day 12 Update:  Change of plans… again. We need to get our Turkmenistan visas at the consulate in Baku, but it is only open on Mondays and Fridays. Since we can’t make it there before it closes tomorrow, we are going to stay in Tbilisi another night, then drive part way into Azerbaijan (considering Sheki) and stay there on Saturday night, then get to Baku on Sunday.

Mongol Rally Day 13 (7/26/13): Today, we drove Yolanda 30 feet… to a different parking spot. We took a leisure day in Tbilisi, visiting Narikala, an old fortress overlooking the city, and Old Town. Tbilisi has been destroyed and rebuilt 29 times, but Old Town remains mostly intact. Tomorrow, we cross over to our ‪#‎13th‬ country, Azerbaijan.

Looking out over Tbilisi

Church of the Red Gospel is an Armenian Church in Tbilisi, Georgia, buiilt in 1735 and blown up in 1989.

Mongol Rally Day 14 (7/27/13): “English, motherf*#%er. Do you speak it?” As expected, as we travel east, the language barrier gets higher, the roads get rougher and the cops get more dirty. On the flipside, Azerbaijan is the first country where the locals seem thrilled to see Yolanda and the Yaks roll through, saying hello, waving and showing the peace sign. We have settled in a cozy cabin in the town of Sheki for the night. Tomorrow, we make our last stop on this side of the Caspian Sea.

Our cabin in Sheki, Azerbaijan

Mongol Rally Day 15 (7/28/13): We have made our first major milestone of the rally, arriving in one piece at Baku, Azerbaijan. Despite passing 30 or so police cars on our cross country drive, the cops were totally uninterested in us, leaving me to believe that either we are surrounded by guardian angels or that red rubber donkeys command respect in these parts. Tomorrow, we will visit the Turkmenistan consulate to obtain our visas.

Baku, Azerbaijan

Mongol Rally Day 10 (7/23/13): At dawn, we rode a hot air balloon over beautiful Cappadocia. Afterwards, we explored the ancient underground city of Derinyuku – a multistory complex large enough to shelter 20,000 people. We will overnight in the town of Erzincan, Turkey and tomorrow we’ll make our way into country #12, Georgia.

Turgüt took us on a nice ride. I don’t get out of bed for much before it’s light, but I can make exceptions.

We spent three days in Turkey and never figured out what this means. We stopped when we should have Durred. We probably Durred when we should have stopped. Either way, we left unscathed.

Mongol Rally Day 11 (7/24/13): We drove north into the mountainous region of Turkey until we hit the Black Sea, then east, crossing the border, finally resting at Batumi, the second largest city in Georgia. It’s quite a hip place, with sky scrapers, neon lights, and lively people.

A final note…Socko has turned out to be a bad influence on the trip.  Partying late into the night, he refuses to get up in time to hit the road.

Blond Ignition reports: Turkey is a wonder of the senses. In one block, you’ll smell lavender from the baths, curries from the restaurants, lilac wafting from a nearby garden, the earthy heat of the stones in the road, the BO from the douchebag trying to sell you another goddam carpet, and yep, that’s definitely sewage. Keep walking.

Mongol Rally Day 7 (7/20/13): We completed our first week of the rally and entered our 11th country. (Today we departed #9 Romania, drove through #10 Bulgaria, and arrived in #11 Turkey.) After our 14 hour day, we are resting on the outskirts of Istanbul. Tomorrow, we either head west to the coastal towns on the Aegean Sea or to Cappadocia, in central Turkey.

Mongol Rally Day 8 (7/21/13): Like the DJs say, we are gonna slow it down just a little bit. We spent some time touring Sultanahmet – the historic district of Istanbul, visiting the Blue Mosque and getting the rough treatment at a 400 year old bath house. Then we crossed over to Asia, settling near Ankara for the night. Tomorrow, we see Cappadocia.

The Blue Mosque:

They were passing out reading material…

At the bath house it was $40 to be scrubbed like an elephant by a fat, hairy Turkish guy with a loofah mitt. And worth every penny.  Socko joined too.

Mongol Rally Day 9 (7/22/13): Cappadocia is a historic region of Turkey where for thousands of years, inhabitants hand carved living quarters, churches and an underground complex into the rock. Equally amazing are the natural “fairy chimney” mountain tops. At sunrise, we will view the area from the sky via hot air balloon, then continue our rally eastward.

Most of the updates are happening on Facebook, but here is a recap for those who may be looking for info on the blog, along with a few photos culled from the larger set on the Yaks in the Box album on Facebook.

Mongol Rally Day 1 (7/14/13): We were in five countries today (England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany). Need to shower and get some rest.

Mongol Rally Day 5 (7/18/13): We are in our 9th country (since leaving #5 Germany, we have passed through #6 Czech Republic, #7 Austria, #8 Hungary and are currently in #9 Romania). Driving in Europe has been smooth sailing, maintaining mostly a 70 mph maximum speed limit. The only automobile issue was a broken headlamp. Border crossings have been uneventful. Our only run-ins with the police were when we were stopped by the Germany police for a roadside alcohol test (Kara passed) and when we were lost at midnight in Romania. Today, we took a rest day and visited a few castles in Transylvania. Tomorrow, we take “the most beautiful highway in the world” – the Transfagarasan, and then head east to the coast for a beach party on the Black Sea. Rally on!

Mongol Rally Day 6 (7/19/13): After a big breakfast of fried turkey testicles, we drove the beautiful, winding mountain road of the Transfagarasan Highway, then east past Romania’s capital city, Bucharest. Due to a slight error, we ran out of gas but filled up with our 6 gallon jerry can and continued onward. Around midnight, we reached Mamaia, a lively city on the eastern coastline, where I dipped my feet into the Black Sea. Tomorrow, we drive through Bulgaria and will overnight in Istanbul.

Day 1 is in the books, and The Yaks are blazing a trail through Germany headed for the Czech Republic.  Here are a few photos from the launch at Bodiam Castle.

The Gypsy has done a great job packing, but too bad she is sitting in a Croatian airport instead of a London hotel.

Camping Gear

1. Tents (2)
2. Sleeping bags (2)
3. Sleeping pad
4. Sleeping bag liner
5. Jetboil
6. Bowl & spork
7. Toiletries
8. Camp towel
9. Headlamp
10. Compass
11. Emergency blanket
12. Pocket knife
13. Lighter
14. Emergency water filter
15. Daypack

Clothing

1. Windbreaker
2. Hardshell Jacket
3. Puffy coat
4. Fleece
5. Shorts
6. Tank tops (2)
7. Tee shirts (5)
8. Jeans (1)
9. Trekking pants (1)
10. Underwear (5)
11. Socks (2)
12. Belt
13. Hat
14. Gloves
15. Bandana
16. Head scarf
17. Boots

Electronics

1. DSLR Camera
2. Gorilla tripod
3. Go Pro
4. iPhone
5. Laptop
6. Car charger adapter

Other

1. Sock monkey

No, those aren’t giant feet.

In these two bags are all the requirements for this Yak’s successful vie at the Mongol Rally.

1. Sleeping bag
2. Two-man tent
3. Sleeping mat
4. Eight-or-so packs of backcountry Louisiana red beans and rice camping meals
5. Backcountry cooking pot, fork and spoon
6. First aid kit
7. Four T-shirts
8. Two pairs of pants
9. Undies and socks
10. Sole flip-flops
11. Squishable puffy jacket
12. Collapsible camp chair
13. Carton of Marlboro cigarettes for bribing purposes
14. Hat and gloves
15. Road maps
16. Towel and toiletries
17. A dozen Yaks in the Box rally team shirts for distribution to unsuspecting locals

Now to enjoy one more day in the sun…

Over the weekend, I received Socko in a bakery in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. He was a thin, lanky fellow, but a bit taller than I had believed from his photos. Nevertheless, he appeared to be in good health, despite some deformity in the facial region.

The hand off was smooth and without incident. Shy and timid, Socko sat quietly in my car. He did not make any eye contact. He did not care to indulge in small talk. Despite my best efforts, he lay motionless and expressionless. I wondered how Socko could possibly make it through the rally’s unfamiliar, chaotic, unrelenting atmosphere.

But as the hours passed, he perked up little by little. I involved him in my daily activities, and with compassion and patience, I finally was able to break through. Believe it or not, he even cracked a smile just an hour ago.

Things are going to be just fine.

Here’s the map we presented to our trivia teams in addition to 45 brain-flexing questions. Best score from twenty-some-odd teams is 17.

Team Skhandinavia put together a comprehensive list of the 2013 Mongol Rally teams, including the team names, number of people on the team, nationality, website and facebook pages.

Here are the some fun stats:

280 teams total

30 countries are represented

35 teams completely or partially comprised of Americans

43 people are riding solo (much respect- that is tough!)

107 teams with two teammates

89 teams with three teammates

36 teams with four teammates

4 teams with five teammates

1 team with 15 teammates (driving a bus)

Click here to see the data:

http://teamskhandinavia.com/the-rally/participants_mongol_rally_2013