On July 13, the Gazelle and I finally united forces in London to start the preparations for the Mongol Rally. Staying in slightly questionable quarters in a Central-Asian-themed hotel run by mostly Central Asian staff (in a mostly Central Asian neighborhood), we started plotting our plan of attack for the next ten days, which would be critical for the success of the Basic Cruising rally team.
The first step was to get acquainted with our (hopefully) trusty motor vessel, which would transport us 10,000 miles to Ulaanbaatar and which we had only seen online in low-res cellphone pictures. We were really excited and nervous to finally see it and drive it, and so we talked to Keri from D+K Mobile Servicing and arranged to meet her the next day outside her home to man the vehicle.
We were nervous. We took the tube to Liverpool Station, and then the rail to Harlow. Keri and Dylan picked us up at the train station and drove us the their appartment building, and this is what we found outside…
It was love at first sight.