More kit.

Cameras and batteries...

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Kit!

GPSes and Satphones.

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Got stuff?

Dear Budapest- or Ljubljana-based friends: 

Since the Budapest-Bamako (Bissau) rally is a charity rally, we will be donating stuff to a village, a school, a library, and a center that helps young people get jobs. Therefore, if any one of you has the the articles mentioned below that you can donate, we'll take them with us to donate in Africa: 

We're looking for: school supplies, medical supplies, children's clothes, computer, computer accessories, solar panels, tools, sewing machines, small machines, anything that would enable a person to earn money, typewrites, instruments, SIM unlocked cell phones, medical supplies and toys.

If you have any of this, please let me or Mojca know and we'll come collect it. Thank you!

And if you want to just give money - there's a PayPal Donate button to the right! You would be giving your money to me (not a random African village or a suspicious "we'll take 70% for overhead" organization) and Mojca and I will go buy medical supplies or school supplies and deliver them for you. So your money will not dissapear into a big black hole of charity donations, AND you get a picture of the actual donation taking place as a thank you! :)

Mission update!

Dear reader (you know who you are),

Mission control has decided that it is time to provide you with an update of the current status. It is as follows:

- The passports have started their mysterious journey from one embassy to the next, and shall hopefully return in the not too distant future adorned with visas which will guarantee that we never have access to the USA again.
- The car (excluding the f*cking airconditioning that I still haven't had the time to get serviced) is ready to go - the new stereo and CB are in, I have the GPSes ready and the kit is starting to come together. We'll start the initial packing this weekend.
- I still need to get a spare full-sized tire...
- Top tip: Jerry cans take up more space than one might think.
- The Wife decided that she wants to give the natives photos of them, so (even though my heart broke while doing it), we bought a new "Polarioid" (okay, Fuji) instant-film camera. This should be fun.
- The GPS company released new maps for the 2013 race, which I need to go get this week...
- I still haven't figured out how I'm going to attach the spotlights to the car. I'm hoping that the "fix-it all" mechanic that a buddy knows can think of a way to do it.
- The new headlight bulbs haven't arrived yet either, and it annoys me.

So, that's where we are. I'll get some photos up this weekend!

The Car!

Ladies, Gentlemen, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri that live in our garden shed!

It gives me great pleasure, satisfaction and joy - aye, joy! - to be able to present to you on this glorious day (okay, it's actually turgid and rainiy, but let's not go there), the car that will be taking us to Africa in all it's truly insane glory.

Of course, there are a few things which I haven't dared put on yet - mostly all the little wind-powered LED lights... Hell, we need to take it to Slovenia this weekend to pick-up the roof box, and, well, I'd rather not expose myself to too many police officers while doing that.
This, of course, won't be a problem on the actual rally itself, seeing as we can breeze through the entire country in 3.5h :D

Did you know...

You need a SatPhone and a CB permit for Morocco (at the competitive price of 50 EUR)?
That you need to pay 90 EUR if you want to take a 5+ year old car into Senegal?
That additional insurance is needed the moment you drive out of Morocco - 220 EUR for 2 weeks?

You do now. :)

Uhh...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19938905

If they accidentally shot at their own dictator, er, president...


I just hope they know NOT to shoot at the card with the Budapest-Bamako logo on them :D