July 19, 2007 by Andy.

So Ryan and I are having a lovely evening in London being shown the sites by Stevie and his girlfriend Lizzie when we get a phone call. It is from another Mongol Rally team comming from New York. The guy calling had actually e-mailed Ryan about two days ago saying that he was a native Texan and really wanted to meet us…probably because we are awesome and it emminates from everything we do…just my guess anyway. Anyway, he is calling telling us that he bought a car seen on site, like we did with our first vehicle, and he was driving it into London on the M25 and his clutch went out. Seeing as how he arrived here like a day ago, he did not have the contacts that we had so he was calling us because we were basically the only number that he had. What do we do you ask…well we be awesome, but our awesomeness was far outweighed by that of Steve, the one of ST Engineering in Haslemere for those of you that may be a little confused by all the Steves we have met.

In a desperate attempt to help the New Yorker, I called Steve just to pick his brain and ask him what they should do in order to get off of the side of the highway. Steve basically tells me that he cannot make any kind of suggestion because he does not know exactly what is wrong with the vehicle. I kept telling him that I was just trying to pick his brain, and that if he could not do anything then that was fine. Steve however, told me to give the New Yorker his number and have them call him. This was done, and we get a message later on the phone that Steve agreed to have their car towed to his workshop about 40 miles from where they were stuck. He agreed to help them sort out their troubles as long as they were willing to trade services (some of his daily work stuff). He also agreed to give them a place to stay…the generosity with this guy never ends. I hope that we sent him good people, but if they are doing the Mongol Rally then they have to be; we will operate on that assumption.

All you can do is just be awesome, and your awesomeness will be reflected by others…life lesson…take it to heart.

Andy Out (SkipLizard Homepage)

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July 18, 2007 by Andy.

First off I would like to extend our most sincere and gracious thanks to Steve Theobald, his wife Liz, Steve’s dad Jeff, and Steve’s two children Scott and Jess.  They not only helped us with our car, but they fed, sheltered, and offered friendship to us when we were in need of some serious help.  IF anyone is interested, they have a fantastic collection of steam-engine cars, as well as various others (including Steve’s collection of VWs), here is a link to their page…http://www.steamcar.net/… check out the page that says Jeff’s page to find out about their awesome collection.  Cheers to their entire family.

So after we had our amazing cultural experience with the Irish bartender, we awoke a little groggy and headed to Steve’s shop to finish up the SJ.  Basically we were there just waiting on parts and various extras to arrive, so it was a relatively slow day.  Ryan and I did manage to get in a vigirous game of wall-ball though, my arm hurts today.  Well anyway, about 3pm Steve asked us if we wanted to go back to his house for the evening and have a barbecue…we tried to graciously decline saying that they had already done so much for us that we could not accept another thing, but Steve insisted that they send us off with a proper meal.  How do you turn that down…well let me tell you…YOU DON’T!  They prepared a proper feast including five different kinds of meat and a tasty spread of almost anything that you could think of.  It was their going away present to us, as if they had not already bent over backwards for us.  Cheers again.

After the meal, Ryan and I decided to go ahead and make the drive to London since there would probably not be a whole lot of traffic at 11pm.  We were partially right.  There was still traffic, but not like there is during the day…good decision.  There was one point where I was driving along minding my own business, when all of a sudden the nice 4 lane road that I was on turned into a 2 lane road without any warning with traffic traveling at 40-50mph.  What the hell is that all about?  They already drive on the wrong side of the road, and now they are just cutting me off for no reason.  We made it nonetheless.

Stevie, Ryan’s co-worker and friend, has generously offered his NICE apartment to us until Friday.  He lives on the northeast side of London for those of you that are familiar with the area.  Here in a bit we are off to go and see some of those things that we should see and be awesome in central London.  The word on the street is that we will have a hard time finding an actual ENglish person in London.  It is like a different world from the England that Ryan and I have come to know, and part of me will miss it.  There are no more rolling hills and green fields, but they have been replaced with skyscrapers and concrete, but it is the hub of England so we must be here by virtue of our awesomeness.  Additionally, we have one final stop to make before we are completely ready to depart, and that is to the allmighty “Wal-Mart.”  Even though I am still feuding with them, we have to go and make some purchases to aide us in our short 10,000 mile drive.

Andy Out (SkipLizard Homepage)

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July 16, 2007 by Andy.

I know that Ryan just did a brillaint job of recapping our weekend, but I would like to put it in my own words.  We went to one of the best beaches in England, stayed for next to nothing, learned how to surf (something that I had never even thought of before), and took in a sunset that will rival any in the U.S.  We also sold our car, hung out with some amazingly awesome people, and took the senic drive back to Malmesbury from Devon…that means up and down hills with a 25% grade…good thing we have a 4×4 Suzuki.

Anyway after this brilliant weekend, we went to Malmesbury where we had to meet the people that were buying the pretend charriot of awesome.  We camped there for the night and then headed to Haslemere to meet up with Steve and pick up some parts for the SJ.  We accomplished basically everything that we set out to do, and we were staying with Steve for the night, so guess what…we had to go out and see the local night life of Liphook.  We ended up n a pub with an Irish bartender that goes by the name of Willie.  Now let me tell you…there was a period where there were two Texans, Two Englishmen, and an Irishman having a conversation.  Basically we were speaking 3 different languages, but we all managed to understand each other with relative ease.  This was the first true Irishman that I had ever met, and you know that you have met an Irishman when he repeatedly tells you that Guiness anywhere but in Ireland is “shite.”  This man was the type of person that before he told you something that he truly meant would spit on his hand and shake yours…hey, i guess he was telling the truth.  Nonetheless, he welcomed Ryan and I with open arms, and if we ever return to Liphook England, not only do we have a place to stay, but we have a pub to be welcomed at.  Here’s to Willie and the class establishment that he runs.

Tomorrow we are off to  put the finishing touches on the SJ and then headed to London to see the Queen and all of her majesty…if you are lucky I might come back an honorary member of the royal family.

Andy Out.

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July 16, 2007 by dunny.

Scenario…you’re driving down a two-lane road on the western coast of England in a pitch-black, fog-to-the-waist night in England…trying to keep up with a a van that’s doing 55 down said road, which by the way has replaced road shoulders with 8-foot bushes…your only beacon is the tail lights of the VW camper screaming around the turns and getting smaller as each bend passes…you’re driving on the wrong side of the road…you’ve lost all sense of direction long ago…and you only hours before learned you were going to DEVON not DOVER.  What do you do, my friend?

That’s right…you be awesome.  Steve Theobold sold us our SJ and happily took the role as our mechanic a little over a week ago.  He housed us.  He partied with us.  His lovely wife Liz has fed us.  Then he told us we were going to the beach with him and his mate Alan.

Let me tell you about the two new Ambassadors of Awesome.  You’ve heard tale of Steve and his Pops and their garage and lines of fantastic old steam cars.  You haven’t heard tale of his fantastic yellow camper van and laid-back, adventurous spirit that tops even the skiplizards.  And let’s not forget Master Alan.  For the Austin folks, he’s Arthur in about 20 years.  We go to the beach…he knows where to park free.  We hit the beach-town…he knows not only where and when to be, but is recognized by roughly 97% of the people there.  We surf…he doesn’t stress a lesson, just gives us a quick pointer and right quick we’re standing on the board in a huge wave.

Alright…events recap.  We followed these dudes to Woolacombe Beach in Devon on the southwestern coast of England.  Take any ski town in the States and multiply it by a factor or two of cool and you’re there (and I know exactly how bold that statement is).  We rolled up Friday night and ran through a couple bars, then the night-club and had a completely badass night, closing shop in Alan’s camper and taking turns drifting in and out of the spirit world.  Wake up call Saturday was to the people staring at me and Andy passed out sitting up in our SJ and off for a heavy English breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, baked beans, and tomatoes. 

Then we surfed.  Surfing rules all of awesome.  I’m hooked.  Andy’s bruised, sunburned, and hooked.  Wrap that up with a sunset so orange that Syracuse ducks down in shame and a nice little jam session in Steve’s camper and you got a hell of a day.  Nevermind the pub and birthday party we got to crash, or the locals we conversed with, or Steve and Alan introducing us around as the Texans who are here to drive to Mongolia…a night for the ages.

Should I mention we drove back to Malmesbury Sunday, sold our junk car, found out we had an article written about us in the local paper, camped, drove back down to Haslemere, worked more on the new SJ, then had a night with the local Irish bartender who is so awesome he deserves his own post?  Nah, I should leave Andy something to write about.

This is why you travel.  You meet people that appreciate your adventure and are truly interested in who you are and your reasons for living.  You meet people who aren’t afraid to open their house to you, to bring you boozing, to show you their beaches, to philosophize with you, to brag about you, to make an effort to know you.  You find kindred spirits in places you’d never even heard of before.  You make an ass of yourself as they do the same,  and suddenly you’ve got friends as close as you’ve ever known…and stories to make them look like idiots when you introduce them at your next meeting.

Oh, and they took us to Stonehenge.  You know, no big deal.  It was on the way.  People only plan entire vacations around it.  We stopped by and parked on the road for free and took in the scenery.  A Wonder of the World, just for the hell of it.

Just like SkipLizard.  A Wonder of the World.  But completely worth it.

Skip, out. (SkipLizard Homepage)

PS…quick note…there has been a slight level of concern expressed regarding our partying ways.  Let this be an official reassurance that any money donated to us has either been routed to the charity designated by the giver or put directly to our Rally expenses (car, fuel, visas, border-guard/bandit bribery funds, etc).  All extra-curricular expenses are out of our own pockets.  And livers.  We can’t be sorry for being awesome

PPS…we now accept anonymous comments.  If you aint got the minimums, do it that way.  Whatever.  Just start talking.  Send us all that positive energy and Texas spirit.  Props here for Andrew and Abra Telly and Shane and Tasha for being regulars…remind us we’re dumbasses so we don’t get too cocky on some Uzbeki border  when we get stopped for sand surfing off a tow rope on the car hood.

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July 13, 2007 by Andy.

Ha…at last I am writing under my own name!

The last few days have provided us with some much need time to rest up for our big journey ahead.  For the most part we sat on the couch and took care of business during the day, and then in usual fashion we would spring to life when the sun started to set.  It doesn’t set here until like 10:30 and all the pubs close at 11:00…sad.  Ryan and I made ourselves at home with Sophie in Southampton–about 80 miles south of Malmesbury on the coast–where she provided us with a bed and a couch to rest our awesome bodies.  Ryan and I walked down into the town center, where we found that we were not in the least bit foreign because apparently the city attracts all type of people.  We walked around and in our best English accents made fun of ourselves as being “those damn Texans.”  For instance…(said in our best English accent)…”Those damn Texans…all they do is drink…it’s bloody madness!”  That will never get old, at least for us.

We saw the local pubs and decided to dine on proper fish and chips during our second night in Southhampton.  In our infinite wisdom we have decided that if anything is within walking distance we will walk there…basically that means that if it under 5 miles away we are walking.  So we decided to walk down the street to the local fish and chips place and have a proper English meal since we are in England and all.  We walked in and ordered 2 large cod, and 2 large chips.  We then walked to the beer store next door and purchased a sizeable amount and various quantity of adult beverages.  Upon returning to Sophie’s pad we discovered that we were locked out and nobody was home.  Problem???  Of course not…we walked around to the back of the house and sat in the yard…making due and just living a dream.  We then unpacked our dinner only to discover than when they said large cod…holy crap…they meant a cod the size of my arm.  I think that Ryan and I were possessing the entire state of North Carolina’s cod production for the entire year.  Somewhere in the ocean..the cod grow to the size of small whales…and we had two of them.  Not to mention that they were covered in grease that was eating through the paper they were wrapped in.  We decided to try and rub the “greasy cod” on the door and see if it would melt the door down so we could get inside…it didnt work.  Well…in true Texas style we ate the whole lot of them…and nearly threw up.  It was good, but beware of the devilfish cod.  So then we decided that we had to kill the beast that we had consumed that was living in our stomachs…what did we do you ask…tried to kill it with ALL of the booze that we bought at the store.  The fish put up a valiant effort and fought through all of the German beer, but the fish met its match with two whole bottles of painthinner-wine.  “Die you devilfish!!!!”  In all of our malay in the back yard we managed to piss off the neighbors who incidentally complained the next day, it was probably about the dirty lymericks we were creating and screaming about a spear and a greasy cod…use your imagination.

We barbecued the next night on a “wal-mart” grill that was purchased under heavy protest by me after the cashier refused to sell me beer.  What was she thinking?  I showed her my Texas driver’s license…that i better than a passport, but she did not agree.  Evil “wal-mart” is taking over the world and making the world dumber (I just spelled dumber…dummer…wtf mate)…”Die devil store!!!!!”

We are now in Haslemere waiting on Steve to clean out his hippie van so that we may proceed to Devon.  Apparently is one of the nicer beaches in England.  Cheers…No worries.

Andy, out. (SkipLizard Homepage)

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July 12, 2007 by dunny.

No doubt the trip thus far has been wild and already an adventure of a lifetime.  I don’t know that we could imagine having more fun, meeting more interesting and generous people, or challenging ourselves in such mental, emotional, and spiritual ways.  We’ve been inventive and charmed as well as unlucky and a bit daft along the way, and we’re nowhere near the real challenges of our journey.

Folks have asked how we’re able to stay optimistic and focused through the blips we’ve had, and why we’re constantly harboring such an “Aint nothin gonna hold us down” attitude.  It’s the same reason we got into this mess in the first place.  Christina Noble.

Here’s a link to Christina’s book Bridge Across My Sorrows on Amazon.  She writes about growing up in absolute poverty in Dublin with an alcoholic father and sick mother, then living on the street by herself and eventually being sent to Industrial School.  She was raped and beaten.  She later moved to England and married a man who may not have drank like an alcholic but certainly abused her like one.  A dream about street children in Vietnam eventually led her there, not fully knowing what she might encounter.

One moment stands out as the point when she knew absolutely that she would dedicate her life to helping the street children of the world.  She saw two homeless Vietnamese girls in the park across from her hotel one afternoon.  At first glance they appeared to just be playing in the dirt, as kids often do.  Hesitantly, she approached the girls and as she stared at them, an ant crawled across the younger girl’s face.  Without flinching the girl slapped the ant and put it in her mouth.  They weren’t playing in the dirt.  They were grubbing for ants to try and avoid starvation.

If you’re interested in the reason we’re here in the first place, read this book.  Although the book was written before she got involved in Mongolia, the street-children epidemic in Vietnam is interchangeable with that of Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia.  Ultimately, our mission is wholly charitable.  The journey we’re on, while fun as hell, is extreme so as to draw attention to a situation we all may never otherwise understand.  While we skimp by on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, there are children digging for miniscule ants for a meal.  While we curl into sleeping bags in tents to keep warm, there are children hugging underground sewage pipes for warmth.  While we are occasionally glared at here in England, there are children who run to the streets to escape abuse and molestation in their own homes.  They may end up stealing, protistuting, and going to torturous Soviet jails before all is said and done.

To those of you who have donated to our causes already, you’ve made more of a difference than you’ll ever know.  To others, we don’t intend to motivate by guilt.  We simply want you to recognize these kids, whether or not you ever encounter them, as people like us…capable of anything given the opportunity.  If you have the means, consider a donation, that’s all we’re asking (SkipLizard CNCF Page). 

I encourage you all to read Christina’s book.  If for no other reason, you’ll read about a woman who knew nothing but pain, adversity, and loneliness and has managed to touch lives a world over.  You’ll also better understand the deeper looks Andy and I will undoubtedly have in our eyes when we get back.  Spread love friends.

Skip, out. (SkipLizard Homepage)

P.S. We started a web album for pics and will try to update it regularly.  Here’s the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/rydunn1/