The way is the goal when driving to Mongolia

By Kathrin Dorscheid Jul 26, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Hamburg - It was a sunny day in the German port city of Hamburg when brothers Daniel and Sebastian Kaerger got into their small Ford Kia Rio car and began a journey that would end in the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator.

The pair gave up their office jobs and cancelled all upcoming appointments to drive halfway around the world in their 1.2 litre, 80 horsepower vehicle, without the help of a Sat Nav and using just a compass and maps.

The trip was expected to take between six and seven weeks. Daniel, 31, and Sebastian, 32, first had to take a detour towards Goodwood in southern England where the Mongol Rally officially starts.

That was July 2010 and the pair were battling against around 450 other teams in a race where there is no route and no time limit, although there are limits on the age of the competitors as well as the size and horsepower of the participating vehicles.

Competitors are also expected to collect a minimum of 1,000 pounds (1,600 dollars) for charitable causes, half of which goes to the rally's official charity.

Enjoy a unique experience and do something good is the idea of the rally which, this year, once again starts on July 23 in Goodwood.

After the start, the brothers drove across Europe, motoring their way through France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. They slept in camping sites, hostels, and out in the open when the weather allowed.

'It was only on our first longer stop in Istanbul where we had the feeling that we were leaving Europe and the adventure was really beginning,' says Sebastian as he looks back on the trip.

The brothers had already clocked up around 5,000 miles on the road at this stage, and from Istanbul onwards they nearly always camped in the open beside their car, only staying in a hotel and enjoying a shower when stopping in larger cities.

'The longest period without a shower lasted seven days but in an emergency you can always jump in a river,' says Daniel with a smile. 'Driving is an unbelievably liberating experience. You forget all about work and emails, it's just you and nature somewhere in the middle of nowhere.'

Each day started at dawn with packing away the tent, followed by an energy bar for breakfast. Hours and hours of driving followed as the small Ford wound its way along the Black Sea coast, through the mountains of Anatolia and past the snow-covered summit of Mount Ararat before reaching the more arid landscapes of Iran.

Everywhere they stopped, the brothers were met by heartfelt warmth and helpfulness. 'Everyone in Iran blew their horns. One woman even dropped her veil and winked at us,' says Sebastian.

However, the trip was not without its dangers, something the pair were constantly aware of.

'You have to stick to a couple of basic rules,' says Daniel. 'Always wear your seatbelt, no play-acting when you are at the steering wheel and never allow yourself to lose your temper.'

The brothers prepared well for their journey. It took months to apply for the visas, collect the money, find sponsors, and buy equipment, maps, books and guides. They also carried water and petrol containers, spare parts, canned food and antibiotics.

In Uzbekistan, some of the service stations had no petrol but Daniel and Sebastian were able to wonder at beautiful oriental cities with decorative mosques and ancient mud-brick walls.

In south-eastern Kazakhstan, they camped for a night in the Charyn Canyon, which is very similar to Arizona's Grand Canyon, while in Russia a farmer whose land they camped on gave them a bottle of home-produced honey.

In Siberia, they were delighted to find new motorways with sparkling white road markings. 'The landscape in the Altai mountains is almost unreal. It's like a model railway,' says Daniel.

The brothers reached the Mongolian border on their 41st day of travelling. 'You've already driven almost 15,000 kilometres and think you've seen everything but once you cross the border it feels like you've landed on the moon.' explains Daniel. 'It's a beautiful and barren landscape, almost as if from another planet.'

For days, they drove across the vast plains, crossing rivers without bridges. Some days, the terrain was so difficult that the brothers managed just 120 kilometres in 12 hours of driving.

Ulan Bator was finally reached on the 49th day when the speedometer reads 17,085 kilometres. The official arrival party had already happened a long time ago but Daniel and Sebastian didn't care. 'The way is the goal,' says Daniel.