Mongol Rally adventurers get ready to have their passports checked at the Uzbekistan -.' border. For more, see page 30. .- contents VOU88 NO.11

IN FOCUS Planes, trains, automobiles, and how I found 30 myself running in a Mongolian marathon Here's a plan: Get an old car, start up the engine in England, and drive in a rally to Mongolia. Don't forget to raise money for charity and meet interesting people. Story and photography by Scott Brills

FEATURES Day breaks for Alzheimer's families 48 Rotarians develop a program for patients and caregivers. Photography by Monika Lozinska-Lee Text by Eve Neiger The sound of virtue 52 Short-term ethical behavior may feel good in the moment, but will it matter? By Joe Queenan Illustration by Guy Billout Rotary stories 56 Radical politics disrupted his childhood, then Rotary helped shape his future. By Jason Grotto Illustration by Josh Cochran

GLOBAL OUTLOOK Disaster relief and recovery 59 Quick response is important, but recovery is critical.

DEPARTMENTS COLUMNS 6 Letters President's message 11 Up front Rotarian efforts in post-earthquake Haiti • Rotarian mountaineer Royal Robbins 4 Contributors page • Haiti earthquake recovery 23 Culture • Tackling polio with the Language is more Jacksonville Jaguars than vocabulary 21 Calendar 27 Technology High-tech etiquette 69 Insider • Outreach to youth 72 Crossword • Rotary coordinators 80 Facts of the matter • Health camp in New Delhi Mothers • Resource guide: Rota ry basics

ON THE COVER Running through the Gobi. (Photography courtesy of Scott Brills) fotarian® CONTRIBUTORS Editor in chief • JOHN REZEK Creative director DEBORAH LAWRENCE Senior editor, features BARBARA NELLIS Senior editor, departments JENNY LLAKMANI Deputy senior editor JANICE S. CHAMBERS When Senior Editor Jenny Llakmani read about Rotarian Associate editor scan BRILLS' plan to participate in the Mongol Rally with DIANA SCHOBERG his friend Collin Otto, she was intrigued. Brills, who is Production manager MARC DUKES technology chair for District 6380 (Ontario, Canada; Production artist Michigan, USA), intended to blog about the adventure JOE CANE and raise money for charity. He did both. It was quite a Art assistant EVE NEIGER trip, but maybe not his only one: He's considering a jour­ Copy editor ney from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. SHANNON KELLY Research editor MARK DURAN Staff photographers ALYC E HENSON MONIKA LOZINSKA-LEE Graphic designer JOSH COCHRAN was honored in February International editor by the Society of Illustrators for his Sleepwalker illustra­ JOSEPH DERR tion from the book Medical Marvels. Cochran was also Senior regional magazine coordinator CANDY ISAAC lauded as one of Print magazine's 20 Under 30 New Division coordinator Visual Artists in 2009. His work has appeared in the New CYN T HIA EDBROOKE York Times Book Review and Texas Monthly. His illustra­ Circulation manager MAY LI tion of Chesa Boudin for "Road Scholar" accompanies this Advertising representatives month's installment of Rotary Stories by Jason Grotto. JAMES G. ELLIOTT COMPANY New York lIyssa Somer, 135 E. 55th St. 5th Floor, New York, NY 10022; phone 212-588-9200 ext. 1328; fax 212-588- 9201; e-mail [email protected] Eastern Reina Miller, 135 East 55th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10022, phone 212-588-9200 ext. 1321, fax KATHERINE RUSSELL RICH'S 212-588-9201 ; e-mail [email protected] In June, book Dreaming in Hindi: Western Kim McGraw, 626 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 500, Los An­ Coming Awake in Another Language will be published in geles, CA 90017 ; phone 213-596-7215; fax 213-624-0997; e-mail [email protected] paperback. Her first book, The Red Devil, a cancer memoir, Midwest/South Central Joe Wholley, 134 N. LaSalle St. , was published in 2002. She has written for the New York Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60602, phone 312-236-4900 ext. 1102, fax 312-236-4940, e-mail [email protected] Times and the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Classifieds Glenne Belton, 626 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 500, Post, and 0; The Oprah Magazine. In our Culture column, Los Angeles, CA 90017; phone 213-624-0900 ext. 1200; fax 213-624-0997; e-mail [email protected] Rich explains why learning a language isn't all there is to Send ad materials to: Marc Dukes, The Rotarian, One Rotary understanding how another culture thinks. Center, 1560 Sherman Ave. 14th Floor, Evanston, IL 60201; phone 847-866-3092; fax 847-866-9732; e-mail [email protected] To contact us: The Rotarian, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sher­ man Ave ., Evanston , IL 60201 ; phone 847-866-3206; fax 847-866-9732; e-mail [email protected] To submit an article: Send stories, queries, tips, and photo­ MARK RICHARDS' photographs have appeared in many graphs by mail or e-mail (high-resolution digital images only). We assume no responsibility for unsolicited materials. magazines, including Time, Newsweek, Smithsonian, People, To subscribe: Twelve issues at US$12 a year (USA, Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands); $16 ayear (Canada); $24 ayear (elsewhere). Business Week, and Forbes. Last month, he photographed Contact the Circulation Department (phone: 847-424-5217 or our story about San Quentin prison. Richards' other work -5216; e-mail: [email protected]) for details and for airmail rates. Gift subscriptions available at the same rates. includes a seven-state assignment on childhood obesity. To send an address change: Enclose old address label, post­ He has been honored in the Communication Arts Photogra­ al code, and Rotary club, and send to the Circulation Depart­ ment or e-mail [email protected]. Postmaster: Send all address phy Annual and in American Photography. In this issue, changes to Circulation Dept., The Rotarian, One Rotary Center, Richards shoots mountaineer Royal Robbins for Up Front. 1560 Sherman Ave ., Evanston, IL 60201.

Published monthly by Rotary International. The Rotarian® is a re gistered trade­ mark of Rotary International. Copyrigh t ©20 10 by Rotary International. All fights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Evanston, ttL, USA, and additional mailing of­ fices. Cana da Pu blications Mail Agreement No. 1381644. Canadian retu rn address: MSI, PO Box 2600, Mi ssissauga ON l4T OAB. This is the May 2010 issue, volu me 188, num ber 11, of The Rotarian (l SS N0035-838Xl, Publication number: USPS 548-8 l0, .. Fo e U S PLANES TRAIN AUTOM BILES, AND HOWl FOUND MYSELF RUNNING IN AMONGOLIAN

LAST SUMMER, A YOUNG ROTARIAN from Michigan, USA,set out to drive a 2001 Chevy Metro with 140,000 miles on it from England to Mongolia. The Mongol Rally - equal parts charity fundraiser and lunatic odyssey - was dreamed up by two bored Englishmen and held for the first time in 2004 with six cars. In 2009, more than 400 teams took part. Ralliers can choose their own route from England to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, but their cars must have an engine no larger than 1.2 liters - and no GPS. Getting lost is more or less the point. (The cars that make it to Mongolia are donated to charity.) "You are supposed to be on an adventure, not in a nursery class, so if the sky does fall on your head, prop it up with a windscreen wiper and carry on;' the rally website reads. "If you're worried, stay at home:' It was a siren call that Scott Brills couldn't resist. Brills, a member of the Rotary Club of West Bloomfield, and his friend Collin Otto took the team name Hardly Working and raised $1,650 for Mercy Corps Mongo­ lia, one of the rally's official charities. Brills, then 26, and Otto, 25, then

30 THE ROT A R I A N I MAY 20 1 0 MAY 2010 I THE ROTARIAN 31 collected an additional $7,000 the Netherlands on our way to the Sedlec Ossuary, a.k.a. to help build and outfit a kin­ Munich, Germany. There, we the bone church - everything dergarten in Mongolia, a joint met up with our friends Jar­ in the chapel, from the altar to project of Btills' club and the rett and Kristi, who were com­ the chandelier, is made of Rotary Club of Bayanzurkh ing with us to the rally's second human bones - then continued 100 in Ulaanbaatar. official launch at Klenova Castle on to Budapest. It all began on a racetrack in the Czech Republic. in England. After taking the "scenic route" 24 July through eastern Germany and We entered Romania as the sun 18 July the Czech Republic (thanks, was rising over the hills and trav­ Heading out of the 2009 Mon­ Google Maps), we arrived at eled through the villages of the gol Rally launch party at the the campsite by mid-afternoon. Carpathian Mountains, sharing Goodwood Motor Circuit, The Czech-Out Party went on the road with horse-drawn carts. we got lost immediately. After until 4:30 a.m., but we crashed After 20 hours with little sleep driving around in circles with around 2 a.m., surrounded by or food, we arrived at the Mol­ Rubik's Cube, another Ameri­ those who apparently didn't dovan border. It was only a mile can team, we found our way to need to rest at all. from there to the Ukrainian bor­ the docks at Dover and were The next day, we detoured der, but to get through Moldova the last car allowed on the ferry. north to Prague, where we par­ we needed a carte verde, which is (Rubik's Cube missed it by took in a few rounds at a beer basically car insurance. Luckily, about a minute.) Ninety min­ garden overlooking the city. In this was available for purchase utes later, we were driving off the morning, after saying good­ just up the road. the ship and into France. We bye to Jarrett and Kristi, we One of the border guards swung through Belgium and stopped in Kutna Hora to see directed me to leave Collin with

32 T H E ROTARIAN I MAY 2010 them, as insuranc~ that I would them to be driven through are you doing with the come back. We all had a laugh other countries. The com­ "We're driving to Mongolia ' out of this as I mimicked that mander called us into his office. and donating the car to charity;' I would just run off and leave "This is problem;' he stated. I we replied. "You're leaving it in him there, no problem. A few showed him the title and reg­ Mongolia:' That's not possible:' hundred yards up the road was istration. "How can I tell this Seeing that the commander a shack where five old women not copyt He had a point. It was adamant, I told him that if left off playing cards to take my looked like anyone could have he didn't want us to leave the personal details and the equiv­ printed either the title or the car in Mongolia, we would alent of $30, then hand me a registration on a home com­ drive it back to the United couple of slips of paper. puter. I reiterated that it was Kingdom after the race and We completed our I-mile real and that in the United ship it back to America from Left: Brills and Otto tour of Moldova and arrived States this was as valid as the there. This seemed to assuage in Prague two days into at the Ukrainian border. We car passport is in Europe. his concerns, and eventually we the rally. Above: The handed over our passports Next problem: There's no got good news: We could go. Chevy Metro, packed up and registration and got our front license plate on the car. Now we just had to wait for and ready to hit the road. passports back, complete with I explained that Michigan our paperwork. Below: The Mongol Rally is organized by a group called a Ukrainian entry stamp. There doesn't issue front plates. "In We waited. And waited the Adventurists, who ask, was just one problem: Our car Ukraine, only gangsters have some more. We noticed peo­ "When did you last wander couldn't accompany us into no front plate:' Duly noted. ple going home for the day, to into an unknown land the country. "Do you have your bill of be replaced with new staff. The with only a pith helmet and It turned out that all cars sale?" he asked. "Yes:"'Do you commander had passed our your wits to protect you?" registered in this part of the have the shipping papers with case along to the incoming offi­ world have a card that allows you:''' he asked. "Yes:' "What cer. Time to start allover again.

MAY 2 a 1 a I TH E R OT A R I A N 33 We spent nine hours at the Ukrainian border, filling out forms and then standing at the back of the line again and again while mosquitoes and flies ate us alive. I really didn't think they were going to let our car through, but in the end the new commander called us inside and handed us our passports and car papers. It was midnight.

25 July We expected to do the 185 miles to Odessa in abour three hours. oWe also expected signs, and ~roads that didn't look like they had been blasted to pieces dur­ ing some recent conflict. On that first stretch, I could only think one thing: The Ukrainians must really not care about anyone getting in or out of Moldova. We spent 27 July - my 27th Above: Memento mori: birthday - on the beach in Odessa. The kostnice, or bone church, We knew it would be the first and in a Czech village outside Kutna last beach we'd encounter. The Hora is designed to remind visitors of th eir own mortality. next day, we tried to attend the Below: The living enjoy the view Rotary Club of Odessa's meeting at the Blac k Sea beachfron t but found that there wasn't one in Odessa , Ukrain e. scheduled for that week. This would be the last time our visit to a city coincided with the day of a Rotaty club meeting until Mongo­ lia. We headed out around 5 p.m. In Ukraine, freeways don't go around cities as much as through them. We got lost almost every time we hit a major city, circling city streets and ttying to find where the highway started up again. This was even harder to do in the dark. At a stop to get directions and fill up, we noticed gas gushing out from under the car as the atten­ dant filled the tank. Closer inspec­ tion revealed that rust had eaten through the metal hose that con­ nects the gas nozzle input and the

34 THE R O T A R I A N I MAY 2 a 1 a gas tank. We were able to grab it through the wheel well and hold it up while putting gas in, but we couldn't do much to fix it at the time. We left it as it was, hop­ ing that it wouldn't end up falling off entirely. After 38 hours of driving, we arrived in Volgograd (formerly known as Stalingrad). We didn't have much time to explore, as we wanted to be on our way to Kazakhstan, but we couldn't miss The Motherland Calls (Rodina­ Mat' Zovyotf), a giant statue that looms over the city. We marveled at the size of it and at the memori­ Left and above: Volgograd's als to those who died in the BarrIe memorial to the heroes of Stalingrad. of the Battle of Sta lingrad After a detour south to features a number of monumental statues, the Kalmykia, the only Buddhist largest being The Motherland republic on the European conti­ Calls; the tip of the sword nent, we headed for the Kazakh reac hes 280 feet into the air. border, where the customs guy The battle cost the lives asked us where we were from. of more than 1.1 mi ll ion Red I told him Detroit, and he said, Army soldiers. Below: A "Oooh, gangster city. Eminem! statue of the Buddha in Elista, Respect!" I then made the mistake capital of Kal mykia, the only of driving the car out of customs Budd hist republic in Eu rope. before our papers were stamped properly. "You broke a big law - this is serious;' the guard said. After asking what we could do to make the problem go away, we bargained him down from $50 to $28 and handed it over.

31 July In Kazakhstan, we noticed a change. People were waving at us, saying hello, and exhibiting an all-around friendliness that had been somewhat lacking up to that point. We also started seeing cam­ els roaming around. We were in a convoy with sev­ eral other teams, one of which needed to get a hole in the exhaust welded up. Collin and I decided

MAY 2010 I THE ROTARIAN 35 I N FOCUS

that now would be a good time sian, Uzbek, English, and body to fix our little problem as well. language until everyone decided While we were getting the repairs to call it a night. When the bor­ done, an endless stream of peo­ der opened at 9 a.m., we thanked ple came out to us, curious about everyone and said our goodbyes. where we were from and what we The bleak desert landscape of were doing. Uzbekistan had little more than In the early evening, we reached isolated outposts of humanity Beyneu, the last outpost of civi­ and a few empty industrial cen­ lization before a long stretch of ters next to dried-up lake beds desert road. The sun was already to interrupt the monotony. We setting, and it was evident that we camped again, then struck out wouldn't make the border that through the broad Kyzylkum night, so we found a place to camp. Desert. We were soaked in sweat At the Uzbek border the and covered in sand by the time next day, I had just finished the Right: The rusted hulls of we reached Bukhara. Pulling into car import paperwork when I ships nea r Moynaq, the first roundabout, we caught noticed Collin standing outside Uzbeki stan, bear witness up with the Alchemists, a team to the shrinking of the Aral of the border zone. He had just ftom England. Collin and Mark Sea , which was the worl d's been rejected entry. set off to find the hotel while fou rth-largest inland lake Although our visas were the Ramsey and I enjoyed a couple of in 1960 but has since lost same, the border personnel had 75 percent of its vol ume. Uzbek beers in an outdoor plaza. noticed that Collin's didn't start Above: Brills waits it out in Later, at the Komi! B&B, we until the next day. What could the Uzbek border zone. met Charlotte, an archeologist we do? Say goodbye to our convoy Below: The rui ns of the ftom the University of Michigan, and wait there in no man's land. 16th-centu ry Abdu llah Khan and Greg, a 24-year-old Londoner The border zone was filled Medressa in Bukhara . on a 16-month solo bike ride ftom with the skeletons of stripped the UK to Australia. After our cars and buses and with a num­ first shower in days, we dined on ber of other people also waiting the terrace of the nearby Minzifa around. Cows and camels picked Restaurant, where I tried some of at the heaps of rubbish. It was the local specialty, plov (rice mixed close to 100 degrees, so we took with meat and vegetables). At a our camping chairs out of the car nightclub, we met up with Danish and set them up in the husk of and Irish teams. Collin wasn't feel­ an old van. A scru£IY-looking bus ing well and left early, but the rest driver came over and motioned of us hung out until 3 a.m. for us to join him and his friends The next morning, Collin for dinner. The five guys were sit­ was in bad shape. He had a fever, ting on mats and blankets beside stomach problems, chills - prob­ the bus. I went to the car to grab ably caused by brushing his teeth a bottle of vodka, and we drank with tap water the previous night. shots from teacups. Dinner was I left him to sleep it off and did thin soup with bits of meat and some sightseeing with Greg. We potato and rock-hard scraps of ran into rally teams from all over naan bread, which we dipped into and stopped to chat with them. the soup until they became soft It would have been nice to enough to chew. We sat around have had more time in Bukhara, conversing in a mixture of Rus- with its old streets and historical

36 THE ROTARIAN I MAY 2010 Statistics

DURATION: 52 days to Mongolia, and 14 days in Mongolia. COUNTRIES VISITED: 17. FAVORITE PARTS : The Romanian countryside; the beaches of Odessa , Ukraine; the old city of Bukhara , Uzbekistan; the mountains of Tajikistan; the friendly people in Khorog, Tajikistan; and the wide-open expanses of Mongolia. LEAST FAVORITE PART: Ukraine. It was hard to get into the country, and we even had to bribe our way out. BRIBES DEMANDED: $185. ($ 100 from an off-duty policeman who stopped us for speeding at 2 a.m . in Ukraine, $15 from a young guard stationed at the Ukrainian/ Russian border, $50 from the English-speaking guard at the RussianiKazakh border, and $20 for not having a front license plate at a checkpoint outside of Khorog.) BRIBES PAID: $43. (We gave $15 in singles to a young guard at the Ukrainian/Russian border, who then stuffed it in his pocket, and a border guard with impeccable English took us for $28 after I drove into Kazakhstan without getting a form stamped.) MILES TRAVElED: About 10,000 (including 6,000 by carl. TIRES BLOWN: O. Thank you , beau­ tiful (and expensive) Michelin tires l FAVORITE FOOD: Plov, the Central Asia n version of fried rice with mutton and vegetables. The best was at the Aga Khan's Serena Hotel in Khorog. TIMES WE GOT SICK: 1. Collin was incapacitated for a day while in Bukhara but was back to normal again after a day of sitting in bed. NEW FRIENOS MADE: Innumerable. FAVORITE MEMORY: The evening we spent stranded in the no man's land between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan , sharing dinner and vod ka with a grou p of truckers who then let us sleep in their bus. TOTAL RAISED FOR CHARITY: Almost $9,000.

MAY 2 0 1 0 I THE ROT A R I A N 3 7 sights, after lunch the next day, with Collin feeling better, we said our goodbyes. By evening, we were in Samarkand. From the main square we heard music, which turned out to be coming from a huge wedding. A couple of other rally teams were standing at the gates, and it wasn't long before one of the revelers invited all of us to join them. We ate, drank, and swapped stories.

9 August Across the Tajik border, the worst roads we'd seen yet took us up into the foothills of the Pamir moun­ tain range, which abuts the west­ ern Himalayas. I was at the wheel when we hit a large bump. We pulled over and saw a huge dent in our catalytic converter. This made the car noisier and sent exhaust fumes into the cabin at times. We drove even more cautiously as we passed through villages perched on the mountainsides. Heavy truck traffic made driv­ ing frightening, especially on the narrow mountain passes. Even­ tually it was pitch black out, and the road still kept going up and up. Dodging trucks and potholes and clearing blind curves the entire way, we finally made it to the sum­ mit of the mountain, 10,990 feet up. Some other vehicles were stopped at the side of the road, and we got out to stretch. Two guys in a Lexus SUY asked if we were on our way to Khojand. No, we said, Dushanbe. We were heading the wrong way. It was late, so we settled in for a few restless hours of sleep in the car. In the morning, we retraced our route to where we'd taken the wrong road. The new one wasn't

38 THE ROT A R I A N I MAY 201 0 any better, but the surrounding University of Central Asia and scenery was spectacular., home to one of the most edu­ After finally arriving in Du­ cated, English-capable popula­ shanbe, we ate at what must be tions in the region. Central Asia's only Ecuadorian Getting into the city before restaurant. We started talking to dark for once, we were stopped a guy who turned out to be the by a policeman, who pointed to part-time U.S. ambassador to the front of the car. Ah - another Tajikistan. We had a great conver­ cop wondering about our lack of sation about Tajikistan and his a front plate. I explained for the travels and work around the world. thousandth time that in Mich­ The next day, we drove higher igan we only have one license and higher into the mountains. plate, but he kept pointing. He We spent the night in Kalaikhum, wasn't pointing to the missing then skirted the mountains on a plate but rather to a big puddle narrow road directly across the that had gushed from our car as Panj River from Afghanistan. It we were about to make a turn. was amazing that this was the Our radiator hose had finally

same Afghanistan that we had Left: The roads in burst. We thanked him and got been hearing so much about for Tajikistan present a out the duct tape. the past eight years. We were told number of hazards, the We checked into the Pamir that people on both sides of the least of which is a Lodge, run by a local Pakistani river share a common language proliferation of large rocks. professor. The price was right (Shughni) and religion (Ismaili Above and below: ($6 a night), and the staff, includ­ Islam). We were close enough to Between Dushanbe and ing the professor's son and wife, have a short conversation with a Kalaikhum, ralliers faced was very friendly. At dinner, we a river crossi ng - th is guy on the other side. I say short met a team from Aberdeen along Ford Fiesta didn't because I had no idea what he was with a local kid, Imomdad, who have quite enough mojo asking me. had been helping the Scots. to power through - and We had to stop a couple of steep drop-offs. The next day, Imomdad times because the engine kept over­ helped us find a mechanic. The heating. The problem was a leak in shop was just a field with a the hose that went from the radia­ bunch of cars in it, with a pit dug tor to the engine. There was also a into the ground for under-chas­ disturbing clacking noise coming sis inspections. The mechanic from our left front wheel, which we fixed our brake noise, which was figured was a loose brake compo­ caused by a loose control arm. As nent. It took about eight hours to for the radiator, we would have to get to Khorog. get a new hose. After searching all over town, we found one that 15 August resembled what we needed but Tucked between the mountains of was too big. We bought it just in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, at the case but decided to use our Res­ confluence of the Gunt and Panj cue Tape (one of our sponsors) rivers, is Khorog. Khorog is the to fix the old hose. By the time capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan we set out on the Pamir High­ Autonomous Oblast - the Pamir way, it was already afrer 3 p.m. Mountain region of Tajikistan. It's The Pamir Highway winds also the location of a campus of the from southern Tajikistan to Osh,

MAY 2010 I THE ROTARIAN 39 Kyrgyzstan, through some of the highest-elevation passes travers­ able by vehicle - up to 15,272 feet. We'd been looking forward to this the entire trip. Before long, a strange sound started coming from underneath the car, but we didn't stop until the engine started to lose power. It also appeared that we had lost second gear. Opening the hood, we saw that the Rescue Tape had melted right off of the hose and onto the engine block. The plastic hood to the side of the engine was also melting. We thought that the rally was over for us right then. Above: A mechan ic Afrer the engine had cooled, in Khorog, Tajikistan, we cut away the remnants of addresses one of the the hose and got out the one we Chevy's mounting problems. had purchased. It was not only Below: Imomdad (right) larger than we needed but bent proved an invaluable friend and translator to Brills and the wrong way. Still, we achieved Otto in Khorog. Right: Goats a pretty tight seal by using four are more numerous tha n screw clamps to attach it. We were cars on this stretch of road, back in business. which follows the river The scenery got progressively border with Afghanistan. more dramatic as we climbed through the valleys and up into the Pamir Mountains, but the road was pretty rough - large rocks, huge dips and ruts, and lots of bumps. I noticed that we were losing some steering control on our left front tire. About 100 miles outside Kho­ rag, we had ascended a steep pass when I tried to get by a couple of semis. I revved up and got about halfWay past the first truck when a horrible noise started coming from our right front tire. I pulled over. It looked like the body had cracked in a heavily rusted place near the steering linkage. We got back into the car, started it, and put it in gear. Nothing. Reverse. Nothing. We had lost our transmission as well. Not good, not good.

40 THE ROT A R I A N I MAY 2 0 1 0 We were almost 10,000 feet up in the mountains, and it was getting dark. We flagged down a car, threw in our most needed gear, and drove off, leaving the car on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. The driver, whose name was Valler, took us to a plain-looking house, where we found a group of truck drivers crowded into a room having din­ ner. Valler explained the situation to them while we had a bite to eat. Through basic Russian and hand gestures, we found out that getting our car towed would be an expensive proposition. If we wanted to be towed to Osh, the next large town, it would cost at least $500. It wouldn't be much less to be towed back to Kho­ rog. A few of the guys wondered whether we would be interested in selling the car. Because we were in such a bind, I threw out a price of $1,000. Two of them were inter­ ested. Should have gone higher. We decided to get it towed back to Khorog, and the next morning the same mechanic who had fixed the brake noise offered to repair it for $200. But Collin and I didn't think it was prudent to continue on with the car, even if we got it fixed. While it was on the truck, we had looked at the underside, and the damage was extensive. Valler's brother still wanted to buy it. He had a deal for $1,000. The death of the car spelled the end of the official rally for us, but we weren't ready for the adven­ ture to be over. We still wanted to make it to Mongolia any way we could. The Mongol Rally web­ site notes that only about half the teams are expected to make it to Ulaanbaatar, and that "if you get

MAY 2010 I THE ROTARIAN 41 heavy packages, including my good stories to tell, then the Mon­ tent, sleeping mat, and camping gol Rally has failed its mission:' stove. An older lady was staffing So, on to plan B. the international window, and I Imomdad invited us to stay could tell by the look she gave me at his family's house. He showed that she knew I was going to be us family photo albums, includ­ trouble. I spent the next two hours ing one of his father's service in filling out postage forms in quintu­ the USSR tank corps during the plicate, itemizing everything. She Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s, decided what was OK to send while his mother made a large and what wasn't; oddly, she said spread for dinner. After a few I couldn't send a deck of playing vodka shots, Imomdad, his father, cards or the car insurance paper­ Collin, and I went off to the local work from Moldova. She finished bathhouse, where we relaxed in the up the process by tearing strips of extremely hot sauna until we were cloth off a large roll, going into the barely able to move. In the morn­ back room, machine-sewing them ing, we said thanks and goodbye together to fit the exact measure­ to Imomdad and his family. His ments of my belongings, insert­ uncle was taking passengers to ing my items, sewing the packages Dushanbe in his 4x4. Along the closed by hand, and then daubing way, we saw Greg pedaling his bike big spots of hot wax all over the up a mountain and stopped to chat top of each and stamping them with him for a few minutes. multiple times with an official iron seal. Tajik postal services - 20 August welcome to the year 1900! It took Ah, yes, Hotel Dushanbe: You a while, but she was laughing in the can check out anytime you like, end (maybe because of the ridic­ but you can never leave. ulous $250 I paid for postage). I That's how we felt, coming asked how long it would take, and back to the same hotel in the same she replied that it would be about city where we'd been the week two months. before. We had to get out of the country before our visas expired 24 August in four days. We hoped to get a Dushanbe International Airport flight to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. is the largest, busiest airport in We went to the airport and the country. The entire thing con­ inquired about tickets. There was sists of a ticket lobby, one metal nothing available to Bishkek before detector, and a large waiting our visas ran out. We checked from room. Our flight to Almaty was Dushanbe to any city in Kyrgyz­ aboard a small, 1960s-era Soviet stan. Nope. Khojand, Tajikistan, prop plane. to any city in Kyrgyzstanr Noth­ We were running out of money ing. Dushanbe to Almaty, Kazakh­ and time. The train to Russia and stanr Yes, on Monday evening, just then the Trans-Siberian Express before our visas ran out. seemed like the best way to get to Over the next two days, we Ulaanbaatar, but first we had to chilled out. I went to the post extend our Russian visas, which office to send home a couple of expired in two days.

42 THE ROT A R I A N I MAY 2 a 1 a On Tuesday, we got to the Almaty but had studied in Kyr­ embassy in Almaty to find it gyzstan and was going to visit closed for lunch. We waited at friends there. She and our driver, a restaurant and brewery called Alic, made excellent traveling Ultra's, where we had some of the companions. In Bishkek, Aika best beer since Europe. Back at and Alic kindly bought us a cup the embassy, an employee told us of khlep, a drink made from fer­ that we could not extend our cur­ mented plants that tastes like rent visas - we would have to pur­ salty-sour beer, and then we chase new ones. We'd need to get grabbed dinner with Alic at a local our forms filled out, visa pictures cafe. The next night, we went to taken, passport and visa copies the Zeppelin Bar to see a Kazakh made, and any tickets purchased cover band do pretty good ren­ before applying. So we could get ditions of classics such as "Billie all of that done and come back the Jean" and "Smoke on the Water:' next day, Wednesday? No, the ear­ Kyrgyzstan celebrated its 18th liest we could come back would be independence day on 31 August. Friday morning; they would be There was tug-of-war, arm wres­ closed for the next few days. tling. and Kyrgyz-style wrestling The next stop was the train in the park, and musical perfor­ station, where we inquired about mances on a stage in the center of tickets from Almaty to Novosi­ the city. We wandered around all birsk, Russia, and from there to day, stopping at food stands when­ Ulaanbaatar. The next train with ever we got hungry and sitting available seats was leaving on 5 down at a cafe for drinks once we September, but there was a flight were thoroughly exhausted. After to Novosibirsk on the morn­ the fireworks ended, we joined the ing of the 4th, and the Trans­ city's younger generations in rev­ Siberian Express left from there elry at the Bacardi Lounge until that same night. the wee hours of the morning. Collin weighed his options and On Thursday, we took a taxi with a heavy heart chose to go back back to Almaty. Collin and I said home. He wanted to reach Mon­ our goodbyes and hopped on our golia, but things were getting respective flights. too complicated, and the money had run out a long time ago. He 4 September booked a flight back to London, As I walked up to my train at the where he would stay for a few days Novosibirsk station, Mongolian with our friend Dave before head­ women selling Chinese clothes ing stateside. His flight was also on were hanging out of the windows the 4th, so in the meantime, we and walking up and down the would be able to visit Kyrgyzstan. platform. I found my compart­ ment, a four-berther with boxes of 29 August clothing and mannequins strewn The next day, we found a man to allover the place. A middle-aged drive us the four hours to Bish­ Mongolian woman rushed in and kek. Also making the trip was a quickly got things in order. cute girl who greeted us in Eng­ The Trans-Siberian Express is lish. Aika worked at a bank in often romanticized. I had imagined

MAY 2 a 1 a I THE ROT A R I A N 43 IN FOCUS

comfy compartments and a grand less sleep, we arrived at Ulaanbaatar dining car with huge windows Station, and I said goodbye to the where people would sit and play friends I had made. card games while drinking vodka and enjoying the view. Nope. Even 7 September with a second-class ticket that costs Brigitte Cummings is a charter hundreds of dollars, you are four member of the Bayanzurkh 100 to a compartment. There is no club, which my Rotary club had part­ running water; you need bottled nered with to help build a kindergar­ water to drink, brush your teeth, ten in rural Mongolia. Munich-born and wash up. Heating is come and Brigitte lived in Hong Kong before go. Hot water is usually available for moving to Ulaanbaatar 12 years tea and ramen, if your car's atten­ ago and opening up Helmut Sach­ dants have been vigilant in keeping ers Cafe, a German cafe and bakery. the stove fire stoked. Over soup and a sandwich, I I heard French coming from the filled her in on my journey, and next compartment. A woman about she told me about Mongolia. We my age was traveling to Ulaanbaatar also met a couple of guys who had and then Beijing with her aunt. finished the rally a few days earlier They invited me into their cabin, and stopped in for a bite to eat. (Of and we talked about our trips. They the 400-plus teams that started out, were both named Marie, and they more than 100 made it to Mongo­ were from the northeast part of lia for the finish line party on 15 France, near Metz. August, four weeks after the launch, At Ulan-Ude, I met my new and teams continued to trickle in bunkmate: a giant Mongolian guy for several weeks after that.) who stumbled into the compart­ The next few days were filled ment looking a bit worse for wear with meeting people, eating out, and smelling of alcohol. He smiled and exploring the city. One night, and waved and then continued on Brigitte arranged for a group of down the hall. Over the next few visiting medical volunteers to have hours, he wobbled back and forth dinner with Khamba Lama Dam­ between compartments, finally dinsuren Natsagdorj - one of the passing out on the berth next to most revered Buddhist lamas in the mine, arms askew, shirt expos­ country and a friend of the Dalai ing quite the paunch, and snor­ Lama - and I got to tag along. He ing loudly enough to be heard in talked about traditional Mongo­ adjoining compartments. It was lian and Tibetan healing techniques quite a funny sight. It would have and medicines. been funnier if he hadn't been in my During the rally, Brigitte had compartment. The two Maries took e-mailed me about the Gobi Mar­ pity on me and invited me to stay athon, which she planned to take in their compartment for the night. part in. I decided to do it too. The third evening, we pulled into our last stop in Russia. We 11 September handed over our passports and On Friday morning, we headed out were confined to quarters while of the city in a Russian minibus. As the police searched every cabin for far as the eye could see were low contraband. Afrer a night of rest- grassy hills and the huge expanse

44 THE ROT A R I A N I MAY 2 0 1 0 of cloudless sky. No people, no and Eda had caught up to me with dwellings, no traffic - nothing but her slow but methodical pace. At the occasional hawk overhead. We the first major fork in the road, continued on and on, through the the two of us were at a loss. There unchanging landscape, until after was no indication of which way to nightfall. The next day was more go. We went right for a while, then of the same. For lunch, we set up reconsidered and trekked across a table in the middle of nowhere the open sand toward the left and had a picnic of sausage, bread, fork. Still no sign of trail markers. and pickles. Finally, we arrived at Joachim had said that no one had our camp near the Flaming Cliffs of ever gotten lost doing this mara­ Bayanzag. There was already a con­ thon - would we be the first? ringent of marathoners there, and I We decided to head back to shared a ger, or yurt, with an Amer­ the branch we had initially cho­ ican who worked as a casino dealer sen. Our water was getting low, in Macau, an Australian working in and we had seen no trace of peo­ Ulaanbaatar at a nongovernmen­ ple, vehicles, or trail markers for tal organization, and an older Ger­ the past hour or more. I was pretty man man who had come to run his tired, but Eda was having no evi­ 180th marathon. dent trouble keeping up her pace, Over dinner - a heaping porrion and after half an hour she was far Left: The Gobi (wh ich of spaghetti and meatballs - the ahead. We kept on under the harsh translates to "waterl ess place ") is 500,000 squa re miles of organizer, Joachim, told us what sun until I came to the realization sa nd and roc k, inc luding to expect. Five of us were running that there were no footprints any­ the Flaming Cliffs of Baya nzag. the full 26.2-mile marathon: my where along our path. Eda, appar­ Above: At dinner with roommates, a German woman ently having the same revelation, Khamba Lama Damd insuren named Eda, and me. Everyone had turned back in my direction. Natsagdorj and Rota ri an Brigitte else was doing the half mara­ We had been off-trail for over Cummings. Below: Motorbikes thon, or the "fun walk:' I kept two hours. We saw a ger in the dis­ are a common way to get getting stares of disbelief when I tance and decided to ask for direc­ around in the Go bi , which is told people that I was doing my tions. I stuck my head inside and populated by fewer than three first marathon in the Gobi with said sain bainuu (hello) to an older people per squa re mile. no training and no proper equip­ couple and a young woman with ment. But this was going to be a an infant. I did my best to explain fine end to an excellent trip. that we were lost and needed a ride After a big breakfast, we got into on their motorcycle in the direc­ our race gear (which for me con­ tion of Bayanzag. They invited sisted of my normal clothing and us inside and gave us some aruul hiking shoes), slathered on sun­ and suutei tsai - dried cheese curd screen, and did a bit of stretching. and salty milk tea. We downed The organizers set up a starr ban­ everything out of politeness, and ner between the two minibuses, then the man led us outside. Eda Joachim gave the starting signal, decided to continue on foot with and we were off. the knowledge that I would send I ran alongside the others for the a minibus to pick her up once I first mile or so but then began to located the others. fall behind, going at a slow jog with I held on for dear life as we sped only Eda behind me. Before long, across the rocky steppe toward the three in front were out of sight, Bayanzag. At the checkpoint,

MAY 2 0 1 0 I THE R O T A R I A N 45 Joachim told me they'd already started ro wobble and then cramp sent a vehicle to search for us. up horribly, but somehow I made Eventually, I saw it heading our it, and everyone crowded around way. Eda, saved from the clutches to congratulate me and take pho­ of the Gobi, lost no time in hop­ ros. I had done it! ping out of the minibus and get­ We rook a different route back ting back on the trail. I hurriedly ro Ulaanbaatar, sropping at Gobi got up out of the folding chair I Gurvansaikhan National Park and had been resting in and started a Buddhist monastery. We visited running in the same direction. the giant ger housing the Buddha It was a mistake for me to statue, talked with a junior monk have sat for so long in the ger, on about the history of the place, and the motorbike, and in that chair. were invited inside the head monKs My legs were protesting any fur­ house by his mother for sweets. Her ther exertion. It was obvious that son, she said, was in a ger out back, I would be the last to finish. At meditating. He had been there for the next checkpoint, they were over two years. One of the appren­ taking down the tables. "How tices brought him food and water much longer to the finish linet I every day, which he would slip in so asked. "Only about 6 kilometers as to not disturb the monk. I believe - you can see it up on the plateau Abo ve: The bell and she said he was going to be in there from here:' It didn't make sense. the dorje, or th underbolt, for another three years. Less than 4 miles. Had I missed are ritua l objects in Back in Ulaanbaatar, I hung libetan Budd hism, which something? Then I noticed the out with new friends and saw is also practiced in Mongolia. tire tracks leading up a hill in the traditional Mongolian theater Below: Bril ls sips suutei distance. "Isn't there supposed to and throat singing. On Friday, I tsai (sa lty milk tea), be another loop heret I inquired. part of the traditiona l gave a talk to the Bayanzurkh "No, no, not for you. You just go Mongolian greeti ng. Right: 100 club. It's a small club, bur it straight to the finish:' They were An excellent end has been instrumental in many trying to hurry me along."No way, to an exce llent adventure. humanitarian efforts. guys;' I told them. "If I'm going to My last night in Mongolia, do this, I'm going to do it right:' I treated Brigitte to dinner and The last thing I had to tackle visited the Grand Khaan bar for was a flat expanse of desert leading parting drinks with friends. I still up to the famous Flaming Cliffs. I hadn't packed but was too tired to could just make out the finish line bother. I figured that I'd just set atop the plateau, about 5 miles my alarm early, take a shower, and away. My legs were like Jell-O, and pack before Brigitte's driver came every step was painful. I made it to to pick me up at 5:30 a.m. But the incline leading up to the pla­ when I woke up and looked at my teau, then worked my way along­ phone, it was 5:15. In classic blun­ side the cliff. I was almost there. der fashion, I had set my alarm for It was almost 6 p.m. I had been 4:30 p.m. I bolted up and started running since before 10 a.m. I to get my things together. No time thought for sure everyone would for a shower - I could already have been back at the camp by hear the driver pulling up out­ now. But as I got closer, I could see side. Twenty minutes later, I said people cheering me on. Several ran goodbye to Brigitte and was on my out to accompany me in. My legs way to the airport. _

46 THE ROT A R I A N I MAY 2 a 1 a PICK YOUR CAR WISELY.

ACT CONFIDENT, BUT PLAY STUPID when someone is PERSON you meet IS trying trying to get a bribe out of you. It to scam you, as a few teams we may take a while, but eventually encountered did. Most people they're going to give up. we met were very nice.

• RING TRASH BAIS and remove any garbage that you create. Yes, it is a huge pain, and yes, it is hard to find places to throw it away, and yes, it does tend to get smelly after a while, but that's no excuse to uti AMERICAN ClCARETTES. just throw your garbage on the Border guards always ask for ground. I don't care if no one is them, and it doesn't hurt to make around, or if the place is already friends and speed things along. Iittered with refuse - don't do it. They have the same brands in We went through a few additional Central Asia, but the American garbage bags ourselves just ones are much preferred. cleaning up trash that fellow ralliers left in their wake.

• BRING A SPARE KEY. Or two. Collin and I were constantly leaving our keys inside the car or misplacing them among our belongings. 8 nver crossing. Let Getting locked out of your car sonll!Ol. else go first, and learn in the middle of the desert person's mistakes. would be a real bummer.

MAY 2010 I THE ROTARIAN 47