Meghan has spent the past 30 years taking life by the horns. Whether it's scuba diving in Australia, surfing in California, or sledging down the side of a volcano in Nicaragua, she takes it to the MAX! She will, naturally, be celebrating her thirtieth birthday in a suitably extreme way - drinking a cocktail of yak's milk and homebrewed liquor in a yurt in Mongolia, almost 6,000 miles from home. In her secret identity Meghan poses as a school counsellor. She carries boundless reserves of optimism and so has been appointed as the team peacemaker and morale booster. You might catch a glimpse of her charming the border guard officials, before we speed off into the distance and you're left eating our dust.What would your super power be?
Flying seems pretty cool (and quite frankly I think it would come in real handy if/when we break down in Mongolia!)
What is your most unappealing habit?
I think we should ask the team after the rally...
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Anything that involves dark chocolate...I wonder how yak's milk chocolate tastes?
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
I prefer anything with sequins and glitter...maybe a hot little burlesque outfit?
What single thing would improve the quality of this trip for you?
Ummm...a mechanic? We can't fit any additional people in the car but I vote we strap Kev to the roof rack, what do ya think?
What “luxury item” are you bringing on this trip that is not essential?
40 pairs of underwear? Seems excessive but I don't want to be known as the stinky one in the car (oh wait, we are all going to be stinky!)
If you had to play one song for the entire trip what would it be?
Highway to Hell, AC/DC - I have a feeling that this song will be on repeat in my head the whole way through Kazakhstan!
Do you think you will make it with the car to Mongolia in 4 weeks?
I sure as hell hope so! I gotta get my ass back to work on August 22nd:-)
Kassie Darling, 27What would your super power be?
To be fluent in every language of the world.
What is your most unappealing habit?
I'm tone-deaf, but love to sing in the car to Beyonce, P!nk, Rihanna or any other pop sensation. I basically have the musical taste of a 14 year old girl.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Mayonnaise on pizza (thanks to the Maude family). Don't knock it until you try it.
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
I love any costume where I can wear a fro, which means I'm all for MoTown and 70s parties.
What single thing would improve the quality of this trip for you?
A crystal ball.
What “luxury item” are you bringing on this trip that is not essential?
Three different machines/options for making coffee. I'll be able to pour a perfect espresso thanks to our espresso machine that operates off the cigarette lighter. I am also packing a travel filter for a good ol' American cup of brewed coffee and a cafetiere for a European twist on my morning cuppa. .
If you had to play one song for the entire trip what would it be?
Eye of the Tiger by Survivor.
Do you think you will make it with the car to Mongolia in 4 weeks?
If only I had my crystal ball...
Matt Maude, 26
So, Wow. "Matt"… What to say.
Trying to describe Matt is like trying to describe a meteor that's just burst through the front of your house. He may have broken your vase, but he has simultaneously made your day. A perfect mix of confusion and at the same time sheer wonderment that something so unique and excitable has just burst through your front door. Imagine the curiosity of a burrowing woodland animal and the sheer determination of an ox being housed in a moderately sized human frame, hidden underneath a mighty fine head of hair. Matt is sharp witted, hilarious, charming, and above all persistent. He's a dedicated and inspired director and writer of films, and at only 26 he has plenty of time to gain life experiences such as this rally before making his hefty and undoubtedly individual mark on the world. In the past year he has travelled through most of Europe due to his film making, spending extended periods in Serbia and Albania, and before that has driven across the USA various times on as many film projects. His favourite film (one of) is Back To The Future II, he doesn't eat - but rather 'snaffles', and he takes a damn good photograph. What would your superpower be?
I'd be greedy to ask for more than I already have…
What is your most unappealing habit?
Faux arrogance masking a mass of insecurities bubbling underneath the surface like a smiling child actually desperate for his mother's love and father's attention… Ahem….
I'm a pretty annoying person in general, covering a wide and ever expanding quality and quantity of unappealing traits. I'll be wearing down the team constantly like a slow moving cheese grater working it's way through a block of Cathedral cheddar.
I think my most annoying habit encountered by everyone else will be my nocturnal need to starfish in my sleep (hoping the sleep bag will keep that fairly contained), and my horrific tendency to wake everyone up the instant I arise from sleep by being as loud and clumsy as humanly and subconsciously possible
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Masturbating? Can I say that? I have literally no idea how I'm going to wander off into the desert to go have some 'private' time. The visibility is something like 50 miles in all directions and Si bought some binoculars the other day. Other than that, Skittles. The two are only mildly connected
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
Either a Interpol outfit or border guard uniform…
What single thing would improve the quality of this trip for you?
Diplomatic Immunity and… seeing my girlfriend once a day
What luxury item are you bringing on trip that is not essential?
Shoes? I'm not really packing anything other than the core essentials of six t-shirts, two pairs of board shorts, six pairs of undies, an unbelievable amount of socks, one pair of jeans, one jumper, and one coat. I'll get back to you on that when I start packing tonight (we leave tomorrow)…
If you had to play one song for the entire trip what would it be?
Bohemian Rhospedy? It's nearly as long as our trip and it's freakin' belter for some top class car harmonies. In seriousness though for me it would be Death Cab for Cutie's 'I Possess Your Heart'
Do you think we will make it, with the car, to Mongolia, in four weeks?
There's a lot of different questions to answer right there. My car going anywhere in four weeks is a matter of prayer. Getting to Mongolia in four weeks, in any car would be a challenge enough. Getting the car, to Mongolia, in four weeks? HELL. YES
I'd be greedy to ask for more than I already have…
What is your most unappealing habit?
Faux arrogance masking a mass of insecurities bubbling underneath the surface like a smiling child actually desperate for his mother's love and father's attention… Ahem….
I'm a pretty annoying person in general, covering a wide and ever expanding quality and quantity of unappealing traits. I'll be wearing down the team constantly like a slow moving cheese grater working it's way through a block of Cathedral cheddar.
I think my most annoying habit encountered by everyone else will be my nocturnal need to starfish in my sleep (hoping the sleep bag will keep that fairly contained), and my horrific tendency to wake everyone up the instant I arise from sleep by being as loud and clumsy as humanly and subconsciously possible
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Masturbating? Can I say that? I have literally no idea how I'm going to wander off into the desert to go have some 'private' time. The visibility is something like 50 miles in all directions and Si bought some binoculars the other day. Other than that, Skittles. The two are only mildly connected
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
Either a Interpol outfit or border guard uniform…
What single thing would improve the quality of this trip for you?
Diplomatic Immunity and… seeing my girlfriend once a day
What luxury item are you bringing on trip that is not essential?
Shoes? I'm not really packing anything other than the core essentials of six t-shirts, two pairs of board shorts, six pairs of undies, an unbelievable amount of socks, one pair of jeans, one jumper, and one coat. I'll get back to you on that when I start packing tonight (we leave tomorrow)…
If you had to play one song for the entire trip what would it be?
Bohemian Rhospedy? It's nearly as long as our trip and it's freakin' belter for some top class car harmonies. In seriousness though for me it would be Death Cab for Cutie's 'I Possess Your Heart'
Do you think we will make it, with the car, to Mongolia, in four weeks?
There's a lot of different questions to answer right there. My car going anywhere in four weeks is a matter of prayer. Getting to Mongolia in four weeks, in any car would be a challenge enough. Getting the car, to Mongolia, in four weeks? HELL. YES
Simon Maude, 29
Simon is a serial adventurer who has taken his shaggy mane of blonde hair half way around the world. He has lived in destinations as far flung as New Zealand, Jordan and Hawaii, but this trip has allowed him to fulfil one of his real childhood dreams - wearing driving goggles.Simon has been the prime instigator, planner and organiser for the trip. He bought the tools, he packed the right equipment, and he even learned basic motoring maintenance for the inevitable hiccups. It has been said that, "Nothing bad ever happens when you're with Simon". This theory is being put to the test with extreme consequences. If things go sufficiently wrong then Matt has decided that he will kill and eat him.
What would your super power be?
I know it’s pretty standard but teleportation’s pretty hard to beat – you could go anywhere any time you want, and it’d be ace to nip back to Leeds and pick up a McGyver patch from our fixer Kev if/when we break down in the Kuds.
What is your most unappealing habit?
My family call me Captain Correcto – ‘nuff said
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Gadgets…
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
Something where you can’t help but fall into character too – reckon our Mexican Cholo party a couple of years back was pretty up there
What single thing would improve the quality of this trip for you?
A Land Rover Defender
What “luxury item” are you bringing on this trip that is not essential?
Driving Goggles – although I’ve got a feeling in my gut that they’re going to come in handy at some point
If you had to play one song for the entire trip what would it be?
Flight of the Valkyries (I love the smell of fermented yak’s milk in the morning; smells like…… rancidness…)
Do you think you will make it with the car to Mongolia in 4 weeks?
Err… next question please
