Introduction: In 2012 Three solo female travellers will join forces to conquer the Mongol Rally, a car rally from London to Mongolia. Conquering the world’s roughest (and mostly non-existent) roads, bribing Police officers, eating local food and camping are some of the challenges Charlie, Pam and DJ will be dealing with. The biggest challenge will be inside the car. Charlie, Pam and DJ have never met (I put this fact in bold, but you may want to go back and re-read it for effect).
Charlie:
According to her website…’Charlie Grosso, a Chinese American woman with a male Italian name and born in Taipei, Taiwan, is a visual artist working in New York and Los Angeles. Her work is primarily photography based while experimenting with new mediums such as installation and video.‘
Charlie signed up to take on the Mongol Rally in September 2011 after her friend, Sherry Ott completed the rally with her team The Social Media Syndicate. In December 2011, Charlie was introduced to Pamela via a tweet from Sherry. You see, Sherry was trying to help Charlie find teammates, and, well, Pamela responded.
Charlie lives in New York, where she is in the process of opening a Gallery, and has a passion for adventure and travel. Charlie also has a mischievous side, or at least Pamela hopes Charlie has a mischievous side.
Pamela:
According to her website…’I’ve been told (by a few people) that I do things I really shouldn’t do. In other words, I’m a girl who is not currently skinny (working on that part) and I’ve decided to not let that get to me. I’vetaken snowboarding lessons. I’ve slept on the top bunk of an old russian train in Mongolia (albeit nervously). I’ve walked until my back hurt and then walked some more. I’ve been starred at, pointed at and I’ve stilled managed to go outside almost everyday that I have been on the road.’
Pamela decided to do the Mongol Rally after seeing a tweet from Sherry Ott about Charlie. It took all of 5 minutes for her to make the decision and she hasn’t looked back since. Although Charlie and Pamela have not met in person, they have chatted via Skype and decided they liked each other. In January 2012 Pamela will be flying to New York to meet Charlie, and buy Sherry a drink. Sherry ‘claims’ to not be doing the rally this year, but Charlie and Pamela are going to get a drunk commitment out of her.
Pamela lives in Orangeville, Canada, where she continues to write for her blog SpunkyGirl Monologues, as well as articles for CheapOair Canada’s Travel Blog, Where.ca and…oops, can’t tell you the other online publication yet. Pamela is hoping to convince a Vodka company to sponsor team SM Stowaway as she has bribery plans in the works.
DJ:
According to her website…’I’m DJ Forza, the writer and creator of Project Chime. I’m a Habitat for Humanity Global Village Leader, newly appointed Kiva Fellow and PhD candidate, studying diplomacy and international relations. I’m an unpaid volunteer, a work in progress and am most inspired by people (parents, teachers, “the village” ) who raise great kids to become service-minded members of our global community.‘
DJ decided to join Charlie for the Mongol Rally after reading about Charlie needing teammates. Naturally, Twitter became the medium of communication and soon Charlie, Pamela and DJ were virtually united as a team. Charlie and Pamela think DJ is cool, and they are pretty sure DJ is a real person. DJ is probably reading this page and wondering what the hell she has gotten herself into and wonder why this reads like an introduction to a re-run of SOAP, and Charlie is possibly sitting in her studio in New York, laughing. Meanwhile, Pamela is confused and wondering if she has finally lost her mind.
DJ is from Seattle, WA and is currently in India. Charlie and Pamela look forward to meeting her via Skype in January and confirming that she is, in fact, a real person.
Three independent, strong women, who have never met in person, have agreed to spend a month together, inside a small car, to travel 10,000 miles from London to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The rally will be intense, and hopefully everyone will get along. But will they? Follow along and find out! Did we mention there is going to be a small camera inside the car, filming us as we drive, sing, give out bribes and other crazy stuff? Oh yea, now you totally want to follow us!
The largest amount of money raised by a single team £56,000 in 2009 by team Butch Cassidy. Charlie, Pam and DJ have decided to give that record a severe spanking and raise £75,000 for the Lotus Children’s Centre Charitable Trust.
