Adventure of a lifetime

NICOLE NOZICK

Four Vancouver students will soon depart on what can only be described as the adventure of a lifetime. Calling themselves the 4 Idiots Abroad team, Michael Gubbay, Adam Isman, Jeremy Scudder and Ben Parker will participate in the annual Mongol Rally – a 16,000-kilometre cross-Europe car rally, tailor-made to maximize the possibility of adventure and danger.

The friends are no strangers to international travel and adventure, but even they agree that their upcoming expedition is extreme. Self-described as the “greatest adventure in the world,” the Mongol Rally has an official start and finish line: London, England, to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, but with that the similarities with traditional car rallies end. The Mongol has a few very basic rules, purposefully chosen by organizers to lure adrenaline junkies and guarantee adventure. The “One-Litre Rule” requires all participating cars to have engines of less than 1.2 litres, a diminutive size deliberately inappropriate for the length of the trip and its rough terrain. The more ominous “You’re on Your Own Rule” means that, barring a couple of giant parties, there are no arrangements in place for participants – no support teams, no accommodation, no medical coverage, no back-up whatsoever. The “Un-Route Rule” further reinforces the notion that teams are on their own – there is no official route for participants to follow. Rather, each team plots its own course independently. Importantly, the Mongol is also about doing good – the “Save the World Rule” requires each team to raise £1,000 (approximately $1,600 Cdn) for charity and all cars that make it to the finish line are sold, with proceeds going to Mongolian charities.

The Independent recently met with three of the four young men who eagerly shared their plans for the trip. Their excitement about the upcoming adventure was palpable and infectious. The conversation flowed easily as they interrupted each other to finish sentences and embellish stories.

“We’ve planned our route carefully, to make sure we squeeze in as many countries as possible on this one trip,” Isman began.

“We want to collect as many stamps in our passports as we can...” interrupted Gubbay.

“... We’re going to drive through about 20 countries in a seven-week period,” Isman continued.

“But, for each country to count as a visit, we all have to get out of the car and we have to make a purchase, it can be anything – but we can’t just drive through it,” Scudder finished.

The group has planned their route meticulously. “We’ve deliberately chosen a difficult, unusual route,” explained Isman. “We could go the easy way – straight through Central Asia and Russia but, instead, we’ve chosen to drive through as many different countries as we can ... to make the most of this opportunity.”

The young men acknowledged that, often, true adventures happen when carefully made plans fall apart. Gubbay and Scudder excitedly recounted how, while on a recent trip in the Middle East, a last-minute change of plans saw them arrive in Cairo’s Tahrir Square during the Egyptian revolution – not a place they chose to stay for long. “It was crazy. We needed to get out of there fast,” Gubbay admitted.

“We know we’re going to be driving through some hostile countries ... even some war zones,” Scudder added. “Of course, our intention isn’t to be near danger but we’re very aware that a lot of the countries we’ll be driving through are dangerous.... For sure, we’ll be careful, but we’re open to new experiences.”

“My parents were furious when I told them I planned to do this trip,” said Gubbay.

“But we’re past the stage where we have to ask our parents’ permission,” Isman interjected.

“By now, they’re used to hearing all my wild travel stories, but they put their foot down about Iran,” Scudder said. “That was one place they said we absolutely can’t go. We all agreed it would be better to avoid entering Iran if possible, so we’ve planned our route around it instead.”

A more pressing concern for the young men than traveling through active war zones is the language barrier. “I think not speaking the local languages is going to be one of the biggest problems we’ll be facing,” suggested Gubbay, who has set himself the task of navigating the team through the Russian Steppes. “I’ve been learning to read Cyrillic so I’ll be able to read road signs in Russia and get us through there.”

Isman was a late recruit to the group after the original three took a closer look at the number of kilometres that needed to be driven to complete the rally. “Basically, we realized that Ben was the only one of us who had his licence,” noted Scudder, adding, “We thought we should have at least two drivers on our team.”

Isman, a professional racecar driver (as well as Gubbay’s cousin), is prepared to be doing most of the driving. “I don’t have a lot of experience with international travel – not like these guys,” he said, “but I agreed to join them pretty much because they needed another driver. Plus it’s going to be a great adventure….”

“I’m going to put up a big N on the car,” joked Gubbay, who only recently got his licence, “so they’ll know I’m a novice.... I wonder what they’ll think N stands for over there....”

Adventure, excitement and travel aside, the Mongol Rally does have a serious purpose – to raise money for charity. All participating teams choose a charity to support. The 4 Idiots Abroad have chosen the B.C. Cancer Foundation. “All of us have been touched by cancer,” Isman explained. “For some of us, it’s a family member, or a friend.”

“Cancer is something that affects everyone,” added Scudder. “It’s a cause that everyone can relate to.” The group raised money by hosting a silent auction on their Facebook page – and eagerly pointed out that it isn’t too late to donate and support a good cause.

The team plans a stop at one especially unique place: a village in the mountainous region of Azerbaijan with a little-known connection to the Jewish community. As the primary settlement of Azerbaijan’s Highland Jews, 100 percent of Qirmiziqesebe’s population of 4,000 is Jewish, making it “quite possibly the only completely Jewish town outside of Israel,” according to Wikipedia.

“As Jews, we found this interesting ... it’s definitely worthwhile checking out,” Isman said.

“This trip isn’t about racing or winning – it’s about the adventure of traveling into the unknown,” Scudder said, summing up the spirit with which the team is approaching the upcoming trip. With their newly purchased blue Fiat Punto 2004 waiting for them in a storage unit just outside London, the young men are rearing to go. All they need to do is pack.

Follow the team’s progress at 3-idiots-abroad.org.

Nicole Nozick is a Vancouver freelance writer and director of the Cherie Smith JCCGV Jewish Book Festival.

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