one_small_steppe

The route was a little bit of a challenge to come up with. Obviously we aren't taking the fastest route, but we thought it would be the prime combination of both sight seeing, safety, and speed. Going the Northern route, we would possibly pass through Ukraine, and due to all the conflicts there, we decided against it. Also, if we went farther North, we would spend a lot more time in Russia, and with the visa requirements for Russia, we decided it was easier to stay in Russia for the shortest amount of time possible. However, we decided not to go as far South as some teams. There are a few who are going through Iran! As Americans, we decided that would not be a good idea. As for the twists and turns in our route that seem a little random. We will be visiting some friends along the way, but when you're 3000 miles away from home, 200 extra miles doesn't seem to far to visit an old friend. Thanks for the Question!

Edit: Thanks for the Reddit gold!

Good question. So, actually, that is a struggle with any vehicle in Mongolia. Unfortunately, their vehicle market is quite not as up to par with other European and Asian nations. So, we attempted to find a vehicle that would be more common to find parts with while also being in the market we were purchasing it from (Ford Transit). This is also where the charity comes in. Our cash donation, deposits, and the charity's resources will be utilized to maintain it long after we are gone.

Quite costly it is indeed. However, as kgunnar said, the point of the journey, besides the delivery of the ambulance, is to raise awareness for the cause in a unique manner. The charity we are working with is Go Help. They have several locations in Western Asia, and one in Central America as well. Their goal is to provide health services to rural areas in these countries where it currently does not exist as well as provide educational opportunities to the underprivileged children who live there. We could have it shipped there, and probably for a little cheaper, but it would not have the same effect as completing the whole journey. In addition, besides promoting the cause, it will also give us the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, learn their culture, and have that global perspective with us for the rest of our lives.

None of us are runners, so we aren't planning to Forrest Gump and run cross continent. Ulaanbaatar is our final destination, and we just booked flights to fly back to London from Ulaanbaatar via Beijing. There are no direct flights unfortunately. It's around 16 hours with the layover so it's not bad. I have heard of a few people taking the Trans-Siberian railway from Ulaanbaatar back to Moscow and then flying from there.

Heck yes. I'll PM you, and we could figure things out! Prost!