GREETINGS FROM CHINA

Good morning from China all!

My name is Phil, and I am very proud to say that this year I will be taking part in the Mongol Rally with two of my best friends. On the 19th of July we will be taking a small step for man kind, and a giant leap for our balls. This is not that daring by comparison to some things people have done in the past, but it will push the boundaries of everything we've ever done. For me this marks the beginning of a life in pursuit of something better than average. However this is not exactly where I started my quest for all things crazy, instead it marks the point where I am going to dedicate myself to it.

I can put my finger on the exact moment that I decided crazy was better than normal. I was standing at a police barricade in Pamplona. I'd just run with the bulls, and when the barrier came across I thought it was over. I began to relax a little. From far behind me came a single firework blast. It's over I thought with relief... Then another lone blast. SHIT. That meant one thing. There were bulls still on the track. I looked over my shoulder to see a very angry bull charging down the street directly towards us gathered at the barrier. We began yelling at the policemen as they slowly opened the path again. We all sprinted forward in a mad dash to get through and run with the bull again... I managed it and got all the way into the bull ring at the end. A proud moment.

From this point forward I've enjoyed taking risks, going to places that others would consider less than wise. I currently live in China in a small city of 8Million, (which no one has ever heard of) called Wuxi. Perhaps not the best place in the world, and certainly not a decision that will give me a better life in the future, but it was something I wanted to do. This has made taking part in the rally significantly harder, but it has certainly not put me off!

I am extremely excited for this mad event, and I know that after it all who took part will be changed forever. This is the start of something big for us. As a team we have started to take big steps towards getting ourselves ready to stand on the starting line with everyone else; the most important of which is to start a regular long-distance Skype meeting that takes place every Tuesday. Here we create a list of to-do's which are then divvied out between us, and we look at the tasks and objectives we've already got to make sure they're all on track. This adventure will be a brilliant one, but we've got a long way to go before we can begin! Don't worry though, we shall keep you updated right here! So keep an eye on this blog!

#China