Cold here in January

Max has developed a wheeze for the intrepid to escape Esperaza in January - he has sent a fine plan;

 

 This idea is simple: we purchase a school bus in Hungary and drive it to Bamako as part of the 2016 Budapest/Bamako Rally, and once in Mali, we donate the school bus to a local charity. Fun and worthwhile in one go! There will be a strict limit of 12 participants, and so I would urge to you consider this seriously and places will be assigned on a first-come basis ..

The costs will be of three elements:

1)      The school bus will cost approximately $13,000 to purchase and drive to Africa

2)      The individual costs for the journey will be approximately $1,000 (including an allowance for visas, insurance and vaccinations)

3)      The airfares from Bamako home.

The initial entry fee will be US$1,100 per person for the vehicle. I believe that it is quite reasonable to seek sponsorships for this amount from admiring friends and relatives. If you like, I can produce a “sponsor sheet”; we will, of course, offer any corporate donors the option to place logos on the vehicle, and have several “action shots” of their generosity for their own use!

The individual costs will become clearer in due course; we will be joining a group, and as such visas will be obtained together and the insurance coverage will be coordinated for us. Please note that the visa issue for non EU, US, Canadian, Australian, NZ passport holders may be more difficult, and plans should be made as soon as possible.

For those with concerns about security, it is important to know that the rally organisers have very strong relationships with the governments of both Mali and Mauritania. The vehicles will be protected by their respective armed forces, and unless there is a sudden flare up in the region, the program will go ahead as planned.

From Bamako, Royal Air Maroc can fly you to a variety of European gateways for about US$ 400, and thence on to your home airports …

I would really appreciate it if you can let me know about your participation; I will need to make some final preparations, confirm our participation to the organisers and generally confirm our January plans within the next month.

 

email me at vanillabeer  at  hotmail.com and I'II forward queries and avowals of intent.