10,000 miles. 10,000 books. One Amazing Adventure.

 Today’s blog post is from Leon Logothetis. Leon and Steven Priovolos have teamed up again for the Mongol Rally, a road trip that starts Saturday outside of London and ends in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. For every mile the two drive (and rules of the rally say the car can’t have more than a 1.2 liter-engine), they will donate a book to an underprivileged child through FirstBook. Ten thousand miles, 10,000 books.

The truth is, I probably shouldn’t be here.  Events happened last year that conspired to nearly rob me of my life. Inches I tell you. Inches. Things happened. Bad things. I had signed up for the famed Mongol Rally; an arduous and dangerous trek across 10,000 miles of desert, treacherous mountain ranges and inhospitable territory. All attempted in a car that only your granny would be proud of…

The aim was to drive from England to Mongolia. The reality was that I found myself lying on a hospital bed in a distant land. A broken collarbone and bruised ego in tow. Violent car crashes can sometimes do that to you. I never did reach Mongolia. My adventure ended on a Romanian road. My life, did not. 

This year I am trying again. Something inside just wont give up. I guess I am still chasing the sense of adventure lost on that dusty Romanian road. The sense of accomplishment. The daring. The cultures. The people. Life awaits. Adventure awaits. Mongolia awaits.

The 2012 Mongol Rally will see me visit 18 countries. Connect with hundreds of diverse locals and drive thousands of miles. I have teamed up with www.firstbook.org, and for every mile I drive I will be donating a book to an underprivileged child. Every mile is a book. Every book is a window into hope. Hope that a child will be inspired to live a full life. Hope that a child can grow up one day and yearn to see the world. Experiencing life. Experiencing adventure. Living outside of their box.

As I make my trek across 1/3^rd of the world’s surface, I will be blogging and sending back videos daily. When (not, if) I reach my destination of the Mongolian capital Ullanbator, this mans life will be changed for the better in some small way. And hopefully, the 10,000 books will have a powerful effect on 10,000 kids. Here’s to hope my friends…

You can follow my adventure starting July 14^th on the Matador network, Facebook and Twitter.