We are proud to introduce you to Mongol Rally 2008’s team Smaller is Better.
Steven Andrew Smith- Fearless leader of Smaller is Better, and President of Japan Car Exports.
Shawn Smith-Younger brother of Steve, but is actually more mature, and now a manager for Monarch Wealth Corporation in Toronto. He is also a writer for various publications and independent works such as his first novel “Regei” (Homeless). Hopefully his expeience in writing will provide more interesting material for his blog entries.
Joel Hage (mongoljoel)- The workhorse of the group, Joel will be driving the entire Mongol Rally part of the journey as well as whatever it takes to get the van back to Japan. Originally from Minnesota, Joel lives in Nagoya and handles mini truck sales for Japan Car Exports.
Anderson da Silva Rocha- Smaller is Better’s Magical Mechanic and Handy Man. Welds, paints, body work and auto electronics genius.
Elmer Novis (hhanonymous) – Elmer will be the media Czar, in charge of all communications of our team to the outside world. UPDATE: He’s starting from London, but it looking for other contributors to this blog, since he’s been writing on his lonesome.
Nice work Elmer!
Hey, my photo makes me look like I have jaundice. I think it was just the lighting, and my sun tan…
OK. So its June 13 (Friday the 13th) and I just got informed that the Russian Consulate approval will take 15 business days. After struggling with getting a visa for a week because traveling to the Russian Federation requires a time line and place of stay; which is something we have no idea about. I have now hired a Visa company that specializes in getting the necessary Russian visas. They say that they have done this for Mongol Rally participants. But its mucho rubles. The budget just got tighter. The promised date I will get the visa is July 11th…I fly out on July 16th.
Why couldn’t be as simple as the Kazakhstan visa. I walk up the street from my office to a small office; give the lady everything she needs and she tells me to come back in a week. On schedule I walk into the office and she hands me my passport back with a lovely Kazakhstan visa.
I am hoping Joel is fairing better.
June 15th. I patiently await the new change in plans. Kazakhstan may be out of the picture; with a new flying home point of Novosibirsk, Russia. This is what makes the journey exciting, but also a real pain in the ass. I am looking forward to the camping and have devised a method for creating a shower ( a broom stick, hangers, cheap shower curtain and a solar shower).
Went out shopping for some extras today. Bought the all important can opener and cheap spoons, knives and fork. I have a feeling we will be eating lots of canned food to offset the freeze dried camp food.
June 16th, 2008. The visa application is with the Visa company. Let’s hope they can work their sources and get me the proper papers/visa. If not the plans will change again.
I’ve been looking at hotels across Europe and Russia. For fun, to start the journey off right, I thought it would be great to stay at this really cool manor home just outside Hemel-Hempsted in England, but the budget keeps haunting me. “its a long journey…and you’re not on the Grand Voyage”.
We got word from the Mongolian Embassy in Tokyo that we don’t need a visa. Nice!
yo e! i’m so proud of you man. best of luck and hope to you. just take care of yourself and hope these guys take good care of you.
luvies <3 elm’s sis-to,
gel
yo elm! do you have the vector artwork for your team’s logo? hit me up with sizes, i’ll send you guys shirts…what do you think? is that too cheese-whiz for you guys? don’t worry about cost, i’ll take care of it as long as you hit me up with a location i can send it to. hoodies? crews? long sleeves? g strings? let me know dude!
luvies <3 elm’s sis-tow,
gel
too late probably? member…24 hr. turnaround shirts…and a beautiful thing called fedex. lemme know. location is what i’m worried about. does procrastination run in the fam?
luvies <3 elm’s sis-tow,
gel
nice ,blog! more power.to the Team.and the success of the Rally. Have a safe journey!! God bless!
Lots of work this week to get the team off. Got a call from the airport and they are all checked in and just waiting for the flight. The van is in England and being worked on. The guys have a place to stay in England for two nights, then its roughing it for 5 weeks (at least I’m not paying for the hotels, that’s why I got them sleeping bags and a tent.).
Hope all goes well guys…….safe journey………..