TWO friends who travelled across some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain in a Land Rover they bought on eBay are heading to Morocco.
Adam Ataar and Alex Collard met 16 years ago at Woodbridge High School.
The men, now 30, bought their 49-year-old ex-military vehicle, nicknamed ‘Red’, for £500 five years ago.
Since then, they have visited countries including Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Tunisia to raise money for humanitarian charity, Mercy Corps.
The duo will set off on their latest adventure from Adam’s home in Broomhill Road, Woodford Green on June 23.
Adam said: “We’ll be travelling through disputed territory in the Western Sahara this time and it has the biggest landmine wall in the world in the middle of it.
“Obviously we’ll have to be very careful, but we want to get as close to it as we can to raise awareness of the whole issue of landmines.”
The pair who call themselves the ‘Rusty Rhinos’ have clocked up thousands of miles in their vintage vehicle and are aiming to cover another 6,000 on their latest excursion.
On their last trip to Africa in 2009 ‘Red’ blew a gasket, suffered a broken chassis and overheated on several occasions.
Adam said: “I’m sure we’ll break down again but we’ll make it.
“We will be carrying about 80-100 litres of water with us and two or three weeks worth of supplies so even if we break down in the desert we should be fine.”
Mercy Corps works in more than 40 countries worldwide helping communities affected by natural disasters, conflict and poverty.
Adam and Alex have already raised £3,800 for the charity on their previous trips and are hoping to bring in even more this time.
Adam said: “Our families understand why we do it and are very supportive.
“But they do get a bit anxious when we’re on the road.
“My mum says she’d rather I just went to Europe. We have a map on our website which we update via mobile phone at regular intervals.
“I think she checks it constantly while we’re away.”
To find out more about the Rusty Rhinos and sponsor them, visit rustyrhinos.com
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