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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
After two flat tires, countless wrong turns, one little white lie and more than 12,000 km, Lachlan MacLean crossed the finish line last week in his race to raise funds for the NWT Literacy Council.

Lachlan McLean shows his roots during a stop on his Mongol Rally. - photo courtesy of Lachlan MacLean

The Yellowknife resident drove from England to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in a sub-compact car this summer as part of the Mongol Rally, a race put on to raise money for various charities. MacLean finished Aug. 18, placing 119 out of 300 teams.

He raised $16,000 for the NWT Literacy Council and the money is eligible to be matched by BHP Billiton. MacLean said he will be collecting donations for a few more weeks.

In an e-mail sent from Beijing, China, MacLean answered a few questions from Yellowknifer about his epic road trip that spanned two continents.

Yellowknifer: What are some of the most memorable moments you had on the trip?

Lachlan MacLean: This one is tricky, as I've experienced so much and it hasn't all settled in yet. Some moments do pop out though:

- Talking my way out of an Azerbaijan 'speeding' ticket. The Azeri police are notoriously corrupt and many other rally teams had been through already and paid ridiculous fines so any car with a rally sticker was a target. I was the only car in a group of three to be pulled over, so I knew it was bogus. I got out of it by saying that I wanted to pay the fine, but didn't have any money (a lie). Instead I would wait with them at the station for eight hours until my bank opened in Canada, then call them to authorize a transfer, then find an ATM, etc. When they found out it would take close to 10 hours to get their money I was out the door.

- Camping at night on the Mongolian steppe with no one else around and no city for hundreds of kilometres. I saw the full northern sky, something I have yet to manage in Yellowknife.

- Finishing the Mongol Rally, having handshakes all around, celebration, photos, and then realizing I locked my keys in my car and spending the next hour with three Mongolians trying to break back in.

Yk: How was it driving for weeks across treacherous roads and through desert?

LM: The drive was amazing. I've seen a huge variety of landscapes and climates, different cultures, animals, etc. It was frustrating in a way because I would want to spend more time in a place and have to keep moving ... As for my body, I have blisters and calluses in some pretty odd places: on one side of my nose, from my glasses; on the outside of my right knee, from leaning it against the door; on my left big toe, from it rubbing against the end of my shoe. My back and neck were also starting to seize toward the end of the trip when I was driving 12 hours a day. I'm looking forward to getting a massage when I get back to Canada.

Yk: How did the your 2006 Hyundai Getz hatchback handle the trip?

LM: I was extremely lucky car-wise, especially considering the potholes, puddles, and rocks that I drove over, into, and onto. I only had two flat tires the whole trip. Toward the end the left strut was clunking a little, and shifting was getting harder, but nothing compared to what other teams had to deal with.

Yk: Would you do it again?

LM: Yes, but without a deadline and with a good travel partner. I also think it would be fun to do on a motorcycle.

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