The Network VEKA 2004 Gobi-Kites Expedition was launched with a last-minute surprise when the team was told the Dalai Lama had sent his personal blessing for the expedition.

They had gone to the Mongolian Embassy in London expecting a send-off ceremony from Ambassador Mr Dalrain Davaasambuu. But they were left speechless when he produced three pieces of red string, known as ‘Blessing Cords’ which the Buddhist world’s spiritual leader had given him specifically for the adventurers.

He explained that he had recently met the Dalai Lama, who took a great interest when he told him of the expedition and asked for the gifts carrying his blessing to be passed on.

Professor Brian Cunningham, Peter Ash, and professional buggy designer Kieron Bradley, 30, backed by Prof. Cunningham’s wife Christine as first-aider and photographer, set off on Sept 1. They aim to kite-buggy across 1,000km (650 miles) of some of the world’s most inhospitable desert terrain. During the journey, they will traverse the country’s famous ‘Desert Of Dinosaur Bones.’

Network VEKA is sponsoring the expedition as an endorsement of its motto: ‘Reliable in the Extreme’.

Source

Glass Age

Postscript

http://www.gobi-kites.com