PRAGUE

I was hurting the day after the Czech Out Party. Completely worthless. It was a short drive to Prague and while Derick slept in the back seat, I sat shotgun and navigated with a dull headache. Good thing Johannes was well-rested.

From what I saw of it, Prague was awesome. Our visit was brief, and I realized that these kind of layovers would be commonplace throughout The Mongol Rally. What a tease!

After checking into a hostel and taking a short nap, we took a walk up to a hilltop park overlooking the old city. The views were great. We arrived at a beer garden, but I passed on the refreshments. After strolling back down the hill, we crossed the river and weaved through the old town. That night we ventured across town to explore a neighborhood from a friend's recommendation.

I guess you could say it was a good preview for my next visit. It’s hard not to want to go back to a city like that. The next day we took off for Budapest, for another equally tantalizing layover...  

THE CZECH OUT PARTY

There was a second launch party at a castle in the Czech Republic that was even bigger than the first. Many teams from around Europe didn’t make it to the UK for the party at Bodium Castle, so for many people it was the official start of the rally.

We were late for the party again, and the castle was a little off the beaten path. After a few wrong turns, we finally pulled into a large make-shift parking lot full of cars and scattered with tents. It was a short hike uphill through some dark woods to the castle. Along the way we found ourselves surrounded by a couple of teams dressed in full-body animals suits - two elephants and three pandas. Typical for the Mongol Rally.

Unlike the launch party in the UK that used Bodium Castle as a mere backdrop, this one actually took place inside the castle. Set up just outside was a food tent and a bar. We scarfed down some meat, took a shot of absinth, grabbed a few beers, then made our way into the castle. 

There was an open-air courtyard inside with a stage set up and another beverage tent. We’d missed the performances, but the place was still overrun by rowdy ralliers. Colorful spotlights lit the old brick walls, and lanterns were strung about to brighten the grassy yard. There were a handful of dark stairwells leading up and down, most of them closed off to the party, but a few that opened up into debaucherous dungeons. One was a straight-up rave. We opted for the more mellow scene - a hookah den/tea bar, with arched ceilings and oriental rugs. We bumped into a couple of guys who we’d met at the UK launch party and joined them for a drink. Others gathered around and the conversation became lively with talk of the rally. 

Eventually the party in the castle came to an end, but down the hill in an abandoned airplane hanger the after party raged, with DJs and dancing late into the night. Was I still jet-lagged? Perhaps. But when I saw a dull glow in the sky, I felt the urge to push on. I wandered up to the parking lot and mingled until the sun came up - hitting golf balls with guys in elephant suits, climbing atop a school bus for views of the parking lot, and juggling a soccer ball with some Norwegians. Johannes had gone to bed hours ago. I joined Derick in the tent at 8:30 AM when Johannes was getting up for the day. The Mongol Rally had officially launched, and it was off to great start.