Welcome to the brand new Riding for Education Newsletter
From now on all updates on the rides progress across China will be sent in the new format of this newsletter. Updates shall be sent every two weeks or so depending on the terrain over the next year.
I completed the horse ride through Pakistan with more than one amusing tale to tell and now after three months in China, they're all finally online at www.r4e.org. Most of all I'm happy with the site now. It took a lot of work to get this far so I hope you really enjoy it.
In Pakistan ten schools were visited and filmed with the help of Pakistan Television. Full reports of each school visit are now online. Visiting schools on this journey is important. These are real examples of education across Pakistan and direct evidence of why donations towards education in Pakistan, India and China are so badly needed. Full details of each school are also given.
The website is now completely updated with a lot of nice new features, such as an Interactive Route map, Guestbook, Photo Album and Guestmap (where you can actually show where you live on an interactive map of the World!). Those are just a few. I'll let you find the rest! Do let me know of any little problems you may find so that I can quickly correct them before I set off.
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I'm setting a provisional leaving date for May. Currently I'm waiting for equipment deliveries to arrive and organising permissions around China's nuclear testing area at Lop Nur. The Ride is also looking for Sponsorship.
Thankyou again for subscribing and stay tuned for further updates.
Steve McCutcheon
Latest Entry: 16th April 2006 - Tracks in the Desert
The road from Kashgar to the ancient city of Khotan ran right along the original Silk road route along the South side of the desert. After two hours we left civilisation behind and entered the world of the Taklamakan. Aside from the odd dusty village every few hundred kilometers only dunes kept the road company for the next seven hours. Odd groups of Bacterian camels, shedding their Winter fur sheltered by the roadside. Any preconceptions I'd had about taking horses on this journey evaporated as quickly as the water does. It will have to be camels. Read More »
Other News
- New photos have also been added to the photo album from the recent reconnaissance trip into the Taklamakan. Remember that you can click on any of the photos in the Diary section to see the enlarged version.
- Media coverage of the ride is developing quickly, including the R4E documentary which has been filmed from Delhi in India to the Himalayan border between Pakistan and China. More on that to come.
- Everybody who donates to the ride, whether online or by post, will be credited on the R4E website.
- Further news on last minute plans, permissions, media etc... all in the next 'pre-departure' issue of this Newsletter.