Singapore Streets to Mongolian Steppes

We meet two expat women in the middle of preparing for the world’s most challenging horse race – a thousand kilometres across the wilds of Mongolia. And we find out why they signed up!

Lianne

Self-confessed party girl LIANNE MASON might be something of an unlikely candidate for an event like the Mongol Derby, but she’s fully ready for the challenge – and keen to raise money for a good cause along the way.

Singapore is a black hole for time. I blinked and the next thing I knew, I’d been here for three years, living in this beautiful bubble of expat life. Boat parties, Bali beaches, brunches, boozy catchups in trendy rooftop bars – this lifestyle makes you feel as warm and comfortable as the sun on that lazy Sunday afternoon spent by the pool.

Yet, this has never really been me. Back in the UK, my roots are in the countryside; muddy walks, freezing rain. Beaches there are rarely paradise escapes – they’re wild and open, to be raced across on horses, against winds that’ll blow the thoughts right out of your overcrowded mind.

My branches have spread far from these roots, with travel and adventure becoming an addiction. Until now, I’ve tempered this by relocating halfway across the world, and jetting off to nearby destinations at every chance. But an inexplicable thing inside me keeps surfacing. I try to shut it out – focus on my career and the adulthood dream of buying a house, looking for a husband, and, soon enough, considering having kids. You know the drill.

But, maybe it’s because I’m a “snowflake millennial”, always searching for a greater purpose, always looking for something more… Or maybe it’s my Romany gypsy heritage – horses and wandering is in my blood. Maybe I’m too complacent, or bored of dead-end dates and in need of a distraction. Whatever it is, I succumbed; I signed up to take part in the world’s longest, toughest horse race.

A risky adventure