|  | A team of three men who have set themselves a challenge to cross the Gobi desert in the Far East, using kite buggies, have had an unusual send-off at the Mongolian Embassy in London. Kieron Bradley, 30, and Peter Ash, 34, both from Norfolk, and Professor Brian Cunningham, of Manchester, received three threads of red string known as 'the Dalai Lama Ties' from the Buddhist spiritual leader himself. 
The Mongolian Ambasador, Mr Dalrain Davaasambuu |
The Dalai Lama passed on the ties through the Mongolian ambassador, Mr Dalrain Davaasambuu, as a blessing for their adventure. Mr Davaasambuu explained to the adventurers that the spiritual leader took a great interest in their expedition when told about it. "We are deeply touched to receive the ties from Dalai Lama. We had no idea it was going to happen," said Professor Brian Cunningham. The team has undertaken special endurance training to prepare for their expedition in which they will travel over rocky terrain in temperatures as high as 40C. They fly to Mongolia on Monday 30 August. Peter and Kieron will be providing regular updates on their training for their adventure and will be writing a diary of their experiences for the BBC Norfolk website. Read diary updates on the team's adventure in the Gobi» Read about the team's preparations and endurance training» Read the interview with buggy riders Kieron Bradley and Peter Ash» |
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