Welcome to the Karuna Expedition, a 5000 kilometre journey on a Vespa from Bangkok , Thailand to the XXIII World Scout Jamboree in Japan. Mission 1 Scout 1 Vespa 1 Side Car 1 Charitable Cause 6 Countries 5000 Kilometers Description You see, life is short; yet much of it is wasted by people becoming vegetables, and not very satisfied or satisfactory vegetables at that. Whereas a little roaming about this wonderful globe while they are on it can give them that wider outlook and those greater sympathies which develop the soul in the individual and goodwill and peace in the world. - Baden Powell Why? Anyone can take a plane or a boat to travel to a new destination. But the true challenge is pushing ones abilities to the extreme. Based on the adventure of a few English scouts ( Please have a look at their site and support www.japanorbust.org.uk ) I have come up with the idea of driving a Vespa with a side car from Bangkok to Japan, which would be about a 5000 km trip. With this in mind I have applied to Guinness World Records for the longest scooter trip with a sidecar ( claim 455858 ) and expecting shortly their approval. "Karuna Expedition" Karuna being one of the four "divine abodes" of Buddhism (being Thailand and Japan Buddhist to its own extent), along with loving kindness (Pali), sympathetic joy (Mudita) and equanimity (Uphekka). With this concept in mind the expedition we will raise funds for the World Scout Foundation. The World Scout Foundation http://www.worldscoutfoundation.org/ The World Scout Foundation, WSF, was inaugurated on 14th February 1969 but reorganized in the current form in 1977. WSF is an international non-profit institution, incorporated under Swiss law, and based in Geneva (Switzerland). The purpose of which is to develop World Scouting by the provision of financial and other support to help develop the World Scout Movement through the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). The WSF started its life with a capital of US$ 10,000 and this has now risen to over US$ 62 Million despite economic down turns, enabling annual grants to be made to the WSB to foster and develop young people through Scouting. First grant of US$ 180,000 made to WSB in 1980/81. The average yearly grant, over the past five years, made to the WSB has been US$ 2 Million. The WSF also encourages programmes such as “Gifts for Peace” (2007) and "Messengers of Peace" which will begin in 2012 and will unfold internationally to build a better world through education, understanding, tolerance and respect for others, given by Scouts in the form of community projects to other young people and their communities. Who is behind the Karuna Expedition Malenito Karuna - Explorer Bear Malenito Karuna is a Teddy Bear who is looking to raise funds for the World Scout Foundation while attempting to drive from Bangkok, Thailand to Yamaguchi, Japan on a Vespa 150. He will be the sidecar passenger because he can't reach the handle bars. Despite that he will try to bring joy and support to the expedition and anyone he encounters in the trip. In his spare time he spends his time thinking of ways to leave this world a little better than he found it. Leonardo C. Ocampo - Founder and explorer Behind the Vespa will be Leonardo C. Ocampo, a scout for more than 20 years, he started his Scouting career in the 8th Group of Mexico City, and has remained active since. He attended the 19th WSJ in Chile and the 20th WSJ in Thailand as a participant. In the 21st WSJ celebrated in England he was a a Security Team Leader and lastly in the 22nd WSJ celebrated in Sweden he was a Subcamp Leader in Bohuslan Subcamp. In his spare time he is a professional pilot flying a Boeing 767. Otto Nitschamnn - Chief Engineer Otto graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso (Ranked No. 1 Engineer College for Hispanics and Overall Ranked No. 7 in the USA in between Harvard and Stanford ) with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. His experience includes working for the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, and Navistar, where he was the Lead Field Test Engineer, a job that allowed him to drive 18-Wheelers weighing 80,000 in the harshest conditions possible. In his spare time he enjoys rock climbing, travelling and cycling through Chicago. Katja Anaïs - Chief Grounding Advisor Katja graduated from the University of Leeds with a B.A. in Law and French. Her experience includes working for a "Magic Circle" Law Firm in the U.K. where she gained knowledge in major projects, afterwards she decided to become an in-house counsel for the construction industry and has been doing so since. In her spare time she enjoys dancing salsa, travelling on short notice to unknown destinations and keeping the ideas of this project as close to reality as possible to ensure the success of it. Japan or Bust Team - Advisors www.japanorbust.org.uk 8 Scouts will be driving a Routemaster Bus 11,000miles to Japan where the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in 2015, all while raising money for ShelterBox.