It had been a crazy event but the Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge 2018 eventually had to draw to a close. All teams had impressed by surviving despite the floods, the road closures, and the hangovers! Here is Princely’s review of the final two days:

Day 13

The destination on Day 16, Vellore, was only a cruise on highway away. The six lane highway provided a relaxing day in contrast to the drama that had come before! Drive-in Mc Donalds, Ambur Briyani was all they could taste in that day. The day was bright with the sun back to its usual cruelty. Vellore fort and bar in the base hotel were the rest of the scene in Vellore. The local wedding season gave the participates lot of stories and the innumerable selfie experience will not be able to narrate to all.

Day 14

The final day went by in a blink of an eye. The final destination was Chennai, and we started early from Vellore, first visiting a project of Round table. Everything went well. We had the flag-down ceremony at the school project at 3.30 pm in a suburb of Chennai. Team 14 was awarded championship for their tremendous job they did coordinating the teams to pull out of the Western Ghats and eventually reach the destination. The Crazy team was Team 6 for the innumerable times they broke down. The Charity award went to Team 3 Yorkshire for their great contribution towards the organizers of expensive brandy and vodka!

That is all the fun time we had from Mumbai Xpress. Hope you all to join us in the upcoming events of Rickshaw and Ambassador Cars. Until then, it’s a big bye from me Princely and my entire team.

Day 11

On Tuesday morning teams were in high spirits, excited about the destination Mysore. However, the rain showed no mercy on Day 12. Little did I realize that it was going to be another roller coaster ride. All started well and teams were doing fantastic. Just before 35 km to Madikeri an in-between spot, there was a road block and the police informed me that the roads were washed away by rain. It all started at that point: it was around 12pm and Mysore was around 85 km. I turned the vehicle and stopped the rickshaws who were all proceeding that way. To my surprise all the teams gathered at a point. Then we had a discussion on which route to take and it was decided by a google recommendation. Subramanya is the name of the place and through that we could get back to Madekeri and continue to Mysore. It was around 30 km from the gathering point.

Team 14 Siam Kangaroo had already reached a point where they couldn’t proceed as the water was flowing above a bridge. At that time I decided we should go through Hassan. It meant another drive back of 60 km. Then after getting the highway to Hassan, I saw how the rivers were swelling and the spectacle was being watched by a huge gathering in the villages and towns. By 4 pm, the base team had booked the hotel in Hassan. Within an hour I reached another stumbling block: this time a landslide. As the emergency highway clearance troop was in action the road block was cleared in no time and the vehicles started moving. Then, I lost phone signal, the last thing expected to happen. After facing couple of landslides and heavy traffic I got to Hassan by 9 pm. Luckily the luggage team had taken another route and mysteriously reached hotel before 6 pm. Then it was time for solitaire (not the game), trying to reach the mechanics and seeing the same messages again and again. At around 2 am I got message from Brad Ford of Team 14 that all the teams had crossed the mountains and were staying together. All the teams except 3 teams struck together, worked as team and the person who managed it was Brad. It was 4 am when the teams finally made it to the hotel and rest. Unusually, it was a sober night. The other teams Team 1 , Team 2 and Team 3 stayed in a spot before 9 pm.
 

Day 12

 

 
I must mention that the Round Table had organized a big day as the 15th morning happen to be the Independence Day of India. Unfortunately that event got cancelled and a day of publicity turned out to be a never published experience which would nevertheless stay in my memory for a long time. On Day 13 teams were expected to drive from Hassan to Banglore. It’s pretty straight forward highway. From the early hours, I started getting messages from the three Danish teams, the ‘Little Big Rikshaw Challenge 1,2& 3. Sille Andersen of Team 2 was the one who was communicating with me. Some suggested routes were closed but they found an interesting route from locals to get out of the Western Ghats. When they fianlly reached destination Banglore it was midnight. The smart guys in fact used trucks to load the rickshaw and drive it to the destination. For the rest of the teams it was a cake walk except the last 40 km in Banglore city. ‘Shat in pants’ was the expression few teams shared about the traffic in Banglore. A nice terrace drink spot served as a tranquilizer shot for the rest of the teams. Some of the teams had friends in Banglore and it was another big night. A team member of Team 7 ‘the Meat Mimosas’, Niall Causer, was bound to leave the next day early morning at 4 am. And teams had a reason to celebrate. Blame it on Niall Causer.
 

 
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 9

 

The final day euphoria struck all the teams; I do not know how they all made it to the maddening traffic of Mumbai in such a record time. All the teams made it to Mumbai before 5 pm and we made our finish ceremony at 5.30pm at base hotel. All during the day we got just one service call, regarding a broken clutch cable for Team 9. Team 6 N Gold was judged the Champions for their extra effort on doing all that was recommended in the day sheet and for their absolute stunning photography.
 

The Mad Brits Team 5 ‘The Rickshaw RAMraiders’ won the Bonkers award for their crazy stunts.
 

Team 4 ‘What can go Wrong’ won the charity for their effort in fund raising.
 

All teams were given medals for their achievement which shouldn’t be thought of as inferior. Driving Indian roads for 1000 km in various stages is a champion act and by that criterion all the teams that finished the rally are champions. See you for the next adventure and until then, bye!
 

 
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 8

 
If you had read the final update on Day 7, I mentioned about the Team 12 ‘Dushi’ and their wish to continuing the rally. On the 8th morning when I sat down in the reception before the start of the briefing, I was casually chatting with the teams who had assembled early there. One such team was Team 12 and Adam narrated a story which was horrifying to an Indian. Yes, the day we came to Aurangabad they had a good hotel booked by themselves, as they had not taken accommodation with us. They had their prescription from their doctor, back home and wanted a clinic to execute the medicine for them. Their search brought them to a small clinic close to the place where they planned to stay. The place was dingy and they decided it’s all right and wanted to finish the prescribed stuff and leave. To theie surprise they were not permitted out of the clinic till next day afternoon, with various reasons cited. It was a nightmare from Adam and they finally had to spend an exuberant amount of Rs.8, 000/- as the stay rent and Rs.3,000/- for the advocated drips. That is almost a hostage situation.
 

 
Getting back to the rally story, we had our briefing at 8 am that morning and all the teams were there. The day plans were explained and all the teams left in 15 minutes. As usual the luggage and support teams had their breakfast and started from the base hotel at 9 am. At around 12 noon I wanted to check the whereabouts and I found out that we took a different route than that of the official route. So I made adjustments to get to the official route and that took an hour and then I got a call from Team 2 for service; they were 40 Km further down in the official route. It took us one hour to reach them. By that time a local had invited them home, serviced the rickshaw and cultural exchange pictures had happened. However, the service they rendered was not up to the mark and we had to do it again after another half an hour of driving. After that it was pretty much a straight drive to Nashik. The vineyard tour was enjoyed by all and Team 9 had to be reminded that they had to drive back to the hotel. The penultimate day came to an end.
 
 

 
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 6

 

 
Another long day but we had our usual timing for the start. That was because Aurangabad is not a town like Pune. Aurangabad is relatively easy to navigate. The day was filled with many service calls. During the briefing we celebrated the birthday of Najwa Bowman of Team 3 ‘Alice in Rickshawland’. Following the celebration, we had a bad news as one of the Team members of Team 12 ‘Dushi’, Miyoung Ryu had fallen ill and incidentally both the teams are friends who signed up together. Quickly they were advised to take a taxi and the rickshaw was driven by the support crew to the next station. Team 5 were the first to call and it was near Ahmednagar ‘Cavalry tank museum’. They had spark plug issue and it was sorted out in no time.

 
After that me and the team stopped for the lunch and continued our plan to the destination. By 3 pm I received a call from Team 2 that they had the clutch cable broken and they were at the same museum place mentioned earlier. By the time we were 30 km ahead of them. So to reach them it took 4 pm and the repair took no time. Before that the team was surrounded by 4 to 5 locals helping them in every possible way. If we had delayed for another 10 minutes they would have got fixed and started. Such is India and that is what the participants relish. Then it was pretty much a smooth drive to the base hotel. All the teams made in time and were excited about the rest day in Aurangabad.
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 7

 

 
Even though it is considered a rest day, the mysterious Ellora caves did not allow me to pronounce it as such. Aurangabad has such many things to see around. Even though we did not had any briefing, we had day sheet and challenges to do. The teams were informed about the late start and all of them came to the reception around 10 am. They day went without any issues and it is evident from the photos that all had a great time in the caves. Team 11 had also messaged me that they are ready for the next day trip to Nasik. More to come, until then it’s bye from me and the teams.
 

 
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 4!

 
A short drive of 130 km to Kolhapur did not go without many exiting stories. Team 10’s jinxed luck continued for a second day. Despite a few new parts the vehicle still did not run smoothly. Most of the teams came straight to the base hotel and then they went inside Kolhapur to complete the day’s challenge. Team 4, Team 7 and Team 6 ‘N Gold’ did the water falls which were recommended in the day sheet. They explained it was some tough drive with a mix of bad roads and steep climbs. However, the amazing tuk tuks mastered it perfectly and all of them came in to the base hotel around 6 pm. The short day had gone well and everyone was looking forward to another exiting day and beautiful surprises.
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 5!

 

The departure from Kolhapur was planned as an early start due the long distance; the challengers needed to drive all day. By 7.30am the briefing was done and before 8 am all the teams left the base hotel. I had no calls till I reached the Auga Khan palace. Team 9 ‘Txikas tikka’ were the first team to reach the palace to do the challenge for the day. Team 10 ‘Double Deccan’ followed them. It was a great relief to see them reach Pune without any issues, as they had so many problems after problems the previous day. After couple of hours the Palace entry was closed and we had to leave the parking of the palace. By the time I reached the base hotel there were 5 teams which had to make it to the hotel.
 

Then I had a call from Team 5 ‘The Rickshaw RAMraiders’ that they had broken down and they were just 3 km from the hotel. But it took more than an hour to negotiate Pune traffic, finding them, make it ready and to get back to the hotel for the mechanic team. By 7.30 pm all the teams arrived. The previous day there was an incident I would like to mention here. Team 11 ‘Bocholt Sunrise’ went to a restaurant for food in Kholapur and one of the three member left their hand bag there. The hotel people collected the bag and found out  rickshaw challenge shirt and called our office in Chennai and informed them about the missing bag. In turn my office people gave my number and the restaurant people contacted me and I collected the bag from them. It was given to them in the morning and they were super overwhelmed by the Indian honesty. To my mind they were just lucky.
 

 
 

Sore Dino

“Did you guys ever get your dinosaur out of the pool last night? Yeah, it’s down here, no idea what happened!”
Luckily, the dinosaur recovered from its hangover to wow local kids throughout the day.
 

Superman Required

Team Kraken, or rather Superman and Wonder Women, had the most impressive costumes for the day, but their vehicle wasn’t quite in such an agreeable mode. All the better for us, though, as we love nothing more than photos of Superman broken down by the side of the road. To Team 3’s credit, they fixed their rickshaw without having to call up the real supermen (the support team).
 

The Right Kind of Wrong Turn

The long route wasn’t enough to stop teams from going their own way. And when a wrong turn leads here… who can blame them?
 

Taxi Drivers

One of the days challenges was to offer taxi rides to locals. Several teams took up the challenge, and locals were only too happy to accept!
 

Signs

The second challenge of the day was to photograph any funny or unusual signs along the road. This was an easy task, as Indian road signs are often hilarious, weird, and usually downright confusing. Team 17 snapped this rather disconcerting warning, for what we are none the wiser…
 

Train Track Breakdown

It wasn’t planned, but the Outlaws endured the biggest challenge of all. As they got closer to our destination for the day, Calicut, they noticed one of their vehicles acting up. They tried to carry on, but the rickshaw finally gave up the ghost… while crossing train tracks. Luckily they managed to push the vehicle to safety before any train could turn this crazy anecdote into a sad story.
 

Eating Together

And at the end of the day, many of the teams joined up for dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. And a fine meal it was too.
 

 
 

Train Tickets

The first challenge of the day was to visit the nearby train station, and buy a ticket, any ticket. It might sound simple (and well, it was, since everyone managed it) but the event was not without drama. Team 8 “Namaste 6” ended up bumping into the back of a stranger’s car. Our first crash of trip — but everyone came off unscathed, so we can count it as a success. And, somehow, the car ended up in worse shape than the rickshaw. The driver was a little upset, and called his sister to negotiate. She drove a hard bargain (or Namaste 6 are just too nice) and a generous compensation was agreed. So, everyone ended up smiling. Not for the first time we learned that on Travel Scientists events, the only people happier than the participants… are the lucky strangers they crash into.
 

Temple Time

The day’s second challenge was a little trickier. Teams were instructed to capture a photo of themselves, their rickshaw, and the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Simple enough you might think: the temple is very grand, very gold, and very big. However, two problems awaited the teams: firstly, guards do not allow photography near the temple; secondly, there are seemingly endless lanes nearby, with only very few allowing access. Many teams drove into narrow alleys, having to reverse, only to have their way blocked by… other Malabar Rampage teams, also lost! Above, the Namaste teams pose in front of the back entrance.
 

Meeting the Locals

Many teams did make it to the main entrance, though, or at least close to it. And bringing brightly coloured rickshaws to popular places means one thing… requests for selfies. Team 2 didn’t help themselves: they had made their vehicle even more interesting with the addition of a Tyrannosaurus Rex on top. They were approached by a local who wanted to join their photo, and (for some reason) to touch the blow-up dinosaur. Afterwards, he wasn’t keen to let it go, and kept holding on. Eventually he relented, but to be fair to the man, he did truly appreciate the moment: he gave the team 10 rupees, and refused to take no for an answer. Team 1 had another classic lost-in-translation conversation earlier in the day. Upon noticing their out-of-state license plates, a local repeated “TN, TN, TN”, with no explanation, much to their confusion. Eventually, she where they were from, which led to the the immortal question “You’re from America and you don’t speak English?”
 

Kovalam and Beyond

For Teams 7 and 18, the challenges weren’t nearly enough. They decided to go on an adventure to Kovalom beach (a lovely spot)… and beyond. They drove for the whole day, exploring churches of various colours, beaches and bays, and picturesque fishing villages. However, later in the afternoon team 7 bit off a little more than they could chew ascending one hill, and spluttered to a stop, out of fuel. Luckily, Team 18 came to the rescue — great teamwork. It seems like teams are ready for the real adventure: day 3, bright and early, we set off for Alleppey.
 
 

 
 

The Journey

The FFLV Tuk Tuk Challenge was launched in late 2016 in Mumbai, at an event which featured Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi. He is a brand ambassador of Food For Life Vrindavan, a charity which supports the education and empowerment of young women in rural Uttar Pradesh. The charity’s founder Rupa Raghunath Dasa (born Pietro Paolinelli) was among the participants of the rally. Teams also included actor British Ravin Ganatra, Indian actress Aarti Khetarpal and famous hairdresser David Jamili.
 

The Reason

For Irish filmmaker Ravinol Chambers, another of the participants, there was an addition reason to attend the rally. He had decided to film the event, and at the same time to investigate local attitudes towards the education of girls. He interviewed activitists but along the way he also conducted street interviews, in order to discover opinions of ordinary people. After the conclusion of the event, Ravinol flew to Vrvidavan, to see the work of FFLV for himself. This place had added signficance for him as had studied here as a monk twenty years previously.
 

The Result

It’s taken a year, but a trailer for Ravinol’s film is now ready. It was recently screened at Mockingbird Cinema in Birmingham, UK, to great acclaim from industry specialists. However, having financed the film himself up until this point, he is now seeking partners and supporters to help with finishing and distributing the final film. We hope he succeeds, because the film will not only capture the madness of the Rickshaw Challenge and the beauty of southern India, but, crucially, will also raise awareness about a very important issues affecting girls in India today. Support the film here!
 

 

Changed: Kochi!

 
The biggest change to the Malabar Rampage since last year is that we will visit an extra city: Kochi (also known as Cochin). We always used to recommend taking a brief stop in this city, in between the stops of Alappuzha and  Kozhikode, but now participants will have a lot more time to explore. Kochi has been an important trading center for centuries and as such is uniquely multicultural, with several important landmarks to show for it. Most famous are the Chinese fishing nets, pictured above, but equally interesting is Fort Kochin, home to India’s most ancient community of Jews.
 

The Same: The Other Locations!

 
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: that’s what we think about all the other stops on the Malabar Rampage. We’ll still start in Trivandrum, and of course our next stop has to be Allapuzha, or should we say the “Venice of the East“. Just like last year, we’ll stop in Kozhikode, Mangalore, and Murudeshwara. And, naturally, we still finish off in Panaji, the capital of glorious Goa!
 

Changed: Wifi!

 
Another exciting change to the Malabar Rampage is that, this year all rickshaws will have built-in wifi. The engines may still be basic (and temperamental!) but we reckon this technological addition will make for an even better adventure. Now it’ll be even easier to keep your social media profiles updated (we know you all love Instagram…) , to make plans with other teams, and to avoid getting lost. Just remember to keep your eyes on the road!
 
 

The Same: Everything Else!

 

Pretty much everything else on the Malabar Rampage will be the same! There’ll be different teams, new costumes, and fresh adventures to be had. However, we’re expecting the same madness, hilarity, and life-changing memories as ever. We can’t wait — see you in Chennai!