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Mumbai Xpress 2017 Recap 5 – Day 9 & 10

admin — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 09:32:48 +0000

Princely never gets tired of telling us all about what’s happening during the Rickshaw Challenge Mumbai Xpress, our amazing rickshaw adventure from Mumbai to Chennai. Check out here what happened last!

Day 9

It was raining when we started the day in Goa. By 8.15 am we had our briefing for the day. Crossing border has been highlighted and there were several questions about alcohol in the bags – not always a legal thing in India. Finally all was answered and the teams were ready to go. Team 9 croissant Baguette had an issue with the police when they travelled towards Goa. The police man checked all the documents and he said there were still some papers missing. Finally they found out that the paper he is asking for is a currency paper. Rs.500 had finally set them free.

Always a good advice!

On the rest day sadly Team 10 Swole Team 6 announced me that they are quitting the challenge to get back to Thailand to be with their missing friend. So on the morning everyone gave them a hug to see them off. Team 11 Sgt. Pepper’s Submarine, had Halla Mixa, who was driving all alone so far and she had developed a stress pain in her left hand through handling the clutch. So in the morning Team 2 3 Amigos, which has three members, agreed to help her by swapping Craig from their team.
The day was eventful, as I had three service calls. First one came right after we crossed Margoa around 10 am. Team 14 had their Silencer cut off and they were 20 km away from service team. It was attended and before they could start I already got a new call from Team 4 9 Inch Males. They also had the same issue and they stopped after crossing the border. It was around 12 am when the team was cleared and back on road. Final call was from 13 and they got themselves fixed with local help before the service team could get them.

Elaborate picture posing

I visited the detour place Gokarna to see whether any teams had been there as suggested in the Day sheet. I could not see any teams there. Finally when I arrived at the base hotel almost 7 teams made it to the hotel. The final team to arrive was Team 12 The Rickshaw Lady at 6.45 pm. Of course all the teams started to go to the place where beers were served and it was a quiet ending in the small town of Murudeshwara. Looking forwarded to another day!

Day 10

Murudeshwara start was a bright one and to cross the parking lot of the temple was the only challenge in the morning. Teams were briefed early and all started early. After sending all the teams I had breakfast with the Chennai Garage team and moved towards Batkal. The first call was from Team 7 and there was a carburetor block problem for them. It was sorted out quickly and I moved from there.
In an hour I had another call from Team 13 and the mechanic team could reach them in an hour. The issue was also a carburetor block due to excess oil. Rest of the day was event free and being a sort day all the teams reached the base hotel in Mangalore well on time.

Rickshaw thieves at work

They day’s challenge in Udupi had some funny movements. As it is Krishna Jayanthi day in Udupi, the crowd was out of proportion and there was long queue to the temple. So the teams were looking at it from outside and left. Team 1 Axel of Ignorance was also there and suddenly they found the vehicle missing. But that was an act by some of the mischievous teams to hide it from them. Finally all had good laugh at it over the drinks in the evening.
More fun and more stories will continue, until then bye!

Scores, scores, scores!

For the competitive ones, here is the latest ranking of the Rickshaw Challenge Mumbai Xpress 2017! Team 12 The Rickshaw Lady took over the first place, closely followed by Team one Axles if Ignorance and Team 5 Oh Yeah. But nothing is decided yet, everything can happen during the Mumbai Xpress!

Are you crazy enough to come along for the ride? Then join us on the next Rickshaw Challenge. Get a team together and let’s see you at the starting line! If you want to join us in spirit, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagramto keep up with our latest antics.

The Toughest Day and Falling Phones: Days 5 & 6 of the Deccan Odyssey 2016

veronika — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 14:56:58 +0000

Days 5 and 6 of the Rickshaw Challenge – Deccan Odyssey 2016 has rolled around, and boy, did chaos and destruction come with them… Here are Princely’s account of the events:
Day 5
After a short day from Belgaum to Kolapur, Day 5 happened to be the toughest day in this year’s Deccan Odyssey rally. As usual, the teams were well on time and they were briefed about the tough traffic in Pune. I asked the teams to keep the timing based on their two days of experience. On average, a team can complete 30 kilometers per hour. That is a solid 8 hour-drive and if we include the stops and time to do some challenges from the sheet, 8 hours can quickly become 10. Without calculating in unexpected breakdowns.Team 3’s problem from the previous day was repaired by Chennai Garage mechanics. All the teams left the hotel well before 8.15 am.

On the Gooo!

Team 4 was the first one to call around 10.30 am; they had an issue with starting the engine. By the time the Chennai Garage team reached them and set it all straight, it became 11 am and I received a text message that they were back on the road again. I reached the hotel with the luggage car at around 3 pm. To my surprise, Team 1 landed in the hotel at 4.30 pm and they had already checked in. Again, they went out to complete some of the challenges mentioned in the day sheet. Around 5.15 pm , Team 3 and Team 2 arrived at the hotel.
What seemed to be an easy day turned out to be an entirely different story in the end. Around 6.30 pm, I called up the Chennai Garage team to find out their whereabouts. They informed me that they received a call from Team 4 regarding a breakdown. The team had tough time finding them in Pune. Eventually, they caught up (it was 8 pm by that time.) They were 15 km away from the hotel. The CG team found out that an inner part in the engine was broken and they decided to change the engine. It was a quick fire change by CG mechanic Babu. He did the whole job in just about half an hour and they reached the hotel at 10 pm.

Safe Arrivals.

Before that, the rest of the teams that went for scouting a pup came back to the hotel. They were surprised to see me there still hanging around and all of us sat there and shared some stories before they hit their beds. When Team 4 arrived , the team members looked stressed out. I knew for sure that next day would be a better day for them. I bid them good luck and good night and left the hotel.

Day 6
Pune morning started off in a normal fashion until Peyman from Team 4 dropped his phone while coming out of the lift and it went right into the gap between the lift body and the door. Perfect. It was an unbelievable feat to drop a phone correctly in that slot. But, the reality is, if it’s bound to happen, then it will. We informed the hotel reception and they told us that the lift maintenance personnel will arrive only at 9 am. All the teams had their breakfast and the briefing was done by 8 am. Team 4 had to wait until the person came and recovered the phone for them. It was 9.15 am when we got the phone and it was smashed in completely. Peyman was happy that he recovered the memory in phone and they started without wasting much time.
During the lunch time, I met Team 1 who stopped in the same hotel and had ice-creams for lunch. Unusually the day was extremely hot and we heard from the hotel person that the monsoon has still not set in this part of the state. I reached the hotel around 3 pm and the first team to arrive was at 5.30 pm. Team 1 was the first team to arrive, followed by Team 2 and Team 3 with a difference of 1 hour in-between. Team 4 arrived about 6.30 pm and they also had a smooth day except for the incident in the morning.
Team 2 and Team 3 had a rough time with the military museum in Aurangabad, where they had to flee from the place – literally. The reason was that they (locals) demanded more money for their parking . Team 3 also had a flat tyre to deal with during the day. Thankfully, the hotel had a bar, and all the teams settled in and shared their wacky stories.

Moments to Relax.

Being a rest day tomorrow , teams were informed about the open day. My plan is to visit the hotel at 11 am and then some touristy activity.

Kathleen's Rickshaw Challenge Experience: Embracing India and the Wacky Adventure

veronika — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:23:28 +0000

Always cheerful and smiling, our very own Rickshaw Challenge – Classic Run 2016 participant AND winner from Team Chickshaw, Kathleen Evans shared with us her thoughts on India and the Challenge.

Team Chickshaw. Photo Credit: Kathleen Evans

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you participated in the Rickshaw Challenge! Have you ever embarked on a similar adventure?
I live in Costa Rica as a USA expat. I work in advertising and have co-host a radio show. I love international travel and I find unusual trips to be the most rewarding and exciting. I had been to India many times before volunteering at orphanages around the country. One of my teammates told me we should to this. I have NEVER embarked on an adventure like the Rickshaw Challenge before. Wow, talk about adventure!!
What did India teach you?
India has a way of teaching you many things. It assaults your senses, all of them, punches you in the face and then embraces you like no place on earth can possibly do. India’s greatest lesson to me is that you can be very happy without all those material things that weigh you down. Oh and patience. Pack a big bag of patience!
What was your most “only in India” experience?
Getting blessed by a temple elephant. AND driving an auto-rickshaw across the country, of course!
Would you participate in a similar wacky challenge in the future?
I said “never” after my aching back and a trip to the hospital after a bad bacterial incident. However, I probably would participate again in something wacky. Perhaps for a shorter time. 5-7 days instead of 10.
What was the first thing that crossed your mind when you saw your Rickshaw?
OMG, 007 “Chickshaw” is soooo cute. Love the paint job and pink seats. Second thing? OMG, we are really doing this!

Cute Ride, Girls! Photo Credit: Kathleen Evans

What was your craziest/best experience or moment during the Rickshaw Challenge?
Aren’t they all crazy experiences? Probably the best experience was winning the challenge. We were so surprised we actually won. Especially since we were an all girl team and older than most of the competition. Craziest? Ending 6 inches from the edge of a cliff after getting run off the road by a bus and almost plunging to our death.
Which city or town was your favourite and why?
I loved Madurai on New Year’s Eve. The hotel and party were amazing. I loved Puducherry for its French influence. I had not seen such a unique melding of Euro-India cultures before in India. I loved Tuticorin because we got to explore the dark underbelly of the city with Aravind and Princely….and spend time at the family farm. We really felt like “family” with them. It was a real treat.
How many breakdowns did you have (and how did you manage to solve the problem)?
We had a major break down early on….when the bottom fell out of the rickshaw. We were happy we purchased the deluxe package and had the Chennai Garage folks help us to find a nearby welder to fix it. It was a major job. We also had a flat tire in a very isolated village while lost, trying to find a temple on our daily challenges. The entire village came out to help us change it. They had us bless their babies and thanked the gods for the visit from the white angels. It was a most unique experience. We were thankful for the nightly check ups. And we never ran out of petrol!!

Quick Fix. Photo Credit: Kathleen Evans

What was the food or drink that you never want to live without ever again?
Thali…Love the little meals (like tapas) all in one…on a banana leaf. We ate these in most cities in Tamil Nadu.
Do you have any tips/tricks for future participants?
Go into it all with an open mind. Embrace India and it will embrace you. And if you want to win? Participate in every challenge and don’t party as much as your competitors.

Malabar Rampage 2016 – Day 3: Trivandrum to Alleppey

veronika — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 12:25:13 +0000

Strange things happened on Monday between Trivandrum and Alleppey. The Beauty and the Beast team were seen in a tea stall, preparing their own chai and some Vikings were spotted cruising along the palm-tree lines in a rickshaw instead of in a long boat in the Norwegian fjords.

Oh, Those Palm Trees!

The Rickshaw Challenge Malabar Rampage 2016 has finally kicked off Monday morning, after a last briefing by The Travel Scientists. Participants dressed up in crazy-cool costumes – one way to make points and get ahead of the competition. You can soon check out the scores of each team here. Some might have regretted their costume choice, like the Team Butt, Sweat and Tears, wearing inflatable sumo ringer suites, which make for a great sauna, or the Beast from Team Beauty and the Beast, who were sweating already in the early morning hours under their shaggy masks. Thankfully, they still had enough persistence to manage the day’s first challenge: making chai in a local tea stall with flying colours and fully dressed up.
The second challenge – taking a photo with a cow – proved to be a bit more difficult, since cows are not the most cooperative photo subjects and tend to simply walk out of the picture.

Our Brave Teams Making Extra Effort with Their Costumes

On their way along the Malabar Coast the teams visited Varkala Beach, a paradise almost free of tourists, with just a few stalls, where our adventurers could take a rest forget about the hustle of the Indian traffic for a while, burry their feet in the sand and enjoy a freshly made coconut shake.
Finally, all of our teams arrived in Alleppey, some earlier, some a few hours after dark, but all unharmed and excited from all the things that happened to them en-route.

Kiwi Kiwi!

The greatest (and hardest) challenge of the day was to fix a hammock between the palm trees, enjoy the slight breeze and stay forever in Kerala, finally understanding why it is also called God’s own country.

First Three Days of The Classic Run: Vikings, Princesses and Panic

veronika — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 10:39:56 +0000

The Classic Run has kicked off, and the first updates are in. Apparently, it is quite a bumpy ride for our participants, who have braved through all of the obstacles that tried to block their way.

Rickshaws in Order

Day 1 started off with a bit of delay, because racers were supposed to be at the Hotel Deccan Plaza for registration at 8.30 a.m., but the first team to arrive, the “Punjabi Hornstars” from South Africa arrived at 9 a.m. This team joined the race thanks to a recommendation from two of our previous competitors, Many and Matt. The other teams soon followed, but Team 14 have already encountered some problems: their luggage was lost, their moped transportation was delayed and Jack was stung by a bug. Jack and his teammate Bridget were immediately liked by everyone – they have really amused the other teams with their questions and actions. Once the registration was finished the Briefing could start. One of our groups, Team 16, didn’t show up until the last minute of the Briefing. They joined us in the Practice run.

Starting the Practice

The Practice session was filled with laughter and fun; all the teams had a small problems of some or the other. Almost all the vehicles had a back gear problem, keeping the Chennai Garage people busy until the teams left the Practice Ground. As usual, some of the teams picked up the art of driving a rickshaw really fast, while others struggled a bit. In the evening, the Travel Scientists organized a dinner party to welcome our racers. It was a party that most of the people didn’t want to leave, even after we politely asked them to do so. The situation resembled the line from the song called Hotel California: “You can check in at any time you like, but you can never leave.” The amazing first day came to an end when our racers realized that they will have to be driving the next morning. Later on, in the middle of the night, one of the rally organizers got a call from Jack from “Are We Nearly There Yet”: his girlfriend didn’t return to the hotel they were staying in. Thankfully, a quick shout-out was made in the Classic Run’s Facebook Group and the situation was quickly resolved.

Laughter and Happiness Among the Racers

Day 2 started bright and sunny with a lot of excitement, when the teams showed up in their cool costumes. There were some Scotsmen, Pirates, Vikings in helmets, Princesses in crowns and the best of all: Team Duyfken from Australia. They came in identical motoring sport suits, with uniform helmets and bike goggles.

Team Duyfken

The flag off was done by the charity organization Round Table of India, and the Classic Run 2016 hit the road! The day went without many distress calls, but the evening was very busy for the Chennai Garage crew. Team 3 lost their front tyres and crashed into the side of the road. Luckily, they didn’t topple, but unfortunately, one of the team members, Rob, got hurt badly. The support crew took them to the Pondicherry Hospital, where it turned out that Rob doesn’t have any serious injuries. The team declared that they’d go on. The organizers got a break down call from Team 10 – the Chennai Garage people met them at 7 p.m. in the evening and fixed the problem. They were more than 70 km away from the destination, so they reached the base hotel at 10 p.m. The rest of the teams have done well, with all of them completing the tasks given by us. The old fort at Alambari provided everyone with a great opportunity to make new profile pictures.

The Allmighty Bacon

The school visit on Day 3 was cancelled, because the school was closed for the holidays. Even though the teams were sombre because of this, they quickly recovered for the flag off, which was captured by local media. The road to Thanjavur was battered badly by the recent rains, and all the teams arrived late, except for Team 3, which managed to make the flag off time. The day wasn’t easy for Team 13; Jack panicked at Vaideeshwaran Koil and he was eventually helped by the locals, who helped him get medication in the government hospital The Travel Scientists staff picked them up and drove them to the hotel in Thanjavur. All the teams brought with them exciting stories from the road, the funniest being the story of Team 3, which got Rs. 3000 from a local who wanted to take their pictures. Only three teams finished their run before the flag down time: Team 1, Team 8 and Team 11. The night in Thanjavur turned out to be one filled with party; many teams gathered in a room and kept the hotel awake and active until 2 in the morning.

Preparations, Preparations

Day 4 started with a lot of adventure and became a paparazzi morning, since the local media came to make interviews, photos and videos with the teams. Once the media talked to them, our teams left for the day.
More updates will arrive soon, so check back with us in a few days!

The Lone Ranger

Rickshaw Challenge Classic Run Tackles a Cyclone, Breakdowns and Local Toilets

admin — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:02:11 +0000

Days before the Rickshaw Challenge sees in its 9th year, the Classic Run 2015 kicks off from Chennai with the tail end of a cyclone for companion. As our participants drive a rickshaw for the first time, they have to contend with Chennai’s crazy streets, heavy rains, breakdowns, among all the other obstacles that make the Rickshaw Challenge what it is. But our teams bonded over the topic of local toilets, drinks and mingling with the locals as they learn the new Human Positioning System.

Meet the teams – Classic Run 2015

Day 0 – 28 December 2015, Chennai
It maybe the end of 2014, but the Classic Run 2015 has already got started! Our participants made it to Chennai in one piece, but can they get through the next 10 days with their rickshaw intact after battling potholes, crazy Indian drivers and a cyclone?
Most of our teams successfully attended the training day, some arrived later due to flight issues, and one member is still waiting for his Indian visa in Thailand! Navigating through the streets of Chennai with naught but a map and an address, getting to the training ground was a challenge in itself.
There were some teething problems with the training, a couple of teams had to get the mechanic out before they even drove the rickshaw, while others couldn’t wait to zip around the track tooting their horns at each other.

Aravind and Princely demonstrate how light rickshaws are and how easily they can topple… they also show how you can change a tyre!

Princely gathered everyone up to show the basics of rickshaw driving and maintenance, with a demonstration on just how light (and easily toppled) rickshaws are, the magic and vital combination of oil and petrol required to get the rickshaw running, along with tips on how to tap the locals for directions.
“Every day you’ll have one or two breakdowns,” Aravind forwarned, “you will break down!”
After a little practice session, our nutty teams learned to navigate passing each other on tight country roads, with a few teams, like British youngsters The Dukes of the Green, struggling to get the rickshaw rolling.
Our teams had to endure the stalling challenge, where they had to get their rickshaw running in under 9 seconds so as to not annoy the Indian drivers around them. After which, they were ready to take their rickshaws out for a spin to fill up their three wheelers at the local gas station.
Team Wacky Racers sped through the streets, cutting through bikes and vans fearlessly.
“I learned to drive in Paris,” Francois Gauci told me as his vehicle slipped in and out Indian style between the sound of horns, “I can cope with driving here!”
The team made it to the petrol station way ahead of the others, leaving a queue of pimped-out rickshaws at the gas stations as we made our way back to the field.
The Dukes of the Green got lost, missing the petrol station entirely and ended up on country roads, but eventually made it back to the hotel unscathed. The rest of us drove over to FTE School in the suburbs, one of the schools that was built by our partner charity Round Table India, for whom we have raised more than $250,000 in the 9 years the Rickshaw Challenge has been running!
Day 1, Chennai to Pondicherry
Our teams sped off in the morning from the Deccan Plaza Hotel in downtown Chennai and had to battle their way out of Chennai’s crowded streets down to Pondicherry.
With the cyclone’s weather getting worse, our drivers not only had the traffic to contend with but also heavy rain and gusts of wind. Some of our teams stopped off to visit the temples at the ancient city of Mahabalipuram, where we ran into Norwegian chaps Game of Horns, although they soon learned Google Maps wasn’t their friend when they almost drove into a nuclear power plant!

Photo by Sindre Blomvik from Game of Horns: “Wrong way. Atomic energy. Damn you, Google Maps”

We passed a few of the guys on the road, Wacky Racers gave us a toot, and Dukes of the Green had broken down, not for the first time. We’re sure these guys will have some stories to tell at the end of the trip!
Our Bavarian Barbarians got the idea about the Human Positioning System, asking the locals for help, when they invited a local into their rickshaw to direct them to Sadras.
Kilted lads from the Kilted Ring Sting took a boat ride with some local fisherman at the ruins of Alamparai Fort on the route down to Pondicherry.

Photo by Brett Clark from the Kilted Ring Sting: “Boat ride sir? Sure, why not!”

All our teams made it in one piece to the former French colony of Pondicherry in time for the welcome party in Priya Deluxe Bar, where the drinks were welcome. However, the toilets provided much topic of conversation between the group. Most of the teams returned to the hotel to continue the festivities, so let’s see how well they handle the route inland to Thanjavur.