Day 13

Only a couple of days before the Mumbai Xpress 2017 comes to the finish. The longest rally in our calendar never fails to excite the participants more than all the other rallies. It’s 14 days through 4 states and it goes from the west to the east coast. The day in Bangalore started overcast. The judging of the makeover challenge kept the competitive spirits of the participants high. First we had the school visit, where also the judging was to take place. The convoy to the school was blocked by the Bangalore police for a brief time. They wanted to check the Chennai Garage Service Van papers before they allowed us to continue. The teams were taking pictures and the ongoing heavy traffic was just crazy and the local people were all with their cameras. This had beaten the publicity in the previous day’s newspapers.
 

A very warm welcome

 
Finally after a big huff and puff we reached the school. The Round table school in Bangalore gave the teams a traditional welcome and the school band performed the national anthem of India. Then the school assembly dispersed and the teams visited the school classes and had a good time. Three upper grade class girls were volunteered to judge the makeover. The obvious choice was Team 3 Just in time. After this, it was a rather uneventful day. The highway driving was like a cruise, as all the teams had seen the tougher terrain of mountain roads.
 

The guests of honor in the front row

 
I had no calls in-between for service and all of the teams made it to the hotel around 4.30 pm.  Team 12 The Rickshaw Lady and Team 14 Spider Flamingos, skipped the school and drove straight to the hotel and they reached the hotel at 12.30 am.
I stopped in Ambur for the Briyani and I saw a couple of teams there. As the state has ruled that there are no bars allowed within 500 mt of the highway, the base hotel lost its bar license. But that is not the end for party, the innovative teams went and bought a quantity of beers for the night. The teams had a great time. Team 3 Just in Time went to a local circus to witness what an Indian circus looks like. We’ll continue with the stories of the final day and till then its bye.
 

On the road

Day 14

All that begins well will end well. Living up to those legendary words, the Mumbai Xpress 2017 has come to the final day. The overcast morning in Vellore  was not a dampener.  After a quite long briefing, being the last day, the Round Table India members arrived at the hotel around 8.30 am.  Then it’s convoying to the project visit. The place was an automobile accessory unit supported by Round table. They employ disabled and destitute women. Due to an economic meltdown, the unit was on casual leave. It was just the project, without the workers there. A naughty trick was played on the parking place of the project visit. Secretly some teams took the spark plug of all the rickshaws parked there. When the others came out from the project and wanted to continue all got starting issues, except Team 4 9 Inch Males, Team 6 Desert Gypsies and Team 7 Not Fast, Not Furious.  Now you probably understand who did it…
 

Still unsuspecting…

 
With this fun note the day started and I had no calls, thanks to the Chennai Garage team, to make it a minimum break down Mumbai Xpress so far. The schedule was perfectly maintained and the schools finish was perfect for the beautiful rally.  It’s award time there and Team 3 Just in Time was judged the Champions. Charity went to Team 5 Oh Yeahh!, Bonkers went to Team 7 Not Fast, Not Furious. The award evening was organized by the Round Table and I made Sandeep the chief guest and the activity challenge of the day of buying a silk towel to Chief Guest was given to him. The final drive to the hotel was braved by the teams by their own and it was smooth in spite of heavy traffic in Chennai.
 

Congrats to the winners of the Mumbai Xpress 2017!

 
Then we moved on to the last segment of the event, the party. The Elements Hostel terrace ‘Muthu mess’ has hosted several memorable parties and it lived up to its name. I just thanked the Chennai Garage staff and gave them mementos distributed by the teams. A surprise element to end the note was a romantic proposal of Team 13 Daft Trunk Garage. Rito, one of the friendliest persons on the trip, proposed to his partner in Rickshaw Challenge, Gudi. The words are still in my years, “If we could survive this challenge, we probably survive the life challenge and would you be my love?” As the team name is inspired by the Daft Punks band and their, theme song is “Getting Lucky”.
 

A very special occasion!

 
With such a lovely note I would like to wind up the whole rally with a great wave. Thank you guys for following this and kindly go and press your register button on Rickshaw Challenge page.
 

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Day11

“Do something stupid and take a picture of it I”

 
The first school visit in the rally was planned for the day. The Manglore day was a bright start. Being a long distance, teams were well informed and we did an early briefing at 7.45 am. Team 12 Rickshaw Lady and Team 14 Spider Flamingo wanted to start early and they skipped the school visit. The other teams assembled for the school and we arrived there on time. The day is the Independence Day for India, so the school had planned for flag hoisting. The Round table India’s Manglore chapter arranged the event for us. After assembling in the school, the teams were introduced to the project by the Round Tablers. Then we moved on to hoisting the flag and the ceremony was witnessed by the teams. By 9 am all got over and 10 to 15 minutes were taken for Photo session. After photo session all the teams were on the way.
 

“Do something stupid and take a picture of it II”

 
By routine I had my breakfast and kept moving towards the next destination.  Team 4 9 Inch Males gave the first service call for the day, after two hours of drive. The service team attended them and found out that they had burnt the piston of the engine. It was fixed in 30 minutes and the team could get back on road. When I had lunch in Medikeri, I met Team 1 Axles of Ignorance and team 11 at the lunch place. After that, there was absolutely no call for the day.
 

“Do something stupid and take a picture of it III”

 
The final approach to Mysore had pouring rain and the teams had to drive slowly because of the visibility. Finally all the teams arrived at the hotel before 7 pm, except Team 12 The Rickshaw Lady and Team 14 Spider Flamingo. There were plenty of fun moments on the road and as usual Team 1 Axles of Ignorance had their part this day as well. Their handle bar was painted gold when they had parked it in the hotel for lunch.
 

Extra points for spotting an elephant

 
Team 6  Desert Gypsies had a lucky moment when they crossed an elephant and all the other teams were jealous of that.
Team 12 The Rickshaw Lady and Team 14 Spider Flamingo went the wrong way and entered another state called Kerala. Eventually they made it to the hotel around 8pm. The day witnessed many locals wanting photos with the teams as they were all high on Independence Day Celebration. The Rickshaw Challenge never had any dull movements and it lived up to the participant’s expectation.
 

Day 12

A great welcome

 
Another school visit in Mysore was on the agenda for the day. A Round Table member from Mysore joined us in the hotel lobby, 15 minutes before the start of our briefing. After a quick briefing we started in convoy to the school at around 8.15 am. There was a band to welcome the participants in the school. The school arranged a dance and we had some interaction time with the kids. Teams introduced themselves to the kids and spoke a few words on how they feel about India. After a request from the kids, participants sang and even danced for a song. It was a warm and happy interaction and all teams enjoyed the visit.
 

First the talking…

 
It is an easy day drive as the distance is less than 150 km. There was absolutely no service call for the day and the Bangalore traffic was the only challenge for all the teams. Some of the teams stayed in Mysore for the morning session as they visited the palace. All the teams arrived at the hotel before the flag off time, except 3 teams. Team 11 Sgt Pepper’s Submarine, Team 12  The Rickshaw Lady and Team 14 Spider Flamingo stuck together from the beginning of the day and they reached the hotel at 8.15 pm. 10 km for 1 hour was the only information they could pass on after they reached the base hotel.
 

… then the dancing!

 
The day came to end with Banglore Red FM taking interviews with the participants. All ended well and preparation for the makeover challenge has been finished by some teams. As there was some sudden pour of rain, some of the teams wanted some time in the morning before they start. With a long distance to go, teams are prepared to face it. See you tomorrow, until then bye.
 

Scores, scores, scores!

 

We have a new leader with Team 13 Daft Trunk Garage, but they are very closely followed by Team 1 Axles of Ignorance and Team 5 Oh Yeaahh. There are still some days to drive and some challenges to do, so nothing is decided yet!
 

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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!
 

 
 

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Day 9: Monkey Business

 

 
Leaving Tirunelveli, the route quickly became quite a challenge, with the many hills to climb. There were plenty stunning views to admire, but participants had to concentrate on keeping their rickshaws (and their weak engines!). Narrow roads and tight turns tested the teams to the limit, and some of the vehicles couldn’t handle the pressure. However, the breakdowns were quickly fixed by the ever-reliable Chennai Garage boys.
The teams were heading to India’s Southern tip at Kanyakumari. On the way they stopped at Sorumutthu, where participants were instructed to take a photo; not the easiest task, when the place was filled with pilgrims. After this everyone headed to the Papanasam Dam and then on to Manumuthar Falls, a traditional spot where locals bathe. Teams had to be careful though; leaving their rickshaws unattended to even a brief moment meant risking the chance of hijack by monkey! These tricky characters seemed very keen on the team’s brightly coloured vehicles, searching for food and even trying to snatch a first aid kit!
And finally they reached Kanyakumari, famous for its “Sunset Point”, where it’s possible to watch the setting sun or rising moon behind three seas at once: the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. Reaching the tip of a continent is always a special moment, but the teams couldn’t relax yet: they still had one day left to go.
 

Day 10: Superman to the rescue

 

 
And so on Day 10 the Classic Run teams headed North-West towards Trivandrum (officially named Thiruvananthapuram) the capital of the beautiful state of Kerala. However, the state unfortunately has recently banned all alcohol, meaning no champagne at the finish line, and thorough checks at the border. The day’s journey, a rather short 90km, was mainly along stunning beach road. There were several breakdowns along the way, but all were swiftly dealt with, including the miraculous arrival (pictured above) of “Cooperman”, ready to save the day at the last moment! When teams arrived they were surprisingly confronted with a pack of journalists. However, the Classic Run wasn’t the reason for the media frenzy, it turned out Kerala’s Chief Minister was holding a meeting nearby.
 
And so the Classic Run was over: congratulations to all the teams! We hope you had an incredible time, and maybe we’ll see you on a Travel Scientists adventure some time in the future. But first, the results from the final award ceremony…
 
 

Classic Run Winners: Magic Bird

 

 
Throughout the Classic Run teams were set many tasks to earn points, as well as being rewarded for inventive and extravagant costumes. The winners of the overall prize where Team Magic Bird, a newly-wed couple from the United States, who continually impressed with their various outfits and commitment to the challenges! Their title of Rickshaw Challenge Classic Run 2017 champions was well deserved.
 

Bonkers Award Winners: Cock & Pullet

 

 
However, that wasn’t the only award given out. Equally cherished is the Bonkers Award, for the team who are just that little bit crazier than the rest. There was tough competition, but nobody can doubt that the Cock and Pullet team, from Australia, livened up each day with their very recognizable costumes! If travelling 1000 km in Southern India dressed as a cock isn’t bonkers… what is?!
 

Charity Winners: World Teacher Aid

 

 
The final prize of the Rickshaw Challenge Classic Run was the Charity Award which was deservedly run by Team World Teacher Aid. Amy, Carey, and Irene (from Canada, the US, and Kenya) raised an astonishing $12,0000 for charity. Amy is the founder of World Teacher Aid (a Canadian charity dedicated to improving education in the developing world), Carey is the charity’s Operations Manager, while Irene is the founder and director of World Teacher Aid’s Kenyan partner organisation VICDA. Many congratulations to their team, and everyone else on the challenge who raised money for charity. It’s great that the Rickshaw Challenge was not only a fun adventure, but will help the lives of children in India and elsewhere!
 
 

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Day 6 – When You Show Too Much Enthusiasm For The Picture Challenge

Yercaurd morning is a beautiful morning with mist on the hill station and the pleasant sound of birds added music to the scene. In this idyll the teams prepared their tuk tuk for the makeover challenge. Except team 4, 6 and Team 11, all participated in it and they showed the eagerness to win the championship. By 8 am all the teams gathered for the briefing.
 

Day 7 – A Rickshaw Loving Ambassador

The final day excitement and the thought of the  finish line gave all the participants a mixed feeling. As usual we planned for an early start and wanted to regroup at Tambaram (a suburb, 30 km before Chennai) for the finish ceremony. Team Neruppu Da called for assistance about half an hour after we left the hotel.  Otherwise, it was a lightning day. Teams arrived at the regrouping place, well in time except Team Indiaree and Team Let’s go Jozi. The late quickly joined us but Team Indiaree missed the finish.
 

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Day 9: Panaji to Murudeshwara

 

 
August 15 is Indian Independence day. To commemorate it, the Goa round table had arranged a school visit for that morning. This was planned well in advance and teams Two, Three, Four, Five and Six took part in it.
By the time we arrived, the flag had been hoisted in the premises and the kids were performing the skits they themselves had prepared. The Teams enjoyed the show and rewarded the children with the gifts they had prepared, together with the gifts from Round table. We waved them goodbye just before 10 a.m., and went on our way.
When I had crossed Karwar and was heading for Batkal, I ran into Team Eight who had a technical glitch in the vehicle. I checked it and it transpired that the tuk tuk had had this issue since day four. We suspected that a bottle cap was causing a blockage in the fuel tank, interfering with transmission and dampening Team Eight’s spirits. I called the service team, who promptly replaced the tank that same day. Thankfully, all went smoothly for Team Eight after this.
I’ve noticed that that there are two distinct clans that the groups have formed: the first comprises Teams One to Six, the second Teams Seven to Nine. The first one calls on the support team and staff as a matter of course, while the second one is more self-sufficient. They took care of all their own repairs as they came up and also ended up filming all the hidden treasures of India.
I reached Murudeshwara at around 2.30 p.m.; the first team to arrive caught up with me at 4.30 p.m. Some of the teams visited the beach of Agoda as suggested in our day plan. They found the big Shiva statue and the tower exciting. They also admired the view that the base hotel had. We wound up the day sharing our meandering Indian storied over a few beers at Naveen residency.

Day Ten: Murudeshwara to Mangalore

 
Driving through the state of Maharastra has made the participants experts drivers. They had negotiated some tough terrains, challenged by heavy rains and bad roads – all this had made them adept at handling any situation. In contrast to Maharastra, the drive from Murudeshwara is an easy task for everyone because it is pretty much a good road all the way.
Udupi is the stop in-between for a moderate challenge; most of the teams visited it and some even tried the food served in the local temple. Time just flew by on Day Ten, so we ended up discussing the next day’s drive well in advance during the debriefing. Teams were well aware that there was to be a school visit the next morning, followed by an 250-odd km drive to Mysore.

Day 11: Mangalore to Mysore

 
 

 
Only four teams, One, Two, Three, and Six took part in the Maglore school visit in the end, because the day is one of the longest day in the entire journey, and the rest of the teams wanted to leave early as possible. After the school visit, the teams were flagged off by the roundtable people.
On the road, I saw Team Nine attending to a glitch, and when I stopped next to them to offer help, they gave me thumbs up to show that everything was under control. They were soon back on the road.
I later learnt through Facebook that Team Eight had had some silencer issues and they had also taken care of it themselves. The long day turned out to be an uneventful one and all the teams arrived well in time and enjoyed the view of the lit-up Palace in the evening. Teams gathered in the Opium bar in the base hotel; it was a rocking session for them.

Day 12: Mysore to Bangalore

 
The morning in Mysore started with a school visit; we went there with all refreshed and reinvigorated. All the teams came and every one had a super time with the children at school. Many Participants danced and asked the kids to show off their moves. The kids happily obliged.
After this, Team Two and Team Six danced to a salsa tune and the kids enjoyed the small gesture from our Participants. Even though our distance from our destination was not a concern, the day’s drive ended up longer than planned, from having to negotiate the Banglore traffic and find the base hotel. In the end, all the teams made it in style except Team Three who needed some help with navigation to find the hotel.
Team Two participant Hector Gabriel from Puerto Rico had his birthday that day. He threw a party in Bangalore in the base hotel’s new pub space. All the teams went. I heard the next day it had been a wild party: some of the team members could not even get out of bed the next morning.

Day 13: Bangalore to Vellore

 

The morning in Banglore also kicked off with a school visit, but because of the birthday bash after-effects, Teams One and Six couldn’t make it. Nor did Teams Seven to Nine, who had stayed in a different hotel and decided to have early start. So in the end only four teams made it to the school. The school had a terrific band and the welcome no participant will forget. Such a warm welcome and greetings blew the teams away; everyone wanted to stick around for the rest of the day.
But we had to set off to keep to schedule. It was a smooth drive to Vellore. All teams wanted to arrive and rest early as they were still somewhat worn out from the previous day. The teams had mixed feelings about the last day: most of them were sad that the fun rally was coming to end.

Day 14: Vellore to Chennai

 
The final day started with a project visit and ended in a school. All had gone accoerding to plan and all teams had made it all the way through the rally. The school visit and the atmosphere the students created gave a fitting farewell to the great rally of Mumbai Xpress 2016. After the school visit, all teams gathered in the Elements hostel to celebrate. Everyone agreed that the countless memories from the 14 days of the rally will be staying with all the participants for a long time yet.

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Day 5: Panchgani to Ratnagiri

Day 6: Rathnagiri to Panaji

Day 7: Panaji

Day 8: Panaji to Murudeshwara

Day 9: Murudeshwara to Mangalore (Mangaluru)

Day 10: Mangalore to Mysore

Day 11: Mysore to Bangalore

Day 12: Bangalore to Vellore

The Final Day Bash: Vellore to Chennai

And The Winners Are…

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