The Classic Run Makeover Challenge

 

 
Unusual, but balloons are a great addition.
 

 
Fantastic team name, fantastic decoration.
 

 
This would definitely attract some puzzled stares…
 

 
Scary name, not so scary design.
 

 
A brave choice to drive round India with those flags!
 

 
An all-round great concept, particularly when the team also dressed as lifeguards…
 

 
An intriguing mix of concepts… Valhalla meets Hawaii.
 

 
Nobody would miss this ‘shaw driving past!
 

 
Another very noticeably rickshaw!
 

 
And finally, a great rickshaw design with great makeover additions.
 

 
 

Day 10

 

 
The final day is a short distance day but the road and the traffic was expected to delay their arrival at the final destination in Trivandrum. At the beginning of the day we had photo shoot for the Travel Scientists and it was helped by the teams of Classic Run. Some of the teams volunteered to stay for the shoot. It took those teams 2 hours before they could start form Kanyakumari. As expected, the teams started at 11 am.

 

 
The highlight of the day was a small mishap by Team 13 Mitra Firm who drove the rickshaw in to the ditch by missing the curve. Fortunately he survived without hurting himself. We planned the finish by 4.30 at the base hotel PUB and it was delayed by Team 15. Again we had to wait for them and when they entered the PUB it was a big clap for them. With that Aravind started the finish ceremony. The Bonkers trophy was awarded to Team 4 ‘The Death Shaw’, the charity award was given to Team 11 ‘the B-Team’ and, most importantly, it was announced that the Champions were Team 1 ‘The Tuktators’.
 

 
Thus the first event in the calendar was completed successfully and we shall next meet in April for the Malabar Rampage 2018. Until then it’s goodbye from the organizing desk. See you!!!
 

 

Day 8

 

 
As the distance was short, all the teams took their time before they could leave the hotel. This day was like an illusion act of a magician. I could not remember any event on the day as all the teams reached the base hotel safe and hit the bar as usual. I started about 2 pm from Thoothukudi and reached the base hotel in Tirunelveli at around 4 pm. There was a small drunken brawl with the locals with a team member but all was fine: it ended up in many crazy selfies with the locals involved.
 

Day 9

 

 
If you look at the google maps the route to Trinelveli to Kanyakumari (the Southern tip of India) is straight forward drive in highway. But we had detour the rally route through Papanasam. The Main attraction is Manimuthar dam, which was unfortunately closed due to bridge damage in the recent heavy rains in the district.
 

 
All the teams had to drive through a tiger reserve and eventually everyone agreed that it was the most scenic route of the rally. Team 15 met with a small accident but luckily there was no damage for both the parties and they continued driving. Team 7 had their fuel mix wrong and the mechanics had to reach them to make them drive back on road.
 

 
The final destination is a wonderful hotel in Kanyakumari and teams viewed the sunset of Kanyakumari in the Sunset point. The day as usual finished at the pub of the base hotel and it was probably the longest day for all the teams.
 

 
 

Chennai

 
Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is Tamilnadu’s capital and by far the largest city in the state. One of India’s major cities, it’s a perfect first stop when visiting India. Not quite as crazy as the very largest cities, and a little less “showy”, there’s still lots to do. You have to have a stroll along Marina beach (pictured above), the longest natural urban beach in India, and see nearby Fort St George, a relic of the city’s colonised past.
 

Pondicherry

 
The second stop on the Classic Run provides a chance to experience a very different atmosphere. Pondicherry (now officially known as Puducherry), is technically not part of Tamilnadu: instead it is located on Union territory, ruled by central government. In fact, Pondichery was French territory until the mid 20th century, and when it comes to cuisine, architecture, and overall feeling of the place, their colonial legacy is still very apparent today.
 

Thanjavur

 
The third city we visit is Thanjavur, the religious and cultural heart of Tamilnadu. One of India’s oldest cities, you can see relics of ancient empire, alongside impressive modern temples. Of particular note is Brihadeeswara Temple, a treasure of Indian architecture, over a thousand years old. The city is filled with life, famous for painting, music, and dance.
 

Madurai

 
Madurai is a city of temples, and it is impossible not to be impressed by the many intricately designed gopurams which tower over historic sites. An ancient city, which once traded with Rome and Greece, it has long been an important center for Tamil culture. However, the city is also flourishing in modern times, and it bustles with energy, especially during festival season.
 

Tuticorin

 
The Pearl City, Tuticorin, is Tamilnadu’s gateway to the sea. Also known as Thoothukudi, it has been an important port for centuries: once ruled by the Pandyan kingdom, it was taken over by the Portuguese, Dutch, and then British. Make sure you try the speciality of the city: the famous Macaroon!
 

Tirunelveli

 
Tirunelveli, variously known as Nellai or, historically, Tinnevelly, is located on the banks of the river Thamiraparani. Once the capital of the Pandya kingdom, there has been a settlement here for over two thousand years. The city’s most famous site is the impressive Nellaiappar Temple, dedicated to the god Shiva.
 

Kanyakumari

 
It’s easy to find Kanyakumari on a map: it’s located at India’s southern tip, and was known in Colonial times as Cape Common. Surrounded on by the Laccadive Sea on three sides, Kanyakumari offers fantastic views, particularly at sunset. It’s also home to many religious monuments, like the Vivekananda rock memorial (pictured above) and the Kumari Amman temple.
 

Trivandrum

 
The final stop on the Classic Run Rickshaw Challenge is Trivandrum, officially known as Thiruvananthapuram. This is the capital of glorious Kerala, known as “God’s own country”, the third state we will have visited. The city is blessed with a phenomenal location, between hills and ocean, and there are too many fantastic beaches to count. With its strategically useful position in the very south-west of the peninsula, Trivandrum has a long history and some great buildings to show for it: check out Kowdiar Palace (pictured above) and Padmanabhaswamy temple.
 
 

 

Close to India’s Southern tip

On the Rickshaw Challenge’s Classic Run, we like to take in the sites that have some memorable significance in India, and the southern tip of the sub-continent is a landmark we’re not going to miss out on.
For the penultimate day we’ll pay a trip to Kanyakumari, which is the most southerly point of Mainland India. It’s both a point of natural beauty and history, with interesting sites, like the Kumari Amman Temple dedicated to the Goddess Parvati on the point whether the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea meet.
Located just 70km outside Trivandrum, it’s a good base to travel to after seeing the tip of India.

Historic city

Trivandrum is old. Very old, so old in fact it has references in Greek and Roman literature (and appears to have had enough significance to have travelled that far). There are plenty of sites to see in this city that befit its ancient pedigree.
The Sri Anantha Padmanabha Temple is one of Trivandrum’s main sites, and one of India’s oldest temples. The temple itself is full of sculptures and mandaps, and its importance reflects in the fact that the city was built around the temple itself.
You’ll need to see it to believe it, but just to give you and idea about the dramatic beauty of the temple, it was nominated for the last round of the 7 Wonders of the World. The building is a unique blend of Tamil architecture and local Keralan style. There are many structures inside the temple, including the famous 500-pillared corridor.

Proximity to the beaches

One of the main reasons Kerala’s capital is so popular with tourists is its proximity to the beaches on Kerala’s coastline. Kovalam is one of the most popular resorts in Kerala, which is a small fishing village clustered around sandy beaches, where the main stretch is built up with hotels and restaurants. Being only 15 kilometers from Trivandrum, it’s a great place to visit not just for the beach, but if you want to find some inner peace and tap into your spiritual side there is also yoga courses and ayurvedic treatments.
An alternative to Kovalam is the resort of Varkala, which is famous for its spectacular cliff setting and has become a backpacker’s haven. Of course, it also has golden sands and a row of stalls playing trance music and hippy clothes, so it caters to an alternative type of tourist. But despite being a hippy mecca, it does have its own temple, where on the beach, there is a place for Hindus to make offerings for loved ones who have passed away. It’s still a fishing village, so you’ll find some local life here as well.

Trivandrum

With the Indian Autorickshaw Challenge, Aravind Bremanandam has built a brand around the humble tuk tuk.

Pitted roads. Desert sands. Hilly terrain. Hairpin bends. The Budapest to Bamako rally (also called ‘The Great African Run’) tests driving skills. For most participants, this annual trans-Saharan rally is an addiction. But no amount of e xperience seems to equip them for the chaotic traffic encountered in and around Morocco. Most of the drivers don’t leave this leg of the rally without their cars getting scratched or dented.

In the 2006 edition, an Indian stood out for the ease with which he handled the traffic. Humungous vehicles had packed the road and the rally cars could move only by the inch. Unfazed, Aravind Bremanandam (in a 1974 Soviet Lada) wove through the traffic, taking advantage of every small opening.

In the evening, Aravind was the subject of great curiosity. Into a software business that required him to alternate between Budapest and Chennai, Aravind sang the praises of our autorickshaw drivers. “This traffic is nothing compared to what you find in Chennai,” he boasted to the group that hung on to his words.
He promised to give them a feel of driving autorickshaws through the Indian countryside. He kept his word. Later in the year, the “Indian Autorickshaw Challenge”, a Chennai to Kanyakumari rally, was organised.
With painted designs and accessories, the autorickshaws were given a dash of flamboyance (Now, the teams can smarten up their autos by shopping at www.pimpmyshaw.com). The participants themselves went through makeovers. Dressed like dukes, princesses, wizards and what not, they played many roles. The rally lived up to its tagline — “An amazing race for the clinically insane.”
Full article here