Before we get inside of what happened during the Malabar Rampage, I would like to talk a little bit about what Rickshaw Challenge had brought the expectation of. People sign up for various reason, birthdays, stag party, after university get together, family outing, honeymoon, marriage proposal and most importantly to break the monotony.

This adventure hits the bucket list of many people around the word equated with bungee jumping and other such similar adventure. The adrenaline rush which you get when you drive in an unfamiliar vehicle in the toughest traffic in the world is not second to anything. It’s really hard to bring out the translation of the feeling in any language, what you experience. I am repeatedly trying to improvise my sense of translation of what the participants go through, it is a tough job as the filters of memory and expression would spew out only a part of what crude I would be getting. Excusing myself on my lack of language skills and ardent writing skills. This is an experience which no one can justify only other than you participate in it.

Day 1 – Love at first sight

April 6th was a Saturday and it is the first day of the Malabar Rampage 2019. The roasting summer has just started in all parts of India and people are warned in newspapers to avoid direct exposure to sun. As usual the organizers drive from Chennai to Trivandrum, check list of preparation, preparing a place for practice and finally the charged swiping machine, are all the mandatory stuff.

The registration was well on time, myself, Vishakh and Arun were ready with the merchandize and paper work. When we arrived at the reception of the base hotel, I could see some of the faces I saw in the profile page of road book, in the breakfast area. Many of them were staying for the past couple of days to avoid the last minute rush and jet lag.

Team 3, Flair Force One and Team 4, The Fast and Flairious were the first teams to register. The father and son duo of Dinish and Neel  has made their own teams of Team 3 and Team 4 respectively. Flair is their company name and they are into interiors in Britain. Dinesh an ever young person pulled up Shekhar, his Indian associate who lives in Varanasi and Neel teamed up with his relative Ram.

Team 8, The Chutney Chariot and Team 9, Cool Runnings were other two teams which followed for the registration. Rick wanted to throw a stag party and Rickshaw Challenge made it to fulfill the idea. But his father and father in law accompanied him with the teams. Now we need to think again was the stag party idea right? Rather I would call a family get together with only David is the outsider from the family.

Team 5, NYC -50 and Flaming 50 consisted of another friends group who wanted their 50^th year birthdays memorable. Ashley was a Bangalore based working person who brought his friends from America, Singapore and England to celebrate his 50^th birthday.

Team 7, Jamaican Me Crazy, had their reggae theme and consisted of father and daughter. Paul, who is working in China as an English teacher, brought his daughter for her birthday and graduation celebration.

Team 1, Adventure for Dementia, wanted to spread the awareness of Dementia. The team consisted of three members and in that Sarah is a Yoga teacher back in England, who had been to India before, teamed up and came for fun and purpose.

Last but not the least, Team 2, Breaking Wind had just Susanne during the registration as the rest of the members were all on their way. Incidentally Team 2 and Team 7 know each other as Paul from team 7 and Josette from Team 2 know each other from Vietnam where they were working in the same school. Thus the registration got over with a lengthy introduction of teams we shall enter in to the event.

Briefing was done in the bar at the base hotel. At 11 am we just introduced ourselves to each other and discussed how connected we need to be during the next 9 days an what everybody was expecting from the incredible country called India. Malabar Rampage is a 3 state rally starting from Kerala, we cross Karnataka and finish it in Goa.

Then the most important session of practice started at 2.30 pm. Before this, a small drama of cat and mouse game started. Team 8 and Team 9 were there in the training ground at 2 pm and they started to drive with the help of Chennai Garage support team. Without no time they became professionals just like a fish in the water.

Team 3 and Team 4 also had no issues to drive it. Same wise Team 5 and Team 6 also started well. The all women team of Team 1 and Team 2 faced more difficulty and they were honest that they were not expecting it to be tough. Starting the engine was the tough part. Many hands were blistered. Some of them got cycling glove and smartly escaped the first day blistering.

Final challenge for the day was to tank up and drive to the hotel. All so smooth, that one by one all the teams drove up to the base hotel and had a finish feeling for that, even though they were aware of the drive which they are making it to Goa.

Finally for the day, all the teams joined the welcome drink at the base hotel bar. Rest is too loud to hear and the final set of teams were literally begged to go to sleep. Thus an eventful day came to the end.

Day 2 – Shopping time in Trivandrum

In Trivandrum, Chennai Garage got a small parking place which they use for the preparation as well. The owner of the spot, Deepak suggested a plan to a mall in Trivandrum where they set a surprise for the teams. As usual our mini challenge was added with the extra task of driving to the mall and back. When they arrived in mall they had the surprise of media coverage.

The first team to call for support for the day was Team 7 and it was right before the Trivandrum railway station, in no time the problem was fixed by the support staff and rest is all just a cake walk to all the teams. Some of them even travelled to Kovallam (a beach, 25 km away from Trivandrum) and got back well before 6.30 pm.

This day works well as a practice day on road before they take the main traffic on Monday morning on the way to Alleppey.

Day 3 – Beach surprise at Varkala

The day broke with color and fun as many teams walked out with their costumes for the rally. It was such a colorful morning the feel of start became a celebration at the base hotel. With 9 teams and 23 members, Malabar rampage was flagged off from Trivandrum.

Our Destination for the day was Alleppey, also known as Alappuzha, known for its backwaters and houseboats. The days challenge was to click pictures with the teams making chai. What fun the teams had doing such task. The conversation with the locals and how they were looked on when they asked that were all priceless. You need to live that movement to understand what I am talking about.

What was looking like an easy and uneventful day came to a sudden jolt. Town Alleppey was in festive mood for the upcoming Vishu in Kerala. So many roads were closed. We are just finding our way to the hotel. Team 2, Breaking Wind called me for the service and they told us that they are in some house. The owner of the house spoke to me and with the understanding of the spot my support team had to walk back to get the teams as all the roads were closed for procession.

Eventually, they spotted the Rickshaw and repaired it. It took more time to get back to the hotel as the roads were all blocked and the service team had to row through that crazy traffic. Thus the first day came to the end. The highlight of the day was the visit of the beach Varkala. Many teams had a solid one hour to stay there and some even swam in the waves. Getting wet and getting dried up in the rickshaw was like a trick to escape the crouching sun. You all need to understand what the salt sea would do to your body.

Day 4 – Relaxed and easy day to Fort Kochi

The day’s drive was just 80 km and most of the teams were ready to go check the boat house raid in the backwaters. The Challenge of the day was also related with boathouse. Team 8, The Chutney Chariot and Team 9, Cool Running, planned a different route through the backwaters to Kochi. Eventually they lost count on how many boat rides they had to do with the rickshaw. The trip turned amphibian hopping from land to water and getting back to land.

The base hotel in Kochi was also a soother. Fort Kochi had many more things to offer. The question on spices also spiced up the day. Some spa activity was happening and there was such a rush form all our teams. Eventually the spa consultant had tough time handling the bookings.

Day 5 – The most congested drive to Calicut

Today I planned no briefing as that would delay the process of handling the most challenging drive of the whole trip. Crossing the phase one is the whole stuff is all about. I hardly saw any team that day. They had to put use all their energy to navigate the crazy traffic. All the teams had their own fun with plenty of remote beaches and some ferry in the beginning and the finish. Such a great and tiring day came to a peaceful finish.

Day 6 – Crossing borders for Mangalore

We had 8 am briefing at the breakfast area and the surprise was an offline recommendation of Mullapzhangadu drive in beach. Drive a passenger was the day’s challenge.

The absolute normal day came to the support mode when I hit the same beach. I received a support call from Team 1, Adventure for Dementia. They had their clutch burnt out and it needed a replacement. Actually the first place they broke down had such crazy traffic that we could hardly do any work there. So second time they called up and the work was done at around 4 pm. Mangalore had 100 km from the spot and we know there is going to be a delay. The team 1 was worried a bit but the advice of enjoying the journey, rather than  being worried about the destination worked and they moved to the destination with motivation and support.

The excess heat brought rain and thunder at around 6.30 pm. Team 4 were the first people to report about that and later we found from google maps that a thick read strain is there for couple of kilometers around that. Only couple of teams finished the day within the stipulated 6.30 flag off time. The last team to sail in was Team 1 at around 7.30 pm with the support following them. Thus the longest drive came to end and we reached the next state Karnataka.

Day 7 – To the serenity of Murudeshwara

The briefing was planned for 8.30 am and the teams were informed about the Udupi town. The Day was filled with surprise beach pictures from Team 5 and Team 6. They also had their lunch at the mass feeding at the Udupi temple.

Another no problem day came to the sleepy town of Murudeshwara. The beach and the Shiva statue, is a popular background of numerous Rickshaw Challenge participants. The town went dry (no alcohol…) and that was broken by Team 3 and Team 4 with their purchase from Magalore. Together all had the dinner time. Plenty of stories and loads of fun. This was the night were I got the proper connections of the teams and their stories behind the theme.

The mustache challenge, made me popular as every team wanted a picture with me to finish of their challenge.

Day 8 – Go Go Goa

The final morning briefing was over, Team 8 and Team 9 and gave me couple of challenges to finish. I made a small effort and it was fun. Team 1, did not want to take any chance as the Kilometers were 230km to Panaj.  Rest of the teams formed convoy for some. Same wise, all teams turned towards Gokarna, Om beach. When I reached the spot in Gokarna couple of teams were already in the sea to swim.

The final day had no hurry as all the teams reached the hotel only after 5.30 pm. Stopped at most of the beaches and detours which all of them lost count. Thus the official 1000 km drive would have extended above 100 more km on detour and getting lost.

Such an amazing journey has to finish and the finish was also in a bar. All started at a bar came to close at the bar. Team 1 was awarded the Charity award as they raised more than 5000 pounds for the cause they support (Dementia). Team 4 took the bonkers, as they were the most entertaining team and they served the shots at the beginning to the shots to finish at Panaji bar. With the theme of Statue of Liberty, to their total dedication to the points score and the most important VSOP Brandy for the bribe made the Team 5, NYC-50 the champions.

The party began with the birthday celebration of 4 people, Ashely, Stephen, from the champion team, Adam from Team 8, The chutney chariot and the youngest participant Charlotte from Team 7, Jamaican Me Crazy. The party came to a finish at around 11 pm due to election restriction. But nothing could restrict our after party at the hotel, clearing all the minibar drink options.

Such a crazy journey came to a finish and let us all team up for the next rally from Goa to Mumbai the Deccan odyssey 2019. See you all then, bye.

Why did you decide to sign up for the Rickshaw Challenge Malabar Rampage 2019?

A friend who had been living in Goa mentioned it and it sounded a suitably ridiculous way to introduce myself to India. I’ve always wanted to do a rally and had been thinking of signing up to do The Adventurist’s ‘Mongol Rally’; after doing this however, those grandiose plans are on hold as it isn’t called a Challenge for no reason!

What did you expect and what did you get?

I expected the tuk tuk to be like driving a motorbike and to have plenty of time to meander around the roads enjoying the countryside and the people. Clearly, my rational and irrational mind need to have a chat because the reality was a cantankerous tin can that did not want to get into gear, needed biceps of steel to crank the engine into life and my team mates and I must have been pretty slow and faffy because we never felt we had time to meander and enjoy the countryside; every day was a race to make flag down with some hurried stop offs on the way to at least try and take part in the challenges. I still don’t know why we were so slow!

What was your scariest experience on the road?

Getting caught in the late afternoon rain that led into a storm that led into lightning hitting a tree that fell and blocked the road. This meant one very long traffic jam that meant we were late for flag down and had to drive in the dark with one insipid front light, one tiny little windscreen wiper that tried its best to give a clear view but without street lamps, it was frightening to drive along still with people running across the road dressed in dark clothing, cows still ambling about and the buses that still careered along with no concept of others being on the road too.

What was your most positive experience during the Malabar Rampage?

The people. We had a spectacular first day breakdown that meant standing around in the dark in some back alley (thank you google GPS for that helpful detour). The residents were initially bemused by our arrival, dressed as we were in our ‘Breaking Bad’ yellow jumpsuits but they soon came out with tool kits, phones and offers for us to sit inside their houses with a fan, have a drink and meet their families. Coming from London where even making eye contact on the tube is a faux pas, this was a refreshing change and a lovely one too.

How many breakdowns did you have and what did you learn about fixing a rickshaw?

I think our tuk tuk was broken from day one (and I’m not just saying that to excuse our bad driving) but the clutch was incredibly difficult to use on the first day and we broke down countless times – usually in the middle of a busy junction. Eventually it was a local man who came to our rescue and pointed out our clutch needed fixing. The mechanics from the Rickshaw Challenge were called out and they fixed it and all was well until we came across a festival in Alleppey which meant GPS took us on a weird and wonderful back alley detour that involved paths of sand – which the engine took a dislike to and then conked out. I learned absolutely nothing about fixing a rickshaw except it would appear you can take the odd screw from random parts of it in order to fix certain things…like the clutch. When it comes to the engine having a hissy fit – game over. It’s time to call for help!

Describe India in one word or sentence, which doesn’t include coconut or coconut tree!

Sensory. All five senses enjoy India – whether it is smelling spices in the air (or petrol), seeing the colourful silks and beautiful landscapes, touching the food on your plate (no cutlery in many places), hearing the strains of that glorified lawnmower you’re driving and tasting what is essentially an Indian takeaway twice a day every day.

What is your most “only in India” experience?

We captured a wonderful moment whereby we were coasting along NH66 with the sounds of Kylie and Jason warbling ‘Especially for You’ when we came across a cow walking up ahead. Now, I don’t know whether it was the love song playing at the time or delirium from spending so many hours cooped up in that sweatbox but we all thought the back end of the cow had a certain sensual swagger about it which seemed fitting with the song. Maybe you had to be there. Maybe we should have drunk more water that day.

Do you have any recommendations, any good advice for future participants?

Pack lots of those horrible ‘traveller trousers’ (you know the type all the Gap Yar students wear) and cotton tops. You will SWEAT and then SWEAT SOME MORE. Also, pack gloves as those sweaty hands of yours will struggle to grip the handlebars, patience (maybe xanax?) and ensure you take along team mates whom you love greatly, can be honest with and with whom there are no cracks in your relationship. This is an incredible experience – you will learn a lot about yourself and others, see and do wonderful things but it is challenging (or maybe that was just us) and if you are tired and can’t get the tuk tuk to start on a hill, you need people around you who will stay calm and be supportive – not scream at the gods for giving you the foolish idea that this was a good way to spend a week. Because I didn’t do that. No siree.

Setting Off

The most important task on the final day: get the perfect photos of your team, and rickshaws, to remember the event by!
 

Gokarna

Before Goa, Gokarna. This beach in Karnataka was the perfect spot for some rest, some lunch, and maybe a quick dip.
 

Hill Racing

After a week of learning the ropes, teams were now rickshaw experts. The hilly route made for a great challenge, with lots of chances (gladly taken) for adventurous overtaking.
 

Going, Going, Goa

And we made it to Goa! Here are Team Ice Road Truckers, who would later receive the Charity award.
 

Outlaw Trouble

Some teams made it to the hotel nice and early. As ever, though, the Outlaws were in trouble. One of their rickshaws needed an entirely new engine. For a while, we wondered if they’d even make it. Miraculously they did; and, best of all, not even in last place…
 

Better Late than Never!

The girls from Tuktukarama had been some of the day’s earliest risers, and had ‘decorated’ the rickshaws of Team Midlife Crisis. Karma paid them back, and in some style, though, as their first serious breakdowns of the week hit them not far from the finish line. They arrived 3 hours late, but they were quickly compensated when awarded the Bonkers Trophy.
 

The Winners!

Finally, when everyone had arrived, it was time for speeches, beers, and the final ceremony. Mostly importantly, the event winners were announced: The Tukkle Brothers, and it was richly deserved win. Afterwards, many of the teams went to explore the famous Anjuna night market — before a night celebrating the end of a great event. Till next year!
 

 
 

Road With a View

 

 
The day’s route passed one of our favourite sections of road in the whole Travel Scientists‘ calendar. Teams drove with the coast directly to their left, and backwaters on their right, and who can blame them for stopping to admire the view (and for coconuts, as ever)!

Selfie Season

 

Thomas’s ‘unique’ wig somehow didn’t scare off the Outlaws’ new friends…
 

Sun, Sea, Sand

Did we mention it was hot? Luckily, this beach was a stone’s throw from our hotel, and participants took full advantage.
 

Spiritual Maintenance

Murudeshwar isn’t just golden sands. It’s home to the world’s second largest Shiva statue, which was unfortunately partially hidden under scaffolding — its very big though!
 

Lift-off

The best view of the Shiva statue (and the beach, and well, anything for miles around) is from the top of Shri Murudeshwar Temple. It’s not as old as you might think: in fact, it’s so modern than it’s complete with an elevator to the 18th floor. Unfortunately, it’s not so modern that it has a reliable elevator — it broke down repeatedly. Still, for those not of a nervous disposition it was worth it for the view!
 

Time to Celebrate

After swimming and sightseeing, it was time to relax. It’s a tough town to find a drink, which actually made for a better evening — lots of teams ended up in the same bar!
 

No Phone Zone

Nobody likes it when people choose social media over real-life conversation, so an “all phones in the center of the table, the first to answer theirs pays for the drinks” rule was in place [enacted by the participants, not the Travel Scientists, it should be noted!].
 

Dinner Together

The highlight of the evening, and maybe of the entire event, was a group dinner in the only restaurant which served beer. Team Namaste kindly provided a soundtrack by bringing their rickshaw right beside the tables! Several rickshaws were also involved in giving quite a few people a lift home. This confused the local police, who presumed (reasonably, to be fair), that we’d stolen the vehicles. However, we managed to convince him the rickshaws were our own.. but only by giving him a ride!
 
 

 
 

Moustache Men

One of the challenges was to get a photograph featuring somebody with a moustache. There were many successful entries, but none moreso than Team Ice Road Trucker’s photo with a policeman, always a bonus. They’d broken down, and the local constabulary were only too happy to provide a personal security force until they got back on the road!
 

Fort Rest

One essential stop was Bekal Fort, spread over an area of over 40 acres. It was a a hot day, so exploring it all was quite a challenge. Still, the view over the old walls (which date back to 1650) towards to ocean, was phenomenal.
 

Family Lunch

The Namaste Teams stopped for fuel at a gas station, and ended up getting invited for a family lunch with the owner. They exchanged life stories, and heard about the hopes and dreams of the daughter, who hopes to study in the UK. What the Rickshaw Challenge is all about.
 

Best Men

The Tukkle Brothers were living their best lives on the Malabar Ramapage. Casually spending the day dressed in togas, they somehow found themselves invited to a local wedding. Not only that, but they were seemingly the guests of honour — they got to cut the cake! Sensational scenes.
 

Craft Beers

 
Participants’ trusty Lonely Planet guides served them well in Mangaluru. Spindrift, a modern craft beer bar, was lively, with great food, and some incredible beers: the Mango IPA had to be tasted to be believed…
 

 
 

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.
 

 
 

Houseboat Hunting

An easy to challenge to start off with. Teams were instructed to get a photo of themselves beside a backwater (there are a lot). More points were awarded if your photo featured a houseboat. Some entries were marginal (*cough* Team Father & Son *cough*) but the Namaste guys, above, did a great job.
 

Easy Going

A short ride, barely any breakdowns (at least, not any that weren’t fixed without much fuss). A great lazy day, apart from Tuktukarama almost tumbling off the road into a pot hole. Luckily, locals helped them out, so they didn’t die
 

 Rooftop Beers

And our hotel had the perfect place to relax: a rooftop pool. Beers, a view, sunshine… this is the life. Until it was time to pay the bill, that is. Matt of Team Wrecking Ball decided to pay for everyone, and it was… a lot. Here’s Cameron of Cupid Stunts posing for the camera.
 

The Land of Spices

It wasn’t all relaxation though. Kochin is famous for its spice trading, so we asked participants to head to a spice shop and to check out what’s on offer. That they did, and here’s the proof.
 

Kochi Jews

Kochi is also famous as the home of the India’s oldest Jewish community. Just how old? That was another challenge posed to teams. The answer (roughly) is “very” and the synagogue area made for a great atmospheric walk.
 

Kumbalanghi

No relaxation for The Outlaws however. They headed to nearby Kumbalanghi island, and apparently fitted in with the locals with ease. They were sifting mussels, weaving baskets, making rope — sounds like they should’ve been paid, but we have a hunch the sunset (looking at the Kochi’s other famous landmark, Chinese fishing nets) may have made up for it!
 

 
 

Making Headlines

The event hadn’t even really got going, but we’d already made the paper. The Midlife Crisis lads made a trip to beautiful Kovalam Beach on Sunday, and somehow the local paper got wind of it. The participants came across very well, emphasizing the charitable aspect of the event, rather than the drinking; great job boys!
 

And TV!

One sniff of fame wasn’t enough for us. Local TV turned up to our flag-off celebration, and interviewed many of the teams. Whether it was shown? Who knows.
 

Costumes

The first day on the road is when teams pull out all the stops on their finest costumes, and today was no different. Better yet, the teams don’t just look cool, but they are representing their roots. Team Golden Turtle dressed as pirates in honour of where they live, the Cayman islands, while the Outlaws, from Nottingham, are celebrating local hero Robin Hood.
 

Holy Cow

The first photo challenge of the day was to get a picture of team and rickshaw with a cow. Team Tukkle Brothers (and most others) managed with aplomb.

Making Chai

A tougher challenge was to get a photo of the team making (making, not drinking) chai. Everyone did amazingly well: above, Team 1 demonstrate the stages of the process. It’s hard to beat Team 3’s effort, though. Tracy and Ian were invited into a strangers home, fed breakfast, invited to visit their family in Chennai, and (weirdly) encouraged to hold their rooster. That’s what the Rickshaw Challenge is all about.
 

Spot the Rickshaw

Selfies with strangers aren’t unusual on the Rickshaw Challenge, but this effort by Mitch of Team 2 has a great story behind it. Struggling to find a place to eat, their team somehow ended up blagging an invite to a housewarming party with forty college students, who taught Mitch and the gang to eat with their hands. Great times.
 

Varkala

Our route passed one of Kerala’s best beaches, Varkala, famous for its red cliffs and golden sand. Many teams were eager to make the most of it, not least The Outlaws, pictured above.

Fuel Trouble

India is unpredictable. For example, on Day 3 it turned out that a major strike was occurring in Kerala, meaning the closure of restaurants, shops and (problematically) filling stations. After passing a succession of closed stations, the Outlaws were getting concerned. However, Swiss team Father and Son came to the rescue, and shared some their spare supply. Fate quickly repaid them for their kindness: a local gifted Karl a tin of delicious cashews, while Christian enjoyed his first ever coconut.
 

Lots of Water in a Dry Town

And then it was time for Alleppey (/Alappuzha). It’s famous for its backwaters, and teams were encouraged to check out its many canals, best seen by taking a trip on a boat. However, the one downside of the town is that it’s not the easiest place to find alcohol. Luckily, Princely was on hand to save the day: he persuaded our hotel to provide a secret stash of beer, available via room service. Day (or, rather, evening) saved.
 

 
 

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 Malabar Rampage 2018

Forty-seven participants, from all across the world. Eighteen teams, of all ages. Driving rickshaws all the way from Trivandrum, near India’s Southern tip, to Goa, over a thousand kilometers further North. And nobody has driven a rickshaw before. It sounds crazy, and it is. But that’s what we’re going to do, and from all the signs so far… it’s going to be a great trip.
 

Princely’s Words of Wisdom

The trip is led by Princely, a veteran of these events, and the teams’ first job was to listen carefully as he explained everything participants need to know about driving in India, from the state of the roads (“We don’t drive on the left, we drive on what’s left“) to what to do when Google Maps fails (“In rural areas the people are the map”). He also introduced the Chennai Garage guys, who’ll be travelling with the rally and sorting any vehicle issues along the way.
 

Training Day

And suddenly, it was time to drive. Some took to it like ducks to water, and others took a little while to get used to the controls. There were many false starts and puzzled stares, but soon enough teams were racing around the practice ground and dizzying speed.
 

Training Day

Before teams were allowed to drive on their own, there was an important test to complete. Participants have to be able to get the rickshaw going from a standing start, within ten seconds — already a long time to wait in Indian traffic. So, teams were instructed to drive a few metres, stop their vehicle, and then switch drivers, before starting again. It took a few repeat attempts — but before long, everybody passed! Princely, in private, noted that this group seemed unusually competent, to the extent that they might get cocky… but the mayhem of Indian roads will quickly see to that.
 

They Grow Up So Fast!

It was then revealed that we’d be meeting back at the hotel, but teams had to drive there first, also stopping for petrol on the way. Some teams managed this with relative ease, while others had a touch of vehicle trouble. Unlucky Team 6 “The Cupid Stunts”, who had only landed an hour before we met up in the morning, broke down three times, and needed some assistance. However, everyone made it back to the hotel eventually, well in time for welcome drinks.
 

A Double Birthday… Sort Of

It turned out that there was more to celebrate than the start of our adventure: it was also the birthday of Ian, in Team 3 “Kraken”. And so, as you’d expect, we all sang happy birthday and he gave a little speech. But then, half an hour later, a cake was delivered to his table, and so we all sang again, and Ian was polite enough to say another few words. In a weird side-note, the hotel had earlier that day delivered to his room a different cake, reading “sorry”, but he had no idea what they were apologising for; he forgave them anyway. All in all it was a great day, and the welcome party provided the perfect opportunity to relax with a few beers, as Day 2 had no activities scheduled until a positively luxurious 11:30am!