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!
 
 

 
 

Trivandrum

Alappuzah

 

 
Allappuzah, usually referred to as Alleppey, is known as the “Venice of the East“. This is the heart of Kerala’s famous backwaters, with myriad canals and many hundreds of houseboats. Allappuzah is a natural paradise, with palm-lined waterways, tranquil lakes, and gorgeous beaches. Glimpse authentic village life, where everything is done at a slower pace. This is the ideal place to relax after a hectic day on a rickshaw. Take a boat tour, visit one one of the many temples, or try the region’s famously spicy cuisine.
 
 

Kozhikode

Mangalore

 

 
Mangalore (also known as Mangaluru) is another port city, with a long trading history. Trade is still important today, and its growing economy makes it one of the fastest developing cities in India, and increasingly cosmopolitan. This makes for a fascinating combination: the city is a mix of fast-paced business and relaxed coastal attitudes. It’s in the state of Karnataka, which covers much of Southern India and is regarded as having some of the best food of the sub-continent: be sure to try the seafood. Look out for coconut palms, chilled-out beaches, and fabulous temples.
 
 

Murudeshwara

Panaji

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.