Charity

 

 
 

 
 

 
 
A big part of any rickshaw challenge is giving back to local communities and this year’s Malabar Rampage was no different. The event raised money for Round Table India’s Freedom Through Education programme, and participants also had a great time visiting schools and getting to know the young students.
 
 
 

Going the Extra Mile

 

 
 

 
 
One of the many challenges on this year’s challenge was to take photos with people with impressive moustaches. Many succeeded, but a couple of teams went one step further, and got moustaches themselves. Impressive work.
 
 

Beaches

 

 
 

 
The Malabar Coast is famous for its incredible beaches: here is just a taster of the golden sands that teams visited last week.
 
 

Great Sights

 

 
 
 

 
 
Here are two fantastic sights on the Malabar Rampage. First, the giant statue of Shiva at Mudureshwara. Secondly, lots of our rickshaws lined up. Both beautiful in their own way.
 
 

The Award Ceremony

 

 
 
Sadly, the Malabar Rampage had to finish sometime. However, the end of a Travel Scientists‘ event means one thing: time for the finishing party. There were three prizes awarded: the Bonkers trophy (for the craziest team), the Charity trophy (for the participants who raised most for charitable causes) and the overall trophy, for the team who, well, deserved it.
 
 
 
 

 
 

Kerala

 

 
Kerala is known as “God’s Own Country”, an entirely understandable notion to anyone who has visited this narrow slice of South Indian Coast. Nowhere better exemplifies the peace and tranquility of Southern India, a world away from the mega-cities further north. With almost 600km of coastline, there are beaches of every variety. However, it is slightly inland where you can find Kerala’s true gems. The state’s famous backwaters, centered around Alappuzha (the “Venice of the East“), are a vast network of interlinked canals, lined with palm trees and houseboats.
 
 

 
Further inland you’ll find the glorious Western ghats, a peaceful mountain range covered with green plantations, and home to some of the world’s most vibrant biodiversity. Kerala is not just notable for nature, though. It’s also rich with history, particularly due to its long tradition of trading spices. Many visiting cultures made their mark on this state, and their presence remains. In Kochi, you can still see ancient Chinese fishing nets, pictured above, and meet the oldest Jewish community in India.
 
 

Karnataka

 

 
Of the three states visited on the Malabar Rampage, Karnataka is by far the largest. On this rickshaw challenge we stay by the coast, but the state extends hundreds of kilometers inland, covering much of Southern India. Within its vast area, you’ll find the ancient ruins of Hampi, once the second largest city on earth, and Mysuru (known as Mysore), with its glorious palaces and rich history. Karnataka is also a paradise for nature lovers: its rolling hills are covered in fertile soil, while its jungles and national parks are filled with exotic animals.
 
 

The cities of Karnataka showcase a mixture of modern and traditional. Mangalore and Bangalore are thriving hubs of industry and business, progressive and cosmopolitan, where you can find fast-paced living and contemporary fine dining. However, the state’s ancient ruins and religious monuments maintain a link to the past. It’s impossible not to be wowed by the gigantic statue of Shiva at Murudeshwara, viewed from the adjoining temple’s towering gopuram, to which pilgrims flock.

Goa

 

 
 
Despite being the smallest of the states visited on the Malabar Rampage, the Union territory of Goa has everything. Its famously pristine beaches cover virtually every inch of the state’s coastline: from hidden coves to packed resorts, there’s a spot of golden sand for everyone, from hippies to 5-star-hotel lovers, whether you want an all-night party or a long day’s tan. However, there’s much more to Goa than seaside paradise. For a start, the cuisine rivals that of any state in India: Hindu, Islamic, and Portuguese influences combine to create all sorts of exotic dishes, featuring fiery spices and freshly-caught seafood.
 
 

 
 
The Portuguese also left Goa with unique and atmospheric historic heritage. The old quarter of the capital Panaji, with cobbled streets and coloured buildings, is like nowhere else on the sub-continent. Baroque architecture and imposing white churches are an vivid reminder of colonial times. If you ever tire of beaches and historic buildings, head inland to Goa’s lush countryside.
 
 

 
 

Cooking Challenge: Traditional Food, Traditional Dress!

 

Each team had to cook pongal, a sweet south Indian rice dish, traditionally cooked during the Pongal harvest celebrations in January. But if you think we made it easy and gave them a kitchen, you couldn’t be more wrong!  First, for cooking traditional dish, you have to be dressed traditionally, right? So all the guys had to put on a lungi, a Tamil type of sarong and all the girls were given a sari and the help of many local woman to put this complicated piece of cloth on.
 

Then they started cooking – in a pot over open fire, which they first had to build. It was a rather smoky business, this we can tell you. Without further cooking instructions, the teams were rather left to their own creativity and many turned to some local ladies for help, who, in many cases, kicked them out of the “kitchen” and overtook the whole project. In the end, our tough judges were waiting for the teams, giving points not only for taste, but also for presentation. In the latter category the teams outdid themselves – we’ve never seen such levels of pongal pimping! In the end, team 3, the Legenda Trio, won the competition and could earn the valuable extra points.
 

A Great Excuse for a Party: Ten Years of the Travel Scientists

 
 

The hard competition was followed by a wild party at Bremajothi Farms near Tuticorin. Usually we don’t need a reason to celebrate ourselves, but this time we actually had one: The Travel Scientists have turned 10 years old and this edition of the Rickshaw Challenge Classic Run is the 10th one. There was a DJ, a rock band, a dance group, hundreds of guests and more food than it was health to eat. Oh, and of course there was also a bar.
 
 

 
After this exhausting day, the teams were invited the next morning to just relax and chill out in the tropical paradise of the Bremajothi Farms, before taking on today’s destination Thanjavur, just about an hour away.
 

The Participants

The route

 

 
Though a challenging distance, the rally travels down the beautiful and varied Malabar Coast, which also features on the Malabar Rampage and Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenges. The route passes the famous beaches of Goa and through Kerala, with its delicious cuisine, as the event heads towards its final destination of Kanyakumari in Southern Tamilnadu. It’s not just a race: along the way participants are required to carry out weird and wonderful challenges.
 
 

 
If the FFLV tuk tuk challenge has inspired you, why not participate in a Rickshaw Challenge yourself. On the Malabar Rampage and Mumbai Xpress you’ll see the same incredible Malabar Coast. However, if you can’t wait till next year, the Classic Run, a ten-day rickshaw adventure from Chennai to Trivandrum, is scheduled for December 28th. You’ll race 1000km through magical Tamilnadu, ending up in the deep South of India. Alternatively, if you want to organise a private event yourself, the Travel Scientists are always available to help!
 

Day 3

 
On the morning of the 17th when I reached hotel around 7 am, Team 8, 9 and 10 were already waiting at the hotel lobby. As usual the luggage tags were distributed and they tagged their bags and went for breakfast. All the teams had arrived by 7.30 am. The roundtable members joined us at 7.45 am to do the flag off. The briefing was given at 8 am and all the teams were briefed about the road condition, day’s activity and about the base hotel. Then the Roundtablers introduced themselves and spoke about their projects. Finally the teams were flagged off at 8.30 am. Whaav! Most of the teams had nice costumes and some of the teams had done nice makeovers for the vehicle. A special mention to Team 4 (Neruppu Da) for their makeover in honour of recent hit Tamil movie Kabali. The Luggage truck left immediately and the support waited for an hour before they left. I managed to start around the same time when the support team started. When I closed in for the first activity challenge at Sadras Dutch fort I could see 4 to 5 teams either leaving plus some on their way to the fort.
 

 
When I was closing in for the second activity challenge, I received a call from Team 5 who had run out of petrol.  I helped them organize and they got back on road.  The rest of the day went by without any calls and all the teams arrived in the hotel well on time. Team 8 came and told us about the their experience of flat tires and how locals had helped them. Most of the teams planned their own evenings and I met few of them in the beach walking. The day was almost full moon and the moon was rising on the horizon at around 7.30 pm: it was a beautiful sight for an enjoyable walk in the beach side.
 

 

Day 4

 
The early birds of team 10 – the Contemporary nomads – were there before I came to lobby at 7 am. Well within half an hour all the teams dropped their bags and went for breakfast. Being a long day with narrow roads, I had warned the teams to keep up their time on an activity packed day. The first call came from Team 10 at around 12.30 am and they were closing in on the Vaitheeswaran Koil activity. The service team took no time as they were close and the problem was sorted out. At Vaitheeswaran Koil I met Team 7 and Team 5. The rest of the day went without any problem. All teams came to Tanjavur right on time and most of them jumped in to the pool of the base hotel Parisutham. Team 6 Rayan went on a drinking spree and had to sleep out of their room as it got locked. This he told me when I met him the next morning…
 

 

Day 5

 
Driving to a small hill station, Yercaud, was the agenda for the day. The teams were tasked with a photo challenge. Team 4 and Team 10 left early to avoid excess heat and traffic. But things did not go according to the plan. Team 4 had a break down just before Tiruchi. They lost lot of time but got back on road before the service team could reach them. Rest was all smooth until I got the call from the luggage truck. We realised we had given a wrong address for the hotel. They we took some correction measure through message and facebook.  Team 2 had some break down before a place called Musuri and it was set right by our service team.  The first team to arrive in the base hotel was Team 4 and one by one all of them came with the last team arriving at 6.30 pm.  Few of them claimed the different road (Google mistake). Team 11 missed the hotel and went to the wrong address, but came back to the right address eventually. This meant everyone was accounted for and ready to continue the Tamilnadu Run the next morning!
 
 
 

Day 1

It was around 8.30 am when I reached the base hotel in Chennai, which to my surprise had been renamed from Deccan Plaza to Hotel Regency Plaza. I wondered what this could mean for the participants from all round the world who were informed of the hotel name one month before the start of this event. A local taxi tuk tuk (a tuksi) driver recognized me and asked me “when are the auto’s coming?” There’s always such frenzy that these rallies have registered in local minds.
We opened the kit and spread it across for distribution. The first team to register was Team 10, from Switzerland, the “Contemporary Nomads”.  Johan and Christel are couple from the chocolate country, who were excited and the same time had no clue what to expect. As we discussed the madness of the rallies, they were pretty amused about the event and revealed they had been looking forward to the it from the moment they had paid. The tool kit, the medical kit and the other accessories took them by surprise.

 
Slowly, one-by-one, the teams started registering and checking in to the hotel.  Team 5 (Let’s Go Jozi) arrived at the hotel at 11 am, which was exactly when we had scheduled our briefing. And there was still no news from Team 11. All the remaining teams had their ear to the ground for the all-important briefing. After the briefing, the organizing team and I prepared to leave for the practice. That was the time Team 11 landed at the hotel reception for the check-in. I quickly went through the plans for them and asked them to join us at Practice. It was 100% roll call for the practice. All teams were pretty excited to look at their rickshaws for the first time and they were spell bound.  It took a while for them to come to reality and start the practice. The practice started at 2pm and went on till 4pm.
 
Relaxing at Elements Hostel
We wrapped up the day session and teams started their first day drive to the Hotel. It was an pretty smooth day as almost all the teams made it in to the hotel before I got back. Team 2 experienced a small snare in their drive back and was eventually attended by some locals, but still made it to the hotel. Then it was time for the welcome party at the Elements hostel roof top, the perfect place to relax! Beers stories and getting to know each other followed. All of them had great time and Team 11 (Shannan) endured a whole night of pub hopping and fun.
 

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