Day 1 – Initialization in Chennai

Welcome you all for this crazy adventure and our Rickshaw Challenge’s annual event Classic Run. This event had crossed 11 years and stepping in to the 12th year with minor tweak in the route. The total number of teams were 32 and total number of participants were 80. Our organization team had set up two counters to deal with the crowd and time.
Even though it’s not unusual we had many people who grouped themselves before they could register themselves in the rally participation. Team 21 Tinky Winky, Team 22 Dipsy, Team 23 Lala and Team 24 Po is the biggest of the group with 10 members. Likewise, Team 2  Woohoo!! , Team 13  Carpe Diem, Team 14 Freddie’s Folie and Team 27 Alpine Dingoes consisting of 8 members is very interesting combination of sons and mothers drawn by Regan Worley, the hair dresser, of Team 2 with a soul aim to rejuvenate the people who hit the monotony in their life. Furthermore Team 7 and Team 8 Getthatindia 2 and 1 respectively, then it is Team 3 The Flying Kiwi, Team 6 – Bon Vivant and Team 9 AFLO formed another group.
Rest of the teams were new to each other and formed a formidable army of 80 people and that has created a hype right before the rally could start. Yes, I mean the call I received from the Immigration Office to check whether this Rickshaw Challenge is illusion or reality. Thus with the reality check, we will step in to the events which followed one by one to make it a complete life changing experience.
By 11 am exact the briefing started, I did not opt the luxury of microphone and I felt the mistake in the last stage of the speech. Holding up and finishing it successfully and in a purposeful manner, the event moved on to the practice ground. Even before I could enter the ground I saw almost 10 to 15 teams on the move. Then I had to purposefully hold on to them to teach them the basics of fuel mixture. I think some of the people didn’t pay any attention as that was the main reason for the break down even on the last day of the journey.
Whatever is said and done, at the end of the day it is only the numbers that speak. When we count 32 in the hotel then its all fine. The practice did not go without the essential excitement. Team 14 Freedie’s Folie was the first team to break down. An interesting journey by Judith Ham who got a muscle breaking down syndrome but she is a gallant fighter. Her son Geoffrey, who is a music teacher by profession, had taken up the challenge for his mom – an inspiring story to go through. Their Vehicle broke down with electrical failure within half an hour of the start. The mechanics could not find the suitable system and they eventually had to swap the engine. It was done within half an hour and to everyone’s amusement and indirectly increased the confidence of the teams in the Chennai Garage.
At the first junction on the way back to the hotel, on the busy Indian road, Team 4 RickShawn of the Dead faced the challenge of a technical snare in the vehicle and the Chennai Garage showed all their experience to navigate the team out of the chaos and fixing their problem in that sea of traffic was another booster of confidence.
Thus the first day’s program came to end. The finish was the welcome drink for the teams, which was arranged at the pool side. The great crowd sat together with beers, just like a mighty congregation of battle leaders. Even the Gods were among them, listening to the stories and laughing their heads out. Thus a smooth start become evident, which additionally motivated the support crew and organization team.

Day 2 – Culture and Cheap Booze

The day started at 7 am when the teams started dropping the bags and went for the breakfast. Handling 80 people’s bags was much easier than what I thought about. We had a strong team of 3 people to handle the situation with a smart kid of new age from Manipal University, Mr. Sowmeyan. Round Table 42 chairman Mr. Piyush came for the flag off. Before that, he introduced their projects and made an appeal to the participants for their noble case of ‘Freedom through Education’.
At 8.30 am all the participants gathered for a group photograph and then it’s just go after that.  Our Chennai Garage team was split with two teams in two different vehicle and it all went well for an hour or so. The first team to call up the support was Team 13 Carpe Diem. We met them outside of Mahabalipuram and rectified the carburetor issue. Then after this I received a call from Team 2 and they called for support. Interestingly it took the support crew two hours to find them. This adventure brought the human element of the rally, even though we have the most advanced technological system of maps and location. Just don’t think that you had overcome all. Wait there is still more to come.
Team 4 Rickshawn of the Dead faced a challenge which they shared with me during the flag down at the hotel reception. They bumped in to a two wheeler and they settled it with money and negotiation skills.
Then it’s all a cruise down to Pondicherry. There were 5 teams who got already settled in the base hotel much before I could enter the reception. One by one all the teams drive in to the base hotel and the night got settled early. There were couple of more calls for support and the support truck had it easily sorted out without much hassle.

Day 3 – Road to Hell

All went well and the participants were well briefed for the second day of anticipated long drive and bad roads. Everyone was aware of the fact that the last bit of the drive to Tanjavur was a bit more crazy than expected. The Round Table had arranged a project visit and at the briefing we had egged a plan to make it to the hotel. The plan was a crapper and only 10 teams made it to the project. But that was the only story I can remember for the whole day. It was around 6 pm all the vehicles, were in the base hotel except one. There was no call for support on that day. Would you believe it, what expected to be a nightmare day went in so smooth without any issues. But hold on a second, not before I heard stories from many teams how the private bus drivers behaved on road. It is one of a hell of an experience. So many close calls. Team 19 AWE (Awesome Wild Estonians), did not turn up before 7 pm to the base hotel. I tried calling them and find out and that did not serve the purpose. Finally they arrived at the base hotel and told me that they were immersed in a conversation at a food place that they lost soo much of time.
Then Thanjavur night is hell with a big pool and unending serve of beer, were no devils could complain.

Day 3 – New Year’s Eve

The day’s drive started with the recommended visit of  Thanjavur’s big temple, the Brihadishvara Temple. It never failed to surprise no one. The grandeur of the temple and its magnanimity is simply a whavoo!-factor. The first call came from Team 13 and it was bit of a delay to attend them before the support team could make sure they are on the right way. Tirumayam Fort is another pit stop where the second support crew staff Babu had a busy time with a couple of vehicles. Team 5 Coworking were another bunch of guys who were not interested in getting their oil mixture right. They did not use the water bottle trick and they failed completely. They might have broken down like at least once a day and every time the mechanic team needs to clean the carburetor and set them again. Team 6 Bon Vivant broke down for the first time, but they got fixed in no time and they did not lose time as well. All teams reaching Madurai and then taking them to the retro party for New Year’s Eve was fun. Don’t ask me how did it ended and how the teams reached the base hotel… Rest is all history and I need investigator Aravind, the Chief Scientist, to have another blog on that.

Day 4 – Deserved rest

The demons of party wanted the angels to quench their thirst and heal the head which was banging from the previous night’s retro party. But even on this hungover day we had a small success story: Team 29 That’s what she said from Spain and Team 31 Surprise from Hungary had lost their bags in airport transit. Even though the Team 31 recovered it early, the Spanish team of three dudes had to wait till Madurai to pick up their luggage. But today they got their bags and could finally put on some clean underwear! And for us it’s just another three additional bags the next day to Rajapalayam.

Day 5 Ayyanar’s (name of a local guarding God) Bliss

A new route to Rajapalaym is the twist in this year’s trip and blended as divine element for the teams. At Srivilliputur, teams went to the famous Andal Temple and picked up the palm leaf made parrot and used it as a good charm for the rest of their journey. After a short detour of Ayyanar temple, which was attended by most of the teams, they were already on their way to the base hotel. The small drive came as a breather and the base hotel pool was like flooded with so many people and overflowing beers.

Day 6 Driving to the Founder’s Home

 

Another short day is fit for a finale with a surprise celebration in Thoothukudi. The day had a different set of surprise for me as organizer. Because of politicians and the social issue of pollution in Thoothukudi, a big riot had happened. Being foreigners doing some crazy activity of driving a tuk tuk caught the attention of local police and they immediately related this to that previous issue. I had almost my day gone before explaining every officer on what we do, the details and all the events briefing. That become by heart and that was useful for me for the next day events in Bhramajothi Farms. I had some serious issues with double bed of twin separate beds and king size bed. Judith of Team 14 Freddie’s Folie sat with me and gave me time of advice in many ways. I took it in a very positive sense and that sensed me that the evolution has not yet completed. In a sense it will never get completed till its activated time.

Day 7 Local Culture and Pongal celebration.

To be precise, Aravind, the founder of the Rickshaw challenge and king of craziness, is a native of Thoothukudi and the Pongal Festival we are celebrating for every Classic Run happens on his father Mr. Bhramanadam’s farm.  The farm is a one man’s interest in gardening since 1983.  That was not all that day, the first activity for the teams was to drive to Manapad, a picturesque town on the cost about 60 km away from Thoothukudi. All went on fantastic, the farm surprised many people, a small walk around the garden, making pongal, media glare, dinner at farm and convoy to the base hotel. All the activities followed one by one and there was no incident except a flat tyre for Team 13 at the start of the convoy. The Chennai Garage team needs to be appreciated for their precision this time as well.

Day 8 – To the Meeting Point of Trinity

The drive to Kanyakumari was made interesting with the suggested route of Papanasam Dam and Manimuthar Falls. Even though the entry to the Manimuthar falls was closed due to heavy rain and heavy water flow in the falls, teams enjoyed the route. The mountain passes and the water way stood as major reason to photograph. Yes, we had couple of calls for support and the best was the call from the police station of Pannakudi as the activity of the day (find the police station and find out the name of the inspector-in-charge) failed to amuse the police man on duty.
Meeting of the Indian Ocean with Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal with a perfect sunset is the highlight of the day.

Day 9 – Drive to the Finish Line

By a blink of an eye all the events got bundled up and came to the final drive. The final drive was another uneventful day. All said and done, the surprise element is that 32 teams and 80 participants all are fine and found the destination in Trivandrum. Team 1 Savills Surveyors won the charity award for their contribution in raising money for Round Table India. Team 21 Tinky Winky was judged the Bonkers, because of Paul Furber, man with an offensive water gun and crazy man who brought all his friends to enjoy the crazy stuff in India. Finally the world championship was won by Team 24 The super Marios, for their perfect score on every aspect of the rally. Thus, the great epic drive of the Rickshaw Challenge, Classic Run 2019 came to an end in the bar of the base hotel. Where the flag was ceremoniously dropped by Aravind and that marked the finish of the tour. The Good time continues, come join us in further rallies to enjoy the moment and definitely one of the most life changing activities you would ever remember.
See you for an adventure and until then bye from me and the organization.

After a successful weekend of practice and first day on the road, the Tamilnadu Run had more exploring to do. Here is Princely’s final Rickshaw Challenge report until the Classic Run begins in more than two months!

Long Distance to Thanjavur

On the Pondicherry morning we had briefing at 8 am on the dot. Being long distance and with bad roads to navigate, I warned all the tree teams beforehand. As expected the teams immediately started and left. As we had a beach spot in Cuddalore town as a challenge for the day, I instructed the mechanic team to get the detour and check whether any team is there on the spot. So by the time the Mechanic team called up, it was 10 am. By the word of the shop keeper there we got the information that two teams came to the beach and left. Then the mechanic team was in hot pursuit to catch them before the next town called Chidambaram. But no, the mechanics could not catch the teams there.

In our day sheet we had marked a lunch recommendation at Puthur, called Jayaram mess, and known for its good fish. I reached the place at 12.30 pm and within half an hour all the teams arrived. Oh what a site to watch 6 foreigners having meals at the thatched roof eating spot. It was a show of amusement to the locals and the serving team there was super exited and they were asking them whether the spice was ok giving them the very best service. Then it was pretty much a straight drive to Thanjavur. Somewhere after Kumbkonam town the sky got absolute crazy dark. Within five minutes the rain started pelting down heavily. The rain was there until 20 km and when I started approaching Thanjavur the sun started shining brightly again. Teams came in to the hotel around 5.30 pm. The gorgeous looking swimming pool in Tanjavur base hotel become the spot for the teams. Probably they settled there till 10 pm and stories after stories were evident from their roaring sound of laughter.

The Way to Yercaud

Thanjur morning was again an early morning start. The day drive was a straight drive for me without any call and surprisingly not bumping in to any team for the whole day. I was in Yercaud at 3 pm after a good lunch at the recommended hotel in day sheet called Selvi mess near the Salem new bus stand. All the while the mechanic team could not work out where the teams were. It was around 4.30 pm the mechanic team reached the foot hills of Yercaud and started waiting. Till 5 pm there was no trace of teams. Then I messaged the teams to know about the where about. Then I hurried them by warning them about the last stretch will take about an hour and half and to start immediately to claim the hills. Still Team 1 made it to the foot hills at around 5.45 pm. Then the mechanics tailed them. The first team to reach the base hotel was Team 2 ‘Keep Karma and Carry Omm’ and it was 6 pm. The next team was team 3 ‘The Coxes’ to reach the hotel and they came at around 6.30 pm. It became pitch dark. Team 1 ‘One-Eyed Wonder weasels’ had tough time driving the hill in the dark. They had to literally push the vehicle a couple of times and Darrell refused to take the mechanic help as he wants the full credit to doing it by himself. Yeh! They did it. It was around 7 pm that they made it to the hotel. The lit up Salem view from the hills was amazing. And the bar was occupied only with the three teams bragging about the drive on few beers and cocktails.

Lazy Day to the Holy City of Tiruvanamalai

Yercaud morning was misty. Being a hill station the life comes alive only after 8 in the spot. I was ready at 7.30 am and came to the reception. Arun the Chennai garage leader of mechanic team came there as well. It was Darrell who came at 7.45 there. Dropping his bags checking his vehicle he went for the breakfast and it was not ready. It was 8 am that they started the breakfast spread at the base hotel. The briefing was held at 8.30 am and the teams immediately left to the next destination. The routes were discussed and the challenge was explained to them. That was absolutely a no-nonsense day and I crossed the teams at Uthangarai a town before 60 km to the destination. The base hotel had many activities, most notably milking a cow. David Smith of Team 2 ‘Keep Karma and carry on’ had his fortune checked by a parrot. Thus the non-eventful day came to an end in a village set up resort in Thiuvanamalai.

Reaching Chennai

The last day drive started early at 8 am from Tiruvanamalai. Some of the teams visited the amazing temple complex which is considered huge in Indian standards of temple. Then the teams did the Chengi fort before catching the main highway to Chennai. The recommended hotel for the lunch in Thindivanam was visited by two teams except team no.2. The mechanics had no clue till the finish of the day where these teams were. About 80 km before Chennai the rain showed a sign of scare. I had to drive slow and I could only imagine those three wheeled open-ventilated rickshaw. They would have had a tough time negotiating that for sure. My family had bid goodbye to the teams that morning as the plan was to drop them home before I concluded the rally at the base hotel and then washing down at the flag off planed at Elements hostel. All the 3 teams made it well in time and at 7.30 pm we had the finish ceremony at our Elements hostel.

At the finish, I heard a lot of interesting stories from the team about their fuelling experiences. Many head wobbles, fewer suggestions to light up the activities. Team 2 knocked a two wheeler when they tried reversing and paid 300 rupees for the damage. Alesha of Team 1 is a safety inspector in Canada who mainly inspects building sites. She was amazed by the absolute violation of safety measures in India. Life of the working class in India is taken for granted and I pacified her by my silly statement of citing the population as the reason. One or two life sacrifice is ok for the most densely populated country in the world. That was definitely a tongue in cheek statement which took the serious concern to a laughing material. I was also amused to learn the the meaning of the team name ‘One-eyed wonder Weasels’. The Champions were decided by the makeover and Team 3 ‘The coxes’ were awarded for their Halloween theme make over. Such came the end to all exciting Tamilnadu Run 2018. See you for another adventure soon. Until then its ‘bye’ from me and the entire team.

Incredible Nature

Like these fields of green.

Often the best views are of plantations, like this spot in Western Tamil Nadu.
 

Pristine Beaches

Chennai, where the Rickshaw Challenge Classic Run begins, has the longest natural urban beach in the country.

Fishing is an important industry in ports like Tuticorin.

Sometimes the clear white sand has to be seen to be believed.
 

Amazing Temples

The gopurams of Madurai are astonishing.

While Rajarajeswaram has been astonishing visitors for over one thousand years.
 

India’s Southern Tip

Your reward for making it all the way to the very south of the subcontinent is the stunning ocean views of Kanyakumari.
 

 

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.
 
 

 

Tamil Nadu

 
The Classic Run kicks off on December 28th in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. Formerly known as Madras, Chennai is India’s fifth biggest city and is packed with history, though the first stop for sightseeing will likely be Marina beach (pictured above), the longest urban natural beach in the country.
 

 
Once teams are trained in the art of handling a rickshaw, and prepared for Indian roads, it’ll be time to set out to explore Tamil Nadu. Participants will see incredible countryside, the glorious temples of Madurai, and fantastic ocean views from the southern tip of India at Kanyakumari.
 

Union Territory

 
The time in Tamil Nadu will be briefly paused when the Classic Run spends a night in the Union Territory of Puducherry, often better known as Pondicherry. This is one of five areas in India that are not technically states, but are in fact ruled directly by central government.
 

 
A former French colony, Pondicherry is rich with European influences: in architecture, cuisine, and the generally relaxed vibe of the place. Explore the various juxtapositions on offer: of Tamil and ‘Latin’ Quarters, of Temples and Churches, and of glorious beaches running alongside pristine ocean.
 

Kerala

 
The Classic Run only reaches Kerala on the final day of its journey, but all participants are encouraged to stay longer to soak in all this state has to offer. Eat the incredible food, enjoy the many beaches, and relax in what is likely India’s most tranquil state.
 

 
We stay in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital and largest city, but we also recommend heading north to the famous backwaters, the historic trading city of Cochin, and the sensational scenery of the Western Ghats.
 

 

Beautiful Rickshaws

(In beautiful places)
 

The First Team Meeting

Where you’ll learn how to stay alive on Indian roads.
 

Rickshaw Practice

Your chance to get used to your new vehicle before we let you loose!
 

Setting off

In no time, you’ll be ready to race on your own.
 

Breakdowns

Of course, things always go wrong.
 

Getting Lost

And signs aren’t always very helpful.
 

Smiling Faces

People are always excited to help, chat, or at least wave!
 

Selfies With Locals

And there’s nothing people like more than a photograph.
 

Selfies with Policemen

Nobody can resist a selfie!
 

Incredible Nature

There’s so much to see.
 

The Ocean

You can’t miss the beautiful Bay of Bengal.
 

Temples

Incredible history is everywhere, sometimes even hiding at the end of an ordinary street.

Indian Food

It’s the best cuisine in the world, and you might even get a chance to cook some yourself.
 

Indian Chai

Learn to make tea the traditional way.
 

Brilliant Costumes

There’s nothing better than teams that make an effort (and lots do)!
 

New Year Partying

Of course, we can’t let the 31st of December pass without celebration.
 

The Final Ceremony

And suddenly, it’ll be time to celebrate the end of the rally.
 

Making Friends for Life

But you’ll be able to relive the great memories with your new friends… from all over the world!
 

 

Eager to Learn

From the classroom…
 

… to the practice ground.
 

Fantastic Costumes

The cool.
 

The interesting.
 

The scary.
 

And the couple.
 

The Pongal Challenge

Playing with fire.
 

Celebrating victory.
 

A great group!
 

Always Ready for a Photo

Sometimes the driver keeps their eyes on the road…
 

Sometimes they don’t….
 

Sometimes the rickshaw is moving fast…
 

Sometimes it isn’t…
 

The beautiful Rickshaws

Just because.
 

Ready to race!
 

The Final Ceremony

Medals for everyone!
 

Winners of the ‘Bonkers’ Trophy: Team “Paddy Losties”.
 

The overall winners: Team “Morning Glory”.
 

And finally, a big thanks to everyone for participating!
 

 

Day 5

 

 
The Tanjavur Morning is the Diwali morning in India. With sound of crackers all around and a few new movie releases the roads were looking like a war zone. Busted crackers papers were everywhere. After breakfast the teams were briefed and started from Thanjavur towards Yercaurd. Team 1 ‘Moggambozos’ called me within half an hour from time they started. It was the filling mistake of oil and fuel mixture. And it was not the last time. They almost called me 4 times in the same day for the same problem. Even though the water bottle trick was explained to them they could not implement it as they thought that will be alright to do it the way it is followed in the petrol station.
 

 
All the teams went to Tiruchirapalli, the rock fort town and some of the teams were lucky to find an elephant! As it was a Diwali day most families were out on the road and to see a foreigner in their vicinity exited them and they all queued up for a selfie. They were treated like Hollywood stars and Jemma Pawlyszyn from Team 10 resembled Angelina Jolie. The problem Team 1 had whenever they filled up continued and they lost lot of time; my guess was that they were going to be driving at dark in mountain road.
 

 
The fist team to arrive at the base hotel was Team 12 ‘Mitra Firm’. The Base hotel had a great view of the valley looking at the closest town Salem. The next team to arrive was Team 3 ‘Weightwatchers’ and they drove in at around 4.30 pm. After that the rest of the teams came in one by one before 6 pm except three teams. The three teams were Team 10, Team 9 and Team 1. Team 1 was caught up by the mechanics and they were following close to avoid any bad light issue. Team 10 and Team 9 worked together eventually to make it to the base hotel. When they arrived it was around 7 pm and it took another half an hour for team 1 to reach the hotel. All of the teams spoke about the view of the hotel and they witnessed the Diwali celebration of bursting crackers form the base hotel in Yercard. It was a mesmerizing view and even better with beer . There were some programs organized by the base hotel for Diwali and all the teams enjoyed the night thoroughly.
 

 
Team 13 spoke about a close call with a two wheeler and bus in the mountain path to Yercaurd and they were lucky to escape from the mishap, understood from the story I heard from them. That is why we warn you enough before you join this fun. Many vehicles consumed much more fuel than what they usually consume on mountain road. The real adventure gave all the teams an feeling of accomplishment and the peacefully valley gave them the wisdom of world where they would have least expected. A completely packed day came to end.
 

Day 6

 

 
The mountain sunrise with lot of birds’ voices to wake up is like waking up in a fairy tale. The previous day crackers sound and smoke has left an effect in mind and environment. Like the calm after storm, Yercaurd morning gave a quiet feel to all the participants. Yercaud day is the judging morning for the makeover competition. Some of them made effort and some of them tried to convince me that they made effort. Whatever it was, it is a fun morning to begin with. After the briefing all the teams took the wheels and started after the judging of the competition. Team 10, Team 13and Team 7 took good effort to exhibit their makeover.
 

 
Drive to Tiruvannamalai is relatively easy drive without much calls and even though there were some calls most of them were sorted out before the mechanics could get to them. Team 7 had clutch issue before reaching Tiruvannamalai temple. It was sorted out by the mechanics in no time and they were back on track again. Team 1 to 6 tried Sathanur dam (a detour of 15 KM recommended in day sheet). Due to holiday it was crowded and they could not enjoy the place as they expected. All the teams were well on time and the day ended peacefully at a vegetarian and no alcohol hotel. Everybody enjoyed the peace there.
 

Day 7

 

 
The Last day had a different twist. Team 1 to 6 (the birthday party people) wanted to celebrate the finish on their own in a expensive hotel in the outskirts of Chennai. So the briefing became a finish party Part 1. The mementos were distributed and they were awarded with the Charity award for their overall contribution of distributing many things to the school and public. Team box car 2 had a issue with the break at the start of the day. It was sorted out at Gingee fort where the teams ventured to the top of the fort to take pictures. After that it was pretty much a smooth call except few niggles from team 3 and team 1. Team 7 had their carburetor blocked and it was sorted out by the locals itself. Finally all the teams arrived safely to the base hotel and as I said the Birthday party teams also reached their hotel without any problem.
 

 
The finish at the Elements hotel was fun with some fireworks, beer and lots of sprit. Team 13 “Morning Glory” was judged as the champions and The Irish boys ‘The Paddy Losties ‘were judged the bonkers for their long stand of drinking and entertaining other teams throughout the rally. With such happy note the Tamil Nadu run 2017 came to a perfect 10 finish and all departed happily.
 

 
See you in next fun and until then its bye from me and the total team of Rickshaw challenge.
 

 
Happy Diwali !
 

 

The first two days of the Tamilnadu Run Rickshaw Challenge 2017 were a great success. Here is organizer Princely with his recap of days 3 + 4:

Tamilnadu Run Day 3

It was overcast climate in Chennai with occasional drizzles on the Monday morning of Tamilnadu Run 2017. Team 10 ‘Jecky’ who missed the first two days joined in the morning. It was around 5.30 am when they gave a message from the hotel about some issues at check in. Immediately it was sorted out with the reception and they checked in the base hotel. I went to the base hotel from my house and reached there at around 7.30 am. By that time the Chennai Garage team had assembled to receive the luggage from the participants. As a routine the bags were collected and tagged for the transport in luggage vehicle. One by one all the teams dropped their bags and went for breakfast.

The Chennai morning briefing was held at 8.15 am. Within no time all it was over and all the teams moved from the base hotel. As usual I had my breakfast after that and started my journey towards Pondicherry. I got a call from Team 1 at around 11 am, when I was at Sadar Fort (where a challenge is based). They ran out of petrol, but before I could think about helping them, I received another call form the team saying they were helped by another team and got moving. Later I learnt that they were helped by Team 8 ‘Box Car 3’. There was absolutely no call after that except Team 4 who had issues just 5 km before the destination at Pondicherry. They were helped by the locals and they came much before the service team could reach the base hotel.

Team 10 was helped a while to ferry the Chennai traffic as they had no practice at all. Babu, our eligible and experienced mechanic from Chennai Garage accompanied them and trained them on the outskirts and they drove themselves to the destination. That is the proficiency the Chennai Garage people bring to the service of the Rickshaw Challenge. During the debriefing time I asked the team whether they were confident on taking the wheels on their own and they said thumps up for that.

Tamilnadu Run Day 4

A tough day started with a school visit in Pondicherry. Briefing and then the introduction of Round Tablers went on time and all the teams were planned to convey to the school. The Round Tablers were to lead the pack. Right at the start of the convey Team 4 ‘The Cha “Bad” Boys’ had issues. By that time the convey started and we had to take the team and rest of them continued. As they were a team of 6, I could not take Spencer and Laurance, and they got a local taxi to get to the project school. Then the Chennai Garage mechanics got the vehicle right and drove it to them to hand over.

There was a call from Team 1 just after I finished my breakfast. They had flooded their carburetor, but before the Chennai Garage team could reach them they got fixed by the locals and got moving. Later in the day I got a call from Team 4 again, they informed me that their vehicle is not performing fair enough to compare with the other teams. They were at Vaithishwaran Koil that time and it got fixed in no time but the team wanted to test the vehicle for another 10 km to make sure the vehicle is in good condition. We agreed and so the Chennai Garage team followed them and eventually received a great thumps up from them.

Finally at Tanjavur the town was preparing for the Diwali. The artillery road from the old bus stand to the hotel was closed and there was a sea of people who were busy shopping for the auspicious day. Every team had their own story on paving the way to the base hotel. Team 10 who had a shopping spree in various places got delayed and their last 10km was guided. Finally at the base hotel, teams had dip in the swimming pool, beer, food and loads and loads of fun stories to end the day. Thus the grueling day of Tamilnadu Run came to end.

Tamilnadu Run 2017 Day 1

 

 
Welcome back to you all, to yet another edition of the fantastic, super crazy, adventurous Tamilnadu Run. Personally, after a grueling 14-day trip from Mumbai to Chennai on the Mumbai Xpress 2017, this 7-day rally can be compared to a weightlifter whose personal best is 100kg lifting 50kg. But that does not mean this event will be any less mad (and scary…), or that participants will be any less excited (and anxious…)! Come; lets venture in to the fun new ride with new members on the deck.
 

 
As staff of the Travel Scientists, I always look for the entry of the first person to the registration like a young bird for its first fly. Puskar from Team 12 entered the reception first — an Indian origin gentleman from USA. His parents are from Bihar (Indian state) and he was educated in Ninital. At dot 9 am on 14.10.2017 the registration of Tamilnadu Run started. Some of the teams were staying in the base hotel already and we made some notice to those guys from the reception.

 

 
Interestingly for this rally we have 6 teams together from UK. Laurance Holyoake from UK thought to treat his friends for his birthday and guess what he chose for the treat? Yeah! The rickshaw Challenge in India. They all arrived in the same time and made the registration team gasp for air with too many people asking too many questions. Slowly and steadily the registration team of Travel Scientists brought back normalcy to the situation: their previous experiences gave them the tools to handle any situation with patience and utmost accuracy. Then all the teams registered in succession except Team 10, as they had issues with their visa and they could not make it for the start of the rally.
 

 
Next on the agenda was the all-important briefing. During the briefing the teams were taught that they should use their sense of humor rather than questioning the system in India. After briefing all the teams were asked to find their way to the practice ground in a suburb quite far from the base hotel.
 

 
By 1.30 pm Team 13 ‘Morning Glory’ was the first team at the ground. They got there by using a local taxi tuk tuk. I believe that the driver gave them a fair idea of how to drive a tuk tuk, or rather how not to. One by one all of the teams (except Team 10) assembled at the practice ground and with a small instruction and introduction to the machine all the teams started their practice. In no time they all became good drivers. After an hour of practice they were taught a few other drills to master the Indian traffic. A small competition to test their skills was conducted there and then when they were all asked to fill up the fuel tank in the closest filling station. I went completely wrong by mentioning that there is a fuel station within 2km of the ground and all the teams held a grudge against me for that misguidance… until the welcome party that is, where I repaid them by offering a beer.

 
Cheers! Down came the party at Elements Hostel at around 8 pm. There were a few teams who missed the party being too tired. But the first day came to an end with the two Irish men from Team 11 ‘The Paddy Losties’ enduring the party till right till the end. They lived up to their national pride.

Tamilnadu Run 2017 Day 2

 

 
The Mini challenge day becomes a Mega challenge day for this rally. We from Travel Scientists thought of a novel idea to keep the participants interested and to feel the local culture and introduced a cooking challenge with the help of Round Table members. The cooking task was to cook Pongal, a traditional rice dish, by themselves from the ingredients provided by us.

 

 
It was around 12 noon that all the teams had assembled at the lobby. After a small briefing on what is expected to be done for the day and a brief description of the route, all the teams started to the school that Round Table India support. The school is also the venue for the Pongal cooking competition. Everything went smoothly and the teams were offered dhotis and sarees (for men and women respectively). What a day it turned out to be: everyone had fun making Pongal and the eventual winner of the completion was Team 2 ‘Pickey Boys’. The teams were judged by the school teacher and the Round Table coordinator Mr Vasu. The teams were flagged off by the Round Tablers and made it back to the base hotel it was around 5.30 pm. Looking forward more fun and excitement in the coming days!