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!
 

 

Chennai

 
Chennai, which is also the final stop of the event, is by far the largest city in Tamilnadu. The state’s capital, and one of the country’s largest cities, Chennai makes a great first stop when visiting India. While not as showy as other comparable metropolises, there are plenty sites to keep you occupied. Popular activities include a stroll along Marina Beach (pictured above), India’s longest natural urban beach, and visiting Fort St George, the impressive English fortress built in  the 17th Century.
 

Pondicherry

 
The second stop on the Tamilnadu Run offers a very different experience of India. Pondicherry (now officially known as Puducherry) was a French colony until the mid 20th century, and their influence is still felt by the architecture, cuisine, and general vibe of the place. Though relatively small, the city offers a great chance to compare the effects of various cultural influences: visit the Tamil and French quarters, see the traditional Indian temples and colonial Roman Catholic Churches, and of course, taste how Tamil and French cooking (and excellent seafood) combine! There are also many fabulous beaches.
 

Thanjavur

 
The next stop, Thanjavur, is one of India’s oldest cities, and Tamil Nadu’s religious and cultural heart. Here you’ll find many important temples alongside ruins of ancient empires. The Brihadeeswara Temple, pictured above, is over a thousand years old and one of India’s architectural treasures. The city is also home to Saraswathi Mahal Library, one of the oldest libraries in Asia. Famous for its painting, music, and dance, its impossible to get bored in Thanjavur.
 

Yercaud

 
In Yercaud, a picturesque hill station, you can get away from the searing heat and constant rush of Indian cities. Once popular among the British, who were attracted by its cool climate, Yercaud is a natural paradise, and the perfect place to relax. Its name means Lake Forest, referring to the glorious lake (surrounded by, predictably, forest) around which Yercaud is centered. Plentiful coffee and citrus fruits, amongst other crops, are grown here, and its no surprise Yercaud earned the nickname the Jewel of the South.
 

Thiruvannamalai

 
The penultimate stop of the Tamilnadu Run is Thiruvannamalai, often known as Moon City, which has attracted pilgrims for several millennia. Every month at full moon, the town attracts thousands of religious devotees, who gather at the base of Arunchala mountain. Located here is Annamalaiyar Temple, an important religious site, with a structure dating back to the 9th Century. Dedicated to Shiva, this is one of India’s largest and most impressive temples.