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!