Before we get inside of what happened during the Malabar Rampage, I would like to talk a little bit about what Rickshaw Challenge had brought the expectation of. People sign up for various reason, birthdays, stag party, after university get together, family outing, honeymoon, marriage proposal and most importantly to break the monotony.

This adventure hits the bucket list of many people around the word equated with bungee jumping and other such similar adventure. The adrenaline rush which you get when you drive in an unfamiliar vehicle in the toughest traffic in the world is not second to anything. It’s really hard to bring out the translation of the feeling in any language, what you experience. I am repeatedly trying to improvise my sense of translation of what the participants go through, it is a tough job as the filters of memory and expression would spew out only a part of what crude I would be getting. Excusing myself on my lack of language skills and ardent writing skills. This is an experience which no one can justify only other than you participate in it.

Day 1 – Love at first sight

April 6th was a Saturday and it is the first day of the Malabar Rampage 2019. The roasting summer has just started in all parts of India and people are warned in newspapers to avoid direct exposure to sun. As usual the organizers drive from Chennai to Trivandrum, check list of preparation, preparing a place for practice and finally the charged swiping machine, are all the mandatory stuff.

The registration was well on time, myself, Vishakh and Arun were ready with the merchandize and paper work. When we arrived at the reception of the base hotel, I could see some of the faces I saw in the profile page of road book, in the breakfast area. Many of them were staying for the past couple of days to avoid the last minute rush and jet lag.

Team 3, Flair Force One and Team 4, The Fast and Flairious were the first teams to register. The father and son duo of Dinish and Neel  has made their own teams of Team 3 and Team 4 respectively. Flair is their company name and they are into interiors in Britain. Dinesh an ever young person pulled up Shekhar, his Indian associate who lives in Varanasi and Neel teamed up with his relative Ram.

Team 8, The Chutney Chariot and Team 9, Cool Runnings were other two teams which followed for the registration. Rick wanted to throw a stag party and Rickshaw Challenge made it to fulfill the idea. But his father and father in law accompanied him with the teams. Now we need to think again was the stag party idea right? Rather I would call a family get together with only David is the outsider from the family.

Team 5, NYC -50 and Flaming 50 consisted of another friends group who wanted their 50^th year birthdays memorable. Ashley was a Bangalore based working person who brought his friends from America, Singapore and England to celebrate his 50^th birthday.

Team 7, Jamaican Me Crazy, had their reggae theme and consisted of father and daughter. Paul, who is working in China as an English teacher, brought his daughter for her birthday and graduation celebration.

Team 1, Adventure for Dementia, wanted to spread the awareness of Dementia. The team consisted of three members and in that Sarah is a Yoga teacher back in England, who had been to India before, teamed up and came for fun and purpose.

Last but not the least, Team 2, Breaking Wind had just Susanne during the registration as the rest of the members were all on their way. Incidentally Team 2 and Team 7 know each other as Paul from team 7 and Josette from Team 2 know each other from Vietnam where they were working in the same school. Thus the registration got over with a lengthy introduction of teams we shall enter in to the event.

Briefing was done in the bar at the base hotel. At 11 am we just introduced ourselves to each other and discussed how connected we need to be during the next 9 days an what everybody was expecting from the incredible country called India. Malabar Rampage is a 3 state rally starting from Kerala, we cross Karnataka and finish it in Goa.

Then the most important session of practice started at 2.30 pm. Before this, a small drama of cat and mouse game started. Team 8 and Team 9 were there in the training ground at 2 pm and they started to drive with the help of Chennai Garage support team. Without no time they became professionals just like a fish in the water.

Team 3 and Team 4 also had no issues to drive it. Same wise Team 5 and Team 6 also started well. The all women team of Team 1 and Team 2 faced more difficulty and they were honest that they were not expecting it to be tough. Starting the engine was the tough part. Many hands were blistered. Some of them got cycling glove and smartly escaped the first day blistering.

Final challenge for the day was to tank up and drive to the hotel. All so smooth, that one by one all the teams drove up to the base hotel and had a finish feeling for that, even though they were aware of the drive which they are making it to Goa.

Finally for the day, all the teams joined the welcome drink at the base hotel bar. Rest is too loud to hear and the final set of teams were literally begged to go to sleep. Thus an eventful day came to the end.

Day 2 – Shopping time in Trivandrum

In Trivandrum, Chennai Garage got a small parking place which they use for the preparation as well. The owner of the spot, Deepak suggested a plan to a mall in Trivandrum where they set a surprise for the teams. As usual our mini challenge was added with the extra task of driving to the mall and back. When they arrived in mall they had the surprise of media coverage.

The first team to call for support for the day was Team 7 and it was right before the Trivandrum railway station, in no time the problem was fixed by the support staff and rest is all just a cake walk to all the teams. Some of them even travelled to Kovallam (a beach, 25 km away from Trivandrum) and got back well before 6.30 pm.

This day works well as a practice day on road before they take the main traffic on Monday morning on the way to Alleppey.

Day 3 – Beach surprise at Varkala

The day broke with color and fun as many teams walked out with their costumes for the rally. It was such a colorful morning the feel of start became a celebration at the base hotel. With 9 teams and 23 members, Malabar rampage was flagged off from Trivandrum.

Our Destination for the day was Alleppey, also known as Alappuzha, known for its backwaters and houseboats. The days challenge was to click pictures with the teams making chai. What fun the teams had doing such task. The conversation with the locals and how they were looked on when they asked that were all priceless. You need to live that movement to understand what I am talking about.

What was looking like an easy and uneventful day came to a sudden jolt. Town Alleppey was in festive mood for the upcoming Vishu in Kerala. So many roads were closed. We are just finding our way to the hotel. Team 2, Breaking Wind called me for the service and they told us that they are in some house. The owner of the house spoke to me and with the understanding of the spot my support team had to walk back to get the teams as all the roads were closed for procession.

Eventually, they spotted the Rickshaw and repaired it. It took more time to get back to the hotel as the roads were all blocked and the service team had to row through that crazy traffic. Thus the first day came to the end. The highlight of the day was the visit of the beach Varkala. Many teams had a solid one hour to stay there and some even swam in the waves. Getting wet and getting dried up in the rickshaw was like a trick to escape the crouching sun. You all need to understand what the salt sea would do to your body.

Day 4 – Relaxed and easy day to Fort Kochi

The day’s drive was just 80 km and most of the teams were ready to go check the boat house raid in the backwaters. The Challenge of the day was also related with boathouse. Team 8, The Chutney Chariot and Team 9, Cool Running, planned a different route through the backwaters to Kochi. Eventually they lost count on how many boat rides they had to do with the rickshaw. The trip turned amphibian hopping from land to water and getting back to land.

The base hotel in Kochi was also a soother. Fort Kochi had many more things to offer. The question on spices also spiced up the day. Some spa activity was happening and there was such a rush form all our teams. Eventually the spa consultant had tough time handling the bookings.

Day 5 – The most congested drive to Calicut

Today I planned no briefing as that would delay the process of handling the most challenging drive of the whole trip. Crossing the phase one is the whole stuff is all about. I hardly saw any team that day. They had to put use all their energy to navigate the crazy traffic. All the teams had their own fun with plenty of remote beaches and some ferry in the beginning and the finish. Such a great and tiring day came to a peaceful finish.

Day 6 – Crossing borders for Mangalore

We had 8 am briefing at the breakfast area and the surprise was an offline recommendation of Mullapzhangadu drive in beach. Drive a passenger was the day’s challenge.

The absolute normal day came to the support mode when I hit the same beach. I received a support call from Team 1, Adventure for Dementia. They had their clutch burnt out and it needed a replacement. Actually the first place they broke down had such crazy traffic that we could hardly do any work there. So second time they called up and the work was done at around 4 pm. Mangalore had 100 km from the spot and we know there is going to be a delay. The team 1 was worried a bit but the advice of enjoying the journey, rather than  being worried about the destination worked and they moved to the destination with motivation and support.

The excess heat brought rain and thunder at around 6.30 pm. Team 4 were the first people to report about that and later we found from google maps that a thick read strain is there for couple of kilometers around that. Only couple of teams finished the day within the stipulated 6.30 flag off time. The last team to sail in was Team 1 at around 7.30 pm with the support following them. Thus the longest drive came to end and we reached the next state Karnataka.

Day 7 – To the serenity of Murudeshwara

The briefing was planned for 8.30 am and the teams were informed about the Udupi town. The Day was filled with surprise beach pictures from Team 5 and Team 6. They also had their lunch at the mass feeding at the Udupi temple.

Another no problem day came to the sleepy town of Murudeshwara. The beach and the Shiva statue, is a popular background of numerous Rickshaw Challenge participants. The town went dry (no alcohol…) and that was broken by Team 3 and Team 4 with their purchase from Magalore. Together all had the dinner time. Plenty of stories and loads of fun. This was the night were I got the proper connections of the teams and their stories behind the theme.

The mustache challenge, made me popular as every team wanted a picture with me to finish of their challenge.

Day 8 – Go Go Goa

The final morning briefing was over, Team 8 and Team 9 and gave me couple of challenges to finish. I made a small effort and it was fun. Team 1, did not want to take any chance as the Kilometers were 230km to Panaj.  Rest of the teams formed convoy for some. Same wise, all teams turned towards Gokarna, Om beach. When I reached the spot in Gokarna couple of teams were already in the sea to swim.

The final day had no hurry as all the teams reached the hotel only after 5.30 pm. Stopped at most of the beaches and detours which all of them lost count. Thus the official 1000 km drive would have extended above 100 more km on detour and getting lost.

Such an amazing journey has to finish and the finish was also in a bar. All started at a bar came to close at the bar. Team 1 was awarded the Charity award as they raised more than 5000 pounds for the cause they support (Dementia). Team 4 took the bonkers, as they were the most entertaining team and they served the shots at the beginning to the shots to finish at Panaji bar. With the theme of Statue of Liberty, to their total dedication to the points score and the most important VSOP Brandy for the bribe made the Team 5, NYC-50 the champions.

The party began with the birthday celebration of 4 people, Ashely, Stephen, from the champion team, Adam from Team 8, The chutney chariot and the youngest participant Charlotte from Team 7, Jamaican Me Crazy. The party came to a finish at around 11 pm due to election restriction. But nothing could restrict our after party at the hotel, clearing all the minibar drink options.

Such a crazy journey came to a finish and let us all team up for the next rally from Goa to Mumbai the Deccan odyssey 2019. See you all then, bye.

Why did you decide to sign up for the Rickshaw Challenge Malabar Rampage 2019?

A friend who had been living in Goa mentioned it and it sounded a suitably ridiculous way to introduce myself to India. I’ve always wanted to do a rally and had been thinking of signing up to do The Adventurist’s ‘Mongol Rally’; after doing this however, those grandiose plans are on hold as it isn’t called a Challenge for no reason!

What did you expect and what did you get?

I expected the tuk tuk to be like driving a motorbike and to have plenty of time to meander around the roads enjoying the countryside and the people. Clearly, my rational and irrational mind need to have a chat because the reality was a cantankerous tin can that did not want to get into gear, needed biceps of steel to crank the engine into life and my team mates and I must have been pretty slow and faffy because we never felt we had time to meander and enjoy the countryside; every day was a race to make flag down with some hurried stop offs on the way to at least try and take part in the challenges. I still don’t know why we were so slow!

What was your scariest experience on the road?

Getting caught in the late afternoon rain that led into a storm that led into lightning hitting a tree that fell and blocked the road. This meant one very long traffic jam that meant we were late for flag down and had to drive in the dark with one insipid front light, one tiny little windscreen wiper that tried its best to give a clear view but without street lamps, it was frightening to drive along still with people running across the road dressed in dark clothing, cows still ambling about and the buses that still careered along with no concept of others being on the road too.

What was your most positive experience during the Malabar Rampage?

The people. We had a spectacular first day breakdown that meant standing around in the dark in some back alley (thank you google GPS for that helpful detour). The residents were initially bemused by our arrival, dressed as we were in our ‘Breaking Bad’ yellow jumpsuits but they soon came out with tool kits, phones and offers for us to sit inside their houses with a fan, have a drink and meet their families. Coming from London where even making eye contact on the tube is a faux pas, this was a refreshing change and a lovely one too.

How many breakdowns did you have and what did you learn about fixing a rickshaw?

I think our tuk tuk was broken from day one (and I’m not just saying that to excuse our bad driving) but the clutch was incredibly difficult to use on the first day and we broke down countless times – usually in the middle of a busy junction. Eventually it was a local man who came to our rescue and pointed out our clutch needed fixing. The mechanics from the Rickshaw Challenge were called out and they fixed it and all was well until we came across a festival in Alleppey which meant GPS took us on a weird and wonderful back alley detour that involved paths of sand – which the engine took a dislike to and then conked out. I learned absolutely nothing about fixing a rickshaw except it would appear you can take the odd screw from random parts of it in order to fix certain things…like the clutch. When it comes to the engine having a hissy fit – game over. It’s time to call for help!

Describe India in one word or sentence, which doesn’t include coconut or coconut tree!

Sensory. All five senses enjoy India – whether it is smelling spices in the air (or petrol), seeing the colourful silks and beautiful landscapes, touching the food on your plate (no cutlery in many places), hearing the strains of that glorified lawnmower you’re driving and tasting what is essentially an Indian takeaway twice a day every day.

What is your most “only in India” experience?

We captured a wonderful moment whereby we were coasting along NH66 with the sounds of Kylie and Jason warbling ‘Especially for You’ when we came across a cow walking up ahead. Now, I don’t know whether it was the love song playing at the time or delirium from spending so many hours cooped up in that sweatbox but we all thought the back end of the cow had a certain sensual swagger about it which seemed fitting with the song. Maybe you had to be there. Maybe we should have drunk more water that day.

Do you have any recommendations, any good advice for future participants?

Pack lots of those horrible ‘traveller trousers’ (you know the type all the Gap Yar students wear) and cotton tops. You will SWEAT and then SWEAT SOME MORE. Also, pack gloves as those sweaty hands of yours will struggle to grip the handlebars, patience (maybe xanax?) and ensure you take along team mates whom you love greatly, can be honest with and with whom there are no cracks in your relationship. This is an incredible experience – you will learn a lot about yourself and others, see and do wonderful things but it is challenging (or maybe that was just us) and if you are tired and can’t get the tuk tuk to start on a hill, you need people around you who will stay calm and be supportive – not scream at the gods for giving you the foolish idea that this was a good way to spend a week. Because I didn’t do that. No siree.

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.

Meet-Up

 

 
The last rally in the calendar year is compact, starting and finishing in Chennai. Covering the states Tamilnadu and (briefly) Pondicherry, this is an amazing rally for participants who want a more relaxed experience than is possible on some of our other events. This rally has three teams of couples from Canada and UK. There is one participant from Polond, but even she is residing in London for a long period of time. Beginning from Chennai is a great advantage for me as I can start from home for the registration. Mentioning 3 teams does not mean that my work will be any easier, as all the remaining elements of rally are intact and punctuality is no less priority than in any other events. Sharp at 9 the organization team set up the registration counter in the lobby of the base hotel.
 

 
The first team to arrive at the registration was ‘The Coxes’. The Canadian Team ‘One-Eye wonder weasels’ was the next to follow. The third team ‘Keep Karma and Carry Omm’ had their pick-up from airport scheduled at 10.45 am. By calculating the time, we could presume that they would not make it to the hotel until 11.30 am. Thus the briefing was scheduled at 11 am was postponed to half an hour. Our staff kept tracking the pickup driver and to our relief everything went on smooth and the team arrived at 11.45 am, only 15 minutes later than we anticipated. The briefing went smoothly in spite of the delay. Straight from the airport and having just completed some 20 hour of journey did not slow down Team 2. Just a shower freshened both the members of the team but by the time they came for the practice they were absolutely enthusiastic and rocking.
 

Practice

 

 
The second session, at the Practice ground, went as smoothly as the briefing. The only let down was learning that none of the female compatriots are going to drive. It was just three drivers to teach. As all had done bikes and manual gears, it was only a very short time before they learnt the art of driving three wheels. After teaching them the basics, teams were let loose on the crazy Indian traffic. Then it’s like taking the bull by its horn. All the teams were brave enough and they were raring to go. First drive was to fuel and then to the base hotel. All went well except for Team 2, who had some issue, finding the rickshaw kept rolling and they needed a little support to reach the hotel. Thus the first day came to a close at the fellowship, arranged in Elements hostel. The second day involved a mini challenge, which Teams started at 11 am. I sat at the lobby of the base hotel and the support crew was kept ready at the same place. There was no call to attend that day as all the teams finished their task and reached the base hotel safely.
 

Hitting the Road!

 

 
On Day 3 of the Tamilnadu Run, the real journey started. I had decided to take my family with the trip as it coincided with the holiday for my kids. So the first thing at the day brief was introduction of my family to the participants. Then it was time to give information on the road, the weather and potential dangers for the teams. We flagged of from the base hotel at 8.30 am, without any hitch. The only break down on the whole day was Team 2 running out of fuel. Reaching Pondicherry well in time teams enjoyed beach and all of them settled early as they were tired by the drive in the hot sun.
All photos in this blog are the property of the Travel Scientists.
 

 
 

It had been a crazy event but the Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge 2018 eventually had to draw to a close. All teams had impressed by surviving despite the floods, the road closures, and the hangovers! Here is Princely’s review of the final two days:

Day 13

The destination on Day 16, Vellore, was only a cruise on highway away. The six lane highway provided a relaxing day in contrast to the drama that had come before! Drive-in Mc Donalds, Ambur Briyani was all they could taste in that day. The day was bright with the sun back to its usual cruelty. Vellore fort and bar in the base hotel were the rest of the scene in Vellore. The local wedding season gave the participates lot of stories and the innumerable selfie experience will not be able to narrate to all.

Day 14

The final day went by in a blink of an eye. The final destination was Chennai, and we started early from Vellore, first visiting a project of Round table. Everything went well. We had the flag-down ceremony at the school project at 3.30 pm in a suburb of Chennai. Team 14 was awarded championship for their tremendous job they did coordinating the teams to pull out of the Western Ghats and eventually reach the destination. The Crazy team was Team 6 for the innumerable times they broke down. The Charity award went to Team 3 Yorkshire for their great contribution towards the organizers of expensive brandy and vodka!

That is all the fun time we had from Mumbai Xpress. Hope you all to join us in the upcoming events of Rickshaw and Ambassador Cars. Until then, it’s a big bye from me Princely and my entire team.

Day 11

On Tuesday morning teams were in high spirits, excited about the destination Mysore. However, the rain showed no mercy on Day 12. Little did I realize that it was going to be another roller coaster ride. All started well and teams were doing fantastic. Just before 35 km to Madikeri an in-between spot, there was a road block and the police informed me that the roads were washed away by rain. It all started at that point: it was around 12pm and Mysore was around 85 km. I turned the vehicle and stopped the rickshaws who were all proceeding that way. To my surprise all the teams gathered at a point. Then we had a discussion on which route to take and it was decided by a google recommendation. Subramanya is the name of the place and through that we could get back to Madekeri and continue to Mysore. It was around 30 km from the gathering point.

Team 14 Siam Kangaroo had already reached a point where they couldn’t proceed as the water was flowing above a bridge. At that time I decided we should go through Hassan. It meant another drive back of 60 km. Then after getting the highway to Hassan, I saw how the rivers were swelling and the spectacle was being watched by a huge gathering in the villages and towns. By 4 pm, the base team had booked the hotel in Hassan. Within an hour I reached another stumbling block: this time a landslide. As the emergency highway clearance troop was in action the road block was cleared in no time and the vehicles started moving. Then, I lost phone signal, the last thing expected to happen. After facing couple of landslides and heavy traffic I got to Hassan by 9 pm. Luckily the luggage team had taken another route and mysteriously reached hotel before 6 pm. Then it was time for solitaire (not the game), trying to reach the mechanics and seeing the same messages again and again. At around 2 am I got message from Brad Ford of Team 14 that all the teams had crossed the mountains and were staying together. All the teams except 3 teams struck together, worked as team and the person who managed it was Brad. It was 4 am when the teams finally made it to the hotel and rest. Unusually, it was a sober night. The other teams Team 1 , Team 2 and Team 3 stayed in a spot before 9 pm.
 

Day 12

 

 
I must mention that the Round Table had organized a big day as the 15th morning happen to be the Independence Day of India. Unfortunately that event got cancelled and a day of publicity turned out to be a never published experience which would nevertheless stay in my memory for a long time. On Day 13 teams were expected to drive from Hassan to Banglore. It’s pretty straight forward highway. From the early hours, I started getting messages from the three Danish teams, the ‘Little Big Rikshaw Challenge 1,2& 3. Sille Andersen of Team 2 was the one who was communicating with me. Some suggested routes were closed but they found an interesting route from locals to get out of the Western Ghats. When they fianlly reached destination Banglore it was midnight. The smart guys in fact used trucks to load the rickshaw and drive it to the destination. For the rest of the teams it was a cake walk except the last 40 km in Banglore city. ‘Shat in pants’ was the expression few teams shared about the traffic in Banglore. A nice terrace drink spot served as a tranquilizer shot for the rest of the teams. Some of the teams had friends in Banglore and it was another big night. A team member of Team 7 ‘the Meat Mimosas’, Niall Causer, was bound to leave the next day early morning at 4 am. And teams had a reason to celebrate. Blame it on Niall Causer.
 

 
 

Day 9

 

My remembrance of Mumbai Xpress rallies are always much memorable than all the other scheduled rallies because the real challenge of the Western Ghats faced with monsoon rain is in this rally. After we left Goa it had always an adventure mode, the fury of rain played a major role since we left Goa.
On Sunday morning, the sunrise was gloomed with dark clouds as if they were going to swallow the day. The rain started pelting from 6.30 am. We were due to travel from the Goan capital Panaji to a lazy fishing village called Murudeshwara. Before we could cross the Goan border team 6 Hobbshall Express had a bit of trouble. It was all set within no time and everything went on schedule other than the rain playing the spoil sport. The in-between recommendation of Gokarna beach was well attended by many of the teams. The scenic folly of Om beach is a definite treat for the tiring drive. The day ended smoothly with a view of Murudeshwara shiva statue and a beach of our own. The luggage team had a rough day as the rain threatened to drench all the bags, but a new coversaved the day for all. All the participants who had done the Murudeshwara will understand the Naveen times. It’s nothing but some great table with beers and stories.
 

Day 10

 

The next day morning was a casual start and all the teams left the hotel by 8.30 a.m. It was day 10 and we were scheduled to a busy town called Mangalore. Mangalore is the surfing capital of India and it is known for its industrial activity. Heavy rain had dampened the spirits of this town for quite a while since the start of the monsoon. It had reeled under water for several days and even on the day we travelled there the schools and colleges were closed anticipating heavy rain. The in-between recommendation of Udupi temple was a hit. Many teams went for the lunch in the temple, as Indian call it as Prashad. There was not much call for service that day except a call from Team 9 Bottomless Samosas. The Girls, who did expect a stick gear shift, were doing excellentlu. Manglore has many fancy pubs and without saying the teams planned a loosener for their tedious and drenched drive.
 
 

 
 

Day 5

 
Day 5 was planned for a school visit and out of 16, 13 teams made it to the school. It was fun time with kids and the Roundtable members took them around to show the project. After finishing we had to find the way out of Pune to the next destination at Mahabaleshwar. There were a couple of service calls with some niggles but they were sorted out very fast and all of the teams arrived at the hotel well within the time. Mahabaleshwar is a hill station, and the challenge of the day was to take photograph with the local tuk tuk taxi drivers. That fun experience was the main topic of conversation at dinner.
 

Day 6

 
Day 6 had a surprise element as there was a state wide protest on political issue. It was fun listening to all of the stories how they ferried the protest to the destination. There was couple of service calls, except that the day was a long distance day. All the teams were tired. A beer and good sleep to recharge was the mantra. The view of Ratnagiri was a soother for all of them.
 

Day 7

Day 7 was the drive to Goa. The party place made the teams go for it and at the start there were a couple of break downs. As usual it was all fixed immediately and all the teams had reached Goa. Some of the teams paid some fine that they do not understand at the Goan border. It only happens in Goa. They have different rule from all the other states. Long party at night was the finish.
 

Day 8

Day 8 is the rest day at Goa and all the teams were hailing Travel Scientists for the meticulous planning.
It’s Good bye from Goa.
 

 
 

The Mumbai Xpress 2018!

 

 
This update is from Goa. Looking at Mandovi River, where floating casinos make it colorful, new construction of bridge, lovely pool side view of the base hotel are the exact settings when I am writing this lookback for this great rally. Looking back in memory lane, just over a month back when the preparation was on, Mumbai was reeling under the heavy rains. Then there were riots all over Maharastra for couple of days. Whatever happens and however bad the condition were, it’s pure will of the organizing team that one thought of “make it ready for the date” had kept it all organized for the start of the rally. Yes, in such grandeur and with great participants the rally started without any issues.
 

Day 1

 

 
First day as usual, registration and event briefing quickly got wound up as per the schedule. Then at the practice ground I got a great surprise to know that team 9 ‘Bottomless Samosas’ did not know that the vehicle works on Manual gear shift. One of them, in fact, told me that by reading auto rickshaw they thought it was automatic. The rest of the teams had their drill and Team 9 took us some special attention to teach. They were amazingly quick learners and they drove the rickshaw back to the hotel without any support. Team 8 ‘Stephanie May flower’ were the first one to call for service and they had flooded the connection tube with oil during the first filling. Braving Indian road gave all plenty of things to talk about and the Welcome drink worked like a perfect catalyst.
 

Day 2

 

 
Due to some emergency I had to leave Mumbai on Sunday morning and Prsanth was leading pack and the work went on normally. All the teams did their mini challenge on day 2 and it was absolutely a smooth start and the some of the teams were relaxing a bit and they came late to the parking lot. So the two days went on a jet speed and teams rested for the next day drive.
 

Day 3

 

 
Day 3 the lobby of Sun N sand had such a colorful look as most of the competitors were in great costumes. The day’s briefing was done by Prasanth and teams were flagged off from Sun n Sand gates. It was a quiet day until Team 16 the ‘Sizzling Hot Shishas’ had a crash. The accident was a major setback as the chassis of the vehicle was hit drastically. But our ‘phoenix’ Chennai garage team brought that in to a same and driven it to the destination, were it was ready for the participants to drive the next day. All the teams were surprised by the road condition on the way to Alibag as the roads were latterly washed away by resent monsoon. Hard roads, tough traffic, uncomfortable beds, all in all tested the will of the participants.
 

Day 4

 
Day 4 is another day and the sun has brought in the hope. Destination Pune was the target for all the teams. The drive was so interesting and the express highway cops became the subject of much laughter. I rejoined the rally that day and the first team to show up was Team 16. They were relived and normal when I met them. They will have plenty to talk about in years to come. Hope the story makes it to their grandchildren story times as both of the team members are Youngest of the group. Traffic in Pune was the topic for the day and all were digested by a beer in Brewery close to the base hotel.