26/09/10 - Day 15. Jaisalmer, Rajastan, India
Whose stupid idea was it to sleep on the side of the road?? We had passed so many nice resorts on the way as well... Trucks, trains, curious locals, wild dogs and snoring all ensured that we got as little sleep as possible. We were up with the flies at dawn, stiff and sore, but at least we had done it!! It justified carrying our sleeping bags all this way. We were on the road at about 7:30, and unfortunately Kristain appeared to have succumbed to the same stomach bug Vorn had had 2 days prior. Had to push through - this was the last day and the big finale. A stress free run saw us get in Jaislmer at 10:30am, only to be not allowed into the fort with our rickshaws due to some VIP's arriving in town. Wasn't tht supposed to be us? Anyway, we made our way the the HQ hotel hotel and after hugs and kisses all round we celebrated with a couple of cold beers. Probably should have sorted our hotels first, but the heat and beer combo made for an interesting search. Never the less, WE HAD MADE IT!!! 15 days, 2898kms and one hell of a time later. We had very little trouble and our both our's and Vorn and Beth's rickshaws had done us proud. It was sad that our adventure was over, but after a shower and quick kip (which meant we missed the big finish line cricket match) we jumped in our rickshaws for a rickshaw parade around town. What a difference the lack of luggage made and this appeared evident with all the teams as the parade soon turned into an all out rally. There were more bingles in that half hour than our entire previous 2 weeks. At least KRASH beat Shadow Warriors to the final car park.... Some of the tales that were told that night at the finish line party made us realise that our adventure had actually been quite tame compared to some other teams. None the less, we have had an awesome time and wouldn't chane it for the world. It is now official: Team KRASH = NO KRASH.Â
25/09/10 - Day 14. Side of the road - 100km from Jaisalmer, Rajastan, India
Woke up feeling refreshed and headed in the Blue City of Jodhpur for a rooftop breakfast with some fantastic views of the city and the Mehrangarh Fort. After that headed up to the for to check it out - Very impressive and some spectacular views of the surrounding cuty and country side. After a quick Bazaar browse and cash stop it was back to the hotel and acked up and ready to leave by 2pm. We set off and again encoutered some interesting roads and traffic. Tash again flexed her driving muscled and negotiated her way around many potholes trucks and washouts. Unfornately she came unstuck in the boggy sand at a washout in one town - talk about locals running to help a damsel in distress as they all helped us push the Rickshaw out - to the blaring horns of the trucks waiting behind us. We pushed on through past Pokaran to within 100km of Jaisalmer. We didn't want to arrive early in Jaisalmer, and as we hadn't had to camp out under the stars yet, the executive decision was made to spend the night on the dirt on the side of the road. Wise decision or foolhardy idealism?? Only the morning would tell.....     Â
24/09/10 - Day 13. Jodhpur, Rajastan, India
Up at the crack of dawn and ready to get on the road by 6:30. We were a man down as Vorn succumbed to lunch from the day before and spent most of the day sprawled on the back seat while Beth did all the driving. Luckily he had finished all of his mechanical work the day before and the Shadow Warriors rickshaw performed admirably on the long 10hr - 340km stretch to Jodhpur. Tash beefed up her driving skills with some impressive pothole and truck dodging - sometimes in dubious order - as she followed 'Ballsy Beth' through the mayhem of many highway towns. We arrived in Jodhpur in good time by 4:30pm and with some of the best navigating Tash has ever performed we made it straight to our designated guest house without a hitch. A welcoming pool and cold beers with some other teams awaited us before Beth, Tash and Kristian left Vaughan to recover in the hotel while they headed out for a nicely recommended (from the other teams) eatery just down the road. Then off home to bed to preapre for another decent drive the next day. Â
22/09/10 - Day 11. Jaipur, Rajastan
Day 11. Waking up at 5am was the last thing we all wanted to do after the antics of the night before. Nevertheless we were up just after 5 and finally left Agra just after 7am. The drive to Jaipur was interesting as school children were lined up alongside the roads waiting for the Queen's Baton to go past on its way to Jaipur. The children waved us on and cheered for us and we felt like athletes or celebrities ourselves. What a feeling! This was a decent leg - about 250km and were glad to still be on good roads. On arriving in Jaipur we were stuck in possibly the worst traffic jam ever and traffic was at a complete standstill. Beth and I decided to leave the shaws and the boys behind to check out what the commotion was about. It was actually the Baton relay passing right before us and when the baton eventually came past the old guy running with it looked as though he himself had been running the entire baton relay solo. What a laugh and we couldn't help giggling at the sight. When all that was finished we found our way to an amazing Rajastani Colonial style guest house. A little lap of luxury for a well deserved break.  A fantastic dinner washed down with plenty of beer ensure we slept like babies that night....Â
21/09/10 - Day 10. Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Day 10. After a nice sleep in we headed off to a mechanic to finally get our brakes fixed. Driving through hectic traffic in pouring rain with little to no braking ability has added to the adventure thus far but the thought of being able to stop when you want proved too enticing. We then did what everyone does in Agra - visited the Taj Mahal. What a place. Totally amazing! They sure don't build them like that anymore. After a late lunch we headed off to pick up the trusty rickshaw. During the test drive with the mechanic I nearly put him through the windscreen when I first tried to stop - brakes definitely fixed. All good intentions of heading out for dinner were quashed when the beers started at the rooftop bar and the canasta cards came out. Many beers later, and after the girls claimed round 1, we headed to bed - a lot more lubricated than we had intended. Let's see how the head feels at 5am...@
20/09/10 - Day 9. Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Day 9. After negotiating Kanpur's muddy hectic streets we were back on NH2 by 8:30. Spent most of the day driving through torrential rain. We (and much of our gear) has basically been damp the entire trip. We made it into Agra at about 5pm - wet and cold. After a few laps of the main street we found a hotel, only to move out an hour later after some stern words with the manager about lack of promised facilities - when you are wet and cold a warm rinse is what you really need... We upgraded and moved across the road where 5 other teams were also staying. We celebrated with plenty of beer before heading off to bed. It has been a tiring couple of days.
19/09/10 - Day 8. Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Day 8. Up at 5am for a dawn boat ride on the Ganges to see the ghats in their morning glory. Then breakfast and a wander arond the alleyways to check the place out. We thought the roads were tough to navigate but they were nothing compared to this. Trecked back to the rickshaw with our gear and our enterprising local friends showed us out of the city onto the highway to Agra - NH2 - what a great highway, luckily, as we battled torential rain to reach Kanpur by 11:30pm. Absolutely shattered. A good nip of whiskey and then off to bed.
18/09/10 - Day 7. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Day 7. We left Gorakhpur at 6am and made it to Varanasi at about 4pm. The good roads were no preparation for the mayhem that greeted us in Varanasi - no map in the world could have helped us. We picked up a policeman in the rain and in return for the lift he showed us most of the way. An enterprising local showed us the rest of the way - including the maze of alley ways to get our hotel. Beer and dinner on the rooftop over looking the Ganges and her many ghats, far removed from the world below.
17/09/10 - Day 6. Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Day 6 destination and back in India. We crossed the border about 2pm and it was really straightforward. It took no time and was so easy. What was the fuss about heading to Nepal? Not sure why we were even doubting taking that route. We arrived into Gorakhpur as it was getting dark and it was chaos. We had no idea where we were headed and it took us ages to finally get to a hotel. Welcome back into the crazyness of India!
16/09/10 - Day 5, Sauraha, Nepal
Day 5 we decided to stay and check out Chitwan National Park. We did an early morning elephant safari but didn't get to see any rhinos. Still the experience itself was amazing and totally worth it. The rest of the day was spent checking out the little town and not worrying about getting anywhere. In Sauraha we decided to spoil ourselves and stayed at the Rhino Residency. Good times in Nepal.
