Kerala, India
Day 14. We did it. We made it to the finish. It was an amazing journey with many stories. I would like to thank everyone that donated to our charity. We raise over 2000 pounds or 3000 dollars for a great charity. We had a great party last night, got 4 hours of sleep and now I start the long journey home.
Kerala, India
Day 13 we made it, well kind of... We pulled into the Taj Kochin which is a 5 star resort in the tuk. You should of seen their faces when we pulled up they were like "i don't think so" you must have the wrong place but after a couple of minutes and a delicious drink waiting for us we were welcomed to a beautiful place. We just need to go drop off our tuk, which well probably do later or maybe tomorrow since the pool is calling my name. Just near 3000km in total which is 1860 miles. Which is like driving from Seattle to Chicago at 40mph with crazy Indian drivers trying to kill you, and that's no joke. It went by fast but gosh parts were hard. We had some great times and built some great memories. Rupert now wants to do the ice run which is a motorcycle and side car across Siberia in the winter. I said he was crazy, but ask me in 5 years lol!....
Karnataka, India
Day 7. It's half over I can't believe it. We had a great night last night played some cricket with some locals and set off early to bed, because we left at 630 am this morning. 10 min after we set off we got a flat tire luckily we had a spare we were lighting quick and changed it within 10 minutes. We then found a tire repair guy and got a new tire for $6. We set off again but then heard our muffler rattling so we stopped again and noticed the nut on the bolt holding the muffler fill off, so we set off to find a nut which we did, not long after. The repair man also gave us an in where we could get the transmission fluid changed so we then set off to find a mechanic after a while we found some very nice guys who helped us find a mechanic, get a lube and brake job and set off for $3. Its pretty funny here because of my height everyone wants a picture next to the tall white guy. Im thinking of starting to charge for photos. Lol We'll be walking along all the sudden people will start recording us with their phones. Its pretty funny. O well..... Landscapes change so quickly here from dry desert to lush forest to palm trees and sugar cane..... We hope to swim in the Arabian sea tomorrow and find some drinks with umbrellas. We're 3/4 of the way and have done 3000km, we now have 7 days to take it easy on some great beaches. More later
Maharashtra, India
Day 6 we had a day off hell driving yesterday so today wanted to take it easy and have a day of rest. We left panvel got on the expressway and just about immediately got pulled over by the cops who told us 2 and 3 wheeled vehicles are not allowed on the motorway. We had to either wait or pay a fine, he tried to get us for $40 but I offered him $20 he took it and said welcome to India. O well got us back on the road. We then started up this steep mountain and our tuk started to make an awful noise we decided to turn around to a mechanic we had just passed. After some pointing and sign language we got our muffler tightened and our frame welded.we were off again we only did about a 100 km but we wanted to see some Buddhist caves carved in the side of the mountain and just relax we found this decent place in Karla and got a room and went up to the caves which were pretty cool caves carved in the side of a mountain 100bc. One of which was huge with really cool statues carved in the rock, we then had a excellent lunch and are just relaxing getting ready for a long 350+ drive tomorrow.@
Maharashtra, India
Day 5 had an interesting night last night, which was totally random. we went down to the bar at our hotel for some food. we were the only ones in the entire place except for aprox 6-7 staff which were very interested in us. We sat at the bar and ordered some beers the waiter recommended a fish dish which was not on the menu we agreed. There were two bartenders just standing waiting for us to order. It was quite strange since the place was dead. It had just opened apparently. Our waiter told us that these were the best bartenders and if we wanted flaming shots, we said u mean on fire, he said yea, we first waved it off but he kept on Asking so we finally agreed next thing I know the bartender makes two shots sets them on fire and apparently is going to poor it down my throat. However I did not know this cause of the language barrier. Next thing I know he poors it down my shirt half in my mouth which is super hot and sets my shirt on fire. No one was hurt but it was quite hilarious, Rupert did his to follow but understood better and only ended up with 2nd degree burns on his lips. Two make up for it we did have an excellent meal. White fish with green chili sauce, it was great!!
Maharashtra, India
Day 5 woke up at 7am tried to leave but someone had stole our funnel so we couldn't fill up. After a couple min one of the hotel workers made us a new funnel, which works better than our original so that was a plus. We decided to try and get as far towards Pune as we could and we were making great time, Rupert was driving like a local and then we hit Mumbai traffic, It is absolute chaos. People going every direction there is no set method everybody just goes and if u hesitate youll get stuck not moving. So Rupert was weaving in and out then we hit a traffic jam he tried to fit between two dump trucks but that didn't work out so well, he got stuck up on the truck we then had to wait for the truck to move, we backed up and tried to get around the other side of the truck but then we hit the other side of the truck and got hung up again, it was really stressfull, then rupert gunned it and made some side ventilation in our top, no biggy that's what duct tape is for. We tried to make it to a resort near Pune but darkness set in and we've been there and have done that. So we found a decent hotel and stopped. Fresh showers and cold beer!
Gujarat, India
Day 4 Got an early start out of Udaipur. And set off on a nice highway. We decided to try and take a more direct route to Vododara instead of going through Amadabad. We saw a nice looking market in a small town and we were hungry so we stopped. We take turns wandering around so one can stay with the tuk. When I came back I found Rupert being mobbed by 30-40 men and boys taking his picture like he was a movie star, before I knew it we were invited to some guys house for lunch which was great, but it's pretty funny when ur eating and half the city is peeking in doors and windows to see the foreigners. It was totally random but an excellent experience. We are now in Vododara and we be heading towards Mumbai in the morning!
Rajasthan, India
Day 3 traveled some of the nicest roads yet a 4 lane highway with no traffic and no tuk killing potholes. The only funny thing was that Truck drivers would go down the wrong way on the highway so they could take the shorter exit saving them maybe 5 secs. So imagine traveling down a major highway with a divider and all the sudden you see an 18 wheeler coming at you. We just laughed and moved over cause that's all you can do! We then had to manage the smallest of streets to find our hotel in Udaipur, but when we made it we found a spectacular room lake front!!!! Well we are off to see the city... **#rr**
Rajasthan, India
day 1 of driving. We had a minor problem leaving with our throttle sticking, but a little roadside repair and we were off again. We drove 300km it took us 8hrs, two of which I spent driving in the dark, something I do not recommend in a tuk tuk, we only were ran off the road once by onc ** some text is missing **
Jaisalmer, India
spent yesterday getting a new battery to support our sound system and phone chargers, we both got fitted for some tradition clothes for the new years party. So far it's been very eye opening. Today a game of cricket and some final details to finish.
