Game Off

Sigh...

The last few days passed in a blur of sea, swimming, seafood and schoolyard frolicking. We blew the doors off an unsuspecting primary school with our remaining cricket bats and balls, getting mobbed in the process. Everyone was so full of goodwill that it was hard to come down from. Luke got so excited about a cricket game in back of the school that he forgot rickshaw 101. steep ramps and corners don't mix. The result, little ricky lying on his side , wheels spinning like a turtle on his back. Emily miraculously standing straight up surrounded by solid rickshaw, and luke lying on his side with a busted ass. No harm done. Instant Indian crowd phenonema turns out to be helpful for once, and ricky was sitting rubberside down in a matter of seconds.

We pulled into the finish line in true style. Getting lost and almost breakingdown in the process. It took 3 spins of Queens Bohemian Rhapsody to get us through the gate to the finish and..... No one there :( Still we found a few stragglers like ourselves and had a jollygood wrap party.

Post Rickshaw Stress Disorder has been diagnosed in all 4 members, each coping in different ways. BK resorted to taking another teams rickshaw for 1 last burn through town, L & S have consoled themselves with cherry ripes, and Em has resorted to beer and cigarettes.

Thank you all for your support and well wishes on the blog. Our estimates (broken spedometer throws things..) put us between 4500 and 5000 loooong klms with the ass bruises to show for it. Thanks to your generosity we've raised $1 per Klm of this crazy adventure. Welcome back to public transport :(

Until the mongol rally, keep adventuring!

 

SMS Update

Whatever blessing amin motors placed on our ricky has banished the agra fog mechanics curse. Exhaust and roof racks holding on with magic and bubblegum. Last nights accom had ants, roaches junkie lights and sporadic electricity, but they'd accept luke's tainted 100 rupes so game on. Bearing down on cochin, striking distance tomorrow. Saddle sore, salt watered and scantily clad. That's how we roll.

SMS Update

miracle 48 hours with no breakdowns, Worst roads, best chai, good miles, a dog with puss eye, a solar eclipse, body surfing the arabian sea. We've traded our deepheat for sunscreen with fog and frostbite a distant memory in our short pants! Leaking oil, don't care. roll on goa!

SMS Update

early start late, late finish. 20hour day. Notables: Free service at the dealer who catergorically denied possibility of 60 klms top speed. Still getting great mileage from newspaper article. Denied access to motorway by man with gun. Denied access to accommodation by man with aussie chip on shoulder. Met bollywood bobby, the nicest richest gayest indian in the land. He called me dude. L burns midnight and engine oil at pace. Cheese n rice!@

SMS Update

early start from jodphur via paper wallah to see our story. Can't read hindi. Assume it's complimentary. Big ks. 14 hour stint. Several breakdowns, unexplained stoppages. Frustration high. The bulkeley shortcut west is officially over.@

SMS Update

day nine. Awoke in the pink city, Jaipur. Sight seeing, oil-change and a short stop at an Americian local diner. A mario kart race out of town with the Vagabonds, they leaked oil, but not speed. The indian never never land ranch out of Ajmer lured us in, Hotel Califorinia anyone? Magician, music and minestrone, forced fun camp or India? Long uneventful days drive to the blue city. Photoshoot for local hindi rag with a washed up male model. @

SMS Update

Fog has lifted! Jaipur is on display!

Day 7 - Vagabonds

RAJASTHAN! Agra to Jaipur. breakdown. curses. sanity and logic defying. Bryan hits a wall. not literally, mentally.

Fog lifts to show us beautiful Rajasthan just long enough for camels, marble works and oncoming traffic, then shuts us down. again.

Made it to Jaipur after 1.5 turns of a screw clockwise. why? who knows. Ganesh?

Made it to Jaipur with a full head of steam and many tolls worth of rupees still in our pocket due to the facilitators jedi like mind skills over toll booth dwellers.

Met the Vagabondsin all their glory. similar tales of travels and woe told. turns out they were in agra but we couldn't see them for the fog. FOG!

Nearly midday, sun is out. Gotta go!

Photos to come next time the fog rolls in (half an hour maybe). FOG!

 

Day 5 & 6 - Tall Balls

Long day in the saddle with tempramental Rickshaw, like ricky pontings form, on/off, hot/cold. frustration is thick in the air, moral low. fog much? thicker than dirty milk water. breathing in like drinking. can't see horizon, sights, road, oncoming traffic!

Supply of cricket bats dwindling. many happy, some confused faces.

Arrived in Agra eo see the Taj. Couldn't. fog. FOG!

Sick day for the girls, shaw, and the guys. Many chores. Rickshaw fixed (for now) pills acquired. pizza eaten.New seat installed for the front sitters.

Hotel man (tall balls) chases us down for the missing beer on our tab. we assumed he was shouting. honest... Luke caught the Aussie victory over pak.

Incessant crowds appearing out of thin air still bemuse us. how? where do they come from!? The semi-circle factor?

2 minutes under the hood, and a crowd of indians nodding "petrol, australia, ricky ponting, fog, auto, kerala?, fog"

 

Day 3 - Rat Nose

Border crossing. all smooth sailing except everything. $5 USD to clear nepali border and 1.5 australian hours to wait for excessively meticulous Indian officiadom to clear Indian border.

Rocky Swift too swift. 1st convey lasted till 1st chai stall.

Shithole#1

Conference centre accomodation. bucket hot water and vermin included in price. Luke gets an early nmoprning wake up call from resident rat. little nose love kiss. booya! 5:30am - "Um, Sharon, you'll never guess what just happened. What? a RAT bit me on the nose!" EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. peeled out like fangio on fire...

Still feathering. engine likes us.