The..... What Run?

**The Rickshaw Run? **

You've not heard of it? Oh it's this gloriously silly idea where teams take part in a two week charity rally across India, aiming to raise as much money as possible for Cool Earth, a climate change charity, and Autism Together, a Merseyside based charity.

So, India? That country with some of the world's most dangerous roads? Yes, that one.

That mystical land of over a *billion* people, invoking images of beautiful temples, tigers in the jungle, sacred cows wandering the roads, curry and the delight known as "delhi belly"?

Yep. *That* India.

As if this wasn't ridiculous sounding enough (and trust me, my mum still isn't convinced), we'll doing the whole 3000km's of the journey in a device known as an auto-rickshaw, or a tuk-tuk.


Yep, something like that. 3 wheels, a 7hp engine and a top speed of about 35mph.

**...But how?! Why?!**

How did the entirely preposterous come about?

A few years ago a Kiwi guy i travelled Myanmar with, Chris, went off and had the adventure of a lifetime doing the Rickshaw Run himself. I remember watching his video and thinking it was amazing. Then i thought nothing more of it.

Life went on as normal, and then earlier this year i was working in Greece and got chatting to one of my travellers, a lovely girl called Coley, who had heard of the Run as well. [Coley](https://www.youtube.com/user/BonjourColey) told me to check out a wonderful 4 part video on the Rickshaw Run by [JacksGap - Rickshaw Run](

I watched it on a day off, and was instantly hooked. I desperately wanted to do to this. My thirst for adventure has gotten more and more ridiculous since i started globe trotting six years ago.

**How are you going to drive all that way?!**

But i knew i couldn't do this alone. Who could i enlist to go on this entirely ridiculous adventure? This exercise of the absurd? I took to Facebook to find some team members. 

I ended up suggesting the idea to my long time friend and partner in crime Rick Forster, who jumped at the opportunity.

**So why're you doing this again?**

Well, besides the thrill of it, and the adventure of a lifetime - we're looking to raise some serious money for charity. The first great cause we're looking to raise money for is selected by organisers [The Adventurists](http://www.theadventurists.com/rickshaw-run/), is [Cool Earth](https://www.coolearth.org/). Cool Earth is a charity that works with indigenous communities who live in rainforests. Places they've lived for centuries in the same fashion, but due to global warming and deforestation - a direct result of our desire for natural resources - a rapidly falling down around them. Cool Earth puts money back into the hands of these communities in a variety of projects.

But we also wanted our efforts to count for something at home. To affect the lives if every day people in our own community. And so we got in contact with [Autism Together](www.autismtogether.co.uk) who were ecstatic to be involved in this project. This was a cause that was close to both our hearts, Rick used to be a worker with them and I have a neighbour who has the condition, so we were happy to make this our personal choice of charity.

**This is AWESOME!**

I know right? We set off in just over *three* weeks* to Fort Kochi in the Indian state of Kerala to start the preparations for our faithful steed.

**How can we help?**

Of course, kind words of encouragement, and cries of "You're crazy!" are appreciated, but they wont do anything to change the lives of the individuals that we want to help! No, the best way you can help is to [DONATE](https://www.justgiving.com/teams/fortukssake1). It doesn't matter how much, big or small. Even the price of buying a pint. Instead of buying that pint, or buying those mice pies which will just thrown away anyway, do something that will make a difference this Christmas!

That's all for now!

Tom