<p><font color="#808080" face="verdana,geneva" size="2">Yes, it's something daft again. Not content with ragging hatchbacks across the <a href="http://www.battlestarfiesta.com/index.html" target="_blank">Gobi</a> and the <a href="http://www.battlestarafrica.com/" target="_blank">Sahara</a>, it's now time for the Himalayas, the deserts of Utar Pradesh and the mangroves of Kerala. Yes, it's Nepal and India and, without enough time to ship in a fleet of Fiestas, it's an auto-rikshaw (Tuk-Tuk for those of you who spent your travelling years chasing ladyboys in Bangkok). Life, limb and relationships are going to be tested on a 1,700 mile odyssey from Pokhara in the foothills of the Annapurna mountains to Cochin on the hot baking beaches and backwaters of Kerala. <br /></font></p><p><font color="#808080" face="verdana,geneva" size="2">Auto-rickshaws for those not in the know are the mechanicals of a cheap Chinese motorcycle bolted into the frame of a Silver Cross pram with all the engineering skill of an X Factor contestant.&nbsp; The result is a three wheeled death trap barely suitable for shuttling tourists around Mumbai let alone heading off through mountains, deserts and highways. It is not, I guarantee, a two wheel contraption that one of us has to pull along. We're nowhere near that stupid. <br /></font></p><p><font color="#808080" face="verdana,geneva" size="2">As ever, part of the motivation lies in trying to raise a goodly amount of cash for charities, so your support would be much appreciated. As you would expect, not a penny of what you contribute goes towards paying for the trip, with all of your hard-earned going directly to the charity and, if you're a slave of Satan / UK taxpayer, Alistair Darling will twitch an eyebrow and contribute an extra percentage simply for choosing to tick the Gift Aid option. Just have a look at the charities page and bob along to either of our Justgiving pages - <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/gogojuce/">Mercy Corps</a> or <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/gogojuce2">Maiti Nepal</a>. </font></p><font color="#808080" face="verdana,geneva" size="2">We set off on New Year's day 2010 and, as with previous efforts, we will be endeavouring to send back a daily blog of our tribulations. It may be cleaner than last time but there's no guarantees. <br /><br />Jo and Bruce</font>