Bang and the run is done!

We were the 22nd team to cross the line on Friday at 12.45. The last day was just a really fun manic laugh from start to finish.  By now the nerves we all had at driving these roads with our stupid vehicles and other crazy road users had disappeared, only to be replaced by a sense of adventure and downright reckless abandonment. This was the last day and everyone was using it to try out all the things on the rickshaws that had the possibility of leaving us a tad hurt.  We tried a bit of on the move driver changes and Rickshaw surfing in front of camels, but some of the other teams upped the game and did an entire crew change from one rickshaw to another, traveling at 50km/hr, brilliantly funny to watch, we doff our caps to you sirs. 

We reached the city and made for Jaisalmer Fort which hosted the finish line. We inscribed our names onto the big board of team names that adorned the city walls and headed for some victory beers. The chaps at Deloitte sponsored all the beers for the Friday night party which was great, thanks chaps.

Another amazing trip, we've ridden and swam with elephants, rickshaw surfed, traversed 2 countries, met loads of locals who loved us, and the odd one or two that didn't,  broke down at least 100 times, ate countless curries and seen amazing stuff every day, this trip is awesome and a brilliant way to see the true heart of India, not to mention that the total amount raised between all the teams stands at 110,000 pounds which can make a real difference to the communities that Frank Water helps.  Thank you yet again to everyone who sponsored us, give yourself a hearty congratulations and walk around with a smug glow for the rest of the day, you really do make a tremendous difference to some of these communities.

**Some random stats:**

Distance covered - 2500km

Crashes - 2 (minor ones)

First breakdown - On the start line and then a serious one at 9km

Breakdowns - 100+

Shortest distance covered in a day- 41km (in 8 long hours) 

Biggest distance covered in a day- 386km

Animals spotted - Elephants, Camels, monkeys, town cows, town pigs, snake in a basket, gekkos, and we think we heard a tiger

Most people on a rickshaw- 11 with only 4 on the inside! (This was particularly brilliant)

Bring me my Jodphurs!

Vannessa has now been properly serviced and running smoothly.  I kinda miss her wheezy spluttery anger, and the buzz of knowing that you could break down at any time, but it had to be done so that we can make the finish line.  Yesterdays drive was the second longest of the trip as we made our way from Jaipur to Jodphur and its beginning to get hot.  It should get hotter again tommorrow when we head towards the Jaisalmer, and the finish line of this crazy adventure. We had split our usual convoy of Rickshaw Raj for the trip to Jodphur as we wanted to stay another day in Jaipur so we were on our own and hoping that we disnt break down, luckly all was smooth and we have started to really push the new Vanessa to see how fast she can actually go. We usually sit about 40-50km/hr but with the newly service macine she was puing over 55 and towards 60 in parts.  Our highest spped so far is 68 but that was freewheeling down a mountain in Nepal.  Coming into Jodphur we were greated with the sight of a tailfin of a Pakistani aircraft that was presumably shot down and displayed for all to see.   The highlight of yesterdays drive was sitting in a queue of traffic when a chap came across with a wicker basket.  We thought we was going to show us something to buy but when he removed the lid it was a snake which didn't look amused at having sat in the dark.  He said something in Hindi that we presumed was asking for money, we wern't sure whether it was to buy the snake, to pet the snake, or if this was a Indian style hold up saying 'give me your money or the snake gets you!'  We refused his kind offer and made a quick get away. We made it into our hotel which is really nice the Dewi something and it seems to be the hub for Rickshaw runners as a total of 5 teams turned up.

We're taking a day off today to view the city fort which is supposed to be amazing and hopefully to buy some rediculous outfits for the finish line if we can find something suitably stupid. Tomorrow it'll be another early start as we push towards the finish with the Rickshaw Raj lads.  As it's our last driving day tomorrow its our mission to get a few random videos created and have a bit of a laugh driving before we have to hand over the keys and say goodbye to this brilliant piece of engineering!

Jaipur - Chillaxing

We're having a day off in Jaipur today.  Vanessa needs fixed badly if we're going to make it to the finish and we're wrecked so we needed a  chilled day. Staying in the madhuBan Hotel which is decent for the money and we've got  a fixer 'Ali' who has taken us in a tour around the city and arranged for our Rickshaw to be fixed, along with showing us where to eat.  Its getting a complete overhall so all my stupid fixes will be no more, but hopefully it'll run at top speed for the last few days so we can power our way to the finish. We've done some touristy stuff today and seen palaces and stuff but after a few hours i'm ready to get back on the Rickshaw and experience the mental rollercoaster ride that is driving in India. We're nearly used to all the mentalness of the India driving style and seeing oncoming vehicles on the moterway is no longer the fear filled suprise that it used to be, but the cities are still mental no matter how many times you do them. Weaving in and out and going down the road side of the street is now just normal and fun, i'll miss the lack of traffic rules and anything goes attitide when were back in Norn Iron.  Big day tomorrow to Jodphur and it should start getting a lot hotter as we approach the desert which probably wont help the rickshaw as it breaks down and crys any time there is any mention of heat. -Keith

 Anyone who hasn't donated yet and wants to can do so at [http://www.justgiving.com/rickshawrunseptember2010](http://www.justgiving.com/rickshawrunseptember2010)

And its raining again....

After yesterday which was our first breakdown free day spirits were high for Vanessa.  This was quickly shattered by a first half hour which involved vanessa sounding like a tractor and having another crash. 

Woke up at 5 for the Taj Mahal, not a bad way to start monday morning! It unforntunately was belting it down and you have to take your shoes and socks off to go in, fun.  Amazing sights.  We then tried to get out of the city but one of the roads was blocked due to flooding. We sneaked up a side alley only to be confronted with a manic queue where the strong survied and the weak perished.  We had a game of chicken with a car which we won on points, but he suffered a broken bumber, and we both had a bit of paint damage, but if your not willing to play indian rules then you shouldnt be here!

Vanessa started to sound like a tractor and we stopped to fix our broken exhaust. It now starts to vibate violently if we drive between 45-50 km which is our usual speed.  Vanessa started breaking down again 65km outside Jaipur so we decided to go into Dousa, this is the first town where we felt pretty intimidated, its a local town for local people, we got the vehicle fixed asap and got out of dodge. Got stopped on the way out by the police and army and taken into a side room which was an experience.  It seemed pretty dodgy but in the end we got away with no 'fine' and got down the road to Jaipur as fast as our ailing Vanessa could take us.

 On a postive note only seen about 3 crashes today instead of yesterdays record of 8. Also the broken bone count is at zero and with only about 5-600km left what possibly could happen! Also in a completly different note I want to try Rickshaw surfing and we need to get a video of the on the move driver swap which is emense crack and violates every heatlh and safety law there is. -Keith

Get Some India

Another tough two days travelling, we left vernasi on Saturday morning after taking a sunlight boat ride on the ganges and pinned it to Kanpur.  We had lost our fuel cap and nothing opens to 9am so we offered to buy another indian rickshaw drivers off him for 100 rupees, awesome deal!  Vanessa has now completed her first ever day with no breakdowns, although she now does sound like she has an extreme week long course of bensons and hedges, and the carb sensor is still broke so she leaks loads of fuel. The spark plug holder is now been redesigned and my combination of stones/duct tape/cable ties is emense. We're not really sure if vanessa will make it or not but she's a fighter, and has got bags of spirit so she has a chance. 

We were stuck in a traffic jam today and Trevor created our first crash by driving into a stationary lorry bending our frame and messing up the canopy a little bit.  I got intervied by channel 7 news for Indian tv which was good fun considering they asked questions in Hindi and I answered them in English.  We are currently in a hotel that overlooks the Taj Mahal drinking beers and talking nonsense about the trip with Rickshaw Raj. We push on to Jaipur tomorrow and we might have a day off, as it'll be another tough day and we're making decent progress.

Also cheers to everyone who sponsored us, the total for ur team is over 1740 pounds and for all the teams is an awesome now 107,000. Thats 107,000 people who will have fresh clean drinking water for life, give yourself a pat on the back people! (and if you haven't sponsored us its obviously because you dont know the address that i've handly put next. [www.justgiving.com/rickshawrunseptember2010](http://www.justgiving.com/rickshawrunseptember2010)  -Keith

 

 

[](http://www.justgiving.com/september2010rickshawrun)

Look, I am your Bajaj

Okay, seems like alot of teams around varinasi today bumped into the 3 irish teams at the top of a temple looking over the burning bodies beside the ganges .