Day 4-5: Indian 3rd Class

Day 4 started off as any day should... with Bram waking us up with a fresh coffee and almond croissant. Gotta enjoy the holiday moments when they present themselves :-) After updated Facebook, Instagram, our website, etc. etc. etc. (who would have thought it would take up so much of our time?!) little Felix came home for a little superhero time which we barely had time for before we had to finish packing and say adios to the Felix's and Valentina. They've been amazing and we thank them for all their hospitality! Gotta thank little Felix for lending us his Joker. We'll take good care of him. Off for another meeting with SOS India to pick up a few things to take on the way. They were nice enough to call us an Uber to get us the rest of the way to the train station. Bram was running low on battery but luckily the driver had a charger he was able to use. Our last taste of Delhi traffic but in the end we got to the station with a good hour to spare. Plenty of time to chill, get a bite, something to drink and maybe skate around a little... but damn... Bram can't find his phone!! Stolen? lost? forgotten?? What could it be?! Still charging in the Uber! Shiiiiit! All photos lost?? Fortunately Shivang from SOS India was the one that called for us and knew the driver so for a pretty decent "charge" of INR 500 we managed to get it back just in time to still catch the train. So the adventure really begins as it should... with chaos, running around like madmen but still getting our shit done in time.

Indian 3rd class isn't so bad. Well, maybe I should elaborate before you all tell yourselves you'll save some money on your trip to India by going 3rd all they way. It's 3rd class AC. 8 beds where in 1st there would be 4, 2nd would be 6 but (and it's really a BUT) non AC class 3rd would be more like the movies we all love with the people hanging out of the windows, doors and sitting on the roofs. Well, maybe not that bad, but close. 20 hours after boarding in Old Delhi, a few good street food meals later we jumped off in Jaisalmer. This historic Silk Road desert town with it's majestic hilltop fort, beautiful architecture and 40C weather greeted us. What an entrance going through the 400 year old gate up into a fort with this much character then up to a $20 a night hotel (not per person, for all 3!!) situated in the wall itself! Wards can't do this place justice! After settling in we headed for a quick look around, picked up some local garments for the launch party in a couple of days, then on to check out our wheels. Over the last few days the name of our rickshaw's become clear so we welcomed Lily into the Kohinoor Khiladis family. Proper introductions to follow. You know women, no pics before she's got her makeup just right (eyeroll).

After a nice dinner of pizza and some off green liquid with some kind of interesting balls (still not sure what it was) we headed back towards the hotel. Just had to make one pit stop along the way. No first night in Jaisalmer is complete without at least someone trying a Bhang. I volunteered which seemed only fair since I was the only one talking about it the whole time. Well, have to say I'm disappointed so far. The only effect I'm having is tiredness but had that well before the Bhang so no credit there. Will have to try a stronger batch next time. :-) Tomorrow we'll get the lowdown on how to handle her and care for her. Our Lily will get only the best treatment! ;-) On the fundraising side we surpassed the $5,000 mark on generosity.com site which is amazing! Thank you all for your support and keep it coming! Combined with what we've managed to collect in the bank account we're at just over $10,000 already with more confirmed donations to come! Just awesome!

[www.kohinoorkhiladis.ch](http://www.kohinoorkhiladis.ch)

Discovering Delhi

The day started off on a high and just kept getting better.

After uncle Bram, Dani and Ernie came along to drop little Felix off at daycare we headed for a much needed coffee and croissant then on to Old Delhi to discover the heart of the city.  Traffic was a little lighter than expected but in any other city it would have scared the crap out of you.  Once we had the car parked we headed over to the biggest mosque in India, Jama Masjid.  Being western tourists of course we showed up wearing shorts so had to cover up our pearly white legs... wouldn't wanna start a stampede of overly excited women so we obliged.  Got the full tourist treatment of paying for the camera and as leaving someone trying to get extra cash for "guarding" our shoes but that's part of the experience. [gallery] 

[/gallery] Outside the Mosque we hailed down 2 bicycle Richshaws to take up to the Spice Market.  As much as we tried they wouldn't let us drive more than a few meters ourselves though Bram did look like a natural.  Having gone a few minutes we couldn't blame them for not feeling safe in the back seat while a tourist drives.  Honking cars on all sides, auto rickshaws flying by, pedestrians snaking their way through the madness and a few holy cows hanging out in the middle of the street.  Pure insanity!

We were warned that the spices floating in the air is almost chocking so bring something to cover your nose.  I remembered last minute but Bram and Dani forgot so ended up sneezing their way through the Spice Market.  The colors, smells and people dashing back and forth with sacks of red chili peppers, curries, peppers, and who knows what all was a sight to behold.  A truly unforgettable experience.   

On the bike rickshaw back to the car we received a very welcomed call from the SOS office in Delhi.  We had tried calling the night before to set up a meeting but was already closed so their return call came at the perfect time.  We set up a meeting for later in the afternoon and continued on to the Red Fort to see how the kings of the 17th century lived.  After wandering about this immense compound and discussing different challenges which included RP 1,000 for the first that could hold hands with a local guy for at least a minute, who can charge the most money for a local wanting to take a picture with us (Bram's leading with RP 10) we hopped on a Rickshaw bound for the SOS meeting.

The street name system in Delhi is, well, in one word, weird.  Sector, letter and then number.  Could also be East and West sectors.  Even the taxi drivers get confused.  Long story short after ending up in A sector East instead of West we finally made it to the right address.  Being shown into the meeting room and our first sweet Indian tea with milk (delicious by the way) we met Shivang and Sonia from the Communication team at SOS India to go over what we're up to with the Rickshaw Race, how our fundraising is going and how they can help via their social media channels, and more.  Was fantastic to meet them and hope we can stay in contact through the next 2.5 weeks. ​​ After another action packed and productive day in Delhi we headed home for a quick shower and a little superhero time with Felix Jr. we had a night out with Felix & Valentina.  Our second fantastic restaurant where we meet a friend of Felix (Sr.) who's name was... you guessed it, Felix :-D  This Felix is from Sweden though but still, how many Felix's are there in Delhi?!  

Dinner and a few drinks, which included my first Indian red wine, a pretty good Cabernet Shiraz we headed to a nearby bar for a little apple shisha and Kingfisher before calling it a night.

Tomorrow the adventure really begins so stay tuned...

Gettin' It Done

First day of venturing out into greater Delhi was definitely a productive one.  One goal today... get our friends at Brandeyes on board to do something awesome!   [gallery] 

[/gallery] To catch the short smooth traffic time between 11:00 to 12:30 we got to sleep in a little.  Gotta take advantage of every night in a comfy bed we can... and a little game of spoons with a teammate.  Pure luxury thanks to our friends Felix and Valentina... the best!

Day started with a relatively quick stop at a roadside kiosk to get local SIM cards so we can be connected on the road.  Bram and Dani had no problems but of course Apple being the douches they are I can't get one for my iPhone but well, guess I'll be bumming data time from them when I need.  What are teammates for, right? :-)

Then on to fundraising business with our friends at Brandeyes to see if we can do something special.  Monetary donations are what's needed for the basics... food, shelter, education, medicine, a loving home.  To make things more personal and bring joy to the kids we wanted to go a step further which is where Brandeyes comes in.  They're super excited about the project and want to help with a little package for each of the 140 kids in the Shillong village.  Details still being working out so stay tuned.

Then on to the local offices of Thakral Corp. who generously donated a truly amazing DJI OSMO video camera to document our adventure.  Super excited to see the footage we can capture with this bad boy.

Just when we thought the day was at an end and a delicious broccoli pesto with lemon chicken dinner waiting for us at home (thanks Valentina!) we decided to stop for a quick coffee.  Walking to the cafe we ran into a little street kid with an amazing smile.  We're told not to give money but instead food or drinks.  He didn't want money, only a chicken dumpling from the next food stand he pointed out with hope in his eyes.  How could we refuse?!  Little did we know and honestly we were kinda happy about this... his 3 sisters and mom joined shortly after so it ended up being an Easter Monday family meal.  Happy to think we helped, even if just for a short moment.

Then on to dinner, more superhero time with little Felix and testing out the new gadget.  

Day 2 and no Delhi Belly... I think we're off to a good start

Tomorrow's another day so stay tuned...

Reunited At Last!!

It's been a long time since these three crazy douches were caught on camera together.  A lot has changed since our ski weekend over a year ago.  Dani's arm got darker, Bram lost his entire upper body but luckily we found it again once he changed his shirt and Ernie... well, still the whitest Paraguayan around so not much changed there :-D  Maybe a few kilos slimmer and that's before Delhi's had a chance to influence things.   ​​ [gallery] Drag and drop images you wish to upload within these gallery tags. [/gallery] Dani and me arrived last night at about 1am.  Our friend and newest Kohinoor Khiladis fan was a star waiting until 2am for us to clear Indian customs.  Contraband cheese and meat made it so totally worth the wait.  

After a birthday rum or two and a good night of spooning we woke fresh and ready to take on India!  Well, for today was more taking on the massive and amazing breakfast prepared by Felix and Valentina, playing superheroes with little Felix only to have them tossed across the room because apparently the Joker's not a cool bad guy anymore.  Oh well, guess the Stormtrooper would have been a better choice.  Live and learn.

The team was completed with Bram's arrival this afternoon.   He took the scenic route via Dubai but made it in the end.  Now chill before we kick off the b-day evening with a typical Indian dinner and maybe showing off our Bollywood moves on the dance floor.

START FUNDRAISING

**TEAM KOHINOOR KHILADIS** **APRIL 1. - 16.** * [our fundraising](http://igg.me/at/6VXJj8OvNvM)* A friendship born in the mosh pits of Sziget music festival in Budapest taken to the next level... a mentally and physically demanding 2,700km journey through the north of India. Not in a luxury bus or private sleeper car in the famous Indian trains but in a 9 horsepower glorified lawnmower. Have we lost our minds you may ask… probably! Other than the pure adventure of this endeavor our main goal is a perfectly san one. Helping the most vulnerable demographic of society... Orphaned children in the developing world. For this we need your help!!!! Our objective is to raise $18,000 mangos for the SOS Children’s Village in Shillong, India. Why $18 big ones you ask? That would help fund the housing, education, nutrition, medical services and most importantly community and family for 50 orphaned kiddies for an entire year!! Naturally we can’t expect private donors give a whopping $18k. We’re working on corporate sponsorship for part of the funds but still need your help for at least $5,000! Plan is to bring a lottery winning sized cheque (symbolic only of course) to the village which is located near the finish line to personally see the project and experience firsthand where your money’s going and hopefully bring some goodies for the kids. Are you guys just asking for money and not opening your wallets?! Not at all! We’ve committed to donating approx. $5,000 of our own funds to the cause! “What’s in it for you?” you may ask. Do you really need more motivation than helping an organization that gives these otherwise helpless kids a real chance of making something of themselves. Ok, let’s sweeten the deal. We’ve already received more than $7,000 worth of Skullcandy headphones & wireless speakers, Astro gaming headphones & the best Argentinian wines you can think of for giveaways from anywhere between $35-300 value! Working on getting more praise donations but $7k worth of products and we’re only asking for $5k… what a deal and more to come!!!! Ernie Bergen Daniel Künzle Bram Schuurman

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