Crossing the finish line

We made it!!! Yesterday we crossed the finish line at about 4pm!! We did pretty well to make it, having left Ooty at 6am. I thought maybe the last day of driving would be a chance to enjoy driving the rickshaw for the final time, get some good photos and relax a bit. But no. The roads were as unpredictable and dangerous as ever. The drive in the morning, down the mountain from Ooty, was beautiful. The misty clouds with the sun breaking through made for a few awesome views, which hopefully will be captured by the camera. Once out of the mountains we were on a mix of highways and rubbly roads all the way to Kochi. We are all so so relieved to have finished! And we can't quite believe what we have done. The journey has flown by, but it also feels as though it's been forever since we left Shillong. Last night we joined the rest of the people who have already finished for a beer in a bar. This was good fun, catching up with people you haven't seen for 2 weeks and hearing about their wild stories and telling them ours. There are still 50 odd teams yet to finish, so hopefully they'll all make it for tonight's festivities. Tonight it's the official finish party. Fraser and I are very excited to get dressed up in our Kurtas, we'll get some snaps to share with you all. More blogs to come.

Ooty

Today was a nice relaxed day without having to drive hundreds of kilometres. We all had a lie in, got up around 9am and went off in little groups to look around Ooty. Ciaran and I went for a walk down to the train station and then got some street food for breakfast - a pineapple curry! Then in the afternoon we all ventured into the markets in search of Kurthas. I found a couple that fit so I bought them and some "Tommy Hilfiger" loafers. Fraser also bought a Kurtha, his is very nice, a red and gold pattern which really brings out the blue in his eyes. We have been in contact with Michèle for the last couple of days, trying to get something organised at the school she's at. So this afternoon we went to the school. This was a really cool experience. We started off by taking some of the grade 11 and 12 boys for a rugby session. Some of them had played a bit of rugby before but most of them hadnt so it was interesting to watch them get the hang of passing backwards etc. They did well in the drills we did, then when it came to the game of touch all of the rules we had told them went out of the window and the ball was being throw forwards, backwards and sideways. They seemed to be having fun though so that's all that matters. We were then asked to give a presentation to some of the older kids on the trip that we're doing and the charitable element to it. They were all very interested in what we were doing and kept asking why on earth we were doing such a long trip in a rickshaw. Us being there as visitors was a much bigger deal than I thought it was going to be. I thought that we would rock up to the school in our tuk tuks, play some rugger and that would be that. But we were introduced to the senior teachers at the school, spoke to some of the grade 12 girls about our trip and then made a presentation to 70 odd kids and some of the teachers. It was a really nice experience. So we left the school around 9.30pm, a lot lot later than I thought we would have. We all enjoyed the school visit an awful lot and we're very grateful to Michèle for organising it for us. It was really nice to see her and see that she's getting on well. Tomorrow we're going to try and reach Kochi! We're aiming to get on the road at 5.30am latest and try to get to kochi. So tomorrow could potentially be the last day of driving our rickshaws!! It's gone so so quickly and we've had an unbelievable time. So hopefully tomorrow will be plain sailing and we'll make it to kochi. Nothing is ever that simple on this trip though, so we'll just have to see what tomorrow brings!

Trucking

Today was another eventful day! We left Mysuru at 7.30 and started the drive to Ooty. To get there we had to drive through a tiger reserve. On our way through the reserve we saw a few elephants which was really cool. There was a mum and a baby just feeding by the side of the road so we stopped and got a few photos. The tiger reserve spans over the border between two states, so when leaving the Bandipur national park and entering the Mudumalai national park we had to pass through a police check point. This proved problematic. We were told that there were no three wheeled vehicles allowed in the national park, despite us having just driven for serval km through the exact same surroundings. The police and forestry officers were very unhelpful and rude and wouldn't help us with directions or anything. We were determined to get through the check point as otherwise we would have had to back track 40km and then take a huge detour which would have meant reaching Ooty tomorrow. This desperation led to offering many bribes to the officers for them to turn a blind eye to us, but to no prevail. So we had no choice but to turn back. On our way back we saw a big truck that had no load. So we stopped the driver and asked if we could put our rickshaws on the back of his truck and if he would drive us through the national park, it was only like 8km or something. He agreed so we managed to get our tuks up on the trailer and headed back towards the check point. We hid in amongst the rickshaws, holding our breath, in the back whilst the driver explained to the officers that he would drop us outside of the park. Whatever he said to them worked and we got driven through the park and safely out of the other side. We then had a challenging drive through the mountains up to Ooty itself. It was a brilliantly winding road with some great views when we got breaks in the cloud. The road took us through lots of tea plantations which was really pretty. The only downside was the cold, it was bloody freezing! I had to put on trackies, socks, a jumper and trainers and i was still cold! So we arrived in Ooty around 6pm, found a hotel and grabbed some dinner. Tomorrow we're hopefully going to meet up with Michèle and see if we can do something at the school. And then in the afternoon/evening we'll head to somewhere halfway along the road to kochi!

Slow progress

Today was a slightly frustrating day. We made it to our destination of Mysuru but it took us a lot longer than expected. In the morning Ciaran drove their rickshaw to the mechanic to get it sorted and it was fixed and returned by 2pm. We left Bangalore at 2.30ish and made it 30 km before the first of the Aussie's break downs. We couldn't really work out what was wrong so we cleaned out the fuel filter and replaced the spark plug as it was a bit worn. This seemed to do the trick until a further 3km down the line they pulled up again. This time we realised that Ben hadnt screwed in the spark plug correctly so it had come loose. We tightened it and headed off again, only to stop another 5km down the road. Chris had a look at the carburetor and realised that the float wasn't working. So we found a mechanic and got that sorted out. By the time we eventually got on the road properly it was 7pm! During one of the breakdowns there had been a rickshaw driver helping us. He had a huge Indian flag attached to his rickshaw and decided it would look better on ours so gave it to me and Fraser! It was a beautiful addition but we were stopped by the police and told to take it down! Who would have thought that parading an Indian flag on Independence Day would be such a crime?! We didn't see too many celebrations about Independence Day actually. Probably because we were just on the highway the whole time. It's a shame, I think it would have been great fun to get involved in some festivities, but hey ho. Tomorrow the plan is to head for Ooty to see Michèle and hopefully get to do something with the children at the school she's working at. We're going to stop off at a national park en route too to see if we can spot any tigers! Peace and love x

It was going so well....

Before I write about today I want to mention something that I forgot to put in yesterday's blog. So we were stuck in traffic, to the far right of the road. And a cement truck thinks it can fit down the gap to the right of our rickshaw, between us and a ditch. It was very obvious to me and Fraser that it wasn't going to fit but the driver didn't seem to agree. He edged down the gap and his huge front wheel (about the size of our rickshaw) hit us and caught on the side, pushing us down to one side quite dramatically. We both started yelling frantically at the driver and he realised he'd made a mistake so backed up. But if he hadn't seen us I reckon that could have been the end of our trip, and it would have done some serious damage. So that was exciting, and there is no damage to the rickshaw, only some scratches luckily.

Onto today. We got up a little later and started to head through the hills, towards Bangalore. It was a lovely drive on a quiet winding road. We stopped a couple of times for photos and were making ok progress to Bangalore. Then, as we were approaching a high way, Ciaran went into a pot hole too fast and at too much of an angle. This bent the front axel and caused the tire to rub against the mud guard, so that got cut away. A couple of nice mechanics helped us to bend the axel as far as they could back into place. So we drove on with one of our rickshaws having a squint front wheel. It was now very dark by this point and 5 minutes after we had set off we ran out of fuel. So we filled up, the others came to talk, and we got directions from an Indian who spoke good English. As the others pulled off again, I was struggling to get any response from turning the steering handle so looked and saw that the front tire had had slow puncture and was now peeling itself away from the metal of the wheel. So the others had driven off into the dark and we were now stranded, not able to change the tire as we couldn't hold up the rickshaw and change it at the same time. We waited for a rickshaw taxi driver to sniff us out and no doubt, within 5 mins one had arrived. He helped us to get the new wheel on and we were then ready to go. Once we caught up with the boys they had been given directions to a nearby lodge. However when we arrived we were told it was full and so we had to move on. An Indian man on a motor bike came over and told us that he thought we should head to the Airport and use a hotel around there, as the high street ones are a bit dodgy in this area. He led us to the airport and then changed his mind, saying all the airport hotels would be fully booked, a bit suspicious. He then led us into the city saying that he had a hotel in mind. It was almost midnight by this point and we were driving on some very busy roads with not a lot of light. Ben was driving the broken rickshaw and fighting to keep it in a straight line. Eventually we arrived at the gates to a pretty swanky hotel, which we knew was going to be too expensive. Our theory is that the Indians who led us there will have got a commission if we had stayed there. Instead we found a hotel up the road that is perfectly comfy and a quarter of the price of the other one. It's now 7.25 in the morning and we've just got up to watch the Olympic 100m final. We're all very happy that Bolt won and now I think it's time to catch up on some more sleep. When we hit the road, our plan is to head towards Ooty. Depending on what time the Aussies get out of the mechanic we'll either make it all the way to Ooty or we'll stop in Mysuru and head to Ooty tomorrow. The Aussie rickshaw is just about to be taken to the mechanic, so please send in your thoughts and prayers!

Kadapa

We had a really good day today. But it didn't start so well. CT and Jollands' exhaust had cracked and so we needed to get that sorted. Low and behold a man cycles past with a gas welding kit on the back of his bike. So for 200 rupees they got the crack welded up and it all bolted back into place. We then made good progress inland, stopped for lunch and had a game of cricket with some locals which was a lot of fun! After that it was a straight road to Kadapa where we are staying, enjoying a lovely sunset en route. Tomorrow we're heading more inland again, aiming in the direction of Ooty! (Chris managed to avoid the human poo today you'll be glad to read!)

Human poop

400km later and we've arrived in Guntar. It has a similar feel to Burdwan, it's just a big, busy city. Today we spent all of our time on the highway...again. It wasn't the most exciting of days but we needed a big shift after relaxing a bit yesterday. So we travelled about 400km and are getting more and more excited about arriving in Kochi! The big news today however, involves Christopher Jollands. Today, Chris stood in human poo. Yellow. Human. Crap. The exhaust had fallen off his rickshaw so he was bending down to fix it and splat! It was pretty disgusting and did ruin the rest of the day for him. But we're already making jokes about it and he's seeing the funny side after washing his foot (Chris 'turd foot' Jollands). The Aussies and CT and Jollands both had their exhausts fall off today. Luckily the next village we came across had a mechanic and he fixed them both for 50 pence!!!! So that was a minor hiccup in an otherwise successful day! Tomorrow we're starting to head in land with the aim of getting to the west coast in a couple of days! Plans are floating around of a potential trip to the tailor's for matching suits for the finish line party.

Lots of love, The boys

We're still alive!

We're still alive don't worry! A lack of wifi for the last couple of nights has stopped us from blogging. We've covered a lot of ground recently. On Monday we travelled south and managed to reach the coast. We stayed in a grotty little holiday resort in Mandarmani. It was nice to see the sea and have a change of scenery, driving past countless rice paddies was starting to get a bit tedious. On Tuesday we headed down the coast to Cuttack. This was a pretty boring drive because it was just highway the whole way (and Fraser wasn't providing much in the way of banter...typical), but being on the highway meant that we made really good millage. Again it wasn't a great nights sleep, in a truck driver motel type place. It's very strange here - almost every hotel we go into is "full" when they clearly have rooms. They just look you up and down and say no. It's quite bizarre and very frustrating. So this motel had originally said they were full but we managed to get ourselves a rooms, and they were very cheap too. Wednesday was more of the same, just heading down the highway to eat up some distance. We finished up in a place called Baruva. This was again on the coast so we got another swim in. Going into the town to get some dinner ended up with us taking millions of photos , doing a bit of dancing and talking about cricket with all the local children. This was really nice, they were just interesting in us because we were different and wanted to talk to us! Today was a bit of a quieter day, arriving in Visakhapatnam at 2pm and chilling out for the rest of the day. We checked into a nice hotel with all 7 of us in 1 room, had a swim in the sea, grabbed a late lunch and now we're getting ready to do it all again tomorrow. So these past few days haven't been the most exciting but I think it has been good to get a big chunk of the journey done - we're now over the 2000km mark and just over half way to Kochi! We're starting to see a bit more poverty too now. Although there have been shacks etc wherever we have been, there are now a lot more beggars and people trying to sell you things than in the north. It's not the nicest of things to see but it's just another side of this amazing country! Hopefully we'll get some wifi tomorrow and we'll get another update up here!

Burdwan

A hectic 260 km saw the team reach Burdwan- undoubtedly one of the most intense places any of us have traveled to. The heat, busy atmosphere and lack of road etiquette all contributing to this bizarre but fascinating city.

Driving today was a mixture of break downs, constant petrol refuels and more horrendous driving from Indian bus drivers. Today however, the Indian bus drivers weren't the only ones causing issues. Goats, cows, dogs, chickens, pigs and more goats seem to have free roam of the roads. They create a video game like driving experience where you must constantly dodge them to avoid certain death for you and the animal.

We decided the back roads were a better option today to break up the monotonous motorways. We came across a small village as 'in the middle of nowhere' as can be. The occupants couldn't have been more pleased to see us- one of the real perks of this adventure!

Another big day of travelling tomorrow. The east coast beckons!

Over and out

Indian bus drivers....

Yesterday was a rough day. We travelled for 11 hours in total and made really good ground, covered around 290km. "There is a special place in hell for Indian bus drivers", whoever said that is absolutely bang on. They are crazy, overtaking when there is clearly no overtake on, forcing jollands and CT to take evasive action by driving off the road entirely!! Another one swerved out into our lane to overtake and must have missed jollands and CT by a foot or so, and then just zoomed on through. Another person doing the run thinks that the bus drivers own their bus, so the faster they drive, the more trips they can do, the more money they make. What made the buses worse was the state of the road, you're busy trying to avoid pot holes and suddenly a bus is thundering past you only a couple of meters away. But we survived! We stayed last night on the outskirts of Malda and the plan today is to keep pushing south. There is a problem though, Fraser has just come back from trying to start up our tuk tuk and is saying that it won't start...so we might not be going very far very soon...