Day 13 Completed and finished!!!
We drove around 700km. From 4am to 11.30pm.
The journey was long and difficult as we faced many obstacles such as: dirt roads, thunderstorms and the night.
During the day, we had smooth sailing as the light was kind to us and highways were mostly empty.
There was one hairy moment where we were held at Stick Point. What we mean by Stick Point is a man holding a giant Stick and threatening us. He blocked the path ahead with motorbike and walked towards us with his menacing stick. We didn't know what he was saying but managed to get out of the situation by giving him chocolate biscuits.
The next (And probably most dangerous) part was the driving through the night....through a thunderstorm. Setting the scene: we were 100km away from the finish line. It's 7.30pm and night was coming. We made a group decision and headed towards the Jaisalmer in a final sprint. 10 mins after our decision, a thunderstorm was brewing, the clouds erupting with Thunder and Lightening. We had a brief chat to decide whether to proceed or not...we chose the former.
The Night was pitch black. The Currybean was the lead Rickshaw and the Naan following closely behind. The lights on a rickshaw are weak and do not shine well. Plus oncoming cars would blind us with their headlights, making driving almost impossible. After 30km into the Night journey, the Currybean's electronics all die. We can still drive but no lights, no windscreen wipers, no indicators, no charge to illuminate us. Luckily, we were prepared and had headtorches. 2 guys would hold the head torches and illuminate the road for the CurryBean. Thanks to this, we manage to continue.
50km away from the destination, we decide to stop, turn off all the lights, and gaze into the starry skies as the thunderstorm has disapated. We had never seen so many stars before. It was wonderful.
After that moment of calm and beauty, we continued along the journey. We arrived at the Palace at 11.30pm, shattered and relieved that the Pirates had conquered the night!
Also that we had COMPLETED THE RICKSHAW RUN!!!!
We will now rest and party before we depart Monday. Thank you for everyone that has been reading our blog and supported us through this. It has truly been an amazing experience and India has been a Wonderful and weird place.
If I had to leave a quote about India, it would be the following: "Even in the Chaos of India, you can find order and peace"
Day 13....starting right now.
It is 4.15am and we are about to head off. We need to do 611km to jaisalmer....we are gonna sprint it to the end
Day 12
The Currybean got repaired. Had a a broken coil in the Main engine...but then was broken again as we went to the hotel as the Naan was left at the Mechanic's. The reason this time was because the stoney road at the hotel shot stones into the engine and broke the internal fan.
The Naan had a broken gear box and was getting a part shipped in from the town next door which is why we had to stay an extra day.
Day 12
The Currybean got repaired. Had a a broken coil in the Main engine...but then was broken again as we went to the hotel as the Naan was left at the Mechanic's. The reason this time was because the stoney road at the hotel shot stones into the engine and broke the internal fan.
The Naan had a broken gear box and was getting a part shipped in from the town next door which is why we had to stay an extra day.
Day 11 Uncompleted!!! :(
We were 5km on our journey at 7am when suddenly the "CurryBean" rickshaw stopped. This was our first major breakdown as we couldn't figure out what went wrong.
We took the Rickshaw to the mechanic and after 3 hours, he fixed it....then we asked him to look at the other Rickshaw. After an 1hour of dismantling the Gearbox, he told us the gearbox was cracked and needed to be repaired. It would take a day for the part to arrive.
On the way to the hotel, the newly working rickshaw made a large bang and then the engine cut out....straight after that we were hit by a monsoon. Luckily we were 10 meters from the hotel.
So 0km today and 1 (possibly 2) broken rickshaws.....
Day 11 Uncompleted!!! :(
We were 5km on our journey at 7am when suddenly the "CurryBean" rickshaw stopped. This was our first major breakdown as we couldn't figure out what went wrong.
We took the Rickshaw to the mechanic and after 3 hours, he fixed it....then we asked him to look at the other Rickshaw. After an 1hour of dismantling the Gearbox, he told us the gearbox was cracked and needed to be repaired. It would take a day for the part to arrive.
On the way to the hotel, the newly working rickshaw made a large bang and then the engine cut out....straight after that we were hit by a monsoon. Luckily we were 10 meters from the hotel.
So 0km today and 1 (possibly 2) broken rickshaws.....
Day 10 completed!
Today was a big day. Our task was nothing short of a miracle. We needed to complete 641km to Udaipur in 12 hours....in a vehicle that only goes 65kmph (if downhill)
The day started off strong, racing down the highway, weavingg in and out of all obstacles in front of our path. At midday we had done 240km....it was looking good.
It then took a turn where at around 5pm we had only done 400km....and it started to get dark. Knowing the terrors of driving at night (large spotlight shining in your eyes and blinding you, making you not see the road for a while) we decided to cut our losses and stay at Neemuch meaning we only completed 508km....133km short of our goal.
There was 1 mentionable thing that happened today, during a Rickshaw "Race" between the Naan and the Currybean, Joe's phone fell out the vehicle. We immediately stopped to try and go pick it up but by the time we got there, a truck and a car had run over it....the phone was roadkill.
Tomorrow we will try to head to Mount Abu but first we will do a last Mechanic pit stop to repair any outstanding damages.
Day 10 completed!
Today was a big day. Our task was nothing short of a miracle. We needed to complete 641km to Udaipur in 12 hours....in a vehicle that only goes 65kmph (if downhill)
The day started off strong, racing down the highway, weavingg in and out of all obstacles in front of our path. At midday we had done 240km....it was looking good.
It then took a turn where at around 5pm we had only done 400km....and it started to get dark. Knowing the terrors of driving at night (large spotlight shining in your eyes and blinding you, making you not see the road for a while) we decided to cut our losses and stay at Neemuch meaning we only completed 508km....133km short of our goal.
There was 1 mentionable thing that happened today, during a Rickshaw "Race" between the Naan and the Currybean, Joe's phone fell out the vehicle. We immediately stopped to try and go pick it up but by the time we got there, a truck and a car had run over it....the phone was roadkill.
Tomorrow we will try to head to Mount Abu but first we will do a last Mechanic pit stop to repair any outstanding damages.
Day 9 completed!
We awoke from our holy place is Deogad at 6am to witness a beautiful sunrise and the beginning of our journey to the Ajanta Caves.
Due to some technical difficulties with the "CurryBean", we had to make a quick pit stop to repair it's axle rubber circle thingy (Not great with the mechanical stuff)
After the repairs were finished, We headed for Ajanta Caves. It was a long journey but definitely a place to visit. Beautiful caves which have been hand carved in the 1st and 2nd century AD!
As the sun started to set, we decided it was time to go find a place to rest our heads, and ended up in Jalgaon
Here are some pics of the day:
(Sorry for the lack of blog. No internet for 2 days)
Day 7 and 8 Completed
On day 7, we left Satara and headed for a wildlife sanctuary but it was pouring down with rain! After about 2 hours of driving there, we realised we weren't going to get to see any animals, so we stopped off in a car park and got Dominoes.
After the Food, we headed for Pune and stayed in a 5 star hotel for 35 quid!! It was awesome.
Day 8 was a slow one. We left the hotel at around 12 and started making our way to the Ajanta Caves. We knew we couldn't make it in 1 day so we were about stop off in a little town called Newasa.....until a local told us not to due to gangsters running the town. This brave local then took us to a Holy Monstrary in Deogad. It was a really cool experience.
