Day 15. Last but not least...maybe!
Day 15...Our last day on the road. We were hoping it would go pretty smoothly and we'd coast in to the finish line early afternoon but if India teaches you anything, it's don't count your chickens until they're hatched!
We had a another relaxed start to the day with a later start and full brekkie then decided on a little sightseeing on the way to Cochin.
We drove up to Hogenakkal Waterfalls stopping for the compulsory morning chai on the way at a cute little roadside cafe which was pretty fortuitous as it was right beside the hanging bridge and some more awesome scenery....and a playground for the more adventurous (some may say immature) members of our group.
We arrived at the falls, got our tickets and parked up thinking we'd all walk to the falls together. However, no sooner did we step out the left side of Larry than a band of thieving monkey entered the right! They were like fat girls on a cupcake! One managed to grab our sachets of oil but we got those back and after some yelling, shouting and flapping of arms, they were finally scared away...persistent little buggers! So the sightseeing had to be done in shifts with us taking turns to guard the tuk tuks.
The falls were amazing and are rightly described as the Niagara of India. Martin managed to loose his glasses somewhere down there so we think there's a pretty flash monkey out there wearing Mart's glasses and Graeme's undies!
Sightseeing done, we set our eye's on the finish line. Poor wee Larry had developed a rather worrying squeaky noise over the last couple of days which was progressively getting worse so it was not the relaxing drive in we were hoping for.
Graeme and I made it to the ferry crossing in good time and were waiting for our team mates to catch up when the dreaded message came through that they hadn't arrived yet because the boys had rearended the girls tuk tuk and both had suffered reasonable damage....this was 32 kms from the finish line! I had visions of poor squeaky Larry having to tow 2 tuk tuks to the finish. Now, we all know what an amazing machine he is but that may have even been a bit much for him!
Good news was no one was injured except a few bruises and sore necks/backs and they were able to limp to the ferry.
The ferry crossing went smoothly, all 5 minutes of it and less than a km down the road we all crossed the finish line in one piece...celebrations all round!
I think our band of tuk tuks were about 18th out of 78 so pretty good if I do say so myself!
It was a great feeling to have completed the run but sad taking everything off Larry and having to say goodbye to our reliable constant companion who carried us 3605 kms in 15 days with only a couple of hiccups and no crashes!
An added bonus was I got to tag about 20 other tuk tuks with the black fern and didn't get caught, taking my tally to 28 race tuk tuks and a local! I now have very black fingernails!
We finished the day with a curry and some excellent very cold beers...very happy!
We Made It....Beer Time!
We made it to the finish....yey!
Enjoying a few nice cold beers so will update fully tomorrow.
A Wee Bit of Info...better late than never!
I've been thinking...never a good thing...and some of you may be wondering why it's taking us 10 - 12 hours to cover around 300 kms and thinking that we're being lazy buggers and stopping for chai and donuts every couple of kms. I'd like to say that was the case but I'm afraid not. Now, Larry is an exceptional tuk tuk specimen but his top speed is about 55 km/h but if we drove him that fast we'd blow his piston so our cruising speed is 48 km/h on a good day and 43 km/h on a hot day. Poor Larry lost first gear early but we now have it back. His other issues include laryngitis (horn buggered) which is a major safety issue because we can't let other traffic know we're passing or coming through, no indicators, no back lights for the dreaded night driving, windscreen wiper not working (not a good thing in monsoon season) and his throttle getting stuck every now and then. Other than that, he is a wonderful wee beast who ploughs his way through traffic and goes where no tuk tuk should ever go!
Every night we stay in a different place so it's up, pack Larry and try to get out of town before the traffic...easier said than done. Graeme usually drives the first hour while I do the housework...hang any undry washing from the night before around the back and type up our blogg on my phone whilst we're travelling on bumpy roads going extremely fast...ok, 45 km/h...still, not that easy and with heaps of corrections that need to be made because I'm not that flash a typist...predictive text also doesn't help!
With around 100 kms to go there's not many updates to go so hopefully I'll be able to make them as interesting as possible...I may have to make some stuff up!
Day 14...Only a Stone's Throw Away...
Day 14....Today was probably and hopefully our last full day on the road with the finish line only a stone's throw away.
We started the day with a refreshing swim in the rooftop pool...a great way to start any day. We all seem to be much more relaxed and enjoying the later starts and brekkie before we hit the madness of the Indian roads. The further south we get, the flasher and faster the other traffic seems to be....Larry doesn't need to go fast, his good looks and charm are more than enough!
It's been really windy the last few days, kinda like a nor'wester in Canterbury! And just like the washing in Canterbury in a nor'west, we lost some laundry that was hanging in Larry out the nonexistent window...some poor local will now be the proud owner's of 2 pairs of Graemes undies!
Larry's throttle jammed again while we were driving downhill on the highway which concerned me greatly as I could see the piston blowing when we're so close to finishing but with some coaching from the back seat I got it to the roadside safely and in one piece. A quick fix and clean out of grit in the carby and we were back on the road.
We had a nice drive through some hills with amazing scenery even though it was a bit wet at times...no windscreen wipers or doors and windows is a bit of a bugger at times!
We nearly get run off the road and hit by traffic coming at us on the wrong side continually but today we had our first real near miss (I even took my feet down from the back seat and sat up properly to try make us smaller!) with a large bus behind, one either side and one coming straight at us! We do have go pro footage (which doesn't do it justice) that I'll put on Facebook and in the drop box...please excuse my language! Needless to say Graeme lost a third pair of undies today!
We rolled on in to Thrissur late afternoon with time to look at the local markets and shops...a first for the trip!
Also a first was a bar with really, really cold beer...we must be tired because Graeme only had 2 and me 1 which he had to finish...Don't say it, I know!
Heading to some falls and through a wildlife reserve tomorrow on our way to Cochin....hopefully we won't get eaten by tigers before we hit the finish line!
Day 13...
Day 13...Unlucky for some but a pretty good day for us. We started later to take advantage of the included brekkie for a good start to the day. Visited Fort Vellore which was really impressive on our way out of town. Took the main highways to get us closer to Cochin so we should hit the finish line by Friday morning all things going well...we're planning on a couple of shorter days travel and hopefully stay in Cochin Thursday night....unless Murphy interferes!
Highway driving is pretty monotonous but there's always something interesting passing by to amuse us...for the locals, that seems to be us!
Found a pretty cool play ground at a chai stop so I had a spin on the whirly-gig, a swing and a slide...not sure what Health and Safety would think of it but it certainly provided some entertainment for us.
Larry had a wee hiccup with a fuel blockage so we fixed that on the roadside like the Formula One crew we've become and got straight back on the road.
We clocked up another 300 kms yesterday and arrived in Erode after dark so there was a couple of hours of the dreaded night driving again.
Very impressed when we arrived at our hotel....it's getting better with each stop. Shame the pool was closed for the night but there's always time for a morning swim!
As seems to be the theme, the hotel didn't serve beer so Graeme and the boys took a local tuk tuk to try find some. They arrived back in one piece with beer that was a tad on the warm side. Now, usually any beer is good beer but when this stuff is cold it's average and when it's warm it's virtually unpalatable. Graeme struggled through his and I'm hoping for a fridge at tonight's hotel!
I think Graemes missing home a bit cos yesterday we drove past a couple of cows and be said "those are the best looking udders I've seen since I got here". Now what do you say to that?!
All told, another great day...can't quite believe that it's nearly over!
Day 12...4 to go...
Day 12. 4 days and about 600 kms to go if we manage to head in the right direction!
We had a pretty good day on the road with 236 km completed. The usual traffic on the highway...herds of cows, goats, mad truckers and bus drivers along with curious motorcyclists and motorists who like to circle you several times whilst driving, have a conversation and take photos. It's kind of like being in a mobile zoo! They're all really friendly and always interested in where we're from and where we're going...not sure travelling down a highway is the best place for a conversation but all bad ideas eventually seem like good ones here. Got caught in a few traffic jams which is always entertaining talking to locals and the La Monse style take off when the jam clears.
We were accosted by Hari Krishnas at the servo today....yep, they're everywhere!
Had lunch at a truck stop, no utensils...think we've turned native eating dahl, rice and some other unknown substance with our fingers! Found a real cafe in the afternoon and treated ourselves to an iced coffee with ice cream...yumo...small things ay! Met another team with a kiwi so tagged their tuk tuk with an NZ fern then a local driver fancied one too so I got to tag his tuk tuk...hope I'm not developing a tagging habit!
Accommodation sorted early so no stress there and even had time to visit the Golden Temple at night...it is amazing! No shoes, cell phones or cameras allowed.. searched more times than at an airport...And Graeme had to wear a skirt...I think he secretly enjoyed it!
Day 11...Legs Eleven!
Day 11. An earlyish start this morning at 0630 as we had to leave our rooms early...think there may have been a dodgy deal somewhere there but all good with us as it gave us a bed for the night.
A pretty productive day on the road clocking up just over 300 km on rural roads and some good stretches of highway. Not the most exciting scenery but it serves a purpose.
We got ourselves organized early today and booked accommodation for the night in Nellore. It felt good knowing we had a bed the night and didn't have to drive in circles to find some.
Larry had a wee issue with over revving at times but that seems to have sorted itself out....I think he'd just seen a couple of cute ewes on the roadside!
Going through a toll gate today that we're usually exempt from paying, one official (I use that term loosely) requested a kiss for payment...Graeme didn't seem too keen, not sure if it was his general appearance or his incredibly rotten teeth but we peeled out of there before he could insist!
I met a lovely family at one of our quick stops who invited me in, gave me a lovely cold coke and took some family photos...I think Graeme thought I'd been kidnapped...he couldn't be so lucky!
We arrived at our hotel to find it wasn't where it should be so after asking a couple of people I went in to one in that location to get directions to find that it was our hotel...it seems that the names of hotels can vary to what they are called on booking websites...go figure!
So there I was, extremely grubby after 10 hours in a tuk tuk, greeted by a very fancy doorman in a very nice hotel. I made Graeme stay with Larry until we were booked in so they couldn't say no...he looked worse than me! And they didn't seem too keen on Larry being in their car park at first but he looked right at home with all the luxury cars.
Graeme treated himself to a cut throat razor shave at a street shop in the evening and after hot showers we fitted right in....well almost!
We took in the local vege street market where we found a heifer wandering through helping herself to the produce...we were laughing too much to even take a photo...and the locals were laughing at us...think it must be a common occurrence!
Day 10...Double Figures!
Day 10...Crikey, I can't believe we've been on these crazy roads for that long... maybe my subconscious is blocking out the near misses which accounts for about 5 days!
Late start to the day so we could enjoy the hotel brekkie and a wee sleep in. Found Graeme up to his elbows in grease repairing everyone's CV boot with good old No 8 wire. Once that was sorted we finally joined the others for a great buffet brekkie. Pretty sure if it wasn't for Graemes ongoing maintenance checks and fixes we'd all still be in Shillong!
Thank goodness for the brekkie cos we had an exceptionally long day on the road through lot's of little towns, a few rough roads and a beautiful coconut grove at sunset....yes, night driving again...bugger! 14 hours and 356 kms later we rolled in to Machilipatnam to find there was no accommodation available. Apparently it's wedding season at the moment! Luckily a fanastic receptionist from one hotel took us under his wing and after a short, hair-raising trip round town for Graeme on the back of his motorcycle we all had rooms and dinner...yey! It's always awesome when you find someone who goes out of their way to help!
Day 9...Over Half Way
Day 9. Waking up to the sound of the sea is always a great way to start the day! We treated ourselves to another sleep in...it's becoming a bit of a habit but after the long, stressful drive the night before it was well deserved.
So, we hit the road at 0730 and it was pretty good driving on the highway albeit a bit easy and monotonous so we livened it up with a quick blat going the wrong way down it to get a photo of a pretty impressive statue being built.
Graeme and I found a drive through coconut stand on the side of the road...much more efficient than any McDonald's I've been to! I knew practising to drive whilst drinking a fresh coconut would come in handy!
Graeme then decided to use the multitool to cut one open in the back seat. Now, why you would use the plastic petrol container to rest it on is beyond me but the end result is a wee hole in it. I'd like to say that was the end but no, a bit later as I was discretely disposing of said coconuts, I managed to knock the container out of Larry altogether....never mind, it's useby date was done!
After getting a tad lost in Visakhapatnam trying to find a hotel (Google Maps again) we headed south and accidentally found a fantastic hotel in Anakepalle.
Never underestimate the power of a nice hot shower, comfy bed and air con! I think we may even smell and look human again! And yesterday we clicked over the 2000 km mark! Happy days!!
Dsy 8 (pm)
Day 8 (pm)....The ferry crossing finally happened just after 4 and was very cool...a really nice change from driving. The later crossing put a spanner in the works for our accommodation plans with nothing in the area where we left the ferry as it was completely rural.
We took off with a hiss and a roar to try to get to the next big town before it got too dark but after making our way down a few rural roads, past some very bemused locals and through a couple of herds of cows we decided we were heading in the wrong direction....hard to believe, I know! So, back we headed past the even more bemused locals, the same cows (they didn't seem bothered) and took some even more rural roads through even more bemused locals until we finally hit the highways however just before we managed that, Graeme noticed the boys battery hanging out the back of their tuk tuk before it disconnected and flung itself across the road. Interesting thing about tuk tuks is that they still go without a battery which we picked up and it's still sitting in their back seat.
Anyway, after some terrifying night driving down some rural roads and highways (I know, we said we'd never do it but needs must) we finally arrived at Gopalpur, a very nice seaside town for the night. Accommodation, food and beer all there....yey!
