We did it .....now where's the beer .....oh wait !!
3100km, 3 punctures, 1000 selfies, 2000 piss stops, god knows how many refuels and we've made it completely unsupported!!! Big thanks to everyone that has sponsored us to do this it's been an absolute blast and an experience we'll never forget....... now pass me a celebratory beer .... oh no wait what? It's good Friday so all the government booze outlets are closed ..... FML mango lassi it is then!! ![Uploading file...]()
Ahhhh push it ..... push it good !!!
Early start ......again!!!!! The end is in sight. Currently on possibly one of the most unspoilt beaches I've ever seen in my life!! 350km left to kochi so we have made the brave decision to push Noel and open him up tomorrow. All being well we will be able to get to a hotel in Kochi tomorrow night before triumphantly boarding the ferry to fort kochi on Thursday and cruise into the finish line!
Back in the saddle
After our well deserved break in Goa it's time to get back on the road and start the final 800km to kochi. Noel is still running well even if he did sound a bit grumpy first thing for leaving him for a few days. The selfie request count is now up to about 250. We have also come up with a new technique for police check points as there were quite a few attempts to stop us...... just smile, wave and keep on driving .... even if they start shouting and blowing whistles.... eventually they stop caring and leave us alone!
Beach time!!
We have made it to Goa!!!! Noel (The affectionate name for our tuk after the sensible one in oasis) has been an absolute dream since day one so far and driven us over the amboli ghat road and down into Goa with no problems whatsoever!!! Last couple of days have been hard graft and early starts so we plan to give ourselves a couple of well deserved days off before continuing to the finish line at Kerala.... Come on Noel you can do it!!!!! ![Uploading file...]()
The longest day!
Longest day driving yet. Early leave from Nashik at 0630 and ate up the miles on the way to Pune seeing one of the other teams on the way. Pushed though Pune and headed south to hopefully set ourselves up to cross the western ghats into Goa tomorrow. We were starkly reminded today how we must keep our wits about us. As we were letting the tuk cool on one of our chai stops there was an almighty bang and we witnessed a fatal road accident only 20 meters from us, the minivan ended up on its roof and locals were quickly gathered round to flip it back over followed by the arrival of ambulances minutes later but a very stark reminder of the dangers of the roads we are driving.
When 2 hours turns into 7!!
Nothing much to say about day 4 as we got the hell out of godhra and chewed up the miles before staying in the city of Surat overnight. Today we planned to get out of the booze free state of Gujarat before headed as far south from nashik as we could get ..... however India had other plans and the road to nashik, which started out ok soon turned into a hilly, rocky, off road journey from hell! What should have taken 2 hours, took us 7!! The tuk is shaken to bits and we are surprised it managed to make it unscathed to be honest. However, on the plus side Nashik is Indian wine country  and we are back in land of post driving drinks :)
Today we learnt that a selfie is valid currency in India
Day 2 of the rickshaw run. Early start for SSG+T and our first full day of driving. Aiming to reach Udaipur we had quick breakfast and on the road out of Barmer early doors towards Sanchore followed by route 11 towards Mt Abu. First stop of the day was something special, as we were waiting for the rickshaw to cool down a lady passing by invited us for chai in their village. Quick 1km walk back from the road and we are invited in to meet the whole family plus kids who are goldsmiths making ornamental necklaces for weddings and special occasions. Showed the kids pictures of my own daughter my phone which they loved, although one poor young boy was wheeled in to see the English travellers and took one look at Pete and burst into tears!!! After some lovely chai we set off on our way waving goodbye. Rickshaw ran well and we have learnt that a selfie is valid currency in India, cruise up to a toll booth and ask how much? "one selfie with you", cup of Chai? ... "one selfie". Realised as the day went on that we weren't going to make udaipur by sundown so changed our route and headed south planning to meet up with another team but got pulled by the police in mt abu road asking for our papers so ended crashing in a hotel halfway down a valley on the border with Gujarat.![Uploading file...]()[gallery] Drag and drop images you wish to upload within these gallery tags. [/gallery]
Baptism of fire
Great first day .... some high points... some low. Made some good ground out of the launch and got to grips with the rickshaw quickly. First stop off to let the engine cool down was unreal, me and Pete wandered off to get some water and left Tony in charge of the tuk, 30 mins later came back to Tony surrounded by 40 very inquisitive locals and looking very uncomfortable. At that point one of the locals points out that we have a flat tyre. Quick pump up at the local mechanics and we limped out of town to change it for the spare whilst filling up with fuel. Got the tyre repaired in the middle of nowhere which took about an hour before pressing into Barmer and deciding that we may not make it to Sanchore in time. Locals relatively friendly apart from some little b****** kids who pretended to want to high five us before revealing stones the size of my fist and chucking them at us clattering the tuk and catching me square in the jugular! Good day ...... only 2820ish km to go?!
Ready for the off!
Team SSG+T are ready for launch day. Spent the last couple of days getting to grips with how to drive the beast and have also done some "pimping", mainly decorative stuff and some new seat covers with extra padding for the road along with useful stuff such as petrol cans. Journey starts at 9am tomorrow morning ..... let's do this!!!!!![Uploading file...]()
Rajasthan ✌
3 mates from Cheshire who decided over a pint of jaipur that the best way to have a midlife crisis is to try and kill themselves in a rickshaw. With an unhealthy love of gin and an unquenchable thirst for nonsense and adventure, they are hoping to ride the crazy wave of chaos that is .... THE RICKSHAW RUN!!!
Forest Gin is an exceptional, award winning spirit which is distilled in small batches at our distillery here next to the glorious Macclesfield Forest. We are a truly family company. Lindsay & Karl Bond are the husband & wife team in charge of the still, bottling, management, sales & shipping. Harriet Bond (aged 8) is the BOSS. She leads all foraging missions, and is an expert in knowing the best spots for juicy bilberries & ripe raspberries. Hattie would actually prefer it if you did not buy our Gin, as any left over berries end up in her porridge every morning. Our goal is to make the best tasting Gin that we possibly can, from the finest locally sourced ingredients where possible. We do as much as possible by hand - right down to the bottling.
At Fever-Tree, it's all about taste. Which is why co-founders Charles and Tim have travelled to some of the most remote, beautiful (and dangerous) regions of the world to source the highest quality natural ingredients from small specialist suppliers.
