We made it - and then...

Right then.

So right now I am nursing a small case of sunburn on my left shoulder - as a result of listening to Mark and deciding it would be a good idea to ride a scooter 55km north to the weekly markets on the berach. Oh well - so as you can probably tell - we are not sick of driving in India yet.

ANyway - just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has been reading, commenting, and donating.

We've had a blast - are still in Goa, and won't be back in NZ till the 9th of May.

At that stage we'll put up a full summary of the travels - lots more photos, and some comments about the absurdity of driving in India.

Until then - if you are interested in taking part, the Winter 2010 Rickshaw Run is about to accept sign-ups...

[www.rickshawrun.com](http://www.rickshawrun.com/)

Andy

Link to Photos

Hi One & All, We've had some issues loading photos so I placed some on face book. The public link is

[http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107367&id=681159618&l=1596cecfe6](http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107367&id=681159618&l=1596cecfe6 "Rickshaw Run photos")

And for those who are interested - we are in Pune - having illegally drive3n the expressway here this morning. Well how were we to know three-wheelers were not allowed?

Only 560km to go now - we think...

Those darn cheating kiwis...

So in the end we had to. After three hell days of constant breakdowns, watching accidents, and hot winds - we finally broke.

Last night got the shaw on a train to Kalyan- just north east of Mumbai. Now only 560km from the finish line - hoping to make it for Sat or Sun.

But she is making new, strange engine noises... and the battery keeps playing up. Why do we deserve this?

The Indian train bureaucracy was an adventure though- you have to book your tickets first - and then book your baggage - and then hope they have room for your baggage (in our case a rickshaw).

And to any other teams wanting to try this - make sure yuo take off the mudguards and one rear wheel - and then they fit beautifully through the cargo doors.

Toddlepip

a

SMS Update

major & 1 minor breakdowns but still truckin (at low speed) Any tuning tips? Loving the west Bengal roadhouse food & the helpful friendly people.. Cheers, TEAM KIWI

We made it to Shillong - the start is near.

Woohoo - so after some interesting flights, and a number of hair raising car trips, we have made it to Shillong (apparently known as the Scotland of the East - for reasons unknown).

But it is in the hills - the temperature is only 27, and there is very little humidity - which is great for us. Kolkutta was a killer - 33 degrees at night and the air was almost wet.

Luckily today we got to meet our 'shaw, and we even found a hardware store to sell us some paint. The stores here are all mad - but since we are in the northeast - the people are really friendly and actually helped us out by finding us the right store. So now our little 'shaw is decked out in a light blue undercoat, and red, black and white kiwis all over it.

Best of all though - we have discovered that there is going to be a cricket match against a local club team tomorrow (saturday) - so I will try and keep up the NZ pride in being beaten by a better Indian side.

Oh - and we have a few [new photos in the gallery ](index.php?mode=teamwebsites&name=teamkiwi&page=gallery)- but they won't add to the blog for some readon :(

Toodlepip for now.