Day 13: Calicut to Cochin

Buzzing the finish line was in sight, we headed down the highway towards Cochin! We drove past the junction we took off the highway the night before which was ridiculous really and have no idea why we thought it was the right way to go.

Very hot today though and we stopped for some freshly squeezed sugar cane juice... sweet, calorific nectar!

Entering Cochin was a breeze, the roads weren't that busy but trying to find the finish line proved difficult. dashing through the maze of streets we were eager to get to the finish line before it was locked up for the day... and we did! Finishing in 17th place at around 5.30pm or so. I've forgotten the 'official' time at the moment. 

Glad it was over but also gutted we won't be driving the Rickshaw anymore. We've become quite attached to our lil Nessie; its where we ironically feel safest in India! It will be emotional when we bid farewell (we can still see it just can't drive it).

Great to see some of the other teams, swap stories etc. and we've checked ourselves into a very plush little hotel, rooftop pool and jacuzzi, free wifi and use of the PC and breakkie included. Will be nice to have some luxury (for still very cheap!) for our last 4 days in India.

Loads to do here, lots of seafood to eat, elephant sanctuaries, wildlife/tiger reserves, rent motorbikes and drive down the coast, see the chinese finishing nets day trips, boat trips, market place and of course the finishing party! We'll see what we can fit in! We have access to this PC for the next four days so we'll keep you updated. Peace.

Day 12: Cheruvathur to Calicut

Took a while to fall asleep in the heat but we all slept ok in the end. The drive was again quite pleasant, good roads and we aimed to find a road side hotel past Calicut but as our team name suggests, it wasn't that simple for us! Was getting dark so we were trying to find a hotel, but somewhow ventured off the highway and traveled an hour down a very dark, pothole ridden road for an hour or so to find out at the end it was the wrong way. Rather than turn back down the treacherous road we drove to Pappingadi looked for a hotel, took another wrtong turn and in the end we drove in a amassive triangle arriving back at Calicut... by then we were just happy to get into a hotel!

The hotel room was nice but what made it better was the AC wasn't working in our room so free upgrade to the suite! Thank you very much! Room service, small living room to play cards and cable TV... what more could we ask for! 

Day 11: ??? (RNS Hotel) to Cheruvathur

The number provided was no use whatsoever... only spoke hindi and the hotel staff were less than helpfull. We stopped a rickshaw to go the bajaj parts shop and he said he would push the rickshaw for us to a rickshaw mechanic, 15km away... again with his foot! Hilarious, got to love the Indian inginuity!

After a 2 hour wait and 3 quid later we were back on the road, oh and forgot to say the brakes were fixed once we left Goa so the wee Nessies running better than ever!

Lovely road hugging the coast line, however, it is roasting! Stopped for some coconuts and drank the water... very refreshing. Had gotten dark and after passing loads of hotels an hour or so before the hunt for a decent hotel proved difficult. We found a decent hotel however was not prepared to go over budget for the AC room and opted for non AC... bad idea, was hotter in our room, even with fan, than the hallways! Imagine sleeping in a suna... it's difficult! Dinner was lovely however, made better by the waiter, who Kyle wants to take home, where we had some local fish.

 

Day 10: Goa to ??? (RNS Hotel)

Last nights antics were good, although we realised a lack food meant the beer was going straight to our heads! so around 11.00 we got food at a nearby resaraunt and again ate far too much, got distracted by Marley playing in the bar and by the time we left we were ready for bed... after a few games of cards.

Nice easy drive again untill... uhoh Rickshaw aint working! Within minutes a Truck driver and biker had stopped and concluded there was no electricity going to the spark plug. A mechanic came out and said the Ignition coil was fried! By now it was dark and finding somwhere to stay was essential. THe mechanic hoped on his bike and with one foot 'pushed' the rickshaw 5km to a nearby hotel/hospital and were told to a phone a number in the morning when the parts shop opens and it'll get fixed then. 

Day 9: Chillin' on the Beach

Woke up to an absolute scorcher of a day and a long sweaty walk to the ATM to fuel the festivities for tonight!

Had a spot of lunch (best fish tikka ever!), lay on the beach, went for a swim in the sea... was just nice to relax and many beers to follow.

Day 8: Belgaum to Goa

After our ridiculously large dinner and some sleep, we set off for Goa. Lovely road, hilly, windy and we drove 3000 feet down through jungle to sea level which was just breathtaking. As we approached Goa we encountered our first problem, besides the fact our brake's stopping power had severely detiorated. There was a terrible clanking noise coming from the engine as we changed gears. Luckily we spotted another team who had directions to a mechanic and after following them we discovered one of the bushings holding our engine in place had fallen off so just as well we got to the mechanic before the entire engine fell out!

A fairly quick fix we were soon back on the road but still the brakes had not been touched, it wasn't long before we reached Anjuna Beach. Traveling through the market we reached the Elephant Art Cafe and several other familiar faces. Complete hippie ville but a cool place and the beaches are lovely, minus the cows! Few beers tonight and ready for the party tomorrow night!

Day 7: Pune to Belgaum

After a lovely meal in the Corinthian Hotel resort and a good nights rest we set off for Belgaum. A nice easy drive, 6 lane highway with a divider... no issues really and not much to report. Except for the food! Nice hotel and our first taste of meat in days! Half tandoori chicken each for a starter which was the best tandoori chicken we've ever had, a mutton curry each, garlic naans, egg biriani, lassis and beers... all for 15 quid... what more can you ask for!

Day 6 Chillin' in Pune

Waking up refreshed Bernard's (Quintin's Uncle's) wife Meena made us fried egg and paratha for breakfast which was lovely. We then went to Katraj snake park and zoo, because obviously Quintin has his snake fetish! 

Tonight were off to a local brewery for some beers and then a buffet dinner. Couldn't be happier! 

Day 5 Nashlik to Pune

After a horrible nights sleep we got ourselves back on the right road, which wasn't as good as we thought but still fairly decent. Quite uneventful for most of the day... was fairly pleasant. Having not eaten in over 24 hours we stopped for some dosas and Todd ordered a paper dosa. We didnt realise how big this would be... it was huge! very funny. The last 100km was very hilly and poor lil nessie was struggling! Quintin didnt help her much  by crashing into the back of a LORRY! a little dent on the side not too much to worry about though all three tits still intact :p. Lovely views again but it set us back a while. 

We arrived in Pune at around 9-9.30pm and after some confusion with phone numbers and phones without battery we met Quintin's great uncle at the railway station and he guided us the last 20mins back to his place where we ordered chinese, got a shower and crashed out exhausted. So glad to have some nice hospitality! 

Day 4. Baroda to Nashlik

By far the best and worst day so far! Again we set off nice and early and we were making good time. We met some other teams at a roadside southen fried chicken joint, which was good and was also nice to catch up n exchange stories. Back on the road we decided to push on further than we had planned and instead of staying in Valsad we took the country road from Valsad to Nashlik which would also mean we would arrive in Pune a day early. The first half of the road was just heaven! winding through the mountains, fairly 'tropical' and was quite remote. Found ourselves with a few stalkers too, family on a motorbike who wouldnt stop following us and getting us to pull over despite their complete lack of english. Last time we give out shortbread!

Stalkers, gone we found ourselves with the most picturesque sunset I've seen. Photos to come... Just before dusk, some young kids decided to run alongside the rickshaw and this little boys legs just couldnt keep up which resulted in the most eic faceplant I've seen! Best of all Quinny has it on video! I'm guessing this will score a few hits on youtube when its uploaded!

Then the road turned to shit! just as Todd was taking over. Extremely bumpy lots of trucks and exactly what you dont want when it come to night driving in India! We then hit Nashlik which was extremely busy, agai navigated our way on the highway but unfortunatley by the time we found a hotel (which was by far the worst of the trip so far!) we were 32km in the wrong direction.