Final Furlong
As we woke on the final morning of our adventure the sun was rising over the Arabian sea and we had around 40km to go to the finish line. We stayed the night in a beautiful beach-side villa with sea access and some of the nicest fresh seafood we had seen through the journey, although mixed with authentic Kerala heat it was a little spicy for some! As we drove out from the compound we were still sporting the hammer and sickle flag that we had purloined from a lamp-post on the way through a village, it is fair to say we weren’t entirely sure what it meant but we got some very welcoming cheers and claps from passers by. Only once we got to the finish did we learn more about the ruling political party and some of their less orthodox methods; still it all adds to the legend that was our rickshaw run.
They say the most likely time you will be involved in an accident is within 10km of your house, in our case it was within 10km of the finishing line. Me being well and truly indoctrinated into the Indian driving mentality by this time went for a typically risky overtaking manoeuvre and nearly ended up as the meat in a bus car sandwich, whether I was emboldened by the high tempo music that was pushing us towards the finish line or just excited for the last few km’s I am not sure, but sufficed it to say I got cheeky and India slapped my ass and told me to behave. The final day would also include a brief ferry journey from the island of Vypin to Fort Kochi, as we arrived at the ferry terminal it was clear we would be in for a bit of a wait as a throng of moped drivers and passengers swarmed the quayside waiting for the next boat to dock. As it happens we waited only an hour and decided that we would head to the finish line and see if there was anyone already there, if not we would stop and get some photos. Driving into the parade ground it was all relatively quiet and there were a few shocked faces, it was 12pm on the 13th April and no other teams were even close to the finish line, surprisingly and totally by accident we had finished first!! Some photos and exchanges of stories with the organisers filled the next hour or so before we decamped and headed to our accommodation.
Deciding that we had enough of hotels and cheap motels we had jumped on Air BNB and organised a colonial house in the old Dutch quarter of Kochi, what looked good on the website turned out to be outstanding in real life and we immediately felt at home. One vital warning had been heard loud and clear, which was that good Friday in Kerala is also a “dry” good Friday so if we wanted any drinks for the weekend it’d be wise to get out and buy some from the local booze merchants; we located it on a map and set off to stock up. Booze bought we took the time to chill out by the pool and relax in what was a very well deserved lull in proceedings, an early night followed and we all slept until mid-morning happy in the knowledge that we were no longer in danger from the red busses.
The next day was spent exploring the beautiful fort Kochi area and some more high level relaxation pool-side, knowing the following day would include the closing party we didn’t want to burn out too soon. We were all watching avidly as news of progress from our fellow runners was coming through on the whatsapp channel and we were seeing the teams finishing one by one, while we agreed that it was an epic 12 days in the saddle both us and the spicy boys were very glad not to be rushing towards the finish line on the last day of the event. Night fell on the evening of the 15th April and we were readying ourselves for the closing party, Kevin had popped out to purchase our traditional Lungi (a tied sarong that is shortened to just above knee length) which is the clothing of choice for all well appointed men. Sporting matching tuking the void tshirts and Lungi’s well and truly secured we headed to meet the other teams for the epic closing party.
Arriving from the ferry to Bolgatty palace was an experience, the trees were lit and a traditional drum band were beating out a welcome to the weary runners. Lots of other acts were to follow but the beat of the drum and the ting ting of the symbols was hypnotic and enchanting and brought back memories of the preceding two weeks. Much beer was drunk and dancing, singing, and exchanging of war stories went on into the early hours of the morning. It was a fitting end to what was an incredible journey.
The final post in this blog will hopefully be a little more profound as myself and Kevin try to articulate what the last two weeks has been like and what we have seen throughout, we will try to do it justice.
Love JP & Kev
The Beach Boys
https://player.vimeo.com/video/213110685
Blog day 11 - BEWARE of the chuh-pah-tee
(KB) Waking up and having breakfast in the middle of the subtropical mini jungle that was the fern gardenia hotel was obviously good for us all as we felt refreshed and decided it seemed like a good day to put a big dent in the distance left and set a target for Udupi which was about 250kms away in the next state after Goa which is Karnataka. My only other experience of Karnataka is Bangalore so my viewpoint is a little distorted and was expecting hustle and bustle of the major city. I love Bangalore but the high growth there has forced the entire infrastructure to no longer support the needs of such a huge city and it isn't inline with trying to remain chill and city free for the rest of the run. What we actually got on the coast road though was some of the most beautiful scenery i have ever seen, swapping jungle for beautiful bays and beaches. Although a long day it was a very enjoyable ride.
The whip is holding up fine now following her service in Goa and we seem to have no issues mechanically right now which is good.
Yesterday we have to drive through a wildlife sanctuary in Goa, its not the kind of drive we are familiar with and would be hopefully to catch some decent wildlife on view as sailed through. Although many signs warned us, we didn't see and Leopards or King Cobra's sadly. I have been obsessed with seeing a snake in the wild here ever since i discussed it 2-weeks ago with some of my team in Bangalore. One of the waiters told us where we could find some in Goa, but it was too much of a diversion so we will have to keep looking. Apparently there was one in our hotel car park tonight eating bird eggs but it buggered off too quickly for me to see...
Speaking of warning signs, the road signs in some of the states here are hilarious and would love to know the history of why they are needed... yesterday was a new favourite telling us not to spill dirty fish water on the highway...
Finally on the warnings topic, i need to warn anybody planning on eating out with me when i return that i have taken to ordering food in an India accent.. at first it was the only way the waiter would get it, i would say "chapati" in my regular accent and they would just look at me, then say it with an India accent and they would understand. After two weeks it has entered my subconscious and now i just say it straight with the accent. I hope it doesn't stick as i will look like a complete moron when i get back home.
JP continues his redemption on the hotel side of things following the "bates motel" last week and found a awesome place last night just outside Udupi. Nice modern place with huge outside area and lovely pool.. they start serving us beers in the pool (with team Spicy Boys), they they set up a 25foot screen outside across from us and put the IPL on with commentary. Sadly at the half time point we needed to get out and get some food. No issue here as there set up a table for us next to the pool so we didn't need to shower and change or leave the cricket, and we could get back in afterwards...i dont know if it was because we had the cricket on or whether it is just amazing service but we seemed to have 3 waiters dedicated to us that just stood around us until we wanted something and to keep us topped up...
Going for another long-ish day tomorrow, hopefully JP has used the wifi to update the playlist for the in-Tuk tunes.. feeling a bit samey now and i dont want to end up hating Oasis and Queen at the end of this. Still a few days out of Kochi but things going well. Starting to feel the endurance element to this run now and finding it hard to think there are still many KM's to go... having fun but the days are punishing but determination to succeed is pushing us on.
Ice Cream Shop
Local reproduction of Pepsi
Peace & Love. Kev & JP.
Blog day 10 - The morning after the night before...
(JP) Northern Goa is known as India's beach party place and it lived up to the reputation with abundance. Ourselves and four other teams had taken the pioneer route and arrived a few days ahead of the chasing pack. This resulted in a couple of days of top notch R&R after nearly 1900km in the saddle. It also resulted in lethargy, hangovers, and an unbelievable craving for a bacon and egg roll. Fortunately the bacon roll was found in the breakfast menu, unfortunately the hangover was also rearing its ugly head.
Deciding against another day in Banga beach we jumped in the Tuk Tuk enlisted another group in the spicy boys and headed 70km down the coast to our next stop in the beautiful Palolem beach area. Having woken kevin with some exuberant door knocking we packed up met our tukking tour party and hit the road. A sedate pace was set for the short journey with the spicy boys struggling in the hills, but non of us were in any hurry. Another police road block, another inspection of the documents as well as a selfie and a handshake greeted us as we got to the main road south; the runners are a well known phenomenon by now and I get the feeling it's a decent payday if documents are all in order.
Driving through industrial and administrative towns we wound our way along the scenic roads stopping occasionally for a chai and a wee stretch of the legs. A couple of hours in and were at our next hotel which was a lovely lodge affair with an inviting swimming pool, cold (normal strength beer), and friendly staff. Unfortunately the kitchen didn't open until 7pm for food so an SOS went out and food arrived from a local restaurant!
Both teams still a little dusty an earl night was the order of the day and we turned in for the night at 9pm glad of the rest. Hearing stories through the night of the other teams arriving in north Goa we were counting our blessings for having a great ride and our sense at making a few mechanical pit stops and keeping up on the maintenance. two unfortunate teams came in on flat bed lorries through mechanical issues (although not of their own making).
A nice leisurely 9am start this morning as we are looking at 170-200km days to make our target of Kochi by the night of the 13th.
The Fleet
https://player.vimeo.com/video/212450824
Blog day 9 - Opting for French cuisine but they had naan
(KB) Heading in to Goa, which has the most incredible drive views coming in from the North and we probably got to see sights your average Goa tourist would never, including now 3 encounters with the police, they seem really professional in Goa and check all our documents etc.. at least we are not having to pay "fines" here.
We had already made a decision to take today off from driving. The Tuk was sounding terrible and we needed a rest. Unlike most teams we have spanked it down to here, not because we are trying to actually win this thing (not even sure if you can !) but we wanted to get the hard yards done (mountains and deserts)... as such the only requirement was a nice pool. JP found a nice Hilton in Baja beach and we knew the guys from LA and Oz were heading to that area so we landed on that. As we both have Hilton accounts it made sense to book individually through our Apps. JP booked his, a little pricey but it looks nice so sod it.. next up I go to book, 3x the price ... what ?!?!
I call them up and explain that the price had trebled in 30s... seemingly JP had booked the last standard room and the only other room available was the best suite in the hotel ... no worries, cancel JPs room and we will find somewhere else . NO... his booking doesn't allow cancellations... so I am typing this from the luxury of my suite!
Clearly exhausted after our unexpectedly long day yesterday (due to mechanical issues and road conditions) and hitting the local night life, I woke up at 11am and feel great for it.. this rest day clearly made sense.
At lunch time we took our tuk in to the town to get repaired, she sounds like a Harley on steroids. The exhaust is banjaxed.. got a few recommendations for a mechanic and hit him up.. while she is being reworked we head for restaurant "le jardin" - French style bistro garden in the middle of town to separate from the craziness happening outside town. In reality it was indoors and upstairs, above a bunch of shops, that sold only Indian food... India !
They say that man cannot live on bread alone, well right now I am eating garlic Naan's three times a day so I guess thats not true at all
Tonight the WhyNot team will land close (2x US Tuk's) so I am guessing more of Goa's nightlife will get sampled tonight to end our break day and tomorrow we are back on the road heading south.
There has been a party organised for Monday night in Goa with most teams headed for that, we have decided to swerve it as that would mean going back to longer days later on in the week and undo all the advantages of putting in that distance that we have done already, so onward we roll.. 13 hour days and night driving in the Tuk's isn't fun
Been some sad stories over the last couple of days with one team getting robbed of their stuff and their Tuk being taken by bandits (which TD alerted us too), then another team witnessing a fatal car crash (which sadly isn't difficult to imagine that would happen a lot here)
Blog day 8 - The Noise Brigade
(JP) Waking late for the first time in a week was one of life's little pleasures. Getting out of bed to perform some maintenance was a necessity, cleaning the fuel filter and air filter was the first job before looking at the failing exhaust. The two days through the mountains had taken their toll and she was wheezing and coughing by the end.
Setting off it was obvious she wasn't right, down on power and struggling on the hills. We decided on a quick pit stop at a mechanic to give her the once over, 2 hours later she had a new piston, new gear plates, new clutch cable, and some running repairs on the exhaust. This work kept us sweet for around 150km before the bolt holding on the exhaust sheared off and she started sounding like a formula one motor car. We limped along through the mountain passes scaring wildlife and deafening the locals.
As we entered the Goa state a lovely police roadblock ushered us to the side of the road and requested our papers and licenses. A dubious copper flagged us through only for his mate to stop us again because of the noise we were making. The last stretch of the journey was into our stop for the night in Arpora, the hotel staff couldn't hide their amusement at the noise and made us park away from all the other cars.
A pretty mundane 250km covered for the day but a nice day off in a beautiful goa would be our reward. Meeting up with with a couple of the other front runners in Baga beach area to compare notes and sink a few foaming ales was great way to end the night.
Some notes on what we have learned over the past few days... driving at night is scarier than you'd imagine, JP can't find first except when he is looking for 3rd, kevin can't find neutral unless he is going over a speed bump, and driving while checking messages is always a bad idea :)
This shit's bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S
https://player.vimeo.com/video/212215712
Blog Day 7 - Monkey Magic
(KB) sick of 6am starts...!!!
5th day in a row that we have been hitting the tarmac by 6.30am.... but the tour of the many petrol stations of India continues :) today was going to be tough though. our strategy was to go hard and break the back of the run in the first week, doing 300km+ days everyday and then coast in when the Tuk will likely start having issues due to wear. Most teams, if not all are north of us. Yesterday 5 teams attempted to make its over the mountain range in 1 hit.. when you have a 7bhp Tuk the distance is considerably more difficult when you have a climb and today was a lot of climbing... we decided to give our Tuk a mini service before we headed up, the exhaust which snapped its connection bracket during some off-road frolics yesterday is now held on with cable ties but no longer seems to be rattling which was slightly driving me nuts and the lumpiness the engine had started to show is now gone with the change of spark plug.
The mountain range was incredible scenery but gruelling in the heat, was 42 in the shade so was unrelenting. Add to that the crazy truck drives shooting along and the even crazier bus drivers that it was quite the challenge. Was good to see more wildlife, one of which i nearly ran over (no life sentence down here though), especially the monkeys.. these guys are my favourites, but i wont tell the cows and goats that.
Couple of teams pulled off just before the mountain range and holed up for the rest of the day, the Oz team the spicy boys who we spent last night with (drinking that crazy strong beer they want to serve everywhere here) got about half way and then found somewhere to stay.
Am i glad we pushed on.. i guess tomorrow i will be, but the fatigue is hard, we spent 12.5 hours driving today and but we put have put the hardest part behind us we hope. What didn't help is missing the turn for the town we had hoped and not noticing for 15km. ARRRGHHHHHHHH !!!!!
Anyway, course correction and JP's google maps shows a half decent hotel on the coast so we head there.. pull up seems nice, little pricey but hey its a closed market. Only snag is they say they have no wifi, not ideal as this is quite a developed area so a little surprising based on India being such a connected country, but we can live with that. Just about to sign their paperwork and ask for them to bring a cold beer down to the lobby.. "we dont serve alcohol here sir"....BYEEEEEEEEE
Just as we walk outside the "Everything is Possible" team pull up, great that another team made it over the range. They are a couple of guys from LA that work in the film industry and good lads too... we decide to convoy up the road to find another hotel. 2kms later we are in another hotel, with no wifi, but with a cold beer... we order food from the 10 page menu, none of which is available with the exception of 3 dishes on the entire menu !! FFS !!
What a gruelling but hugely rewarding day, we are turning in to the final half of the trip now and hope to reach north goa tomorrow and we are not setting our alarms..
Our Tuk is doing amazing and is holding together so well compared to others, the only exception is some slight damage from yesterday when JP drove in to another teams Tuk, in a car park, at the hotel, but i said i wouldn't mention that...
The Mad Hatters
https://player.vimeo.com/video/211997735
