Uttar Pradesh, India

55km in and we have broken down again. No one around who knows anything re cars.. Shit. Need another mechanic urgently...

Uttar Pradesh, India

arrived in Delhi, rickshaw was 15 hrs delayed. Made it 210km to Agra by 8pm & broke down in the middle of town thousands of people, hectic. Stuck for an hour but eventually fixed. Saw beautiful taj mahal at sunrise, wow. Mechanic fixed tuk again this morning & we off to Jaipur now. wish us luck! We need it!

West Bengal, India

at mechanic watching movies in the customer room, tuk tuk completely bust. Estimated finish time 4pm. OMG!

The essentials...

Reading my Rough Guide to India over lunch and they say these are the essentials for the trip:- a padlock and chain (could be useful to tie the tuk tuk to a lamp post?) - a universal sink plug (apparently imperative if you want a bath!) - a mosquito net (could be useful to throw over the tuk tuk at night, we might be sleeping on the back seat!) - a pillowcase (at least you know where it has been!) - a flashlight and spare bulbs (again, useful for the tuk tuk, who knows what the headlamp may be like!) - earplugs (crazy noise on the streets... although I can sleep through anything!) - sunblock (not negotiable!) - multipurpose pen knife (so Ribs can cut us out of those tricky circumstances like Mcguyver!) - a needle and threat and dental floss (to hold your luggage together???) - platic bags to wrap your clothes in inside your suitcase (dust gets in everywhere!) - tampons (Obviously Ribs this isnt for you!) - condoms (Ribs, this is more for you) - Vits

I think I can add a few to that list:- Class A drivers licence (and that would include motorbike lessons for Mel and Ribs) - anti bacteria gel - anti bac body wipes - a shee-peee (so us girls can stand and wee too!) - tablets (valoid x 1 000 000) - universal plug adaptor (thats for the cameras etc, not the hairstraightener!) - Dry shampoo (gotta look pretty and what if we cant find a bath/shower for a few days!) - a new wardrobe, as apparently short skirts and revealing tops are not acceptable (seriously!?!?! where are those NOT acceptable!) - GPS (Ribs, have you figured that out yet? Get active) - Money for bribes... just in case...

Il keep reading...La x

Eventually we meet!

Last month I went home for a holiday back to SA after about 2.5 years... It was really great to catch up with family and friends, and it reminded me never to leave it that long again! 

This trip also served as my 'meet and greet' of Ribs - can you believe we have never met before but we have agreed to spend 2 weeks in a tuk tuk together!

Mel and I have been friends for 10 years and always meet up around the world a few times a year now that we live in different countries, but Ribs is a recent addition (recent being 2 years)!

So I finally met Mel's other half (I could say better half - but I would be lying- ha ha) and I approve!

I think we are all going to get along fantastically and make hundreds of amazing memories... although, Ribs has threatened to drive off without us if we dont behave... We threatened he could keep the Tuk Tuk and us girls would find the nearest pub if that happened ;) Fair play I think?La x

Tickets are booked!

We have completed step 1 on our list to do (that is if you don’t count buying a book or two on India - especially because they are still unread!)

The tickets are booked and !thank goodness! all three of us will be meeting up in Dubai on Thursday 8th September! I will admit I was a little terrified to fly alone (I am coming from the UK, whereas Mel and Ribs are coming from SA!) so I copied their flights and we all meet up there.  From there we fly to Kolkata and then onto Shillong AND THEN THE FUN BEGINS!

After the Rickshaw Run we have given ourselves a few days for R&R, five-star-amazing-stuff, and then fly out of Jodhpur into Delhi and then homeward bound...

Time has flown and it is now only 4 months to go! Can’t believe it! Considering the timeline, I suppose it is best to start planning some 'where-to-go' and 'what-to-bring'... but then again, it is still 4 months ;)

La x

Where on earth are we going?

Hi everyone...

My lonely planet arrived in the post last week and I decided to try plot out a route for our team. After a few setbacks (of figuring out that we were in fact going from East to West and not South to North as I originally thought) I think I have the general plan all figured out in my head. 

Here is a little information for all the people looking over our site and thinking of sponsoring us:

Starting from: Shillong, Meghalaya. In the far north east of India lies a splendid hill station in a state known as the Scotland of the East for its mountainous and impressive vistas. You'll drive through mountain forests on a plateau to depart from the capital of Meghalaya, which means the 'Abodeof Clouds'. Oh, and it has the world's wettest golf course.

Ending in: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. By the time you arrive the Meghalayan hills will be but a distant memory after two weeks of three-wheeled adventuring from the very top drawer. A ludicrously picturesque setting with forts that sprout out of the desert and finely sculptured Jain temples, it stands on a ridge of sandstone and is aptly nicknamed 'The Golden City'. Where better to congratulate one another over cucumber sandwiches than the very heart of the Rajasthan desert? 

That’s all the information we get from the organisers. So log onto Google (or check out our route page) and give us a few ideas of places we should stop at, the world (well India anyway) is our oyster!

The planning could be a little difficult for our team considering we are in different countries... but let’s hope this all comes together!

Wish us luck!

Lara x