56 Foreigners in 24 Auto-Rickshaws on a Malabar Rampage
Mangaluru: The Auto Rickshaw Challenge-Malabar Challenge 2017 rally team was welcomed in the city at the DK Government School ground- Bikkaranakatte by the Round Table India (RTI) 115 club members on Thursday, 13 April morning, and later the rally was flagged off by the board members of RTI. The team consisting of about 60 members were in the city on an adventure travel from Thiruvananthapuram to their end point in Panjim-Goa on 24 auto rickshaws. These participants riding auto rickshaws began their ‘Rampage’ from Thiruvananthapuram on 8 April and traveled through Alappuzha and Kozhikode before reaching Mangaluru. From here, the participants will move towards Murdeshwar and their final destination, Panaji in Goa, by Friday, April 14.
Rickshaw Challenge which is not that familiar among countrymen is gaining lure from foreigners day by day. To add to the episode 60 people from across the globe started their journey in twenty-four customized rickshaws from giant furry auto rickshaw rabbits to hand painted Taj Mahals, metallic flames and zebra print custom interiors with full internal and external sound systems. The participants from different countries, namely England, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, Australia, Malaysia, South Africa etc, alongside their journey interact with people, explore the places and share their thoughts.
They rely on the local people at each destination to guide them along and to win the Malabar Rampage. The participants would be making a difference in the lives of the underprivileged by raising funds for various projects of Round Table India under their programme ‘Freedom Through Education. More enthused were the kids studying in a primary, higher primary and high schools as these participants from different countries interacted with them and shared their thoughts. The kids were given a glimpse of happenings around the world.
Malabar Rampage entails riding across the Malabar Coast of India (west coast) covering the states of Kerala, Karnataka and the Union Territory of Goa. With a distance of close to 1100 kms (680 miles), the ride encompasses some breath taking scenic views and historical cities. The pleasant weather during this part of the year, only made the ride for these participants more enjoyable. “Starting from Thiruvanthpuram on & April 8, proceed to Venice of the East, Alleppey, one of the best Backwater tourism destinations in the State of Kerala dubbed as “God’s Own Country”. The Palm fringed canals and shores bustling with glimpses from the day to day life in the country side, the mirror still lagoons, picture book lake sides and its long sandy beach were definite “go to” places in Alleppey” said a few riders.
“From Alleppey, we were off to Kochi also known as Cochin, a major port city by the Arabian Sea and is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. From Kochi, we further moved on to explore the beauty of the blessed state of Kerala, to reach Calicut, a place that has all the required ingredients such as the idyllic setting of the serene Arabian Sea on the west and mesmeric peaks of the Wayanad hills on the east, to fascinate a tourist. If that wasn’t enough, we are here in the scenic city of Mangaluru dotted with coconut palms, hills and streams, known for its temples and beaches- a great city here with friendly people” said another batch of riders.
” From Mangaluru we are off to Murudeshwar our next pit stop on this Rampage (or should we call it a lovely odyssey?), where we are anxiously waiting to see sunset which can be a real fulfilling experience and set up for a mesmerizing evening. And our final destination will be-Save the best of the best for the last. “Panaji” – the capital of the small but vibrant state of Goa” said William Latham, a 73 year participant. Liam who heads the team said “the people here are very friendly and caring. Once when we lost our way, few youngsters came and guided us to the right way. It’s an unique experience to explore the gods own country..We are just loving it.” Asked whether they hold a driving licence, another enthusiast Steve said smiling, “yes all our team members hold international driving licenses.”
Among the 24 auto-rickshaws, namely “4 O’Clocker’s” on board-Darren and Garyfrom UK; “Inglourious Bembel Boys”- Uwe and Carsten from Germany; “the Frankfurt Samurai Tigers”- Julai and Thomas from Germany; “Applewine Express”- Sonja and Eva- Germany; “Greenwich”- Juan Carlos and Audena Garcia- Spain; “Koracol Alventus and Anosluz”- Faustino, Julia and Violeta- Spain; “Global sisters”- Tessa and Divina- UK; “Lenggries Leopards”- Anna (Germany) and Alexander- UK; ” Soul Sisters”- Anita and Elizabeth- South Africa; ” 3 Pils on 3 Wheels”- Jayden, Saood, and Grant- South Africa; ” The Ancient Mariners”- Malcolm, Jeremy and Colin-UK; “Tuk Tuk Trolls”- Ole Fjell, Bjarte and Fredrick- Norway; ” Werdholzli”- Marcel, Felix and Roman- Switzerland; ” Holzerhurd”- David, Dejan and Mathias- Switzerland; ” Fai Di La- Robert, Dominic and Nicholas- UK; “Lei Ho Ma”- Jason (NZ) and Grace (Malaysia); “The Lost Boys”- Bryan and Jack-UK; “Wat We Wong”- Neil, Ella and Raef- UK; ” Reservoir Dawgs”- David (NZ), John and Jacqueline-Australia: Mett Eagles- Matt, Edna and Caroline- Germany; “Die Schumse”- Bejamin and Christiane- Germany; “Retired Not Expired- Willaim (73 yrs) and Michael (73 yrs)- UK. And “The Travel scientists- B Aravind and J Princely-India
An approximately 1100 km adventure in a 7 horsepower glorified lawnmower ( auto-rickshaw ?) -that’s truly amazing ! The “Rickshaw Challenge” is easily the least sensible thing to do just within a week travelling from Thiruvanthapuram to Panjim, Goa. At each end of the Ride is a party of earth shattering proportions but what is between them is all down to the team members. And luck – good or bad. No set route, no back-up, no way of knowing if they are going to make it. The only certainty is that they are bound to get lost, will get stuck and their vehicle will break down. It’s just the driver and the mates in a wholly unsuitable vehicle traversing the subcontinent enduring whatever the road has to throws at them.
The Rickshaw Challenge is a modern day, yet primitive, cannonball challenge ride across parts of India in a glorified-three wheeled lawnmower. An epic journey across India that offers craziness and unexpected adventures at every turn. The Rickshaw Challenge is mad dash across the prescribed destinations where just making it to the finish line is an achievement. Put on by the clearly crazy individuals – it’s basically done on a tricycle with a lawnmower engine. “The Rickshaw Challenge isn’t a race – there’s isn’t a course, just a destination! We don’t know which team traveled the furthest because none of the odometers work ?” said one team member.
Each team consists of one rickshaw and between one and three drivers. The Rickshaw is a vehicle designed to transport light loads over small distances on paved roads, making it a challenge to cover long distances. A short trip in a Bajaj auto-rickshaw is enough to convince you that the rickshaw is barely fit for the purpose of a brief journey across town. It’s only when you hit the open road or indeed off-road that the beauty of these vehicles becomes apparent. Nothing of the design of these noisy tripods is with comfort, safety or reliability in mind. They put you right at the bottom of the Indian road hierarchy thus giving you perfect opportunity to see India from the gutter. Possibly the least suitable vehicle on the planet for covering the entire subcontinent in two weeks. In other words: perfect.
“The rickshaws go about from 50 km-60 kmph -but you can’t speed up that way for long, since the engine may crank up. The engine is only about 7 horsepower, just under 150cc. You’ve got to pull the clutch in to shift, that’s one more thing that can break. Engines have been known to catch on fire while moving along at 60km/h. The eight-liter tank has to be refilled basically every day. It’s two stroke, so you have to mix oil in with the petrol. We didn’t know that, so our rickshaw engine started doing some funny noises and got heated up releasing some fumes-but everything was okay. You can get about 150k on a full tank – they’re very economical until they break down or you smash into something!” said Bryan Statham and Jack Statham, riding “The Lost Boys” rickshaw.
When asked about the people they came across, all the team members said, ” People along their route were friendly, helpful and very courteous and gave us respect and provided us good hospitality when we needed. Indian folks are the best people on this planet. ” . When asked about consuming Indian food during their rally, they all said that they enjoyed the Indian delicacies, especially veg dishes like PaneerTikka, Dal Tadka, Gobi Manchurian etc etc- Tandoori chicken and Chicken tikka was also great at a roadside Dhaba. Loved the biriyani and kabab items. Masala chai was excellent.
“Anything and everything. We brought along some protein bars, which helped during long stretches on the road. Almost exclusively, though, we ate at local restaurants and roadside cafes (dhabas). We found that the dirtier the cook, the better the food was. We often liked the veg plates better than non-veg. Water, though, was the most important resource – especially when traveling through the crazy weather. Keeping stocked with bottled water was difficult at times, especially with 12 guys drinking more than 15-20 liters a day at times, said the team members jokingly.
Why are you doing this? I asked, “For fun, and in the spirit of unadulterated adventure. We have three goals: Support an awesome non-profit organizations, Experience and get excited by India…it’s a crazy, awe-inspiring place., and Have a blast, but make it out alive-most important goal. What we get, besides a giant thank you, fame and fortune for assisting in this epic journey, and perhaps our first-born child, are perks ?” came back the answer from the couple.
Speaking to mangalorean.com, Royster Alex D’souza-chairman, RTI-Mangaluru said that the participants will raise funds throughout their rally and utilize the amount for the development of the infrastructure of the government schools. So far the round table 115, has helped government schools like the Bengre Kasaba School, Moodshedde School, Mallikatta government school, St Joseph School and Kemral school in Kinnigoli. He further said that the round table 115, will take up the requirements of the schools and after a thorough study of the project and approval from all the members, the infrastructure will be provided to the deserving schools.
With so much to achieve and such little time, the participants of the Auto Rickshaw Malabar Challenge 2017 have their work cut out for them. The stage is set for the grandest of all challenges – a unique opportunity to the lovers of adventure to push their boundaries harder and higher and to prove their mettle in the great outdoors. While I enjoyed a few hours in the company of these great adventurists, I would like to compliment them for being bold and brave in undertaking this adventurous rally, and I wish them best of luck . Great guys ! Great damsels-loved them all and their new friendship-hoping to keep in touch with them forever. Long live the “Rickshaw Challenge” heroes!
The Rickshaw Run 2017:
The Rickshaw Run is an event where teams drive Auto Rickshaws along various routes across India. The first route in December 2006 was from Kochi, in the southern state of Kerala, to Darjeeling, in West Bengal.In its inaugural run, 34 teams started the event, and 31 of those finished. The rickshaw run has involved dangerous road incidents occurring during the ‘race’
The Rickshaw Run is organised by the Adventurists who also organize the Mongol Rally. The Rickshaw Run takes place every 4 months in January, April and August in India. The route changes each time but starts from the finishing point of the previous run. Initially the route just included India but by the second Run teams were going through Nepal. Currently Rajasthan, Kerala and Meghalaya hosts the starting/ending points for each version of the run.
Team Mangalorean met members of three auto-rickshaws when they were departing from Hotel Moti Mahal this morning, who are taking part in 2017 April – Jaisalmer to Kochi “Rickshaw Run”. Riding the auto-rickshaw ” Push Push” were Angus and Angela from Australia: ” Pinger” -Andrew, his wife Michelle, and his sister-Jacquiline- from Australia; and “Kevin”- on board Jimmy and Prestt. Their final destination is Kochi.