First Impressions – The Beginning
3pm – Saturday 3rd October 2009 – We land in Mumbai on the first leg of our fiteen \hour flight
(including 3 hour connection time). The Kingfisher plane was kitted our with personal televisions (equipped with an awesome 8-bit multiplayer boxing game) not to mention a volley of top notch flight attendants!
the Mumbai security had clearly not encountered three people like us before. The worlds biggest ego, Britains palest man and our final adventurer masked with a banana entered the security checkpoint in matching t-shirts and were instantly hauled away. Checking through our kit they found a host of items incuding fire starters, tent pegs and highly flammable heximine tablets all of which were deemed to be offensive paraphenalia.
Trying to explain what we were doing was not going to wash with these guys as clearly they thought we were crazier than a story was letting on. Eventually, after a cup of tea and a chat about UK weather they decided we were harmless nutjobs and let us go leaving us with 45 minutes to check in and board our conecting flight!
God’s Paradise – Goa
Or not as it seemed. Goa, dubbed by Adrian “Goan God” Botelho as God’s Own Paradise turned out to be a vast jungle type expanse still feeling the full force of the monsoon. If this was God’s Paradise … he was having a bad day.
It turned out to be the worst rainfall and flooding that the state had experienced in over 100 years!
Whilst we are having a nightmare, it is nothing compared to the catastrophe caused by the flooding to the locals. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected, who have lost relativesand those who have been forced from their homes.
The above linked to article will show the devestation that this is causing to the local populace with scores dead and hundreds of thousands evacuated it left us in somewhat of a pickle. Highways have all been shut down due to the flooding, two tourist coaches were marooned on those highways which definitely ruined their holiday!
We got a taxi to the station where we planned to get our first train which was to lst tirteen hours to Mumbai. Yes we are fully aware that we had already been through Mumbai an hour agoand were heading back there. n hindsight we would have thought about this … but they … adventure is adventure right?
Unfortnately, it was not to be. Trains were not in operation due to the flooding and our pre-booked train tickets were now null and void. No refunds and no chance of actually leaving Goa.
So we were marooned in God’s Flooded Paradise, being chewed at by all manner of bugs that David Attenborough is yet to discover and sodden through thanks to the weather. We had a rickshaw to pick up and a route was needed … fast.
Getting in a taxi we headed back to Dabolim Airport and got on the first plane that came along that was headed in our direction. So back we went, just four hours after we had had landed in Goa we were leaving again.
Our flight North was to be handled by the not so scandolous Air India who have been in the news recently for the wrong reasons. Things were really beginning to look bad. We were off to a crappy start.
Things are looking up, however. We are now on track, one day ahead of schedule (and a hell of a lot out of pocket). It is now Sunday the 4th at 8.28pm and we are huddled around a 14″ CRT montiro that was once cream but has turned brown with age. The screen resolution is having trouble with WordPress as it is running 800×600 as its maximum resoltuion and I tap away on the FireFox 1.5.0.2 browser (Manon is currently QCing Darwin and the General will be happy to know that it works)! The keyboard keeps sticking as the keys hit the plate (so apologies for the poor spelling here, I make a mistake and it is too much of a chore to go and correct it).
India in the Internet Age
WordPress ought to have thought about FireFox 1.5.0.2 users with 800×600 reso huh?
Unfortunately, these Windows 95 machines offer us no means to upload our pictures but we have been tweeting a few so check over there.
Two of us coughing with some unknown disease and the other constantly yelping as bugs the size of your fist puncture holes in his sensitive un conditioned skin. Tomorrow we have a trip to the Mother Teresa orphanage and have to pick up our rickshaw (which we hope is there waiting for us). Already being targeted for my pale skin I have a horde of beggars in a zombie like trance waiting for me outside of the internet cafe hell bent on the fact that I am some kind of secret millionaire in my flip flops, combat shorts and Prince’s Trust t-shirt.
Things can only get better … right?
Two Weeks Left….
Months of planning and preparation have taken place in the build up for our trip. From finding the correct flights to selecting the perfect tent, it is now all coming into place. As one famous observer noted ‘the board is set, the pieces are moving, we come to it at last…’ the great charity expedition of our time.
Okay so I might have added in those last few words. Nonetheless, this has been similar to preparing for battle. We certainly have the kit we need for small skirmish, minus the weapons, of course.
Now the final steps are being taken… but time is running out.
Yet there is still plenty of time for you to help us out. Please visit http://www.justgiving.com/adventuresofrickshaw/ and donate whatever you can. Tell all your friends and relatives too!
The Vehicle
Bajaj Auto, founded in 1945, is part of one of India’s most successful conglomerates, The Bajaj Group. After selling imported two- and three-wheelers in its early years, the Indian Government granted Bajaj Auto the right to manufacture in India and a year later in 1960 Bajaj Auto became a public limited company.
A love of Italian Vespa scooters by the Bajaj Auto CEO and the 1970s oil crisis brought about the rise in favour of cheaper and less fuel reliant two-wheelers. It was in the mid to late 1970s that saw the production of a three-wheeled, rear-engine Auto Rickshaw. As more and more people ditched cars, there was high demand for a fuel-efficient vehicle capable of carrying goods and people, thus the Bajaj Auto Rickshaw established itself as an iconic mode of transport throughout the Indian Subcontinent.
Auto rickshaw and Rickshaw 'valla'
The Bajaj 4 Stroke Petrol edition is seen as the standard Auto Rickshaw throughout India. Equipped with a stunning 173cc engine, with an ample 8.5 BHP, this vehicle is great for short journeys around the village or town. An added bonus is the rickshaw’s maximum payload of 325 Kg! With the three of us restricted to carrying 20 Kg each on our flights to and from India, in theory we should have a relatively smooth and spacious journey…
The fuel tank, with its 8 L capacity will be something of a challenge for us. Constant refueling, carrying extra Jerry cans and maximising fuel economy will be essential. The latter task is made easier thanks to a fuel economy of 31 Kilometres per Litre. If your an American that is 72 Miles per Gallon or if your British, 87 Miles per Gallon.
That is no comparison with the Toyota Prius, which clocks in at 51 MPG U.S and 61 MPG U.K.
It is no wonder that a team of Dutch scientists are searching for ways to clean up the CO2 emissions of Auto Rickshaws as there are millions of them around Asia polluting the air. Who can blame the drivers and users of these super-practical vehicles if they provide a cheap and easy means of transportation?
Bajaj have responded to the green revolution by releasing an auto-gas version with a new gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine. It promises to deliver greater fuel efficiency along with spewing out less harmful pollutants. All of this at a cost low enough to entice existing owners to upgrade. I am sure it will also attract more and more adventurers into embarking upon rickshaw races and challenges.
For pictures of the various Bajaj Auto Rickshaws along with full specifications visit Bajaj Auto’s official website here.
Nilz here!
Hello world!
Allow me to break it down for y’all:
Holiday = easy, relaxing, care-free, chilled… you get the idea.
Rick Shaw 09 = chaotic, disorientating, sleep deprivation, excruciating fatigue….
This sort of thing would be pointless if it wasn’t done for some other purpose.
As outlined previously we are raising funds and awareness for The Prince’s Trust.
So help us by making a contribution right here
