Lassi Come Home

To Everyone that sent their well wishes we really appreciated the comments and emails – Thanks. We are now in Mumbai and heading home. Not until we finished the Rickshaw Run did we realise how exhausting it had been – the last couple of days have been days to savour the accomplishment, but also catch up on sleep and time not stressed out by India traffic.

So thanks again everyone – this has been a truly memorable adventure. We have posted more photos, and for those interested in seeing more, plus the video, contact us direct and we will arrange that.

This trip could not be possible without support of family, friends and colleagues. Andrew wants to especially thank his family, his wife Nathalie, and children Zak and Sally, for being so supportive and letting him undertake such an adventure – he owes them BIG time! To everyone else, Thank You – we thrived on the support during the 2 week Run.

If you ever are considering such an adventure – think very hard about. It is not for everyone, it will test your endurance and ability to deal with incredibly scary and frustrating situations. But it will also teach you a lot about yourself, the people around you, and what great fortune you have in this world.

END OF BLOG

Andrew & Paul

We are finished! 2615 kilometres across India in a vehicle designed for short city trips, at best, with a 150cc motor, top speed of around 55km/hr, 3 wheels, 4 gears, zero ability to intimidate any other vehicle on the road, and an uncanny ability to breakdown in the middle of no where. Crazy? Yes! But challenge conquered!

Yesterday, Friday, we awoke at 5am for the final assault and we were on the road by 6am, having packed our gear onto Lassi for the final time. Things started badly – we missed the turn off for Jaisalmer and while many locals told us we were heading in the right direction, after 40 kms of driving we sensed we were heading in the wrong direction (as our compass was telling us – we were heading north, and we knew we needed to be heading west). We stopped and asked a policeman for directions, and he told us we were going in the wrong direction. So we had to back track – we lost about 2 hours as a result, but we were now on the right road.

The drive to Jaisalmer was good from there, albeit a very hot drive. The desert sun was out in full force, not a cloud in the sky. The roads were also relatively quiet, an indication that were in quite a remote area of India (Jaisalmer has no commercial airport). Lassi never broke down once and the drive was smooth sailing, punctuated with several stops to let the engine cool given the heat. So at 3.40pm we crossed the finish line – in 31st spot out of 71 teams. The first team finished on Wednesday – 2 days earlier. But I think we all believe victory is making it to the finish line.

We have spoken to many teams and swapped tales – some tales are hilarious, others just plain scary! Hearing some stories of Rickshaws breaking down, many times everyday in some cases, Lassi was a dream machine compared. But some of that could also be credited to the good maintenance and TLC of one’s Rickshaw.

So after spending 2 weeks travelling across India and Nepal the journey comes to an end. It is with mixed feelings that we said goodbye to Lassi. On one hand we never want to get back in a Rickshaw again and are truly relieved we are off the roads – which have to be seen to be believed in many cases. But on the other hand it has been a brilliant way to see these 2 countries, and get a real feel for life and the diverse culture in each. We have had some great experiences and would recommend doing this to anyone. A few things we have learnt on this journey is that the people in India and Nepal are an extremely gracious, friendly, and generous people. Wherever we went we had people help us and display genuine acts of kindness, especially when we were broken down. If there were one thing we have observed the most, it is that the people who often seem to have the least, are often those willing to give the most.

Top Tip: If you are ever thinking of contemplating such an intrepid journey the following 4 items will be your friend and help you survive:
1. Duct Tape (literally used everywhere on the Rickshaw – from holding parts of the engine together, including keeping the battery in place, to seal the Rickshaw with plastic in Monsoon rains. As a wise man once said, ‘If it is not working you haven’t used enough duct tape’.
2. Wire and cable ties – magical things that were used on many occasions – where the manufacturer could never have envisaged these products being used.
3. Super or Epoxy glue – if in doubt glue it.
4. Patience – if you have no patience don’t ever even consider doing this.

Lastly, we will be updating this site again until we leave India so keep looking for updates – especially photos. We will have better internet access early next week as we start our journey home, so will update a few photos then. Today we get to explore Jaisalmer – which is an amazing city – like going back in time. Tomorrow we have the cricket match, the Victory parade (we all get to drive our Rckshaw one more time around the city – organised by Rajasthan Tourism), and then the end party Sunday evening. Monday we head back to Jodhpur (by 4×4 car – not Rickshaw – and we are not driving). Tuesday we get our flight to Mumbai, spend a night there, and then Wednesday we head back to Sydney – arriving Sydney Thursday evening.

A final thank you to everyone who supported us – we are extremely grateful. To those who supported the Frank Water project and sponsored us we really want to say thank you again. Your generosity will certainly have an impact on those people the charity supports.

Andrew & Paul

Today was a very enjoyable day – Lassi has been prepared for her final day (we hope) of running, and we got to enjoy Jodhpur, the Blue City, which has been fantastic. We visited Mehrangarth Fort which was amazing – the guide books say it is the best Fort in Rajasthan and that is no exaggeration. We wish we could stay longer.

8 other teams arrived at the same hotel we are staying at today, and there are many other teams staying at nearby hotels – so we expect it will be a busy Rickshaw filled road tomorrow. It is still a long journey, especially considering the heat (close to 40 today), so everyone is cautiously optimistic. We plan a 5.30am (pre-dawn) start, to ensure we have a buffer for any mechanical issues.

We are not finished yet – there is no room for complacency. So tomorrow we plan to approach it as we did the first day and every subsequent day, with respect, care, and confidence – and of course to have some fun. Look out for our update tomorrow.

We travelled over 360 kilometres today, leaving Jaipur at 6am and arriving at Jodhpur at 5.30pm – almost 12 hours of travel. But the day was enjoyable, Lassi drove like a dream except for one breakdown 40 kms from Jodphur. But as is typical, help emerged quickly, and a farmer road up on his motorbike towards us and quickly started working out what the problem was. His act of kindness was typical of Indian people – a genuine concern to help people in need. And for his trouble he decided to give us some watermelons – fresh from his farm. These are being prepared for breakfast tomorrow.

Jodphur is very different to Jaipur – the weather is hotter and the landscape now has a very desert look about it. Tomorrow we intend to look around the old city some more and give Lassi a rest – there is no doubt the heat and long distance today took its toll, so rest and some oil changes required before the final 280 km assault begins on Friday morning.

All going well we will cross the finish line on Friday, well ahead of plan, and in time for the cricket match Sunday afternoon, and finishing party Sunday evening.

By the way, today we had lunch with a Mayor of several villages, gave a lift to two Indian Railway workers, discussed local issues with several policemen, and met a senior official of the Congress Party. It is amazing how driving a Rickshaw can be an easy lead into all sorts of discussions about local issues. This has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of the trip to date.

More tomorrow…

Today was a rest day – but let us first define what a rest day is. A rest day is actually a day to give our little Rickshaw, Lassi, maintenance and prepare mechanically for onward journey. Today we spent half the day working on Lassi, getting her ready for the final assault – Jaipur to Jaisalmer – 700 kilometres of desert driving! Exhaust fixed again for the x-teenth time. Roof rack fixed, nuts and bolts tightened, electrical system checked again, and fuel pump overhauled. Tomorrow we hope to conquer 350 of the remaining 700 kilometres and make it to Jodhpur. We are departing Jaipur at 6am, and expect we will be on the road for 12 hours.

For those in Sydney listening to ABC 702, hope you tuned in today and heard us being interviewed during a live cross to India. We will be on again this Thursday. Listen to the Robbie Buck Evening show from 8pm Sydney time.

While waiting for mechanical work to be completed today, we visited Amber Fort in Jaipur which was an amazing experience. We recommend visiting Jaipur if you are ever in India.

Top Tip: When asking for directions in India, don’t ask once, ask at least three times. You will be guaranteed 3 different directions, the outcome is pure luck!

Next Update we hope from Jodhpur!

It the end of Day 9 and we are in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Today we drove around 240 kilometres from Agra. The road was quite good, however it did not stop raining for the entire 7 hour journey. India is experiencing a prolonged Monsoon, but we have it on good advice that once we reach Jodhpur there will be sunny days ahead. The rain is also considerably lighter here in Jaipur, compared to what we experienced in Agra.

We are staying an excellent hotel called the Devi Niketan, run by Admiral Singh, who is the ex-Chief of Staff of the Indian Defence Force. He has converted his family home into a fantastic hotel. After a long day driving it is nice to come to a family run hotel, and we enjoyed a sumptuous home cooked Indian meal – a potato dish, cauliflower dish, chicken curry, yellow Dal and chapati’s. We also had a Watermelon Kulfi for dessert.

We saw 3 other teams on the road today – so we sense all teams are starting to now converge again as the final straight across Rajasthan begins.

Yesterday we had good rest day in Agra, the only downside was the fact it never stopped raining. We visited the Taj Mahal, which was an awesome experience, but we got drenched doing it. We had an excellent dinner afterwards, splurging a little, visiting the Oberoi Hotel and eating there. There was concern at first, as the Oberoi only has 2 restaurants and one was closed for renovation, and the other was for guests only. However they let us dine there regardless given it was a quiet night. The meal was undoubtedly one of the best we have had to date.

On returning to our more ‘middle of the road’ hotel, we were confronted by two men entering the hotel on white horses, surround by huge crowds, brass bands, people holding lanterns, and fireworks – an Indian Wedding. Two sons were being married, and the grandfather of them, on seeing us, asked us to join the celebration. We stayed for about an hour or so, which was great, and were made to feel very welcome, before retiring for the evening.

Tomorrow we have another day off from driving the Rickshaw, to explore the sites of Jaipur, the Pink City.

We will post another update tomorrow – and as we have internet access at this hotel we will download some photos very shortly.

Just had our first sleep in for some time and feel great as a result. It is good to have a day out of the traffic and one where we can do some touristy things. It would be a crime to sleep one night in Agra and not go see the Taj Mahal.

Yesterday we drove over 260 kms from Kanpur. We left Kanpur at 6am and arrived in Agra at 5.30pm – so 11.5 hours on the road. However this was punctuated with a unplanned 3.5 hour stop in a town called Etawah. We had planned for a quick stop to get our transmission oil changed and for what seems like the millionth time, get our muffler fixed. When we found found a mechanic, who turned out not to be a mechanic, we discovered our battery bracket had disappeared and the battery was hanging on by the wires – mid road disaster averted. Luckily the “mechanic” was a welder, and welded in a new bracket. When we then asked to have the transmission oil changed we kidnapped by a man in a turban, and a 12 year old boy in army fatigues – telling us the real mechanic was 500 metres down the road. So off we drove, with our 2 passengers, and 500 metres became closer to 5 kilometres. Here we did find a mechanic and he changed the oil, and attempted to fix the muffler. Then we were asked for 2000 rupees – not by the mechanic but by our two escorts. A scam was in the air! Long story short, we settled on 1400 (rip off) but we needed to keep moving and things were getting heated.

Then the 12 year old boy jumps in our Rickshaw and asks if we can give him a lift to his school – which we obliged. This was on our way so we said yes, and for 5 kilometres he kept badgering us for foreign currency, gifts, music systems and clothing. We dropped him off, said goodbye, and were on our way.

The road to Agra that afternoon was good, we passed many herds of camels on the road and drove through torrential rain. Arriving into Agra was amazingly easy, the city has good road signs (plenty in English), and as usual we were always willingly assisted by the brotherhood of other Rickshaw Drivers – who always give us the thumbs up when they see 2 crazy westerners driving what is considered one of the lowest forms of transport in India.

Some funny things:
– We continually get shocked looks from people when we pass them – some like they have seen an apparition.
– In Lucknow we got a passenger, who gave us directions through the city in return for a lift to the railway station. As Paul drove through manic traffic, our passenger started talking about his work experience and Andrew interviewed him for a potential job.
– While in Gorakpur Andrew was talking to some police to get directions, a woman hopped into the back of the Rickshaw and gave Paul instruction on where she wanted to go. On seeing Paul turn his head to her and saying, ‘where to love’, she screamed and quickly scurried out.
– On another occasion Paul got out to ask a shop keeper directions, and the shopkeeper said, ‘where is your driver’, walked up to Andrew and started talk aggressively in Hindi – which we think was something like, ‘you call yourself a Rickshaw driver and you don’t know where one of the well known hotels in town is’.

Tomorrow we head to Rajasthan and to Jaipur.

Top-Tip/Factoid: Even in the most ‘isolated’ places, if you want to draw a crowd, stop by the side of the road, open the back of the Rickshaw, stand there, and you can be guaranteed to have a crowd of people around you within 5 minutes. This can also double as an opportunity to talk cricket.

Day 5 was NOT relaxing! We experienced without doubt the most challenging and mentally exhausting roads yet encountered and that was only 150 kms over 6 hours. There were no mechanical breakdowns, but the best analogy we can think of is driving a golf buggy through a quarry. The day was filled with strange moments – many we will tell you about later so as not to alarm you – but some include a bogged rickshaw in heavy rain and deep mud, tilting on her side, but the locals came and rescued the day. This was the least of our worries yesterday!

We came to understand that dual carriageway literally means nothing…trucks, buses, cars, motorbikes, bicycles, cows, pedestrians, dogs, goats, pigs, chickens, etc all use the lane of their choice. This is NOT an exaggeration.

But to Faizabad we drove and a good night was had at the Krishna Palace Hotel where we both had our rooms upgraded to the ‘Maharajah Suite’ – it was interesting, photos were taken. That said we are now in Kanpur at the Landmark Hotel and it is brilliant – a swim, 2 frames of ten pin bowling (yes that is part of the hotel – including a dodgem car rink – but hell, we do that every day), walked around great markets, had some excellent street food, and now about to enjoy a great dinner. All in all, Kanpur is a great place – an unknown place by most (not even mentioned in Lonely Planet) but absolutely charming.

We are now strategizing tomorrow’s direction – the dilemma is which way, south or west? We are in two minds – Agra of Jhansi. Logic says Agra, but heart says Jhansi as it is more off the beaten track. We’ll keep you posted, but at this this stage Shivpuri or Agra will be the target for tomorrow.
The one thing we have noticed coming down from the mountains and heading further west is that the climate and topography are changing considerably. The rains are dissipating and we crossed the Ganga (Ganges) River. In theory the weather will get hotter and drier, however the one thing we have realised to date is theory does not necessarily hold much weight in our daily challenges.

Lastly, we have noticed we are in the ‘Top Ten’ Teams in terms of donations raised and we hope to stay there – and we are extremely proud of the money we have raised. We have seen firsthand how much the money we have raised for Frank Water will impact people’s lives. Thank you again, you probably don’t realise just how big an impact that your generosity has made, but rest assured it has been significant. If anyone still wants to donate, please do so, it goes a long way. See the donations page for more detail.

Top Tip/Factoid: Get up very early to drive the roads of India.

Hi All, Yesterday was quite a trip – we went from Hatauda in Nepal, departing at 6am, and finished the day in Gorakphur, about 100 kms south of the India-Nepal border – reaching our hotel by 7.30pm. So it was a very long and exhausting day but we covered over 300kms, and we drove through the Chitiwan National Park which was spectacular. That meant crossing some mountains and also some rain, but ‘Lassi’ did us proud and never threw in the towel once. She did need two check-ups with a mechanic as we kept losing the bolt that kept the muffler in place. Apart from that she ran like a dream which was very pleasing.

The trip so far has been amazing. Mentally and physically gruelling, but at the same time an amazing insight into other parts of the world, and mixed with times of great frustration (usually mechanically), and then some very funny moments/experiences to balance the frustrating times.

Nepal was very different to what we expected. The south eastern part of Nepal was very poor but the people are amazingly friendly and helpful. Whenever we broke down we would have a crowd of people around us helping out. We heard from one team that they could find no hotel so a local village took them in and gave them some where to sleep. The Nepal-India border crossing was also an experience – absolute chaos, people everywhere, incluing touts, money-changers, vendors, bicycle rickshaws, etc etc – and all in what you would normally consider a security zone. It seems people just cross the border with little checking going on – but I am sure there was some order to it. The customs and immigration staff on both sides seemed more interested in what we were doing on an auto-rickshaw rather than the actual formalities.

Some people have posted comments asking various questions. One was why we were pulled over by the police 5 times in Nepal – in most cases it was just to ask us who we were, say hello, shake our hands, and laugh when we told them what we were doing. All very funny!

We are now on the morning of Day 5 and we are going to have a more relaxing day – only around 120 kilometres. We are looking at heading to Faizabad and visit the town of Ayodhya – an ancient city that is the birthplace of the Hindu God, Rama. We were thinking of Lucknow but that would take another full day and we think a shorter day of driving is a good idea.

We are again writing this from an internet cafe as getting access from our notebook has been difficult – so no more photos yet. But hopefully in the next few days that will change.

Sorry for the short note, but we need to press on. And don’t forget to look for our SMS updates on the RR website – we will post regular updates here now that we have mobile phone coverage again.

Andrew & Paul

Firstly – aplogies for our tardiness in sending an update – it has not been without trying – internet access has been difficult to say the best. In fact the places we have been to in the past few days is a far flung futuristic concept.

So here we sit in Hepauda, southern Nepal after 3 days driving. So far we have blown one tyre, lost an exhaust system, been pulled over by police 6 times, and had one major electrical failure that required being towed to the local village mechanic. One thing for Nepal, apart from the friendly people, is their roads have been much smoother than those travelled in Sikkim and West Bengal.

Tomorrow we are making a bee-line to the border and hope to make it to Gorakphur in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. From there who knows! The temperament of ‘wee Lassi’ will dictate strategy.

Our spirits are high, but we do not under estimate the challenge ahead. We have taken some great photos and will upload them when we get to have access to the internet with more bandwidth.

Top Tip/Factoid: National Highways in Nepal also act as livestock trails, pedestrian footpaths, rope factories, bus speedways, and Cobra (that’s the snake) salesmen.

More to come…

Andrew & Paul