Have you ever wondered what it would be like to drive an auto rickshaw across India? I did it, by driving for 13 days from Chennai to Mumbai in the 2009 Mumbai Express Rickshaw Challenge, and lived to tell the tale! Find out about my amazing experience in this series of daily blog posts.
This afternoon, the participants of the 2009 Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge attempted to drive an auto rickshaw for the first time. Plenty of laughter ensured...
What a day! I've been up since 6 a.m. and am exhausted. Most of the other participants feel the same way. The 2009 Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge officially got underway at midday when we departed Chennai for Vellore, around 130 kilometers away...
The day started off positively. A big part of the Rickshaw Challenge is charity. Along the route we stop and visit a range of different programs undertaken by Round Table India. Unfortunately, the journey went progressively down hill from there. First up, we ran out of petrol. Not long after we'd regained some of the lost ground, we were pulled over by the police...
What happens when 13 auto rickshaws converge at a toll booth on a new highway where auto rickshaws are prohibited? I found out today, in what was the most hilarious incident of the 2009 Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge so far...
After four days spent driving a rickshaw and dodging traffic through numerous Indian towns, I've started to get an idea of what could be inside the mind of the average Indian motorist...
We had the dishonor of being the last team to leave Mangalore this morning, thanks to our rickshaw predictably stalling beyond revival not long after we filled it with fuel. It was the usual problem of the motor flooding with oil. It keeps happening, no matter how well we try to mix the petrol and oil together...
The first team we encountered on the road was stranded at an auto garage, while their rickshaw was undergoing reconstructive surgery. It had to be welded together again, after literally disintegrating in half. No doubt, the dreadfully rocky condition of the roads the past couple of days had a lot to do with it...
I didn't go anywhere near an auto rickshaw today! We had the day off to relax in Goa. Since I've previously visited Goa on a number of occasions, I made full use of the rest time while many of the Mumbai Xpress participants headed out to see some of Goa's top attractions and enjoy Goa during the monsoon season. Others devoted the time to fine-tuning their rickshaws...
Having lost momentum by resting yesterday, I started the morning severely lacking in motivation for the long drive ahead. The fact that the route was over 250 kilometers (155 miles) -- the second longest leg of the trip -- added to my lack of enthusiasm. Sitting in my rickshaw, my feelings must have been obvious from the expression on my face because one of the participants asked me if I was suffering from Delhi belly...
The auto rickshaw was running like a dream, and easily doing 60 kilometers per hour on the open roads. Even better, my team mate had figured out how to get it going again if the motor became flooded with oil after refueling. We were doing well. Then, I changed down a gear while climbing a hill on the way to Mahabaleshwar. The rickshaw spluttered and lost power. It refused to move...
The auto rickshaw's mechanical problems were fixed by the crew this morning, and we were on our way to Pune by 9 a.m. It only took a little over three hours to read Pune, which was a very short day. We passed open fields, herds of goats, sheep and cattle, and even a couple of camels...
I took my afternoon nap in the hotel yesterday (as opposed to the auto rickshaw!) and work up 14 hours later, just in time for the 6 a.m. alarm this morning. I obviously needed the rest! Everyone was in good spirits, and the mood for plenty of practical jokes today...
The last leg of the 2009 Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge, from Alibaug to Mumbai, began with trepidation today. Our team briefing this morning included warnings about potential overzealous traffic police, political disturbances, religious tension, Krishna Janmashtami festival celebrations, and swine flu hysteria. Even I felt daunted about going to Mumbai, and I live there...
