Across India in a Rickshaw - Please Read

[vin]

In August I will be undertaking a challenge with a couple of friends to race/navigate across India in a rickshaw. The race will take 13 days and will cover approximately 2000km. This will be my first visit to India and I think it will be a fantastic and unique way of experiencing the country. We are also hoping to raise donations/sponsership from this adventure for our chosen charity Everychild.

EveryChild is an international development charity that works with the most vulnerable and marginalised children in many of the world's poorest countries to enable them to grow up free from disease, poverty and exploitation as valued individuals within strong communities.

Please visit our website : www.rickshawrace.co.uk (http://www.rickshawrace.co.uk) for further information and details of our challenge. There are links to our justgiving page from the webiste or you can go directly to our justgiving page at www.justgiving.co.uk/rickshawrally (http://www.justgiving.com/rickshawrally)

We will be updating our blog along the way so you can keep up with our progress, please also leave us any message in our guestbook.

Any donations will be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks
vin

Our teamname is Smokey and the Pandit in homage to the 30th anniversary of the Burt Reynolds movie.

http://www.justgiving.com/images/UserImages/UK/EGG/justgiving~55.gif

[Red_on_Silver]

Absolutely Brilliant.

Good Luck.

I want to do something like this.

P.S. Watch out for street vendors selling food, most are great, some give you dysentry.

[Seth7724]

:) It will be soooo hot!!!:eek:

Good luck

[CODE RED]

Fracking dell vin what a great idea. You star. Good luck.

Good luck rickshaw travelling on those fracking indian highways (though I expect you can avoid them). It'll be hot too.

Its been years since I've ridden one of those rickshaws.

Look after yourself mate.

[Laura_25]

Vin asked me a few weeks back was it ok to put this on here, and I think it's for a great cause, so hope it goes really well.

Will leave the thread stuck for you for a while Vin.

[King Xabi]

It's for a brilliant cause. Best of luck of Vin, and keep safe.

[Ducatiboy749]

Fracking dell vin what a great idea. You star. Good luck.

Good luck rickshaw travelling on those fracking indian highways (though I expect you can avoid them). It'll be hot too.

Its been years since I've ridden one of those rickshaws.

Look after yourself mate.

:D

Hehe, yep mind the potholes, cows, pigs, farmers. monsoon and TaTa trucks mate.

I am sure you will have a mental time in both senses of the word.

Good luck and donation on it's way.

[The Reducer]

Fantastic. It's for a great cause and will be a great experience for you.

All the best :)

[vin]

:D

Hehe, yep mind the potholes, cows, pigs, farmers. monsoon and TaTa trucks mate.

I am sure you will have a mental time in both senses of the word.

Good luck and donation on it's way.

Thanks. We are going to try and find some old Royal Enfield bikes out there as well and maybe race that for a couple of the legs of the journey

[Ducatiboy749]

Thanks. We are going to try and find some old Royal Enfield bikes out there as well and maybe race that for a couple of the legs of the journey

I've owned three of those babies in the past. All I can say is good luck mate (and go for the 350 as opposed to the 500)!!!!!:D

They are great fun but will let you down constantly if being driven big miles although most Indians pretty much anywhere can fix them. They're also v.cheap and easy to sell afterwards for not much of a loss on your original outlay.

They also sound the nuts.

Seriously, if you need any help/pointers, let me know.

[ohdear]

I've slapped a tenner on.I was going to put it on us winning the league,but that has never worked in previous years so it could be a double helping of luck.

[vin]

thanks!

[Lerpwl Am Byth]

Nice going! :)

I'd like to do something like that myself someday. So far I've managed a 50-odd mile walk in and around Sheffield.

Good luck!

[Jonboy]

I've donated £50, a worthwhile cause and good on you mate.

P.s. At least it will stop you gloating/crying about the cricket for 2 weeks:D

[vin]

I've donated £50, a worthwhile cause and good on you mate.

P.s. At least it will stop you gloating/crying about the cricket for 2 weeks:D

LOL! Was playing footy - just saw. Thank you very much Jonboy that's very generous of you! I'll still keep moaning about the cricket - via the blog - although I think we'll win!!!!!!!

Thanks!

[CODE RED]

:D

Hehe, yep mind the potholes, cows, pigs, farmers. monsoon and TaTa trucks mate.

I am sure you will have a mental time in both senses of the word.

Good luck and donation on it's way.

Fracking Tata....

[rowben86]

Good on ya lad! ;)
Don't forget to have ya jabs.

[Ducatiboy749]

Fracking Tata....

I was knocked off my bike a few years back by a Tata driver, swigging 100piper whisky at the wheel, going through Bihar:eek: .

Smashed my bike to bits.

A few miles down the road I found out he had been stoned by the locals who had seen what happened. Yes, that's stoned, literally!!!!!:eek: :rolleyes:

[CODE RED]

I was knocked off my bike a few years back by a Tata driver, swigging 100piper whisky at the wheel, going through Bihar:eek: .

Smashed my bike to bits.

A few miles down the road I found out he had been stoned by the locals who had seen what happened. Yes, that's stoned, literally!!!!!:eek: :rolleyes:

Bihar? Frack me. That's a rough place (no offence to anyone from there). Went to a wedding there once. Few stories of wierd incidents surprise me that originate from there.

[Ducatiboy749]

Bihar? Frack me. That's a rough place (no offence to anyone from there). Went to a wedding there once. Few stories of wierd incidents surprise me that originate from there.

Indeed. I believe they still practise the witch hunt in some parts.........not to mention the fireballs that the women seem to be turned into should they have been found to commit "adultery".

Of course I didn't see any of this and found the people to be pretty amazing actually, especially considering the levels of poverty some live in.

I was actually taken in by a family whilst lying injured at the side of the road. They stopped (whilst it was dark) to help me and my friends. They fed us, repaired my bike, looked after my cuts and provided us with beds for the night.

Can you imagine that happening at the side of the M1? I'm thinking not.

[Seth7724]

Vin remeber to gain lots of weight. You don't want the driver to have an easy ride do you?

[CODE RED]

Indeed. I believe they still practise the witch hunt in some parts.........not to mention the fireballs that the women seem to be turned into should they have been found to commit "adultery".

Of course I didn't see any of this and found the people to be pretty amazing actually, especially considering the levels of poverty some live in.

I was actually taken in by a family whilst lying injured at the side of the road. They stopped (whilst it was dark) to help me and my friends. They fed us, repaired my bike, looked after my cuts and provided us with beds for the night.

Can you imagine that happening at the side of the M1? I'm thinking not.


Aye, India a enigmatic country. One of both great humanity but also unbelieveable inhumanity.

[Rafas_Reds]

Good luck hope all goes well:) Always good to see people giving something back.....

[spike6519]

Good luck Vin, what a brilliant idea, will be checking out your website.

[vin]

Vin remeber to gain lots of weight. You don't want the driver to have an easy ride do you?

Lol I have plenty already - and we will be driving!!!!!

[vin]

thought i would share this with you...interesting advice...

http://www.indianarc.com/newsletter/2007-07-17/

[vin]

And we're off.... on way to airport.

My predictions for the first two games

Beat Villa 2-0
Beat Chelsea 1-0

[user name]

I was knocked off my bike a few years back by a Tata driver, swigging 100piper whisky at the wheel, going through Bihar:eek: .

Smashed my bike to bits.

A few miles down the road I found out he had been stoned by the locals who had seen what happened. Yes, that's stoned, literally!!!!!:eek: :rolleyes:

you say he nearly killed u and the locals gave him a spliff? thats han houtrage...

[CODE RED]

Go Vinny!!!

[vin]

Quick update

We managed to total our rickshaw 44 seconds into the race driving into a wall at 40kph (I wasnt driving) - got it rebuilt - its now bigger, stronger, faster, better.

Just finished a 220km leg between Bangalore and Hassan driving in Monsoon conditions.

It is insane

Three hours sleep in 4 days.....

[ohdear]

Quick update

We managed to total our rickshaw 44 seconds into the race driving into a wall at 40kph (I wasnt driving) - got it rebuilt - its now bigger, stronger, faster, better.

Just finished a 220km leg between Bangalore and Hassan driving in Monsoon conditions.

It is insane

Three hours sleep in 4 days.....


Well now you know how Bez from the Happy Mondays feels.

[nickJFT96]

bloody brilliant.
good luck with the rest of it.

[LFC_4EVA]

Sounds brilliant mate, you going through Punjab?

[CODE RED]

You should have done a documentary mate

[Laura_25]

Glad to hear it's going well Vin. Do either of your mobiles work over there, or have you had a similar problem to me in Athens! :mad:

[Ducatiboy749]

Quick update

We managed to total our rickshaw 44 seconds into the race driving into a wall at 40kph (I wasnt driving) - got it rebuilt - its now bigger, stronger, faster, better.

Just finished a 220km leg between Bangalore and Hassan driving in Monsoon conditions.

It is insane

Three hours sleep in 4 days.....

Bet it took you 4 hours to post that message if I know the intenet connections out there.....:D

[CODE RED]

You re-built your rickshaw into a superior model? You mean you took the A-team with you? How is BA nowadays by the way?

[Ducatiboy749]

Is he back yet?



Vin, are you there?

[ohdear]

Nearly £600.00 quid raised too,that shot up from last time I looked.

[Jonboy]

Is he back yet?



Vin, are you there?

He can't be back yet, there is no gloating about the cricket:D

[redforever]

No he is not back yet. Next week i think he told me.

[vin]

I am back (20th)

It was immense....had some hilarious situations, managed to total the rickshaw another couple of times - one of which involved a head on with a motorbike...

I am shattered.... All in all I think we raised about £1500 with offline donations as well, which will be updated in due course on the website.

We were doing 20 hour days and lots of drinking at each end point... don't think I could look at another Kingfisher beer.. feels as if I left 3 months ago..

[Ducatiboy749]

I am back (20th)

It was immense....had some hilarious situations, managed to total the rickshaw another couple of times - one of which involved a head on with a motorbike...

I am shattered.... All in all I think we raised about £1500 with offline donations as well, which will be updated in due course on the website.

We were doing 20 hour days and lots of drinking at each end point... don't think I could look at another Kingfisher beer.. feels as if I left 3 months ago..

Well done Vin. Glad you made it back in one piece and congrats on the fund-raising. Will add my donation in the next few days.

Kingfisher is p*ss.:D

[vin]

Forgot to add that I met John Barnes at Heathrow terminal 3 baggage claim when I landed! Nice way to round off a trip

[King Xabi]

I am back (20th)

It was immense....had some hilarious situations, managed to total the rickshaw another couple of times - one of which involved a head on with a motorbike...

I am shattered.... All in all I think we raised about £1500 with offline donations as well, which will be updated in due course on the website.

We were doing 20 hour days and lots of drinking at each end point... don't think I could look at another Kingfisher beer.. feels as if I left 3 months ago..

Well done Vin and glad you have come back safely.

[Ducatiboy749]

Forgot to add that I met John Barnes at Heathrow terminal 3 baggage claim when I landed! Nice way to round off a trip

Makes it all worth while.:D

[Jonboy]

Well done Vin.

[CODE RED]

I am back (20th)

It was immense....had some hilarious situations, managed to total the rickshaw another couple of times - one of which involved a head on with a motorbike...

I am shattered.... All in all I think we raised about £1500 with offline donations as well, which will be updated in due course on the website.

We were doing 20 hour days and lots of drinking at each end point... don't think I could look at another Kingfisher beer.. feels as if I left 3 months ago..

You fracking pagal. Nice one yar.

[vin]

You fracking pagal. Nice one yar.

Ha! You think that was mad! After a drunken night out with one of my co-drivers last night we've "decided" to enter the Mongol Rally next year.
Starts in July finishes in August involves driving a 1000cc car from London (or Madrid) to Mongolia!!! This years one has just finished. (or is finishing)
http://mongolrally.theadventurists.com/index.php?mode=gallery&sub=subcat&gallery=181

More details will follow..........

[CODE RED]

Now I'm worried.

[vin]

Thanks for the support and the good luck messages! Very much appreciated!!!!

[redforever]

Ha! You think that was mad! After a drunken night out with one of my co-drivers last night we've "decided" to enter the Mongol Rally next year.
Starts in July finishes in August involves driving a 1000cc car from London (or Madrid) to Mongolia!!! This years one has just finished. (or is finishing)
http://mongolrally.theadventurists.com/index.php?mode=gallery&sub=subcat&gallery=181

More details will follow..........

You really are Mad as Fcuk aren't you?
I have to say i laughed my tits off watching the video of your crash. Im glad you got back safe mate.
Well done your charity should be very proud ;)