The Rickshaw Run – AKA the LEAST sensible thing you could do with 2 weeks…

… and also one of the BEST (and hey, it’s for charity!)

Rickshaw Run video #1 (of 4)

I can’t take credit for the amazing videos throughout this post, that would be the 2 fantastic filmmakers Dan Usher & Blake Goulah. BUT, I can take credit for some of the ridiculous shenanigans that took place! Though, even those wouldn’t have been the same without Travis, Chris, Jon and Phil along.

So… what is the Rickshaw Run? 

An annual event put on by The Adventurists that 7 of us jumped into. Drive the length of India travelling from south to north, 3500km, in 14 days, in a Tuk Tuk (i.e. rickshaw or lawn mower turned car) that you’re basically living out of. There’s no set route, no map and no back-up. At the end of the Rickshaw Run is a ridiculously massive party.

Oh ya, you also get to save the world a little bit. Every team is asked to raise a minimum of £1000 for charity, at least £500 of which goes to the Rickshaw Run official charity Cool Earth.

Our Cause: World Teacher Aid. I am proud to say, by the end, we’d raised over $10k! (Thank you to everyone who donated)

It began… in Bali…. 

The crew were in Bali, trying to figure out how we can go into the new year with a bang. Start the year off right, full steam ahead… and make a difference while we’re at it. So as travel bloggers and filmmakers, we decided to go on an adventure fundraiser. But not just any adventure. To start the year off right it had to be so stupid, ridiculous, and reckless… that way it would be a guaranteed hit and people would be compelled to donate!

So the idea was hatched, and we all bought a 1-way ticket to India!

INDIA

The 7 of us met up in Fort Kochi, India. We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but one thing that did hold true from the start was the crazy driving. Especially, people driving on the wrong side of the road. We hadn’t even made it to the rickshaws yet…

Thankfully, there are a couple of days planned on the front end to test out and learn to drive the rickshaws and navigate the streets in India, some of the most hectic roads known to mankind. Mainly, this is time for it to sink in that you’re diving a motorized tricycle that is in no way meant for long distances and could likely tip over on you.

As we signed up we met a bunch of runners who had done the run before. They gave a lot of advice about what we were going to see and experience along our travels, but it’s still one of those trips you’re never fully prepared for. Especially those in our group who forgot their drivers licenses…

Getting started for the Rickshaw Run

Step 1: Supplies

We headed across the water to get some provisions to help us live out of a tiny moving box with no doors for 2 weeks. We grabbed the essentials; shampoo, paper towels, and fireworks.

Why fireworks? Why WOULDN’T we have fireworks?!?!

Step 2: Decorating our Ride

Tuk Tuk SNAP: Star Wars themed! There was a new Star Wars movie coming out, so it had to be done.

Tuk Tuk CRACKLE: Painted really bright green with a Mexican smiley face on the back.

Tuk Tuk POP: On this one we wrote all the names of those who had donated to our charity supporting our Rickshaw Run fundraiser.

Fun Fact: I have always called these things Tuk Tuk’s …In India they are called Rickshaws, hence “The Rickshaw Run” 

Step 3: Boring safety stuff… 

Here Phil claimed we wouldn’t break down, not even once (stay tuned, but you can probably guess how this turned out).

Seeing as there’s no set route, no backup, and no support of any kind… there were a lot of initial safety instructions… Including a heads up that they once had a team that broke down more than 100 times. I felt at least confident we would do better than them… well pretty confident.

They made the message clear, if something went wrong while in the middle of India, we were on our own!

New Years in India

It’s New Year’s Eve, we’re in India. It would be a complete miss if we didn’t make the most of it!

We dressed up in some traditional garb, jumped on a boat, and headed off to the castle island. Overall, we had no idea what to expect for new years… We only knew that The Adventurists rented a private island that the rickshaw runners were going to take over.

Keep in mind, we were supposed to get up and start driving the length of India the next morning at 9am. So the goal was to pace ourselves… but we had NO idea what we were getting into!

They had a crazy setup… 13-year-old DJ, fire twirlers, dance shows, beers all around, lasers…

We decided hey, with all that and we’re about to risk our lives driving thousands of kilometres through India in a rickshaw… might as well enjoy ourselves and ring in the new year right! Which of course, also meant massive fireworks on the beach (that we were very capable of handling hours into the celebrations 😜)

Regrets that night – 0

Rickshaw Run START

Now it really sunk in how early we had to get up and start driving after an out of control private island new years party in India… The organizers of Rickshaw Run have an evil streak in them… 

Bright (very bright) and early, and more than a little hungover… we were off!

No time to ponder how turning in early failed or feel sorry for ourselves (and our pounding heads). We had a road trip to commence! We headed towards what Matt Dickens (who had been running the Rickshaw Run for 5 years at that time) described as “2 weeks of sensory obliteration” and “something to create a load of stories to bore your grandchildren with.”

While most slept in after new years, we were surrounded by about 200 maniacs and their 100 tuk-tuks about to set off on the adventure of a lifetime.

We were READY (as we would ever be)

All the locals came out to get a glimpse, so a bit of insanity right out of the gate! Best part, the roads weren’t that bad! Looked like they hyped it up just to freak us out and this was going to be easy!

We were very… very wrong… 

Not too far down the road, we caught up with a few of our fellow Rickshaw Runners… who had run into the back of a bus and totalled their rickshaw. The guy ended up fine, but he had been pinned in for a bit and likely had a concussion.

We knew going into this it was going to be dangerous, but we may not have given some stats their proper due. For example, there’s 1 death every 4 min on the roads in India… 

So, naturally, we decided to drive a bit slower and really pay attention. Especially to buses.

Slowly but surely, we learned the important…

Rules of India’s Roads:

1. Wake up super early and beat the traffic.  This is your chance to cover as much ground as possible before things get crazier. And they will.
2. Pack some tunes. A diverse amp up playlist is key. DMX. Skrillex. Adele. Even a little Gospel to get you going in the morning.
3. Pack a feed. Carbs are your life support on the road. And energy drinks. And spicy knick-knacks. When you do get to eat properly, it will be some of the best food you’ve eaten in your life. But, it comes with it’s risks (more on that later)
4. Know your place. The roads in India are like nowhere else in the world. Even though I had driven in Bali and Thailand, I hadn’t seen anything like this. It’s sensory overload, so many things happening and so many sounds.
   It’s also good to know where you sit on the hierarchy of the road. From bottom to top it goes 1. People 2. Bikes 3. Tuk Tuks 4. Bikes with entire families on them 5. Cars 6. Buses 7. Cows (the rulers of the road)
5. YOU WILL BREAK DOWN. The difference is when you break down here, the locals will always offer to come help.
6. You will see breakdowns and crashes. When you do you hop out, and do as the locals do. Help.
7. Cool off. Chill out, cool off, take a break, hop in the ocean. It’s important to take a moment to keep yourself sane before you jump back on the road and deal with the epic craziness.
8. You’re gonna break down. On here twice because it turns out to be at least a daily thing… Phil was wrong.

An Example Day: 

We were keen to get some solid miles in, but by mid-morning our trusty rickshaw Crackle decided otherwise with a wrecked piston. After 4 hours of repairs from a trusty roadside mechanic, he replaced it with a second-hand piston.

Apparently, not the best move as an hour of driving caused a nice BANG as a fresh hole blew through the second piston.

Thankfully, it was Sunday and all the mechanics were closed. We managed to find some old fella who knew everyone in town and helped us get moving again. 3ish hours later we managed to semi repair the beast until shops open tomorrow!

Rickshaw Runners turned Wedding Guests

On one of our compulsory stops where our rickshaw breaks down so we can’t go further, we had some time to kill as we waited for the mechanic (who looked like a mechanic but we weren’t quite sure, and a random stranger helped translate for us, we think lol). We heard there was a wedding down the road… So, we decided to stop by!

Indian weddings are known for being pretty epic, so there was no way we could skip this. To say the least, we stood out. But, the treated us great and I’ve never felt so famous before, which was especially odd as the wedding wasn’t even mine!

They welcomed us in, dragged us straight past all of the guests (hundreds) to get photos on stage with the groom who was more than happy to see us. Someone told me it’s good luck we were there, then swiftly escorted us down to a hall to eat. We had no choice in this matter haha.  The food was amazing and we provided some great entertainment as people surrounded the table laughing their heads off at our eating technique (there’s no cutlery). By far best way to spend a breakdown!

Meanwhile… back at the Indian mechanic…

One of our crew got in the car of a local helpful stranger and got a full rebuild of their rickshaw engine for $20.

AND THEN, about 30 minutes down the road… “BANG!” – Turns out, our mechanics didn’t really know what they were doing haha.

A few more hours on the roadside with more helpful locals who even guided us into town, we finally stopped breaking down (that day).

Tucking in for the Night… maybe… 

After breaking down multiple times we finally made it to a city. But, every hotel was booked up as it was holiday season. Took us  8+ tries and about 3 hours to find a place… We were dirty, grimey, and it had been a hectic day so most of the crew were ready for a good night’s sleep.

BUT… Blake and Dan had other plans… STAR WARS.

There were costumes, drinks, epic cosplay battles with imaginary light sabers, floating through the movie theater concourse on hover boards in capes… and falling asleep immediately once the lights went out and the movie started.  At this point, we’re all shattered.

GOA, INDIA

The next day, (6 am start with another 6-8 hour drive ahead) we traveled up the coastline for what was foretold as an epic night with the other Rickshaw Runners. To Goa.

Goa is like another planet entirely. Tropical oasis, amazing flea markets, beautiful beaches, and crazy parties. Goa was meant to be the half way spot but looking at the map we’re not even 1/3 of the way there…

Parties were the least of our concern, as we had to wake up super early and get on the road… Just kidding that never actually stopped us or any other runners who made it that far.

We sent off flying lanterns, and headed out to the party! And of course,  more fireworks 🎆

First week rundown… major success! 

No fights, no sickness, no injuries, our rickshaws were holding up decently well (considering), and we felt like we were on top of the world! But… India was not done with us…

Rickshaw Run video #2 of 4

Rickshaw Run… Week 2

And now, it starts to get really interesting…

Halfway through the run, and at this point we’re feeling like pros.

• The tuk tuks break down, we know how to fix them.
• Our bodies and stomachs have adapted to being on the road all day.
• We learned how to sleep absolutely anywhere. Bed bugs were becoming our friends even.

We felt unstoppable. Even rugged. This was starting to feel easy. 

When we get started out again into week 2 after having a great night partying on the beach as the sun went down in Goa with our fellow Rickshaw Runners… it’s safe to say some of us wanted to take it easy afterward. So, we convoyed! We linked up with a bunch of runners and made our way north to Vagator Beach. Safety in numbers, right? And hey, travel is always better with a few extra friends!

With no guidance, maps, moms, or anyone to tell us what to do or how to live our lives… we got a little creative (or crazy) with ways to pass the time. Like… throwing fireworks at each other going down the road… Ya know, the normal stuff people do in India. (Hey, we did wait until the other guys were done refueling before throwing fireworks at them. The responsible thing to do).

At this point we were having fun and just asking for trouble.

For example, driving our rickshaw in donuts on the beach and getting it stuck… Turns out beach races might not have been such a great idea…

We were living by the seat of our pants and the catch phrase of a popular 90s board game… It’s fun getting into trouble!

But… this was no 90s board game…

ATTACK OF THE DELHI BELLY

We’d been having a great time, feeling more and more comfortable and confident in India and eating delicious food. So, India decided to send us a message…

One night, after some great food and hanging out in our room watching stellar Indian television after a long day of driving… Delhi Belly attacked with a vengeance. It hit home sending a few of the boys to the toilet for hours on end and wishing they never got into this mess.

No way to pinpoint what exactly caused it. The fever and vomiting had us wondering if we could make it through the rest of the trip.

Luckily, I wasn’t one of the worst off so I headed out with Travis to find a pharmacy (or similar) to get something to help out. One thing’s for sure, the charades you get into explaining vomiting, diarrhea, and fever symptoms in a foreign chemist to bridge the language gap can be a entertaining.

There’s not much worse than food poisoning…

Except when you have food poisoning and your friends throw you in the back of a rickshaw to drive 8 hours… Day 7, 8 & 9 were hectic to say the least…

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I have never felt sorrier for anyone than I did for Dan that day… (look at the unbroken stream of vomit, from mouth to ground. Agony)

While this was likely the most painful day of a lot of the guys lives, we soon found out we weren’t the only ones in pain.

Catching up with a few of the Rickshaw Runners we found guys with bandaged and broken knees and feet from pushing their tuk tuk a little too hard. So, we did what any adventurers with 0 medical experience would do. We threw alcohol on it.

For obvious reasons, it came to a point where the party stopped… 

Being sick, we lost a full day of driving. We were mentally and physically exhausted, and no longer excited to keep going. All we wanted to do was stay in bed and recover, and binge watch Netflix. But, it was a challenge. And for charity. So, we powered on!

Even with all of that and feeling more than rough we stuck to Rule #1… Wake up early. Beat the traffic. 

Now that we’ve made it quite a bit further north, the mornings are freezing… but, we trucked on.

We felt pretty grim, very out of our element, and most of us physically terrible. Then, we saw a sign for one place that could lift our spirits and give us a tiny taste of home we needed to rally. McDonald’s!

It gave us the strength to keep on our journey and head into the craziest traffic we had seen so far.

Mumbai. During rush hour. 

It felt a little like the Final Destination movie where anything and everything is out to kill you…

Thankfully, we made it through and landed for the night in the city of Vadodara. At this point, it had been such a long day, crazy drive, and most of us were still feeling ill so we needed India’s non-regulated energy drinks just to make it to dinner. As we’re making our way to find food something caught our eye…

It was time… for the CHILI CHALLENGE

No milk, no cream, no yogurt, no nothing… and bellies that were already unhappy with us. But, we had to do it! All at once, straight in.

Then… onto the one 5 times hotter!

Your whole throat throbs. I could even feel it in my ear. There may have been a few tears, and breath that could start a fire. Just walk it off… walk it off…

AND THEN… the green one. the #1 hottest chili in the market. Those that tried it got a little wobbly in the legs… That should sufficiently light the bugs in our stomachs on fire.

Now… back to finding real food. No distractions this time…

Except wait, what are those fireworks in the middle of the city? 

We didn’t know what we were walking into (again), but we knew there were music, and explosions. We had to see! We followed the fireworks, found our way up some back stairs, and into a private party. And true to form for India, they didn’t ask us to leave, they dragged us into the middle and were determined to make us the guest of honor!

Rooftop party, crazy lights, dancing, and fireworks fit for a major holiday. All for, a one year old’s birthday party! 

So much for an early night…

Rickshaw Run video #3 of 4

Rickshaw Run Final Countdown

We were in the final stretch, but we had fallen drastically behind being able to make it to the end by the 14th. Trying to plan our route we estimated 300km/day drives from now on (which feels at least twice as far and takes twice as long in a rickshaw) with no real opportunities for side adventures and/or filming.

We had two choices:

1. Stay on the straightforward highway and drive as far and fast as possible to catch up with the other runners
2. Listen to a random guy we met who had no teeth, spoke a bit of English, and was riding a camel…

Screw the highway, we followed camel guy’s advice! 

We didn’t come to India to take the safe route… to take the main 3 lane highways with traffic signs and available bathroom pit stops. It’s India, there’s more out there, and we were determined to give finding it a go. The highway route would have been a straight line to Jaisalmer, through barren lands and small towns. Thanks, but no thanks.

Taking this detour and considering how far behind we were as a result of Dehli Belly… everything had to move in double time, and there was less time for sleep. No room for mistakes, and all our plans literally riding on engines zip tied together going full throttle up a mountain.

So, that’s what we did. We headed up Mount Abu, caught the sunrise, and made some monkey friends who were quick to rob us of all our snacks. And I mean ROB, they climbed to the top of the rickshaw where Jon was sitting and fought him for his food! He almost got bit… Don’t let their furry faces fool ya they’re vicious!

There’s only 1 Rule on the Rickshaw Run… and We Were About to Break It

The most dangerous thing to do in India… Drive a rickshaw, AT NIGHT.

On a highway, trucks and buses going everywhere. We tried to keep our eyes open for anything and everything, crossed our fingers and hoped we didn’t become another Indian road statistic. I hoped we especially didn’t come across any animals. If a dog or something ran across the road it would demolish the tuk tuk going 60k/hr in the dark.

But if we wanted to get to the end and make the finish party, we had to do it.

And it was rough… the goal one of the days was 450km. 14+ hours driving in a tiny rickshaw, finished off with a freezing night, and continuously reminding ourselves we were doing what everybody told us not to. But let’s be honest, we would totally do it again 😎

Rajasthan

After a long (and terrifying) night, we made it to the deserts of Rajasthan. 

When we got to the tent, it felt like glamping (glamorous camping). There was mosquito netting and the whole schebang! Plus, one of the nicest bathrooms we had seen in the entire India trip! Our last night on the road, and we were going camping…

Finally, time to get some much needed sleep… that is until Phil found the speakers. Then it was time for middle of the night desert dance party and beers!

Suddenly… we had a dance challenger… and he had moves. But little did he know we had been preparing for this moment the entire trip!

Rickshaw Run Final Day

Last day… woke up at 4am… 7 hour drive at least to be done…

…and Blake, our camera man, feels like death warmed over. The rest of us though, felt pretty great! We had a big day ahead of us, the end was in site. I personally felt ecstatic (and cold).

So, we wrapped Blake in foil for a bit of a quarantine, and headed out! Don’t worry, we had a plan. If he started to make noise or spewing in the back of the rickshaw Jon would honk uncontrollably to signal the others 👍

4:30am and we’re getting on the road. 

This was it. The last day. Last ride.

The last time being on the road in tin cans that had no business being used for a road trip. 

Our last time saying pull over, no PULL OVER NOW.

Last random pit stop, and reminder that it’s never a bad idea to pull over and explore (like when we found a pack of wild camels and sent Jon in for the hunt!)

Finally, our last time coming in last.

We managed to make it just in time for the victory lap. One glorious final convoy with all the other Rickshaw Runners.

It was hard to imagine these 2 weeks were coming to an end.

Kicking off the new year with this insane challenge… Forcing these hilarious vehicles across the country of India… Spreading happiness (and confusion) everywhere we went…

We met so many of the nicest people imaginable. People that taught us how to be kinder and welcoming. How to be there for strangers. And how to DANCE.

We made it to the finish line, and it felt like we had accomplished something. 

We weren’t really sure what it was… or if anyone else would understand.

We had to end it in the best way… Suits. Bros. Castles. 

Time for one last epic celebration with the rest of the Rickshaw Runners. The people who were just like us… People who had come from all over the world to live out the spirit of adventure.

The Best Reason To Do the Rickshaw Run

To put yourself outside of your comfort zone. 

Spending 2 weeks inside a Tuk Tuk, having to travel hundreds of kilometers a day crammed in, and on some of the most dangerous roads in the world.

Safe to say we were terrified 99% of the time.

The rickshaws had less safety than a go cart, and more break downs than we could count. And yet, we learned to love them. As incapable as they were, if they were able to make it across the country, then so could we.

We came to India with the plans of no plans. No warm showers, GPS, Yelp reviews or travel insurance. Getting to the end of the day, the sun’s setting, and you don’t know where you’re going to stay.

You have to just push through it all.

This was a proper adventure. All we had was a start and a finish line. Every day in between was left up to us to make it count.

More Reading & Resources:

• How To Start A Blog For The Price Of A Coffee
• Camera, Drone and Gear List I Use
• How I Earn A Living While Traveling Full-Time
• Giving back – Help us help others
• Additional Travels and Suggestions

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