Time flies by when you are doing interesting things – especially an adventure trip on Indian roads like the Rickshaw Challenge Mumbai Xpress.
Day 8 – Rest and Relaxation
Day 8 was a well-deserved day of rest in Goa for our teams, which they spend with exciting activities like doing their laundry and some relaxation. But for true adventurers, relaxation doesn’t mean just lazing around the pool, but also strolling through the streets, markets and beaches of Panjim, where our teams ended the day.
Day 9 – Into the Sun
On the day 9 all the teams were ready to go and the weather conditions completely changed. The thus far very Monsoon-heavy rally started to see the sun. The day’s destination was Murudeswara, a fishing hamlet with a famous Shiva temple.
It was a easy and problem-free drive all the way. As it was a long holiday connecting with Independence day, Murudeswara temple was completely crowded and the teams had a different experience to negotiate in the final stage of their drive. The days highlight was Gokarna, a small temple town with a beautiful unspoiled beach.
Day 10 – Elephant shortage in South India!
Day 10 was the shortest drive of the rally from Murdeswara to Mangalore. The teams spent it hunting the most beautiful beaches and visiting the temple in Udupi. It was again a trouble-free day without any breakdowns. The teams finally had understood the nuances of driving, so it had become a piece of cake for them.
The coast of Karnataka fulfilled their craving for the most amazing beaches and the temple kitchen in Udupi was definitely an amazement for them. The terrain change of mountainous Maharashtra to beachy Karnataka was evident and the teams were surprised by the variety of the landscapes offered by the trip.
The challenge of the day was getting a picture of the rickshaw together with an elephant, but no team was lucky enough to meet one. The second challenge, getting a picture of a holy man, was achieved by several teams in creative manners.
Day 11 – We Found the Elephants
It was a drive from the coast inland. The highlight was crossing the Western Ghats through the coffee flavoured Coorg Mountains.
The day started with a school visit arranged by Manglore Roundtable. After that we had just one support call by Team 3 who lost their exhaust packing.
Coorg’s beauty captivated all the teams. Most of them visited the Golden Temple and monastery near Khusalnagar. The day ended with a visit to the beautiful palace of Mysore.
All the teams saw the elephants (we would have needed them the day before!) which were paraded for the preparation of the Dasara celebrations. Honey, home-made chocolates and exotic fruits from Coorg filled tthe teams bags in Madikeri, a Coorg town they crossed during the travel to Mysore.
Day 12 – Bringing Back the Adrenaline
This was another short one from Mysore to Bangalore. A detour to visit the town of Srinrangapatna was the highlight of the day. Then the drive in the maddening traffic of Bangalore supplied our teams with enough adrenaline to compete with bungee jumping.
As the Mumbai Xpress is getting closer to the finish-lines, the teams are having mixed feeling of excitement and tiredness. Whatever they are going through in their minds, there is one thing all the teams say when ever and whoever ask them: “We love India”. That’s the effect of our Incredible India on the Teams. The exciting memories will stay with them for ever.
With that note I am finishing this update. See you again for another update once we windup the whole trip after reaching Chennai. Until then its Bye!!
Read more about the Rickshaw Challenge and our other trips this year here or visit our dedicated Rickshaw Challenge website. Follow us on Facebook to always be up to date.