KOCHI: The six friends, five from New Zealand and one from England never thought the adventure awaiting them as they embarked on an autorickshaw run from Jaisalmer to Kochi would be awe-inducing and a beautiful one. For Matt, Frankie, Susan, Sam, Loic and Steve it was a fun-filled dream run. One they set out after a year-long planning.
Matt said the idea for such a trip came to him during a conversation with one of his friends who had made a similar journey some five years ago. “The idea looked very appealing and last year the timing seemed right. But I needed some people to accompany me and so I went about asking some friends to join me,” he said. Matt asked around 200 people and finally formed two teams comprising three people each for the trip. The fact that all of them were friends made the trip all the more fun-filled and exciting.
However, fun and adventure were not all that Matt and his friends intended to achieve by embarking on this trip. “We found it to be a great way to raise money for charity.
The trip was a complete package--discover India, have an adventure and ultimately collect funds for charity,” said Matt. And just like many others before them, the friends found that in order to see the real India their best bet was to use a means of transport that everyone in the country most commonly depended upon. Hence, the autorickshaws.
“We split into two teams of three each and hired two tuk-tuks, which the people who organised the run consider an iconic way of Indian life,” Matt said. And for the friends, most of whom are from Bulls, a small town in the North Island of New Zealand, which is famous for its word plays on the name such as “this is the only place you can get milk from Bulls”, the ride was one hell of a bumpy, bone-jarring adventure that covered 2,890 km from start to finish.
As Matt puts it, “On some days, we really felt the kilometres. We did around 250 km each day. So we would try to start as early as possible to beat the traffic. We had to take into consideration possibilities like breakdowns and the time taken for repair works while planning for the day’s journey. And at 30km/hr on average, we definitely had the time to take in the countryside before looking for a place to sleep before nightfall.”
Everybody on the team was unanimous in their declaration that the journey was one none of them would ever forget. “We had no expectations as to how it would pan out. But the trip was like none other,” Matt said. Every day brought a new challenge. “Whether it was getting lost, breaking down or trying to explain the problem that you have, with your hands and feet! The entire experience was simply ... wow!!” he adds.
The team members said the people couldn’t believe that ‘goras’ (foreigners) would be travelling in a tuk-tuk through most of India. “This actually helped the villagers to connect with us and their hospitality opened up with they considering us as family,” said the other members.
One of the many challenges they had to face was the very cold climate. Matt said, “When we started our trip the climate was chilly. And since the tuk-tuk does not have any doors, we had to endure the icy winds of the early morning hours. It was so cold we had to buy blankets.” One of the team members said, “We thawed out by lunchtime and are thankful for the potholes on the roads that kept our blood circulating and hearts beating.”
If potholes shattered their joints, the traffic gave them nightmares. “Tuk-tuks driven by foreigners tend to attract a lot of attention and many times it proved to be detrimental to our safety. We got pushed off the road several times. When we crossed Goa, the tempo of the traffic increased and we had a few near misses with trucks, buses and cars. At times it was a little scary to drive,” Matt said.
Scary incidents aside, they got to see and enjoy many interesting facets of Indian life. One interesting thing they came across was that Indians loved to take selfies with them. “Any time seemed to be the right time for a selfie. Be it while driving along the highway, fixing the tuk-tuk with my head in the motor, being pulled over a few kilometres down the road, or during dinner,” Matt said.
The team also got to play cricket with some children in a school. They were invited by the headmaster and the teachers to talk about their adventure. “The English teacher translated for us,” Matt said. The other adventures they faced included using the Indian toilet and forging bravely through a particularly spicy meal which had them breaking out into a sweat.
However, the love and affection showcased by the people during their trip helped them to overcome tiredness, stress and misery. “We just had to shake a hand or smile at a local. It certainly helped me get through the tough times!” Matt said.
At their final destination Kochi, the team didn’t get much time to process the things they had accomplished. They got busy for their return trip which they took after spending two nights at the Hummingbird hotel. But, Matt said, “We know in the months to come this trip will be something that we will be so proud of.”