What we learnt on the India's Cup 2018. The India's Cup rally is one of the most exciting events on the Travel Scientists' calendar. We love rickshaws (and bulls!) but as we continually discover in our many other exciting events, sometimes you can't beat a car! This event is designed to test our cars, and participants, to the maximum, in order to experience as much of South India's diversity as we can possibly fit in a couple of weeks. We think we (and our brave teams) did a good job. Here are some of the highlights: Fantastic Cars Any vehicle is accepted the India's Cup. However: the more classic, and the less suitable, the better. This time though, the field were all in Hindustan ambassadors; a real classic of Indian roads, this made for an interesting blend of fitting in and (as a group) standing out. Most importantly, they took teams 2700 kilometers, from Chennai to Goa (with a lot of detours in between). Most of the Time... One thing about these cars: they are... temperamental. Especially on hot, long days, with drivers who aren't used to this unique vehicle. It took some getting used to, and quite a few pit-stops along the way, but by the end of the trip our teams had learned to love them like family (fault air-con included...). Amazing Scenery We saw some of South India's most remarkable places, like the 'Venice of the East', Alleppey, pictured above. Other highlights included the tea fields of Ooty and, of course, the beaches of Goa. So Much History Being India, of course, there were also many historic sights to see. We even had an excellent guide Deepa, pictured here showing participants around the incredible ruined city of Hampi. The Sea Temple at Mamallapuram and the Chinese fishing nets of Kochin will
What we learnt on the India’s Cup 2018. The India’s Cup rally is one of the most exciting events on the Travel Scientists‘ calendar. We love rickshaws (and bulls!) but as we continually discover in our many other exciting events, sometimes you can’t beat a car! This event is designed to test our cars, and participants, to the maximum, in order
Three states, 1110km, 5 teams, 13 participants from 4 different countries kicked off from Panaji on 15 June 2015 on a three-wheeled mission across the Deccan Plateau to India's most populous city - Mumbai! Things didn't begin as early as planned on the Rickshaw Challenge - Deccan Odyssey 2015, since most of the teams had partied a little hard the night before the flag off, but that still didn't stop the enthusiasm from rushing in. Our hardy teams dressed up in costumes, sporting good spirits to compensate for the hangovers and eventually kicked off around 9am revving towards the first destination Belgaum. The Deccan Odyssey poses some challenges, with the weather being one of the main nuisances (or should we say "fun" aspects of the trip), since we caught the very beginning of the monsoon season. However, despite the rain, nothing could dampen the spirits of our Rickshaw Challengers and everyone was raring to go. Outside of our set challenges, the teams' biggest hurdle was perhaps the epic traffic in Pune, which was quite a shock and a talking point among the participants. Most of the teams came in late after the flag down time since they had not banked on Pune's size and congestion issues, where even with a small and nifty rickshaw, it's hard to zip in and out of the traffic. But it's all a learning curve, since one cannot simply drive into India and not learn to navigate the challenging local traffic - something we think should be on everyone's bucket list! Another thing that's often included on the India "must-do" list is the Taj Mahal. While we are no where near Agra, the Deccan Odyssey offers the next best thing: Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad. It's no coincidence though, since the architect who designed the Aurangabad copy was the son of the original Taj designer.
Three states, 1110km, 5 teams, 13 participants from 4 different countries kicked off from Panaji on 15 June 2015 on a three-wheeled mission across the Deccan Plateau to India’s most populous city – Mumbai! Things didn’t begin as early as planned on the Rickshaw Challenge – Deccan Odyssey 2015, since most of the teams had partied a little hard the night before
