Meet Hungarian Team Wonderlust King, who've just completed the Caucasian Challenge 2016 in their rusty, old but still trustworthy Subaru Justy. It didn't only carry them all across the Caucasus, but it also served as a hotel room for the team on several occasions. Let's see what the winners of the sought-after Bonkers Award have to tell us! Hi there, Team Wonderlust King. You are András and Ádám, aren’t you? András: We are. Ok, ready to roll? What drove you to come and take part in this rally, and what expectations did you bring to it? András: Our expectations? Well I first saw Caucasian Challenge, the very first one, on TV, on RTL klub it was I think. I loved the idea, so told Adam all about it at school the next day, and that we had to go and do it. You were still at school then? András: Yeah, high school. But I kept saying that we should get a dodgy banger or something and just go. I’m a born adventurer at heart, and love driving too. As for our expectations...we expected ourselves to complete the challenge, that’s all. We tried to get a car as cheaply as possible, any old rustbucket would do basically. In the end we found one for 120.000 Fts ($450), and well, prayed that it would make it to the end. And how did reality compare to your expectations? Ádám: I hadn’t expected it to be quite this amazing to be honest, it was a great surprise that it turned out to be this fab. I thought it would be sleeping in tents and roughing it all the way. But no, it was, well organised and totally awesome. What was the scariest part? Did you encounter any bears? Ádám: No, no bears,
Meet Hungarian Team Wonderlust King, who’ve just completed the Caucasian Challenge 2016 in their rusty, old but still trustworthy Subaru Justy. It didn’t only carry them all across the Caucasus, but it also served as a hotel room for the team on several occasions. Let’s see what the winners of the sought-after Bonkers Award have
After 10 short days already the last day of our 11 day adventure across the Caucasus had come. It started with high hopes for Belgian Team Care Bears, whose tank had started leaking the day before, but miraculously stopped doing so overnight. But the joy only lasted till someone pointed out that it was probably just empty by then. In the end it turned out, that the tank is only leaking, when there are more than 25 l inside. So no need to fix it, just to plan the gas station visits during the last day very well. Lucky Team Care Bears! The last cultural highlight of the Caucasian Challenge 2016, before heading to Yerevan for the Award Ceremony in the evening, was a visit in the 9th century monastery Tatev, sitting on a plateau high above the Vorotan River. The teams had the choice between driving up the steep, winding mountain road all the way or to take the “Wings of Tatev”, an almost 6 km long cable-way to the monastery, offering spectacular views over the valley. The last part of the road lead across two spectacular mountain passes, giving Armenia’s rugged landscapes a last chance to show off. Latest when passing by Mount Ararat in the distance, while the cloud cover just opened up over the majestic mountain, even the last participants could not help but give Armenia a special place in their memories. In the evening, the Award Ceremony and Finish Party with lots of wine, food, medals and fancy prizes took place in an open air space in Yerevan. The popular “Bonkers Award” went to Hungarian Team Wonderlust King for completing the challenge in their old and rusty Subaru Justy and sleeping in the same many of the nights. How about getting a shower now, guys! The award as
After 10 short days already the last day of our 11 day adventure across the Caucasus had come. It started with high hopes for Belgian Team Care Bears, whose tank had started leaking the day before, but miraculously stopped doing so overnight. But the joy only lasted till someone pointed out that it was probably just
Day 9 led our teams of the Caucasian Challenge 2016 into Nagorno-Karabah, a disputed territory, which is officially part of Azerbaijan, but basically independent with its own government and supported by Armenia. There is kind of a border check point, but the officers usually more busy with enjoying life (and a drink) than with bothering innocent tourists. After a couple of cars with foreign license plates and our Caucasian Challenge 2016 stickers had passed through, they remembered their job and stopped Team Deepzone – but probably more out of curiosity than sense of duty, since soon they were waved through, with some good wished on their way. The winding mountain roads of Nagorno-Karabakh had a unpleasant surprise for our teams: what has been a gravel road just a few years ago, is now a brand new asphalt road almost all the way through. But on the other side, like this, our teams had plenty of time to visit the 9th century monastery Dadivank and to relax at the hotel’s swimming pool in Vank. Oh, and how we would love to tell you about the next day’s special adventure, but we’ve promised our new friend of the local KGB to keep the secret. And since we want to offer next year’s teams the same opportunities, we need to keep this promise. Just that much: it involved a forbidden area, a military checkpoint and a lot of negotiation skills. What we can tell you, is that our trip led us deep into the no man’s land between Karabakh and Azerbaijan, heavily scarred by war and destruction. Till today the region is frequently a location of armed conflicts between both militaries. Driving through the mostly uninhabited ghost towns made our teams feel a bit like they had survived a zombie apocalypse and acting unsuspiciously passing by
Day 9 led our teams of the Caucasian Challenge 2016 into Nagorno-Karabah, a disputed territory, which is officially part of Azerbaijan, but basically independent with its own government and supported by Armenia. There is kind of a border check point, but the officers usually more busy with enjoying life (and a drink) than with bothering
Another border was waiting for the teams of the Caucasian Challenge 2016. After initial desperation and panic attacks remembering the long wait at the Turkish-Georgian border, it turns out that the Georgian-Armenian border is comparatively a real pleasure to cross – if there was not this darn bureaucracy for bringing a car into the country. Car tax, road tax, car insurance, all want to be signed and paid and of course this needs three different queues. Luckily queuing needs just one person, so the other team members could enjoy a drink or two in the border bar. Nevertheless, all teams could leave the border behind after about two hours. After a hearty group lunch under the burning Armenian sun, the temptation to set up a camp site right in front of the restaurant to have a little nap was great, but all teams headed towards Lake Sevan, one of the largest high altitude freshwater lakes in Eurasia, with an altitude of almost 2000m. The road offered great mountain views, but was relatively easy to drive, so soon the lake appeared through the windshield. This day should be a special adventure: wild camping was planned, with bonfire, good food, wine, great company and a million stars as blanket. After successfully navigating to the dedicated campsite and taking a couple of wrong turns before that, Team Deepzone and Team Wiredmango were determined to make the romantic fantasy reality - till the temperatures started dropping drastically and everybody chickened out, escaping to the luxury hotel just a couple of kilometers away. Only team Wonderlust King turned out to be real adventurers who can be scared neither by cold nor by a lack of toilets. We’ve been told that also the Care Bears did some wild camping in another place. But since we haven’t seen
Another border was waiting for the teams of the Caucasian Challenge 2016. After initial desperation and panic attacks remembering the long wait at the Turkish-Georgian border, it turns out that the Georgian-Armenian border is comparatively a real pleasure to cross – if there was not this darn bureaucracy for bringing a car into the country.
Five teams with participants from Belgium, Hungary, UK, India and Germany - old Travel Scientists veterans and new recruits – will explore Turkey, Georgia and Armenia for 11 days in 2WD or 4wD drives during the Caucasian Challenge 2016. The senior of this year’s rally is a more than 20 year old Subaru Justy, which will now undergo its most difficult test and experience its greatest adventure! Day 1, Istanbul to Sinop - Turkey is not Switzerland After meeting in Istanbul, the always lively capital of the Bosphorus, the teams had two days to cross the length of Turkey. Roads were still easy, the drive relaxed. Except for team Wiredmango , who, in an attempt to explore the undiscovered, got off the road and ended up having the choice doing a stunt jumping across a river without brigde (thanks to a mudslide) or to turn around and go all the way back. In the end, the team bailed out from the stunt and arrived late for the welcome party at them camping site at the Black Sea Coast in Sinop. Luckily they were the ones carrying all the party supplies, so the party could not start without them. Once arrived neither the late hour nor the rain could stop our teams from getting to know each other over a glass of wine and talk about the day’s adventures and the ones to come. Lesson of day the day: "If we were in Switzerland, they would have put a sign." Well guys, things work a little bit differently in the Caucasus! Day 2, Sinop to Batumi - Patience is a Virtue The next day we promised our teams a long ride and an even longer wait at the Turkish-Georgian border. Promises need to be kept and most teams spent a bigger part of the night waiting in line.
Five teams with participants from Belgium, Hungary, UK, India and Germany – old Travel Scientists veterans and new recruits – will explore Turkey, Georgia and Armenia for 11 days in 2WD or 4wD drives during the Caucasian Challenge 2016. The senior of this year’s rally is a more than 20 year old Subaru Justy, which
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
With the winter holidays over, there was not much to do besides sit in front of the television feeling like you’re about to burst from all the food, getting ready to see in the New Year with the new resolutions to lead a healthier life. However, for this very reason, we decided it’s the perfect time for an adventure. For those looking for warmer climes, we offered the Rickshaw Challenge Classic Run, but for those looking to keep in with the seasonal winter theme, we launched a brand new rally up in the Baltic States. Five teams and nine participants from four countries took part in the inaugural event that kicked off from Krakow, Poland on December 29, 2014, which finished up in Tallinn, Estonia on January 6, 2015 after a snow-clad adventure spanning 2600km across Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Stops on the way included a number of Soviet relics, such as Karosta jail and a secret nuclear bunker in Latvia, a visit to a nuclear silo and a night in Hitler’s Eastern Front Military headquarters “Wolf’s Lair” in Poland. But perhaps one of the main highlights of the event was spending New Year with the locals in the Lithuanian spa town of Druskininkai. It was a historic moment for the Baltic country, since they switched from using the Lithuanian Litas to the Euro. Druskininkai was also the perfect place to recover, since it’s famous for its spas. The huge aquapark and indoor ski centre certainly wowed the participants on the Baltic Run! There was a lot of celebration on this icy, minimal assistance rally. Dirk from team One Life Live It celebrated his birthday in a sauna in a remote country house in Latvia. This was somewhere in between the time when the teams spent a lot of time
With the winter holidays over, there was not much to do besides sit in front of the television feeling like you’re about to burst from all the food, getting ready to see in the New Year with the new resolutions to lead a healthier life. However, for this very reason, we decided it’s the perfect time
