Mad Dogs and Englishmen's Indian Adventure

Mad Dogs and Englishmen's Indian Adventure

Welcome to the blog of Mad Dogs and Englishmen

This blog is the combined blog for all the members of Mad Dogs and Englishmen. All posts from the individual team members are combined here, which makes it easier to track everything that is posted.

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• January 2007 (9)
• December 2006 (4)
• October 2006 (6)
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• Clodagh from BA Saves the day

  I left my house on in a minor panic yesterday as there was no public transport on Christmas day in London at all.

  Having booked myself the cheapest possible flight I was extremely reluctant to spend my savings on a taxi to get me to Heathrow. Resolving to hitchihike I walked out of the dorr with a trusty sign saying Heathrow please, with a few drawings of holly on it for seasonal goodwill. However as I walked round the corner a BA stewardess was leaving her house and veryt kindly agreed to give me a lift. So anyone flying BA over the coming years if you come across Clodagh please be extremely nice to her, and whatever you do don't be a miserable passenger!

  
• Darjeeling

  We arrived here yesterday after a somewhatgruelling drive up from Calcutta. The whole state was on strike so nothing was allowed to move. Fortunately petrol stations remained open otherwise I would probably still be on my way.

  I left Calcutta at 18.00 on the 7th and arrived in Siliguri a distance of some 650 km 26 hours later at 20.00. I had pretty much been driving continuously although I did manage to spend a rather peaceful hour touring a now destroyed Mosque and had a guided tour of a very picturesque village.

  The picket lines that I crossed were generally fairly friendly and after an appeal to the main man there I was generally able to get through. At one of the early ones however I had a somewhat angry mob surrounding the rickshaw. I was being pulled back from the rear of the vehicle which resulted in a very large tear on the roof, and pulled forward from the front which resulted in my window popping out of the screen.

  It was only at about 5 0'clock when I was told I would have to stop and stay. Fortunately the strike was shortly resolved thereafter and what was meant to be a 24 hour strike became a 12 hour one.

  On arrival at my hotel I was asleep about 10 seconds before my head hit the pillow. Quite a relief really as not the nicest of hotel rooms... There again I think the lodging we have stayed in over here has given me a healthy respect for Travel Lodge!

  We woke the following morning at 7 and drove the very picturesque 70kms up to Darjeeling up a long and windy road. I was later told that there was another route which was pretty much a solid incline! I think I am relieved to have missed it, although at the same time it could have been quite fun.

  At one stage we picked up about 10 children who were hanging on the back and on the outside of the rickshaw. Getting them off to make sure we were light enough to get up the steep bits was a challenge!

  On my return to the UK I will upload some photos to the blog. If you would like to be kept up to date as to any changes do let us know by adding your name to the mailing list!

  If you haven't yet sponsored us and would like to do so to help the very valid work Mercy Corps does over here please do so by visiting our justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/indiaorbust.

  Many thanks to all those of you who have already sponsored us!

  
• Delhi

  I left Darjeeling this morning having paid an emotional farewell to the Rickshaw.

  I am now in Delhi. I flew down here with the American guys we met in Goa. I am staying in the most extraordinary hotel, very cheap at 250 rupees, although to be honest I don't think I would pay the 3 pounds for it in England!

  We were hoping to go down and see the Taj Mahal but this is not one of the nights when it is open and tomorrow it is shut. I will be making my way down to Bombay tomorrow either by plane or train.

  We have just come back from visiting the Red Fort and we paid a visit to Macdonalds. Shocking really... but an interesting taste experience!

  Delhi is a really interesting city and I am hoping for an opportunity to come back and pay a longer visit. Tomorrow I am intending to be a tourist for the morning and then am off to visit Apollo Dentists.... Dentistry is much cheaper here. I think Dental tourism is the way ahead!

  
• Doha... Qatar Airways rocks....

  So we arrived in Doha last night looking forward to a hard nights sleep on the airport floor....

  Much to my surprise we were ushered to a transfer desk where Qatar Airways informed us they were putting us up in a local hotel. To make things even better we were allowed our own rooms so I managed to avoid Stephen's snoring and actually managed a little sleep.

  Not only that but we were given dinner and breakfast. Unfortunately we had no local currency so when we had a room service dinner we were unable to tip the charming room service waiter. Much to my embarrasment as he left the door closed with a resounding slam. Should anyone find themselves in Doha in the near future please be extra generous with your tips to make up for my lack of generosity and christmas spirit!

  We are now en route to Mumbai and on to Kochin for the start of the rickshaw run.

  Hope everyone at home had a wonderful Christmas.

  
• Goa

  We arrived in Goa on the 30th December. Naturally as Goa appears to be the Tenerife of India we were completely unable to find anywhere to stay.

  After some struggle our two rickshaws plus the Gin Soaked Rogues who we met at the border decided to go our seperate ways and we all eventualy found beds for the night.

  The following morning Henry had managed to find us a couple of rooms in a hotel right by the beach which was quite an achievement!

  Partys were all a bit mad in Goa. I actually ended up leaving the others and driving up to meet some friends in North Goa in the central tourist area which really needed to be seen to be believed. Various adventures ensued which kept me amused.

  Everyone is keen to spend today in the same place by the beach before setting off early tomorrow morning to Hampi, which I have heard described as the Angkor Wat of India.

  A very happy New Year to you all.

  PS Henry says that the first bit of warm water he found in India was when he got into the Indian Ocean!

  
• Goa to Hampi

  We have now arrived in Hampi. This is India's answer to Ankgor Wat and whilst we have yet seen very little of it it appears very impressive indeed.

  Henry and Stephen spent an extra night in Goa whilst Raj, Agate and I drove on to Hampi, stopping over night in a little town by the Goa border.

  We arrived in Hampi this evening and will have a proper tour of all the temples in the morning before heading on, probably towards Hyderabad.

  Henry and Stephen had what appeared to be a major breakdown but are now moving again and are staying in a hotel about 140kms from here.

  Hope the beginning to everyone's 2007 is going well.

  Justin

  
• Introduction

  Welcome to the blog of Mad Dogs and Englishmen and their Indian adventure...

  There are individual blogs from all the team members and a chance for you to comment on what we are up to.

  
• Raichur to Hyderabad

  We spent last night in a town about 200kms from Hyderabad called Raichur. Off all the guide books we found probably the nicest hotel we have so far stayed in.

  Raj and Agata booked themselves into the Presidential Suite for the princely sum of 1,800 rupees which is about 23 pounds. I went for the basic single room which cost me 250 rupees or about 3 pounds. Quite the bargain. I even had hot water in the morning, even if I had to pour it over my head from a bucket.

  Tonight we arrived in Hyderabad where I am staying in more standard Indian hotel accomodation. About the same price as last night it would still probably be closed down by environmental inspectors in the UK!

  Raj and Agata disappeared off to try and find a more typical 5 star hotel. If they have a swimming pool I will be mightily upset otherwise I am happy with my 3 quid a night accomodation...

  Henry has I believe a small bout of food poisoning and their rickshaw broke down quite some way from here. With a view to catching us up they have stuck their rickshaw on a train and have taken an overnight 17 hour train ride. They will arrive on the eastern coast tomorrow morning.

  

News

• Email to a friend 26.10.06

  I am planning to do another trans-continental run like we did last year for the Mongol Rally.
  This one is about taking a motorised rickshaw (you know, the tuktuks they have in Thailand. And Brighton) from Kochin in Kerala to Darjeeling, which is so far north that it's at the end of a little spike above India all on its own.

  As before, the people whose idea it is - the same ones that were responsible for the Mongol Rally - have been fabulously over-optimistic and offer no help. They imagine that people will be able to do over 2,000 miles in two weeks (ie about 10 days if you are lucky) in a vehicle which 'cruises' at 22mph [how do they work that out? and what is cruising anyway, it has connotations of looking for sex?].

  Normally that would mean 200 miles a day at 22 miles an hour (10 hours a day on the road in other words) but that does not take into account the time spent gawping - India is moderately gawpworthy so I'm told - stopping for a pee, stopping for something to eat, cows in the road and, er, traffic. We can't use main roads as we'd be nailed within 5 miles of the start by one of those massive "Might is Right" lorries. That means we'll have to go from town to town on B-roads and side-streets. I've seen it on YouTube: traffic doesn't go faster than 10 mph except for suicidal spurts.

  And of course this makes no mention of Delhi belly. Sure as eggs is rotten eggs we'll forget what we've been advised and accidentally have ice in our G&T or order a salad washed under a tap (so easily done). With so much against us I suspect that what started as a Cross-India expedition will end up being written up as "Two Weeks Spent Travelling Around the Delightful and Interesting Town of Kochin in Kerala, with notes on the state of local hospitals and the quirks of Keralan mechanics".

  So why are you going, you might ask. Well, I've got to keep an eye on my stepbrother. And I've spent most of this year living with my grandfather in Cheltenham so it'll be good to get out of the house.

  Plus some of those Indian girls look jolly handsome in my back issues of the National Geographic.

  
• Email to Justin 11.10.06

  I've been doing a bit of maths for the journey and I can't help wondering if anyone else has done the same.

  You'll know that a similar rally took place in August - the Indian Autorickshaw Challenge. They covered 590 miles in seven days with a pilot vehicle, a baggage truck, an emergency vehicle and a recovery vehicle. (Lucky buggers. Even when they all missed a fuel stop and ran out of petrol, the back-up vehicle just appeared and topped them up.) They left at breakfast every day and drove till tea-time, covering about 85 miles, or 135k, a day.

  Taking into account days for resting, repairs, sickness etc I guess we'd be lucky to get 10 days' driving on the Rickshaw Run ... if the total mileage is 2000, that works out at 200 miles a day. On open roads (which we can't use), with no traffic (impossible in India) the autorickshaws cruise at 22mph according to Wikipedia. In other words, that'll mean driving for at least 10 hours a day - not including wee stops, traffic lights, junctions, lunch, sight-seeing etc.

  Can that be right?

  Even if we drive every day of the fortnight, it's nearly double the mileage that the other rally teams managed every day, and they really went for it. Of course, the route hasn't been revealed yet but it looks from the map like we'll either have to go the short way over the mountains or the longer way by the coast, though there's not much in it. However, each will add to the hours of driving.

  I told you we should cheat!

  
• Email to Justin 11.10.06

  Right. I've had a poke around on the Rickshaw Run website to get a bit clearer on what's going on. Unfortunately all it's done is ask more questions. Grandpa [an old India hand] wondered how you'd carry all the food and spare fuel (not many petrol stations, apparently - though he hasn't actually been to India for 60 years!).

  Is there any way of cheating?? I am certain it is totally in the spirit of the Run (and the Institute of Bally Fools, or whatever they're calling it) and I couldn't help thinking you might have been better off going to Outer Mongolia in a Jeep - we'd be fools not to learn from our mistakes.

  Grandpa assures me that, contrary to my hopes, India is not actually just like Holland and there are hills, not to say mountains. My Vespa, for instance, is 125cc and about a tenth the weight of a tuktuk and that struggles up Angel Bank [in Shropshire], so God only knows how a rickshaw will cope. I bet they have to go flat out just to get over a sleeping policeman.

  Of course we'll be two grown men plus luggage plus supplies (oh God, please don't bring a whole sportsbag of books this time) and I imagine that running your iPod will drain at least a third of the power from the engine, so how about I slyly buy an Ambassador or a Mahindra Jeep? My treat. I can get a 1989 Ambassador in cream with aircon for £530. That's got to be better value than the tuktuk.

  Hell, for £260 you can get a maroon Fiat Premier Padmini, 1974, 45000 miles only, tax and insurance thrown in. It can always be sold in Darjeeling at the end of the Run, just like the rickshaws. Alternatively I am going to look into putting the rickshaw onto a locomotive carriage and letting the train take the strain!

  Maybe I am just dreading getting out and pushing 2000 miles.

  Otherwise, if you are having your tuktuk pimped remotely, how about a 400cc engine plus a lockable cabinet? The only place there's room is under the driver's seat but it might be an idea to have somewhere we can stash clothes instead of carrying them everywhere with us. An old tin despatch box with a clasp would do it.

  Have you conned any more idiots into going? Do you know anyone else who's getting a team together and are they interested in going in convoy? Have you given any thought to the route? Questions questions. Perhaps I'd better have a lie down and it'll all go away.

  
• Email to my father 11.10.06

  I had a call from Justin the other day asking if I was still interested in going to India over Christmas. I said yes and only afterwards had a look at the website to get a few more details. The whole idea does seem kind of stupid. 2000 miles in a ice cream seller’s tricycle with a farty little engine might be a challenge but what's the point if there's no race involved?

  First off, we're leaving on Boxing Day so we'll both be at our fattest. The two stroke engine has a capacity of only 150cc which is barely enough to move its own weight at a steady 20mph on a slight downhill gradient. I imagine that the first time we try to avoid a cow lying in the road, we'll tip it over. We can't use main roads as we'd be crushed by the first lorry that came at us (in either direction) and I don't believe India is particularly blessed with petrol stations. Furthermore fuel's expensive, the vehicle has a tiny tank and is thirsty.

  So we'll be going along at walking pace (or however fast we can push it) with all our luggage - remember Justin took a whole suitcase of books last time - spare fuel, food, boxes of loo paper, all of which we'll have to carry with us to every bar, khazi, consulate etc because there's no way of locking them in the boot (there is no boot).

  I have suggested to Justin that I slyly buy an Ambassador (the old Morris Oxford, which is still made in India) or a Mahindra jeep or in fact anything with more horsepower than an electric pencil sharpener. The rickshaws are expected to cost £500 or so but I've found a 1989 Ambassador in cream, low mileage plus aircon for only £530. Talk about no-brainer.

  You can get a serviceable older car for £250 and frankly - since I have no doubt that we'll break down in the night miles from anywhere - I'd rather be trying to get some kip in the leather seats of a lockable car than in a three-wheel open-sided two seater horseless buggy with no suspension and handlebars for a steering wheel.

  He has suggested we'll only need about £300 for the two weeks. Oh God. That can only mean that we'll be eating on the side of the road and sleeping next to the tuktuk. I am descended from the kings of England, France, Scotland, Sweden, Aragon, Hungary, Castille and Jerusalem; I went to private school, for God's sake - I should be sliding softly from palace to palace in a Rolls-Royce built in the 1930s for the Maharajah of Whatsisname. I should be taking tea and tiffin at the Ooty Club, stopping for a chukka or four at some imperial polo ground, drinking gin on the verandah of some hill-station dak and calling to the punkah-wallah to speed things up a bit.

  By the end of the first week, I bet beggars will be giving us money. William Holmes will spin in his grave. [William Holmes was my maternal grandfather's dad, born in India. He fought with Lumsden’s Horse in the Boer War, got a job in railway construction in Argentina and Paraguay until he paid his family’s passage home so he could fight in the Great War where he won an MC. He was a Colonel by the time he took part in the Waziristan War and then became quite a grand fromage in his own little way on the India Light Railway before going to run the railways in Mexico. He died in 1970 aged 92. I've got a couple of fantastic photos of him surrounded by hundreds of Indian railway staff all dressed according to their religion: turbans, fezes, skullcaps etc. His life story can be found at 1cha.co.uk]

  
• Hubli

  It is hard to stay in formation with the haphazard nature of the traffic and we have yet to work out a viable solution. We have two walkie-talkies but I have one and Stephen (in the same auto) has the other! At one point we were only two hours behind the Boodogglers in their Flying Duvet, having lost them three days previouly, but still failed to catch up to them.

  Depite just having had a rest day at New Year we found that both auto and driver required further time to recover. Driving for ten hours without much of a break can knock your spine about a bit, particularly on the shocking road from Goa to Hoobly Junction (Hubli), plus I had ingested enough dust to fashion a small eggcup with. [Incidentally, reports of my having got the Rajastan Runs or Trincomalee Trots came as a result of misunderstanding - Stephen told Justin I wasn't feeling well and Justin made the obvious assumption. Actually I had a headache!]. The auto, which - unlike others - we had nursed gingerly from the start, developed a oil leak immediately after our 1000k oil-change; on-the-spot nut-tightening by local auto driver did not rectify the problem and a dealer in the middle of nowhere (a one-street, hill-top hamlet in the jungle) wouldn't touch it. Bajaj Motorbikes only, he said, so Booooo! to Vigneshwar Bajaj in Ramnagar.

  Hooray, though, to Manjunath S. Jadhar of Manjunath Bajaj, Hubli who had shifts of top mechanics buzzing around our auto until late, just to get us back on the road. The option otherwise would have been to risk proceeding in the dark with a sickening motor, or waiting 24 hours while the engine was stripped down. He kept them working after they should have gone home and charged us nothing, not even parts. We wear their sticker with pride and gratitude.

  So the deision to stay in Hubli and put the auto on the train was really a no-brainer. No one should be tempted to misinterpret our decision as being influenced by our huge room on the lake, superior laundry service, pool, masseur (needed, I assure you) and immaculate kitchen. Last night the waiter to diner ratio was 2:1 and dinner was no more expensive than elsewhere, though it was silver service. The facilities rival any good 3* hotel in Europe (and that includes the hot water an electricity which are not alays available - or present - in India). At GBP10 each a night it is a steal, so I don't know why the Naveen Hotel, Hubli does not feature in any of our guidebooks. It looks like a modern palace and the service is unrivalled in my (albeit limited) experience.

  The cost of sending the autorickshaw to Guntur by train (all being well etc) only cost Rs 967, or about GBP 5.60 each for Stephen and me. That is the cost of just one day's petrol but we should be making up around 3 days hard driving. Our sleeper (11.30 am to 4 a.m. journey) came to Rs 2100 for two. Beat that, Virgin.

  By coincidence the cost to one of u of sending the auto by freight was about he same as we paid for dinner in Goa: 2 gin and tonics, 3 beers, prawn and garlic mushroom starter, one sea bream (brought to the table prior to cooking) and a barracuda fillet, finished off with a large brandy. Not much more than a fiver or two people and in this, a bit of tourist trap. Crab for lunch were GBP 2 each.

  Driving in India is just as bad as you might imagine, with high rumble strips/sleeping policemen anywhere on the way in or out of town with no discernable warning that we have been able to establish, sudden drops in the road and no sense of lanes except that the weak and asthmatic go near the roadside and the mighty go, well, where they want actually.

  You frequently find three vehicles coming at you round a blind bend, in line abreast. Usually a car overtaking a bus, passing a lorry.

  Night driving could be as fun as a video game, were it not for the the consequence of losing. 'Game Over' would not be funny in the circs. What might seem to be a motorbike half a mile away quickly turns outs to be a vast slab-fronted auto-killer with only one side light working, right on top of you. Buses often have no rear lights at all and creep uphill - quite a heart-stopper when suddenly illuminated by the auto's weak single lamp.

  Before I complete this blog I must say that I am having the most brilliant time. India is ... well, India is all things at once. The vibancy of the colours almost constitutes an assault on the eye. Everyone so far (except one coolle at Hubli Station) has been smiley and helpful - though it would appear that giving the wrong or madly inaccurate answer is better than not knowing the correct one).

  The weather could not be better. Stephen has been a model travelling companion, though, like naughty children, we have not had the strength of character or will or to say:-
  "No, we cannot stay another night in the sumptuous cosseting of this lavish temple to luxury."
  "No, we really ought to move on from this quiet, clean, large room in this guesthouse with the friendly landlady and her two stunning daughters (with the man of the house away working in London)."
  "No, surely we should be honour-bound to have an early night, eschew the 3-course supper (which will cost les than a hamburger at home), get an early start and endeavour to catch up by driving non-stop for 3 days instead of putting the auto on the train and then going for a swim."

  
• Welcome

News

• 'ere we go again

  Oh no! This has all gone 'orribly 'orribly wrong again!!
  It seems as if, without being fully aware of his dastardly plan, Mr Wheeler jun. has roped Henry and myself into another one of his foolhardy holidays. Not being content with either of our company, he has also convinced Raj to join up as well. If you see a Kitchener style pointing finger poster with "Wheeler wants you" in capitals underneath, do the sensible thing and walk on by or call your lawyer before signing on the dotted line!
  We, the naive, stupid and just plain dumb, (Henry and Raj choose which one you want to be! Assume naive has been taken!) are now locked in arms as INDIAORBUST.COM
  We have agreed for the sake of a great charity - Mercycorps, to travel from Cochin in the south of India to Darjeeling in the north. The traffic situation in India being what it is, we will be avoiding cars, buses and suchlike. We will take the local transport- a rickshaw! Before you point out technical difficulties involving Justin pulling and size of the harness etc, we have organised the little motorised ones. This won't necessarily make us any faster but at least we can all do the whipping.
  As you will well be aware, this is not for fun. We need to raise some cash for a good cause. The justgiving link on our website takes you straight to the donations page, same as in the Mongol Rally. Your donations will count. We will attempt this foolhardy and silly trip but we need you to support our donations page. Please give at least just a little this Christmas for the important work that Mercycorps do in India. A small donation goes a long way in the sub continent as the 2006 Nobel prize winner Mohammed Yunus and the Grameen Bank have proved. Every small amount counts more than we in the west know.
  We urgently need you to get on the list of donors and help us achieve the target as soon as possible. Please get your name on the list by giving any amount you can today and if you feel like it, more tomorrow!

  The flights are booked. Having been through Turkmenistan last year, we avoided their airline which actually does fly to Bombay/Mumbai. We are booked with Qatar Air and have the pleasure of endless hours through the night in Qatar before flying on. If anyone would like to sponsor our flights please please please do get in touch!! (Its not too bad!)
  Besides the flights, we haven't actually organised very much. Mind you we still have two weeks left for Visas, flight from Mumbai to Cochin, jabs, tablets, rucksacks, contacts, maps, etc etc. Easy!!
  More later but don't forget to sponsor us!

  
• Farewell Mumbai... Hello Cochin, hopefully!

  Quick check in here! We are in Bombay and just have a few minutes before the flight to Cochin. Stayed in a simple hotel last night with the grand name of Regency Hotel, Bombay! Nothing regal about it!

  We took a rickshaw to Bandra and had a wander round the shops. The traffic has to be seen to be believed. There are absolutely no road rules whatsoever. Basically you just hoot and give way for lorries. Dosn"t really even matter which side of the road you are on. Crossroads are really fun!!

  Off now so more later!

  Stephen can be reached at rolvenden at yahoo.de

  
• Hubli Junction

  We are Up the Junction! Hubli Junction to be precise. Henry and I are rather lagging behind Justin and co in the other rickshaw. Whilst they have reached Hampi and in fact latest news puts them just 200 kms short of Hyderabad, we are still enjoying Hubli Junction. The town is famous for... a big train junction. This could have been as exotic as Clapham train junction were it not for our lovely hotel. Naveen Hotel have pampered to all our wishs and more and are not really doing a good job in making us want to move on!
  Tomorrow we finally move on. Henry's blog will have more details very soon.

  
• Leaving Mumbai

  The moment has finally arrived where we say good bye to India, temporarily. It has been an amazing experience and we all are fascinated by the country and people. We have all expressed the wish to return very soon and do some further exploring!
  Raj left yesterday morning, Henry this morning and Justin and I will be jumping in a taxi in a few minutes and heading up to Mumbai International.
  Thanks again to all the sponsors for the tremendous help you have given us by sponsoring us so far. Its never too late to sponsor and both we and Mercy Corps are very grateful for every pound donated to our Rickshaw Run.
  Thanks

  (Does anybody read this?? Nobody has left any comments recently!!)

  
• Vijayawada

  A train ride later and we arrived in Guntur Junction on the East coast. Not the fastest of trains but ca 16 hrs later we arrived! A short trip up the road to Vijayawada and an overnight stay in a place of 1 million inhabitants but currently 2 tourists. After a few hours here I have definately had enough of being followed, watched, questioned and generally handled like a rare escaped zoo animal. Henry with his walking stick and me with a few blond hairs seem to cause a small upset in a town where chaos ismost definately nothing new.
  We expect Justin to arrive this evening and tomorrow we start off on the 1234 km to Calcutta. I can picture doing this by train for our safety's sake. We will see.
  Although used to the roads, (somewhat!), I have had enough at the moment of ca 30 to 50 very near misses every day. Lethal doesn't do fighting the traffic in a rickshaw justice.
  More soon!

  

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