Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

Well, we have arrived home safely and are amused at the media coverage of the commonwealth games and the poor accomodation for athletes. We're not even athletes and we managed to find rooms of a similar standard!! We are unable to add more pictures to this site at the moment, but will continue collecting sponsorship and we do have an idea or two to get us closer to our target. Thanks to all who sent messages of support. There were one or two moments when we needed them.

Did we have an adventure?  Cetainly.

Would we do it again? Certainly not!

But its all for an extremely good cause.

If any of you are ever considering independant travel in India - think very carefully before taking the self drive option.

Update - The good news is that the grinding noise from the gearbox has stopped. The bad news is that the tuktuk has also stopped - Permanently!

We have had to arrange a truck to recover our tuk as it is beyond economical repair, and not capable of completing our intended route.

We would be exaggerating to say we had become attached to it, but we have spent many long hours tukking in it and this seems a sad way to wave her off. Clive and I did share a last 2 or 3 hours with her in the back of the truck, waving at the locals who remain amused at seeing 2 Europeans in a rickshaw.

We have achieved our aim of daring to tuk through India, and have learned more than we would have imagined:

India is much bigger than it looks on a map.

There are few road signs, and driving is a very hazardous sport.

The dramatic change in food and accomodation, together with the long hours in the saddle took its toll on us too!

We are older than we admit to....

A big thank you to all who have sponsored us, helping us to use our adventure to raise funds for the Dame Vera Lynn Trust. (Rosie - we'll be in touch as soon as we get back).

 

Another update...

As we approach the end of our second week, things are getting really interesting with the tuk tuk !

We have a recurring problem with a backfire, and then the engine cuts out with no warning. Ongoing roadside repairs and lots of masking tape and a few cable ties have hopefully resolved this - but it has certainly let us down in some places we wouldn't have chosen to stop in.

More worryingly, there is a nasty grinding noise from the back end. We think its the gearbox. Actually we think we have a magic gearbox, because everytime we drive, there seem to be a diferent amount of gears in there!

India remains beautiful and the people are so friendly, but the crowded population, noise and dust take some getting used to. Yesterday we discovered "Clive's Bar" (Formerly owned by the Viceroy of India), where we managed to escape the hustle and bustle for a couple of hours.

Despite the long hours in the saddle, we seem to be making less progress each day as there is so much to see. We have been blesed by a Hindu priest, and also an elephant. An old man told us yesterday that it would take more than a lifetime to see all of India. There is just so much to take in that words and pictures can't describe.

The challenge with food remains the same, and we've realised that we are now probably as tired as the tuktuk appears to be.

Apologies that we have been unable to add any pictures yet.

The adventure continues.....

Update - End of week 1.

This is the hardest thing that we have ever done - both physically and mentally! Those of you who have ever tried to travel independantly in India will know what we mean. The rest of you will never really understand...

Lessons learned so far:

1. 50 years old is much, much older than 20 years old.

2. No one can prepare you for what you will see, hear and smell.

3. Driving a tuktuk through a major city is NOT recommended for the feint hearted.

The reliability of the tuktuk and our confidence in it is not what we might have expected- we have already realised that the trip is more about the journey than the final destination, and we have had to modify our plans every single day so far to cope with unexpected events, such as:

Being hit by a lorry, having a wheel come off, and being stopped by the Police.

The standard of accomodation is like nothing we have ever experienced before and the food is causing me (Colin) some serious discomfort.

After a 200km continuous uphill climb up a mountain range at just 25kmph, we don't have enough power to get over the top, so we are now heading for the coast road to head south towards Sri Lanka. All day every day in the tuktuk is quite challenging!

A bid thanks to all who have made a donation. The plan is constantly changing but THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES......

Update 31st August: Thanks to all of you who came along for a drink with me (Colin) last Friday. A special thanks must go to George at Old Timers for making it a great evening. In total we collected an additional £625.73, so well done and thanks to all. Clive and I fly out to start the adventure tomorrow... Watch this space for updates!

We hope to be able to update this page with our progress as we trek around India - For a donation of as little as a pound you can post messages of encouragement to us below, for us to pick up on our travels.

On September 1st 2010, Colin and Clive will begin the adventure of a lifetime - Driving around India in a Tuk Tuk motorised Rickshaw.

This type of vehicle has a top speed of about 25mph and is totally unsuitable for a journey of this kind - Trekking across India at the end of the Monsoon season!

Their planned route commences on the east coast of India at Chennai (Madras), before winding north all the way to Agra, the site of the famous Taj Mahal. From here they will head southwest to Mumbai, before following the west coast down towards Goa.

The final leg of their trip leads them away from the west coast, crossing to the east coast and finishing back at Chennai.

If you don't believe how difficult this will be - just check out Google Maps, where you will see the shortest route is about 4500km.

Imagine putting a plank across the back of a moped, and sitting on it for about 10 hours every day, whilst riding across corrugated steel sheets - That should give you an idea of what they like to do for fun!!

The good news is that with a fuel tank capacity of only 8 litres, there should be regular stops to take on fuel (For both the Rickshaw and our adventurers).

They have absolutely no medical or mechanical backup, just a tent, some water purification tablets, a couple of loo rolls and a sense of humour!         WISH THEM LUCK

(Disclaimer - they reserve the right to modify the planned route and take more loo rolls than they would admit to).

Despite growing up in The Midlands, Colin dislikes curry and is regarding the trip as a sponsored slim on 3 wheels.

As a serving fire fighter, Clive spends much time up ladders, but dislikes snakes - so a sewn in ground sheet for the tent is an absolute must!

Why are they doing this?

Colin and Clive have know each other since school and have been planning a BIG EVENT to celebrate their 50th Birthdays this year.

Also Colin is retiring in August after 30 years as a Police Officer, and wanted to mark a return to his fundraising activities after a break of a couple of years.

Together, they have a wicked sense of humour and wanted to test their friendship by taking on a task which will challenge them both physically and mentally, but also give them the opportunity to experience India in a close up and personal way, away from many areas popular with tourists.

They are absolutely committed to raising funds for a good cause, and have chosen The Dame Vera Lynn Trust, which supports children with Cerebral Palsy and their families.

It costs £540,000 each year to run the vital services of this trust, so please give generously. Colin and Clive will fund the trip themselves, and every penny raised through sponsorship will stay in the UK and go to the trust.

Dont waste money on a retirement present for Colin, make a donation here now - The Chancellor will add an extra 28p for every pound you donate, so for just a tenner from each of you, the trust could receive £12.80. If you donate enough, we'll try and persuade Clive to retire too !

How about this for an idea? Anyone who has ever known them, rather than buy them a Christmas card this year, and spend money on a stamp - pledge the equivalent amount of money to this good cause.

I am sure that many of you could pledge a fiver to support sick children?

If all the firefighters in Hereford and Worcester Brigade were to make a donation, Colin will personally guarantee to get Clive VERY close to a poisonous snake!

Wouldn't it be fantastic if they could raise £1 for every kilometre travelled in such style ?

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - Colin and Clive raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now. Thanks for reading.

Hopefully see you when we get back, Colin and Clive