The basics

The concept of love, family, home..

Summer

The summer is raging. Temprature at times is climbing up to 37 C with humidity on 60+ scale, way up the average and bearable 32-34C. Sun burns and heat waves are making news. I got burned and the whole body is itching making a "bath" in prickly heat powder necessary everyday.

The make shift shops that has come up all over are selling the summer special lemonade. Ginger, chilli, kiwi fruit everything goes into our normal "sharbath" these days. The shake is the key. Some shops have become an overnight hit with Face book coverage.

Indeed a livelihood for some and a consolation from heat for us, all.

Auto Rickshaw Run 2013

I did not know much about the Auto Run. Few days ago, I had seen some guys clearing up the yard at the Cochin United Club (Established 1890) removing debris and the creepers. Couple of days later, the Auto Run board came up and the few autos with guys and girls arrived, I thought it was the usual touristy thing.

I was wrong. I should have checked this out earlier.

From 2007 they are conducting the Autorickshaw Run across India. The League of Adventurists International Ltd, UK is organizing this Cross India Auto Rickshaw Run few times a year.

The adventurists are focused on eradicating boredom from life by devising these kinds of extraordinary adventure trips. Yes, adventure tourism. Imagine travelling across India in three wheeled 700 CC tuk tuk’s or as they say glorified Lawn Mowers.

Their website is very interesting and gives the whole information on what they are about:

www.theadventurists.com

The lady in the picture is the assistant to India Chief, she did a lot of running around coordinating the event.

Getting used to the Auto Rickshaw is perhaps the toughest/easiest part. Most of them perhaps have not seen our three wheeled wonder ever before the run.

Each of the team has to pay the entry fee like GBP 1395. They also  have to raise GBP 1000  in charity half of which goes to the official charity of the Adventurists : Cool Earth, which is about saving rain forests. http://www.coolearth.org/adventurists

"Outrageous" Claire & Daisy did took the run to their heart.

The rest they can contribute to a charity of their choice from the list provided by the Adventurists. In India mostly its  Frank water projects.

They strive to provide safe clean water by employing ultra violet and reverse osmosis technology to filter water and remove diseases causing both chemical and biological contaminants. Using different kinds of filters they remove from the water bacteria, viruses and chemicals.

They have been funding clean water projects in India since 2005.

All of these projects are considered to be sustainable, community run rural village projects for villages which are under the poverty line.

http://www.frankwater.com/contact/

The gathering of the so many Runners did arouse local as well as tourist curiosity.

The participants are mostly well to do with a blooming career and a profession who willingly take a break from their fixed rather boring routine of their life to make it come alive. The travel experience of these good Samaritans are a wonderful and inspiring read indeed.

They had with them all kinds of electronic gadgets to communicate and take pictures. The adventurist has an "App" that let the team update their social networking sites on the run.

Many of the runners took pleasure in adorning the local dress. It was a great joy for us to see them wear the "mundu" with so much of pride. Thank you.

The summer in Kochi is blazing, the temprature was 35+ with a nasty humidity. Before the take off the runners did have a feel of what they are going to face up the country.

The run is famous for its pre and post run parties, we did not get to see that, but most of the runners came wearing their costumes, which was a little outrageous for the heat!

Beautiful paint work on most of the autos did tell us what the runners had in their mind.

The band and its beat made the flag off a rhyme to rememmber.

There were games for the runner - here the runners cheering at a cricket match with the locals.

It’s a pity indeed, that I did not know about the participants and their objective before the run began. Their good hearts should be very much thanked for and their kindness very touching. Let us wish them a wonderful travelling and learning experience and pray that they complete their cross country trip safely.

The way Insurers see this run “Willfull Exposure to needless Peril” tells exactly what the team is taking up. But its all worth the experience. So says the past runners.

You can read about them here:

www.yogaslackers.com

http://rickshawrundiaries.com/

http://www.travelwithamate.com/the-rickshaw-run-an-interview-with-candace-rardon/

The show runners at Adventurists:

The institute of adventure research

MD Tom Morgan

Matt Dickens

Chief of India Branch

Vikash Pradhan

Vice Chief of India

Summer March

Starting from the second week of March our summer has picked up heat, atleast 3-4 weeks earlier than what it should be. In the Month of "Kumbh" we did not get the two rains which is customary, that added to the heat vows.

Surprisingly, those areas of Fort Kochi, where they still have trees, it was cool and pleasant. Here is a German tourist enjoying her time under the trees!

Jankar

The jankar that connects Fort Kochi with Vypeen, a boat trip right across the harbour mouth.