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‘From ecstasy to terror’: Hongkongers to endure rough and noisy ride on 1,000km Sri Lanka charity tuk-tuk trek

Charitable endeavour will take five Hongkongers and 36 others on a rough ride

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The trek is scheduled to take two weeks. Photo: Pimp My Tuk Tuk

Renowned for being noisy and dirty, Asia's iconic tuk-tuks are usually used for short trips around a city - but what if someone wanted you to ride in one for more than 1,000km?

What began as planning for a 50th birthday party at a pub in Singapore has ended up as two dusty drives across India and Sri Lanka in tuk-tuks, the motorised three-wheeled vehicle popular in South and Southeast Asia.

The India adventure was undertaken in 2013, and next week, 41 businessmen from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan will embark on their 1,059km endeavour through Sri Lanka - in both cases to raise money for charity "Pimp My Tuk Tuk".
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Riders meet local media in India in 2013. Photo: Pimp My Tuk Tuk
Riders meet local media in India in 2013. Photo: Pimp My Tuk Tuk

The upcoming trip will take them from the capital Colombo in the east, all the way to Jaffna in the north and then down to Matara in the island's far south.

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Hong Kong consultant Chris Knop, one of five Hongkongers taking part, said he had never ridden in a tuk-tuk before.

"We all get tuk-tuk training on the first morning up in Jaffna and hope for the best," he said. "I think the most challenging, difficult or even scary part will be the traffic we'll encounter. There are pretty busy roads."

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