Two weeks in a tuk-tuk: drive across India is an old-school adventure – potholes, hard seats, breathtaking sights and all

A few laps around a muddy field and David Burden is ready to tackle India’s fearsome roads in a bumpy three-wheeler with an engine more suited to a lawnmower
One of 80 teams doing the Rickshaw Run, he and his companion brave monsoon rains and a clunky gear box, their reward the sights of Goa, Udaipur and Jodhpur

India

David Burden

Published: 6:00pm, 14 Oct 2019

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With one wheel short of four, a two-stroke, seven horsepower lawnmower motor, a seat that is hard as nails and a chassis largely held together by its paint job, the humble auto rickshaw, or tuk-tuk, isn’t really the best vehicle to get across town, let alone across a country as big as India.

However, crossing India in an “auto” is precisely what I found myself doing this summer, along with a couple of hundred other like-minded adventurers, all on “The Rickshaw Run” – a twice-yearly event open to anyone brave enough to take it on.

From the city of Kochi in the deep south of Kerala to Jaisalmer – near the Pakistan border – our little, custom-painted tin can managed to haul me and a friend more than 3,000km (1,860 miles) through floods, deserts, mountains and chaotic cities without so much as a flat tyre (other teams averaged three breakdowns per hour).

Organised by UK-based travel company The Adventurists, the Rickshaw Run India is now in its tenth year. More than 80 teams cross the start line and set off, unsupported, for two weeks braving the madness of India’s roads. The aim is to cover around 250km a day. There’s a lot of ground to cover, but for anyone who has always wanted to see India, there really is no more immersive way to do it.

A temple guardian gives out a blessing on the way into Rajasthan, India. Photo: David Burden

Our journey does not begin well. We arrive in Delhi to be told that Kochi airport is under a metre (three feet) of monsoon floods, and our flight is diverted to Madurai – almost 200km away from the start line. Nevertheless, we convince a man with a car to drive us through the night, and by the following afternoon we’re safely checked in and raring to go. A few laps around an extremely muddy soccer pitch provide all the practice needed, and after a quick visit to a mechanic to sort out an oil leak we’re off – across the line with everyone else, and off into the guts of India.

Once you’re on the road, it is wise to avoid obstacles. We whip out the map and head north as quickly as possible to get away from the monsoon, aiming to reach the beaches of Goa in a few days before cutting inland towards Aurangabad and the nearby Unesco World Heritage Sites of Ellora and Ajanta Caves.

A street seller in Aurangabad, India, sits at his stall. Photo: David Burden

A line-up of colourful rickshaws at the finish line in Jaisalmer. Photo: David Burden

After four straight days of driving through torrential rain, and a very soggy night’s stay in Goa, it is a welcome relief to see the sun as we cross into Maharashtra state.

The (lack of) suspension and ever clunkier gear shifting has made city driving a nightmare. Stalling in the middle of a major intersection is particularly terrifying, as is being forced off the rural roads by oncoming buses overtaking on blind corners.

Pulling too hard on the crank starter will result in a bruised elbow as you try to heave the lever off the floor and hit the bars behind. That said, once it gets on the open road the auto rickshaw is a joy to drive – buzzing along at a happy 40-50km per hour (25-30 miles per hour), with the open sides providing a breezy respite from the rising heat.

Along the route, two local Sikhs wait for a bus in Goa. Photo: David Burden

Stopping for some running repairs at a roadside gearbox shop. Photo: David Burden

Daulatabad Fort outside Aurangabad. Photo: David Burden

The first real opportunity to take a day off from the road and stretch our legs, the magnificent Ellora Caves and nearby Daulatabad Fort, do not disappoint. The former consists of more than 100 caves carved into cliff faces by Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monks since the sixth century, and is mind-boggling in scale. With only a day to spare, we see as much of the caves and their intricate carvings as possible.

If there was an award for the state with the worst roads in India, Maharashtra would surely win hands down. That being said, our next big stop, Udaipur, is worth every pothole, ditch and speed bump encountered on the way.

Something of an Indian Venice, the beautiful, lakeside city, with its ramshackle turrets, spires and minarets tumbling down to the public bathing ghats along the waterfront is straight out of a Raj-era romance novel.

The lakeside bathing ghats of Udaipur. Photo: David Burden

Jodhpur is the penultimate pit stop on The Rickshaw Run. Photo: David Burden

The penultimate pit stop, Jodhpur, is another high point; its maze of blue alleyways and rooftops surrounding one of India’s most impressive forts could easily occupy visitors for weeks, but, as with most other places en route, we’re only able to spend a day here before beginning our final 300km push to the finish line in Jaisalmer.

We make sure to arrive early enough to allow for some camel trekking, before finally reaching Jawahar Niwas Palace to end the journey with a wrap party.

If you love comfortable journeys in peace and quiet, The Rickshaw Run is probably not for you. For anyone looking for a proper old-style adventure, they do not come much more rewarding than this.

There was also time for a camel trek near the popular tourist city of Jaisalmer. Photo: David Burden

The next Rickshaw Run is in January 2020 (theadventurists.com).

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Rickety road to adventure

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