Well it seems that we have been dormant for a bit now.
Like the proverbial swan however, there has been some amount of paddling under the surface. For one, we have had some great meals together. Those were accompanied by a great deal of intense planning and discussion. Well, at least a bit. A touch.
It just struck me (us) though! Our trip is just over a month away! Whoa! How's that for a thought.
In our dutiful logistics planning and force preparation, I have secured for us - 3 lucky luggage tags for a good dose of heng heng kopi peng.
So from left to right, you have:
Figure 1. Wenwen the Totoro. Totoros are round and cute, and growl when they get grumpy.
Figure 2. I'm Boba Fett! I'm a bounty hunter pew pew pew!
Figure 3. Jik the Iron Man. The billionaire playboy who pretends to be all mean and cynical but is really a big softie inside. Also can pew pew pew!
Well that's not all the planning we've had. Here are our official roles and designations (formalised in our minutes and logs):
Jik
1) Chief Writer of Stuff
He's the one with the gift of the gab, and also the only one who has written extensively (professionally and personally) for any extended stretch of time.
So that's why he was
2) Chief Financial Officer
Jikky is our resident boss and his Jap Yakuza-esque image will see our donors' treasures well accounted for and protected, to the point where we pass them over for a greater purpose.
3) Chief Patient
Every doctor needs a patient. And this patient is a loyal one. In every one of our great YOLO trips he has managed to conjure a unique new injury in an obscure body part. And that is why he travels with a personal doctor by his side (me).
Please ask him about any of these: a) The amazing 100km/h roadside gravel wipeout, b) The Great Diarrhea of Cambodia, or c) How exactly does one trampoline himself straight into the ground, headfirst?
Wenwen
1) Chief Photograph Taker
2) Chief Designer
3) Chief Video Lady
4) Chief Do-er of Other Design-y Things
I think you get the drift. She is also the only of us with any form of widely accepted aesthetic sense. To Jik - a dragonball-inspired double panda-touching fingers t-shirt with bermudas does not count.
Also, her presence is very useful in boosting our average attractiveness.
Yinghao
1) Chief Motorcyclist
I guess I am this by default. With this heady title comes the responsibility of being chief technician as well. Which may be a greater role than the name might suggest. It seems that this auto-rickshaw does not have a reputation for being the most..durable. Let me quote this from another blog.
If you honk your horn while your lights are on, the vehicle breaks down. An autorickshaw is a horribly unreliable 3-wheeler that falls over when you turn corners. It brags 7 horsepower and can reach a top speed of 50km per hour when tumbling down a hill. It also has little to no suspension. Apparently, a day in one of these bad boys will leave you feeling like you’ve “been kicked in the arse by an elephant”.
(http://www.theprofessionalvagabond.com/our-3-wheeled-indian-adventure/)
(http://www.theadventurists.com/the-jibber/2015/12/30/rickshaw-run-rolling-news-prelaunch)
Handy tip from the organisers: "Buses > Rickshaws (In case you needed to know)"
Nice.
2) Chief Medical Officer and Vaccinist
Yes that's me! Also by virtue of being the only medical officer and vaccinist.
3) Chief Drummer
I'm not sure how this crept into our logs. I'm pretty sure I didn't write this in.
On a more serious note, we've been getting going on getting some fundraising underway too. We've been reaching out a bit and getting the process rolling. Thank you all of you who have contributed so generously!
We've also partitioned out our routes for some serious nose-to-the-screen Google Maps recce so that we don't end up lying in a ditch somewhere in West India with our kidneys missing. For those who have asked, this isn't quite an organised tour! We'll be starting out in Kochi where we will be picking up our Catbus auto-rickshaw, have one day to familiarise ourself with its rickety ways, and the next we'll be noodling our way (ourselves) through cities, villages, and all of beautiful India until we get to our end point in Jalsaimer some 3000km away. No guide, no planned routes, no comfortable airconditioned vehicle. All while we raise funds for our charities.
We'll just be sorting out the logistics and packing up our emergency and medical supplies from now on. Visas to apply for, roads to recce.
It's going to be a blast!
To our new donors, Yee Jek, Edwin, Jeri Gor, and our other friend who donated anonymously, thank you very much. We'll bring you along for our adventure via our blog..
For the rest of you who are dying to contribute to a good cause (in fact, three! whoa!), the link is here:
https://give.asia/movement/rickshaw_run_-_driving_for_charity
Watch this space!
Yinghao
Chief Motorcyclist / Medical Officer / Drummer
