Day Six: Crash, bang, wallop...

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Six: Sunday 6th January 2008

After resigning to the fact that we really could come last in this race, the team "Chapati Chasers" pull up alongside us at a petrol station this morning. A welcome relief, and to think they apparently hammered it up to Goa in a 24 hours drive from the start line.

Today and the next two days is all about making up some time so that we can enjoy the Northern part of India, as there really isn't much in the middle in comparsion to the south and north.

After finally getting on the NH7 it was full steam ahead to Hyderabad, when a few wrong turns later, plus nearly two hours, we eventually get passed what was called "a bastard of a place' on numerous occasions. The only good news and slightly diluting my rickshaw rage was the Indian version of Dominos we found just as we were leaving the city.

The day took a rather sour and nasty turn from here on. Some 30kms out of town at some ramshackle of a dirt town where we stopped the team Chapati Chasers passed us again. On following on 10 minutes later we see they've been involved in a nasty accident, turning the rickshaw over three times in swerving to avoid a car that pulled out. Their rickshaw was a wreck and the driver was sent off to a local hospital with a severely cut knee to the bone and rolling in agony. Their Rickshaw Run had come to a rather sudden and abrupt ending as they decided to head home. A few hours later, while he headed off for x-rays we continued on our journey with a bit more caution.

What happened to that team could have so easily happened to us as time and time again, Lorries (worse culprits), cars, tractors, cyclist, motorbikes - you name it, pull on to the road without looking giving you 2- 3 seconds (if that) to brake or swerve to avoid. We've had some very close shaves already on this trip, which give or take a few seconds would have seen similar results to Chapati Chasers.

Day Six: Raichur to Armur
Total Daily Distance: 452kms
Total so far: 1778kms
Total Distance to go: 2722kms