Day 12

we set out early this morning with Darleeling in mind for a day trip. We found out that it takes over 3 hrs to get the 80 km from Siliguri bc of the hills and the bendy roads so we sadly decided to keep moving forward. At a wildlife sanctuary now and going for an early morning elephant back safari to see rhinos! Great driving today, good roads and good scenery! In the foothills of the himalayas surrounded by tea plantations!
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Day 11

Sad day for Rickshaw Rodeo, we said goodbye this morning to Annie in Patna who is flying home early for a wedding. There is now far too much room in the back seat and we no longer have any control of our finances as Annie was team treasurer. Took us 3 hours to find our way out of Patna this morning so we had to drive into the night a bit. Came across a sketchy scene with trucks parked for miles on the road had to weave in and out of them and people and tons of police carrying rifles. Everyone needed to get to next town to get hotels and they all thought we were a rickshaw taxi and were getting angry we weren't stopping for them. One guy grabbed Tikka and we gunned it and he ripped part of her hood!! Glad to be off the roads and in a hotel. Super early start tomorrow to avoid any more night driving.
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Day 10

We had to make a game time decision this morning to bypass Varanasi since we didn't make it in as planned last night after our close encounter with a roadside ravine and well placed bush! Made it into Patna right at dusk and it was chaos on the streets. Handled it like a true rickshaw driver we've come far since our first days on the 'shaw! Countryside is still desert/farm land and pretty boring. Looking forward to getting back into the mountains soon. Huge splurge tonight on hotel. It is Annie's last night with us, she is flyinh back early for a wedding :( Had a dip in the pool and now off to a nice dinner. Three other teams are here too so maybe we'll all head out together...entering bandit territory tomorrow :/
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Day 9

Last nights all of our lights decided to fail us on the highway and we had a bit of an encounter with a bush on the side of the road while pulling off. We're all fine and back on the road this morning, but no more night driving for us! Yesterday started off amazingly well with a Tiger sighting, one of the 3 dominant males in the park who the have seen in 15 days. He was napping in the bushes, then hopped up and crossed the road 20 ft. In front of us, amazing!! Heading into Varanasi now.
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Day 8

We had an early end to our driving today after driving until 1am last night. Just arrived at Bandhavgarh National Park and treated ourselves to a nice lodge after some of the crappers we've been staying in. Ready for a proper shower after several nights of bucket showers. Left the hospital this morning early with hopes of making it to the park in time for a Tiger safari tonight but the roads were even worse than yesterday so we didn't make it in time. Waking up at 5am tomorrow for early morning safari...fingers crossed we'll see one!
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Day 7

Long day for us, made it 500 km today even with a 3 hour hold up to replace our suspension. Today we had some of the worst roads yet, can't believe the size and number of the potholes! Had fun playing with all of the kids while we waited on a part to be delivered from a neighboring town. Also got interviewed by the state newspaper and the national news!! Witnessed a very upsetting event later in the day, saw a man getting beaten by a mob in the middle of the highway, all very concerned for him but too afraid to stop, didn't know what to do. Ended up driving well into the night and tried to book a room at the only lodge in town. Police came and got us and told us not to stay there but that there was a Christian hospital that would let "people from our country" stay there. So here we are at a hospital for the night...
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Day 6

We finally made some serious distance today, just over 450 kms! Although it took us 16 hrs on the road. We average around 35-45 km/hr (that's like driving in a school zone, about 20-30 mph) with top speeds around 60 km/hr. throw in potholes, train crossings, speed bumps, filling up the gas tanks, villages...it all slows you down! Nothing much to report today, we drove on the National Highway today which was pretty boring, but allowed us to cover a lot of distance so it was worth it in the end. Had a great dinner at a roadside dhaba after a chance run in with team Compass (less) Journey..it was so fun to see another team and swap stories for a bit, we haven't seen any other teams in over three days! Off to bed for another 6 am start!
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