Kozhikode to Goa

We picked the hotel in Kozhikode based on the Whatsapp group; several other teams were staying there as well. It was cheap and clean, but took us an hour to check in. Remember how independent hotels in India have so much trouble with online bookings? Well they certainly weren’t ready for all of us. After finally checking in we showered, got dinner, and crashed early, exhausted after our first bumpy, anxious day of driving.

Sunset on day 1, just outside Kozhikode

We woke up before dawn on the morning of the 3^rd, ready for an early start. Pat and Tim’s original plan was to reach Goa by that evening, but we quickly realized 2 days in a rickshaw from Kochi to Goa, nearly 800 kms, was impossible. Still we wanted a solid day of driving to make up for our slow start on day 1. Pat and Tim would occasionally get WiFi at restaurants along the route, so they knew we would be in Kozhikode, and the Deere also stopped there for the night. Using the power of the Internet we reconnected and planned to meet up at their hotel for an early start to the day.

By 7 am we were off, a full 3 hours earlier than day 1. Driving with Mike and Sam was relaxing—as far as driving a rickshaw in India can be—but I quickly realized that Pat and Tim took it to another level. In the first 5 minutes of our drive they completed an Indian Fire Drill: a Deere creation, whereby the driver and passenger switch seats with the rickshaw in motion. One second we saw Tim driving, and the next it was Pat. This involved switching from the back to front seat and vice versa. Talk about dangerous!

Sam behind the wheel of the Steamer

That morning we also participated in a triple pass. While we were passing a slower rickshaw, a van swerved around us, while simultaneously a car attempted to pass the van on its left. Keep in mind that this road was one lane in each direction. Crazy? You bet.

We quickly picked up on the Indian road hierarchy and general driving rules. Cows are top dog—the untouchables—followed by elephants, buses, trucks, oxen, camels, vans, cars, motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, hand-pulled rickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians, actual dogs, and any other animal that wishes to become road kill. I didn’t actually see any elephants on the road, but there were plenty of cows and even a few camels further north.

A quiet stretch of road along the coast; most
of the road between Kochi and Goa, however was busy.

As for driving style, it’s easiest to think of the road as a video game. The more aggressive you drive—vehicles you pass, number of horn honks, dangerous turns—the more points you get, while at the same time avoiding an accident. It actually did seem that drivers tried to drive as dangerously as possible without crashing. It’s not wonder that there were over 238,000 road fatalities in India last year (although India actually has a lower per capita fatality rate than many African and Middle Eastern countries; I think the sheer number of vehicles, people, and animals make the roads seem scarier).

That day we made good time, driving through Mangalore traffic mid afternoon and reaching the town of Udupi before 5 pm. We could have driven another hour or two, but we clocked in at nearly 300 kms and decided to call it a day. Plus Pat and Tim, despite the Deere’s speed advantage, and the Steamer’s stop off at a fort in the morning, were over an hour behind.

Mike and Sam checking out the St Angelo Fort

Pat and Tim were behind because when they stopped in Mangalore for lunch Tim refused to get back in the rick. Apparently midway through day 2 he’d already had enough of India. According to Pat, Tim said he wanted to quit the race and go home. After a lot of coaxing Pat managed to convince Tim to carry on, and Pat drove the rest of the way to Udupi. We had planned to meet up with them at a bar that night, but Pat was exhausted from driving most of the way and they never left the hotel.

While Pat and Tim went to bed early, we got drinks and played pool at a local bar. At one point staff locked doors and ceased alcohol sales—nobody could go in or out, apparently because the police were on the lookout. 20 minuts later the alcohol began flowing again and everything returned to normal…weird.

The next day (January 4^th) we had a later start, but we were in no rush. Pat and Tim left early in hopes of making it to Goa, a 320 km drive, but we were content to meet them there on the 5^th. The atlas I purchased listed sites of interest across India, and one—Jog Falls—happened to be near our route. Jog Falls are the second highest falls in India, with the longest at 829 feet. Even more impressive is the average width, at over 1,500 feet.

Jog Falls, a small trickle during the dry season

I assume the falls are impressive, but we didn’t see much water. January is the dry season, so the falls were only a trickle; during the monsoon season that trickle turns into a flood. Even without raging rapids the view was spectacular. From the viewing platform we could look over a vast canyon, with the falls on the far side of the cliffs. There were few tourists about, and the winding roads through the hills were nearly deserted, which was a welcome relief from typical Indian traffic.

The roads might have been empty, but the ride was far from quiet. Patches of pavement gave way to rocks and dirt. Our ricksaw slowly bumped and smashed our way up the hills, and on the way down we were extra cautious. If you take a downhill turn out of control it’s all too easy to “roll” the rickshaw—tip it over on its side. Plenty of teams did it—this will pop up again in a later post—but for the time being we stayed upright.

The drive through the hills was worth the view

By the time we got back to the main coastal road it was nearly sundown, so we stopped in a small town called Kumta for the night. The next day was an easy one—only 175  kilometers to Panjim, Goa, where Pat and Tim were waiting for us at the Marriott!