The warning signs were missed, wardens’ shouts misunderstood, and before they knew it, three friends were deep inside a tiger reserve, exposed in a motorised rickshaw with no doors.
To celebrate turning 50, Vikesh Patel, Kalpesh Pancholi and Rikkin Jetwa embarked on a 1,000km journey across India over five days.
Mr Patel said the challenge involved braving “traffic chaos”, racing against time to find accommodation before dawn, and driving through dangerous parts of India such as a tiger sanctuary.
“We had a near miss here, a near miss there,” he told the BBC from Mumbai. “The entire journey was a very memorable experience.”
The trio from Leicester surpassed their initial target of £20,000 through their efforts, money which would be shared between three charities – British Heart Foundation, LOROS and Cancer Research.
They were one of 22 teams from all over the world to take part in the challenge, which aimed to allow people to explore south India.
Mr Patel, who turned 50 in September, described it as a “fantastic challenge”, despite one “hairy experience” while driving from Tamil Nadu to Kerala.
“We were hooted by some wardens,” Mr Patel said. “We thought they were just calling us to pay them off or they were looking for a bribe.”
Little did he know that they were in fact crossing a tiger sanctuary, without any protection.
“We only found out a day later when another team was crossing the same sanctuary and they were asked by the same warden to load their rickshaw on the back of a van and the drive through,” Mr Patel added.
“That was a hairy experience, purely because while we were driving through the sanctuary, one of the drivers was stepping out of the rickshaw taking photos of monkeys and peacocks.
“It was one of those moments – which we didn’t think at the time – that could’ve been quite different if we were confronted by an animal.”
Mr Patel, who works as an IT consultant, said another challenge during the trip was the traffic.
“When you’re driving through a busy city, it’s very scary,” he said. “We were quite focussed on why we were doing this – to raise money for charity and also have fun.”
‘Deeply inspired’
The Adventurists, the company which organised the event, said the teams started their adventure in Fort Kochi, Kerala and then pointed their rickshaws in the direction of Goa.
A spokesperson said their fundraising challenges have raised £8m so far.
Debbie Thrussell, community engagement co-ordinator for LOROS, said: “We are deeply inspired by the commitment of our fundraisers embracing the challenge of the Rickshaw Run.
“We are reliant on the kindness of our supporters and their fundraising efforts to ensure the continuation of compassionate care at LOROS Hospice.”
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