KIT AND CABOODLE

Here's some of the stuff we're bringing... some we may never use and some may be the best thing we brought...

KEY:

1: WASH BAG -
2: GUIDE TO INDIA
3: TRAVEL CHESS
4: WIND UP TORCHES
5: FRANK WATER
6: MEDS AND POTIONS
7: MOSQUITO NET
8: EMERGENCY DRIED FOOD, SOUP, JELLY
9: GROUND SHEET/RAINCAPE
10: MOSQUITO SPRAY
11: SUNGLASSES (AUSTRALIAN STANDARD LENS)
12: SPARE PASSPORT PHOTOS
13: 10 YARDS OF ROPE
14: 3 BUNGEES
15: BALL POINT PENS
16: SOLID FUEL STOVE
17: WASHABLE AND PERMANENT SHARPIES
18: WRITE AND WIPE N.INDIA ROAD MAP
19: PLAYING CARDS FOR POKER NIGHTS
20: EMERGENCY WHISTLE IN CASE THE HORN BREAKS.
21: PENDRIVE WITH COPIES OF MAPS AND DOCS
22: WINGMAN WIPES
23: BATTERY POWERED FLIP CAM
24: 10MG CAMERA 2GB CARD
25: UNLOCKED MOBILE PHONE
26: 50 CABLE TIES
27: 1 ROLL GAFFER TAPE
28: MONEY POUCH, PASSPORT COVERS
29: VARIOUS LIGHTERS AND ZIPPOS
30: LIP BALM
31: BASIC TOOL KIT
32: 4 CARRIBINERS
33: SPARE BATTERIES
34: 8 FEET STRONG CORD


of course we are also packing clothes and boots, an emergency tent and medikit...

WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING?

Thanks for taking the time to visit our page for Frank Water and the Rickshaw Run... to raise money for clean water supplies in some of the poorest parts of Asia. To do this we are competing in a 5000km road trip the whole width of India from Shillong in the east to Jailasmer in the west.

As we battle through some of the most difficult terrain India has to offer, as well as the inevitable breakdowns, breakages and bouts of illness.

There are no support vehicles, no cosy hotels, no hidden film crew and often no roads. The Rickshaw Run is therefore the ultimate challenge of man, woman and unsuitably unstable machine a 150cc RICKSHAW!!!

8th September 2011: Pre Rickshaw Run meeting, Test Drive, Rickshaw Pimping.
9th September 2011: Pre Rickshaw Run meeting, Test Drive, Pre Run Test.
10th September 2011: Start Party.
11th September 2011: Official Start Line Ceremony.
24th September 2011: The Finish Line party.

To donate click here...

LISTING STUFF

We sat down the other night to try and get a "kit list"... its started off way too big. With way too many shoes and comedy hats.. so we have stripped it down to what we might actually need...so golf clubs, croquet mallets ,smoking jackets and high heels stay while tents and flashlights go.

well kinda, we reckon we can beg, borrow or steal most of the kit and what we cant bring we will buy in india...

COOKING
1 pot
2 forks
1 bloody enourmous big sharp knife
1 flint and steel

CAMP
1 three man tent
2 sleeping mats
2 towels (thank you hitchhikers guide to the galaxy)
2 sleeping bags

CLOTHES
1 bikini
1 mankini or speedo's or shorts (shorts are for schoolboys and sportsmen)
2 pairs of dr martens
2 paca-macs
1 ballgown and heels
1 smoking jacket
2 x Jumpsuits
8 further items of personal clothing

SURIVAL
2 more bloody big knives
1 axe
20 yards rope
40 candles
2 flashlights
2 mosquito nets
3 bottles deet
15 bottles of gin
1 anti snake venom
400 malboro

TOOLKIT
spanners, hammer, screwdrivers, maskingtape, string, superglue

NAVIGATION
1 compass
3 maps
5 packs of Blind hope
2 arguements about the last turn left..or was it right?

TECH
Moleskine books
flip cam
sony didgi cam
notebook computer

MEDICAL
Imodium
wet wipes
bandages and dressings
antiseptic
scissors
needle and thread
brandy (purely medishinal you unnershand)


Thats ALL.. if you have any suggestions (or want to lend us kit) then get in touch asap!

ps: just got sent this.... india is safe from my englishman legs!


India - Don't wear shorts


Men and women should avoid wearing shorts in India as there is a stigma attached to Western adults wearing them. Shorts are seen as the uniform of the poorest people in Indian society and also - for men - they are traditionally just for young boys.

Creased clothes should be avoided too - Indians are fastidious about their appearances, so take advantage of street ironing booths, or hotel laundry and ironing services, to avoid causing offence.

PAT CASH, JOHNNY CASH, CASH MONEY

We're doing great here... we are 75% towards our charity goal and we think its about time we thanked a few people personallys--- if you donated using "anon" then let us remimd you that nothing is anonymous on the internets.

we cant put them in any order at all.. so i've decided the best way to list them is as they pop into my head..

dixie at flea market for giving us a free stall not once but twice!
bridget for not understanding what we're actually doing and not being able to work the internet
dave at betty fords for putting his money where his mouth is
remco for sitting next to me at work, listening to my india spiel for weeks and still donating
carlos for recalling his keke impression
asia for forcing her friend dave to donate and then donating herself..not ltierally.
dave at relevant magazine for being an editor who pays for an article
dr robert! he's got everything you need, dr robert
hannah for donating rather than buying drinks
nini for having the best name and being mum
david rodney for giving even though we havent spoken since school
scott at vision 33 for taking the time away from dancing and singing to get his wallet out
micha for being a truck driver with a heart
andi m from der toten hosen for proving punks not dead
my brother thomas for putting down his rifle for a moment to find some cash
sam i am for being the first
nathalie for giving up smoking and donating the cash
arlo for convincing me donate 20 euros for him, eh?
stuart at wingman for being the first sponsor on board
ben at helmet dress for doing more than he needed
clara and wolfgang for working out how the net works
mike ryan for finding a way to donate without a bank account
krut and obi for having great golden beer....



thats the list so far... just reading it again we notice that, that's pretty much the squad so far... the only thing missing is your name! (unless we missed you by mistake)

luke and anika

GET YOUR MONEY OUT

We've rooted around the back of the sofa, emptied the cookie jar and our pockets raising money for our charity trip. We even contacted Great Aunt Wilema but she cut us off over that incident at the garden party last year (everyone knows that it wasnt Lord Ogilvy's chukka) .. now maybe you can help us out.

Frank water needs squillions of dosh to fund clean water projects in Indi.

What are we offering you exactly?
Well, apart from a nice feeling of helping out people who have no water supply we can also make sure that you, your company or organisation gets maximum media coverage during our trip. We have set up blogs and web sites to help do this as well as getting the support of national and international press, webs and TV.


If you are a company or organisation:
Your logo will be emblazoned across our tuk-tuk for all to see and we will send you daily live updates, videos and photos. On our return we can even come to your offices to give a motivational presentation of how your donation is helping provide clean safe water for 1000's of people.

If you are an individual:
Not only will your name will appear on our blog thank you list, but we will enter your name into the hat to be adopted as the name of our tuktuk (even if you`re called Tarquin or Shanique). Not only that but you will recieve a special personalised gift from india, as well as access to our blog for daily updates, videos and photos.



For personal individual donations click here...
For company or organisation sponsorship contact us here.. 

PERSONAL DONORS SO FAR... 

Their names in the hat to be adopted as the name for our tuk tuk..

Asia, Sam I am, Ferran, Carme, Nathalie, Anne, Victoria, Roger, Miguel, Priscila, Arlo, Asia, Carlos, Remco, Scott, Thomas, Andi, Gustavo, Betty, Dave K, Diagonal Mark, Natty, David R, NiNi, Dr.Rob, Hannah, Mike R, Wolfgang and Clara, David Relevant, Obi de Krut, Micha...

OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

Its gonna be a hot and sweaty journey.. how on earth are we gonna keep clean and fresh in the desert while riding a noisy smelly dusty three wheeled mule?

wipes! but not girl wipes or googoo ga ga baby wipes! no sir we need industrial man size wipes! As seen on BBC1's The Next Big Thing...

we need a WINGMAN

Our friend Stu Jolley at Wingman has agreed to supply us with enough wipes to keep us clean... thank god.

Also we need a map.. so the nice folks over at STANFORDS are gonna analyse our route and suppy us with all the maps we need.. even when there are no roads! remember kids " the map is not the territory".

 

And news just in.... we will be under hot sun for a lot of our journey and i dont reckon we're gonna find many electric plug points in the desert.. so we need some kinda solar power... for our mobile phones and laptops.. hell maybe even a solar shower? 

so good old vicki over at POWERTRAVELLER are gonna give us access to some really neet solar gadgetery..so we can use elastictrickery all through our trip!

sunshine is our friend. 

For tents and sleeping bags and other stuff! we got a great deal at THE COMPLETE OUTDOORS... who have sorted out special prices for all our camping needs.

 

We dont want to crash of course, but if we take a tumble I want the helmets that save our lives to look pretty dam cool... so jordi over at HELMET DRESS has offered us some pretty cool custom helmet covers. i'm thinking pythons and paisley!

 

You can also see a link to their blog page right here.

We also have a very generous local bar as a supporter! Betty Fords in Barcelona, home of wicked cocktails, fine beers and the best burgers in town. You can check them out here.

SHOULD YOU WISH TO BECOME AN OFFICIAL SUPPLIER AND HAVE YOUR LOGO HERE AND ON OUR VEHICLE PLEASE CONTACT US VIA OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.

THE NON ROUTE ROUTE

The planning begins.. with a list of potential sponors... maybe a map would be a good idea...

Starting from: Shillong, Meghalaya. In the far north east of India lies a splendid hill station in a state known as the Scotland of the East for its mountainous and impressive vistas. We'll race through mountain forests on a plateau to depart from the capital of Meghalaya, which means the 'Abode of Clouds'. Oh, and it has the world's wettest golf course... so maybe time for a quick round.

Ending in: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. By the time we arrive the Meghalayan hills will be but a distant memory after two weeks of three-wheeled adventuring from the very top drawer. A ludricously picturesque setting with forts that sprout out of the desert and finely sculptured Jain temples, it stands on a ridge of sandstone and is aptly nicknamed 'The Golden City'. Where better to congratulate one another over cucumber sandwiches and bratwurst than the very heart of the Rajasthan desert.

THE RICKY TICKY RICKSHAW

With the heart of 145.45cc pushing 7hp (seven whole ponies maybe) of raw power to the wheels the Indian Auto Rickshaw is engineering at its best (ish). Loud, uncomfortable, prone to breaking down and completely useless at protecting you from the elements they are possibly the least suitable vehicles for covering the entire sub-continent in 2 weeks.

Which is of course the reason they are the only choice to tackle thousands of miles of sweaty jungle heat, dirt tracks, monsoon rains and the Himalayan peaks.


With our own pimped out rickshaw it should be working better than when they came out of the factory, which is not saying much, but fear not it will still break down, a lot.

Under the Skin of the beast:
Engine:	2 stroke, single cylinder, forced air cooled
Engine Size:	145.45cc
Power:	7 HP at 5000 rpm
Tourque:	12.17 Nm at 3500 rpm
Transmision:	4 forward, 1 reverse
Brakes:	Hydraulic expanding shoe
Fuel Capacity:	8 ltr inc. 1.4 reserve
Top speed:	55kmph (I've seen more, especially down hill)
Weight:	277kg plus us two plus extra fuel plus a case of gin...

WHO ARE FRANK WATER?

FRANK Water was founded by Katie Alcott in 2005, after she visited India and contracted dysentery after drinking dirty water.

5 years on…FRANK Water is now two distinct entities. FRANK Water Projects, a small registered charity (No. 1121273) that can receive your direct donations, and FRANK Water Products, a not-for-profit social enterprise which continues to give 100% of its profits to the charity.

Your support really matters. In a world where more than 4,000 children die EVERY DAY from a lack of clean drinking water, it’s clear that help is urgently needed.

FRANK Water was founded by Katie Alcott in 2005, after she visited India and contracted dysentery after drinking dirty water. FRANK Water Projects, a small registered charity (No. 1121273) that can receive your direct donations, and FRANK Water Products, a not-for-profit social enterprise which continues to give 100% of its profits to the charity.


For more info on FRANK WATER visit their web site HERE.

FUND RAISING

Shaking the collection tin like a mad member of the sally army...

To raise well needed cash we ran a second hand clothes stall at FLEA MARKET in Barcelona... selling my stinky old jeans, smoking jackets and dubiously stained and burnt tee shirts raised 250 euros... woop.

Flea Market have invited us back for the 22nd of May when they will expand the market to over 50 stalls moving from the Youth Centre in Ali Bei to a massive square, off Drassanes at the bottom of Barcelona's famous Rambla.

Bigger better and more charity cash for FRANKwater.

STAYING CONNECTED

While we potter over potholes and bomb round bends in our 5000 km quest to reach Jailasmer.. you may like to join us across the interwebnet... not only through this blog but with

skype...
and
facebook..

Although we have yet to find out if india has many Starbucks with wi-fi, somehow we doubt it, at least anytime we can we will hook up to the web to chat to our friends, sponsors and supporters... while we sip chai tea at the roadside by our tired old tuk tut you may even be able to offer advice and welcome words of support.

Being kinda technical (must book that mechanics class and get a haynes manual) we have set up an account.

You can reach us at "rickshaw.run" on Skype
and
India Tuktuk on facebook

IS THIS DANGEROUS?

This trip is genuinely difficult thing to do. 

Our blog is written in a light-hearted fashion but we dont underestimate the risks involved in undertaking this kind of trip.

This is not a glorified holiday its an unsupported adventure and so by its very nature risky. 


We really are on our own, so its not just your finacial support we need... if you have any experience of travel in india which you can share with us then please do...

Thanks

To contact us click HERE
To donate now click HERE

HINDI PHRASE BOOK... WE'LL NEED IT

Hi! - Namastey!
How are you?  - Aap kaisey hain?
Good/ So-So. -  Accha/ Theek-thaak 
Thank you ! -  Shukriyaa
Good bye! -  Alvida!

I'm lost -  Hum kho gaye hain.
Go straight!  - Seedhey jaaey!
Then turn left/ right! - Phir bānyae/ dānyae mudiye

How much is this?  - Yeh kaisey diyaa?
India is a wonderful country -  Bharat ek adbhut desh hai
No Problem! -  Koee baat nuhee

Big/ Small - Bada Chhota
Today/ Now -  Aaj/ Abhi
Good/ Bad/ So-So. -  Accha/ Boora/ Theek-thaak
Yes/ No -  Haan/ Naa or Nuhi

A THANK YOU FROM FRANK WATER

Hi there!

We at FRANK Water Projects just wanted to drop you an email to say thank you for taking the first step in your fundraising to provide access to clean water for people living below the poverty line in India.

We absolutely couldn't do what we do without you, and the impact of clean water projects in the areas we work in is enormous. 780,000 deaths a year in India are directly linked to poor quality water and sanitation, with a shocking 75% of these deaths occurring in children under the age of five.

If there's anything you need from us to make your fundraising easier, better supported, or more fun, please just drop me a line. We'd love to get some pictures or stories from you for the website and our newsletter.

Good luck with your fundraising and, again, thank you for supporting FRANK Water Projects.
Best wishes

Natasha Stanley
Office Manager and Donor Supporter