Rumors from the Rickshaw Run: Seven of our not-so-finest moments.

Rickshaw Runners like to put on a hardened front. We’re adventurous, tough as nails, and capable of withstanding whatever the Indian roads throw our way…literally.

But maybe, just occasionally, we slipped up. I can’t say for certain, but rumor has it…

1. There may have been air freshener…

When we stumbled on this convenience store one afternoon in Bihar, I think each of us was stoked for a different reason. I was thankful for five minutes of air-conditioning. Mark and Duncan bought orange popsicles and Sprite. And Tariq…well, Tariq bought air freshener.

“Care for a whiff of Aqua Floral?” he asked as we finished topping up petrol and oil.

2. There may have been naps on the road…

That same evening brought one of our most hectic moments on the run: heading towards Patna in the dark and rain. Once we finally found a hotel, those of us who’d been driving stepped out of our rickshaws more than a little dazed from so much concentration. But not Hisham #2…Thanks to some clever positioning of his umbrella, Hisham awoke in Patna calm and relaxed, having slept through it all.

3. There may have been planking…

Leave it to a faulty carburetor to provide a photo-op. While Mark and Duncan worked their magic on the Blue Camels’ tuk, Tariq looked out towards the horizon and said somewhat dejectedly, “We haven’t done any planking so far.”

“Why not now?” I asked, holding up my camera. As they say, no time like the present.

4. There may have been water shortages…

We generally made it a habit to pick up water every time we stopped for petrol or food, but sometimes we got lazy. After a long, dry spell of afternoon driving, we passed this local water pump and decided to test it out. Mark had his posh bottle with a built-in filter to use. Citlalli and I resorted to purification tablets (thanks, Noni!). Four chlorine tablets later and the water was still yellow…strangely, we weren’t thirsty anymore.

5. There may have been coffee breaks…

I’ve mentioned these lattes before, but thought you should see the scene of the crime itself. It just looks wrong, doesn’t it? Our rugged little tuks, parked outside such a clean-cut corporate establishment…But not to worry, we were soon back to drinking plastic cups of chai from the local dhabas in no time.

6. There may have been guidebooks…

Everyone knows the cool thing to do on the Rickshaw Run is to be terrible at planning. Stories of driving too far into the night, having to camp out in fields and being escorted away by armed policemen are touted like badges of courage. But whenever we came to a big city like Agra or Jaipur, we may or may not have cracked a guidebook for a little guesthouse guidance.

7. There may have been photo-shoots…

As Tariq once said, “Another breakdown, another breakdown photo.” But this time, I turned my camera away from the rickshaw in question onto Nick, one half of the illustrious Rick Dangerous 2 team. I was so impressed by his ensemble–spiked hair, headband, cool-guy shades and tropical tee–that I couldn’t resist a photo-shoot.

Thankfully, he obliged.

So maybe we weren’t tough all the time, but hey, these are all just rumors. If anyone asks, you didn’t hear them from me…