The Rickshaw Challenge – Malabar Rampage 2016 Comes to an End

The last day saw our participants cruising the beautiful streets of India’s smallest state Goa, leading them through enchanted woods and Eden-like beaches on their way from Murudeshwar to Panaji, Goa’s capital.
Driving through the streets was straightforward, as they were rather empty, so the last 250 km were – compared to some other days and generally driving in India – easy as pie. As a result, most of the teams arrived early in Panaji, excited about the upcoming award ceremony. Everyone had plenty of time to kick back and enjoy the hotel pool with a spectacular view over the Goan capital and its rivers… A dozen brave participants decided to start the final party right there and then, while also learning something about Indian culture by trying a shot of feni, Goa’s very own (in)famous spirit, made either out of cashew or toddy palm.

As it turns out, for most of the teams this extensive Indian culture lesson fell under the category “regrettable life choices,” but at least the experience will result in many stories to tell.
Apparently, the only real challenge of the day to arrive in time for the award ceremony, which turned out to be more difficult than expected – although to be fair,  Goa’s magical beaches are just way to distracting and make you completely forget about time. Thankfully, in the end, all teams gathered in the “Down the Road Bar”. After everybody received their well-earned medal for successful participation and survival of the Rickshaw Challenge – Malabar Rampage 2016, it was finally time to announce the winners of the different award categories.

The Charity Award went to Team Goan Places from the USA and Australia, who succeeded in raising 12 000 USD for Round Table India and are planning on not giving up before hitting the 20 000 USD mark. We are incredibly grateful for all the effort Team Goan Places has put in this and we can assure that this will make a significant difference in the lives of many, many children.
The Bonkers Award, the award for the craziest team with the most – let’s call it interesting –  ideas went to Team Butt, Sweat and Ears from Malaysia, with participants from Australia and France. They most definitely deserved the award, solely for squeezing into their rickshaw in their gigantic inflatable sumo ringer costumes!

Finally, the winner of the Rickshaw Challenge – Malabar Rampage 2016 is Team Champagne, holding a moving, Oscar-worthy acceptance speech right before showering the whole room in Champagne. The following party continued well into the early morning hours.

Overall, it was a great rally with amazing participants, who developed a strong team spirit in just a few days. We would like to thank you for being awesome and making our time with you unforgettable!