I awoke this morning to an unfamiliar sound.
Birding is one of my favorite hobbies, and I was very excited to add new birds to my life list while traveling in Sri Lanka! I opened the curtains to look out into the morning (much to the consternation of Kyle, who takes forever to get himself out of bed) and was delighted to see a flock of rose-ringed parakeets zipping in and out of the trees just off of the hotel room's balcony!
After breakfast, we took a taxi to the Kumudu Valley Resort, which was to be the Rickshaw Run's base camp and training grounds.
We knew we were in the right place when we pulled up to see rows of colorful tuk-tuks waiting for us.
Before we could start our driving practice, we had to take care of the logistics. We checked in, signed a number of waivers, and received a packet containing insurance documents, licenses, the rickshaw's keys, t-shirts, and more.
Finally, it was time to do what we came to this country to do: drive a tuk-tuk!
We gave our little rickshaw a short inspection. It's a bit battered and dinged up, but we are hoping that it will carry us through to the finish line!
The back window features a sticker of the Holy Face of Jesus, which we hope will give us a little extra protection as we drive our "glorified lawnmower" across the country.
We started the day with driving practice, and it did not go well...
Kyle struggled to get the tuk-tuk to turn on and kept lurching forward and stalling out when trying to get into first gear. He's trying his best, but he's just not able to get his head around the manual gearbox.
Mom could actually get the tuk-tuk moving quite well and spent a lot of the morning practicing in the parking lot at the resort. So far, she's the best driver of the three of us, although she's a bit afraid to go out on the main roads even though we've been advised to do so.
Not to toot my own horn too much, but I was also actually able to drive decently, although I didn't get very much chance to practice. At least I can get it going, which is more than I can say for my beloved brother...
Needless to say, we are going to need a lot of practice tomorrow as we haven't even been out on the road yet.
We, like every other team we've spoken to, have already had a few minor issues with our rickshaw, but they have thankfully been far minor than what some of our friends have experienced. Our handlebar was loose and kept coming off as we were changing gears, and at one point our back window popped off. The crew helped though, and we were back on the road in no time.
It seems like our electronics system may not work either. We haven't been able to get the headlights or indicators on, and the odometer is completely stuck. At least the fuel gauge works, and I guess that's really the most important thing.
We had lunch at the resort's restaurant. I ordered Sri Lanka's national dish: rice and curry.
After lunch we received our Sri Lankan Exchange Permit, an official license issued by the Automobile Association of Ceylon, which we need to carry with us at all times alongside our International Drivers Permit from the US and our domestic drivers licenses.
We also received our very official Adventurists license, which entitles us to drive "an autorickshaw, the pinnacle of motorized engineering" along with a Rickshaw Run t-shirt, a handful of stickers, and an official piece of "multifunctional headwear" (a sort of bandana).
Kyle has inexplicably started referring to his bandana as a "grogger", so I guess that's what we're going to go with. They are a sort of stretchy tube made out of that material that textbook covers in the early 2000s were made from. The groggers are a sort of tube which can be worn as a hat, bandana, sweatband, or neckerchief. Multifunctional indeed.
Speaking of headwear, the highlight of our day was noticing the hat that one of the Sri Lankan crew was wearing!
I still consider Arlington my hometown, and the Rangers are by far my favorite sports team. I never would have thought to see a Rangers hat in Sri Lanka!
Test driving was open all day, but Mom wasn't feeling well. A combination of a persistent head cold and the heat, humidity, and bright sunlight of the outdoor test-driving grounds made her feel really exhausted, so we returned to the hotel after lunch to rest. Mom took a nap, and Kyle and I took a dip in the pool to cool down.
We returned to the Kumudu Valley Resort in the evening for the official launch party. Even though Mom wasn't feeling her best, she didn't want to miss it.
The evening started with a live performance of traditional music and dance, followed by a phenomenal Sri Lankan buffet.
We had a great chance to socialize with some of the other teams.
It turns out that we are something of "local celebrities". The other teams have seen our YouTube video, and many of them were looking for us to meet us in person! It felt really nice that so many people were excited to see us.
Some of our best friends on the run so far include Team All Work and No Play and Team Ho Ho Ho And Away We Go. We really enjoyed spending the evening talking with them about their planned routes and sharing all of our mutual worries and anxieties about the adventure ahead. It's nice to know that it's not just us who are nervous about the Run.
Before heading back to the hotel for a good night's sleep, Kyle and I checked something off of their list of must-do experiences in Sri Lanka: trying arrack.
Ceylon Arrack is a traditional Sri Lankan liquor made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers. We hit up the cash bar to try a sip of this ancient distilled beverage (which tastes like a mix between a brandy and a dark rum). In Sri Lanka, it's often served with soda and a slice of lime.
We left the party around 9. We wanted to make sure that Mom could get lots of rest and hopefully feel as good as new for the run which starts on Sunday.
Our driving really didn't go so well today. We are all feeling a little bit discouraged, but tomorrow is a new day! We still have an entire day of test driving ahead of us before setting out on our adventure. Wish us luck.
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