Hi

Sorry for the long silence it has been a crazy month since returning from India.

Anyway, we are now back and are looking forward to building links following our great adventure.

We helped raise a staggering £125,000 and it is still coming in. But that is not enough. We are in contact with a school in India to see about a long-term programme to link schools here with their community. Untill we have checked a few things out with the school we will keep our ideas under wraps. Just wanted to let you know.

We have also made a short dvd of the trip and will endeavour to pop this onto the site. If you are desperate to have a copy (perfect for assemblies, just 7 minutes) let us know and we will send (sell) you a copy.

Thanks again

Andrew and Roy xx

Hey, we're back.

In fact we have been back a couple of weeks but a combination of technical problems, workload, lazyness, illness and the need for sleep have delayed our input. For this we are sorry.

Anyway, the trip was a blast. We had a fantasitc (and sometime traumatic) time. We met some very interesting people and have hooked up with one school that we are going to build links with (more of this anon).

But for now we just wanted to say thanks to all who sponsored the taxis. We have raised, collectively, around £125,000 and the money is still comming in.

We will write more over the comming weeks but just wanted you to know that we were alive and ready for the next challenge.

Thanks

Roy and Andrew

we are half way through

Hallo all you out there. Sorry that we have not been in contact but we have not been able to get an internet connection as some of the locations have been very remote (have a look at www.karmaenduro.com to check out the route).

The journey is going really well and we have got some great video footage of schools along the way and some amazing photos of the landscape here.

We have had a couple of near misses with cars comming off the road and oil sumps being destroyed. But not us. We are driving very sensibly. Long, long drives. By the time we have finished we will have driven most of the length of the west coast of southern India - near;ly 2000 kilometres.
We have also adopted a primary school and already donated £50 to help them buy sports equipment for the children. We intent to donate every year to the school adn hope to form links between it and schools in the UK. It is in a tiny village in the southern indian mountains with a dirt road to serve it. The teachers were amazing bringing modern educational methods to a tiny, rural backwater. The pre-school children sang for us and we sang for them (we arent sure who actually benifited among the children but it was amazing to hear those thirteen little voices singing away like mad. In fact the teachers had to ask them to finish the song as it seemed to be an around song which had already been going on for five minutes!). We have lived rough in a packing case on the edge of a beach, and fought off scorpions (well one little one but real nasty looking) in a jungle hut.

All in all it is amazing and exciting and really brings home how unbelievably poor people are here and how little they have in the way of resources. It is a real pleasure and a privilege to be here and meet the children this is all about.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported us especially the amazing people of Earls Barton and colleagues in Alder Hey. We are still working hard out here. Keep the money coming in. We cant tell you how much the people here need it.
Roy and Andrew (the irish one)

This is an picutre that I took a few weeks ago whilst working at a hotel in Patishall, near Wovlerhampton (I know!!!). I was born and raised in Wolverhampton and don't remember it looking like this. I woke up really early and started the day like this.

After the event I went and picked up my mother who still lives there and she told me that this was where she scattered my Dad's ashes.

I thought I would put this on the blog to help me think of home when I am looking out at the sun rise in India.

Love to all,

Roy

Well today is the last day in the U.K. before flying off.  We leave this evening.

 

Thanks to every one out there that have made this trip possible. 

 

We will blog more when we are on the road.

 

Love and thanks

 

Roy

 

Thanks to the genius of Emma Kilbey for this adaptation of the classic ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ hit tune.

 

They’ve had all their jabs, got their visas and tiger repellent
It’s four days away, and on getting to the finish, they’re hell-bent 
Roy and Andy are going to drive
A knackered taxi ‘cross South In-dia
They signed up last year (they’re startin’ to regret it now...)

They’re scouting for cash, to give to fan-tastic charities
And they’ve charged you people twenty-five bucks for japatis
Roy and Andy are going to drive
A knackered taxi ‘cross South In-dia
Eat popadoms with pride, you’re helping them reach their goal 

Hey Leighton and Doc, don’t you bic-ker at the wheel, now
Keep your eyes on the prize; that scenery can’t be beat – wow! 
Roy and Andy are going to drive
A knackered taxi ‘cross South In-dia
Keep your fin-gers crossed, they’re speaking when they get back

Bi-son, leopards, ele-phants and deserts
Beaches, sunsets, cold beers and tummy upsets
Roy and Andy are going to drive
A knackered taxi ‘cross South In-dia
Keep windows wound down in case of that Delhi belly

Late last night, Angie heard a car door slam
As an Am-bassador taxi, took away her old man
Roy and Andy are going to drive
A knackered taxi ‘cross South In-dia
Our hearts swell with joy as we wave them on their way!

Roy and Andy are going to drive
A knackered taxi ‘cross South India...
They’ll see paradise and donate to a worthy cause!

I said they’ll see paradise and donate to a worthy cause!

 

 

 

Little does Andrew know that I have taken up the trombone and will be taking this to practice.

 

Roy