About 10 years ago, a group of crazy people calling themselves ‘The Adventurists’ created an insane 14-day Bucket List adventure race – The Rickshaw Run. Essentially, they created an adventure where participants drive a 3-wheeled Tuk Tuk (a tricycle with an engine) across all of India.  The catch? Well, no one knows what will happen during the race or if they’ll even make it to the finish line.  If you are crazy enough to enter this insane adventure race, you will battle the 1.2 billion people and 140 million vehicles in India. But you will do this all while experiencing an epic adventure trying not to die all while having the time of your life! If you survive, you’ll love to reminisce these funny but true things about the Rickshaw Run.

If you are crazy enough to enter the Rickshaw Run, you will battle the billions people & millions vehicles in India while trying not to die all while having the time of your life! #rickshawrun
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You are going to get lost!

Perhaps one of the most funny but true things about the Rickshaw run is the term “un-route”. The Adventurists use this phrase to describe the path between the starting line and finish line! This is because they do their best not to guide you in order to protect the sanctity of the insanity. Besides, it would be pointless to do any planning or mapping with all the unknown variables that will be thrown at you by the sub-continent. So, expect to get lost everyday. You will drive through the labyrinth of people, animals, and millions of vehicles just searching for a place to sleep and eat every day.

You will become the best defensive driver in the world!

There may be no place in the world scarier to drive than India. The roads are littered with more obstacles that you would find in a Japanese game show. Every day you dodge cows, pedestrians, and countless vehicles that will you put your Frogger skills to the test. You won’t be able to relax behind the wheel, you will learn what defensive driving really is!

Hot Tip: Most places in India are safe to walk around. And though driving across India was a bit nerve racking we never felt unsafe. However, as in any place you travel please use common sense and stay to main areas while exploring. We also strongly recommend that you consider getting Travel Insurance from World Nomads. It is a simple and flexible insurance to keep you safe while participating in this wild adventure.

Going to the bathroom will be a scary adventure!

The only thing scarier that driving in India is using the bathrooms! Of course, none of these bathrooms will ever be considered one of the best toilets in the world. In fact, in the beginning you will find yourself perplexed upon entering a traditional Indian bathroom. If you are lucky, you will find a traditional western style seat. But usually you will see a squat toilet (a hole in the ground with two foot grip pads on each side). If you dare to squat it out, then the real adventure begins. You then have to figure out how to “wipe” with the Bum Gun or a bucket of water with a small pitcher hanging on the side. From that point on, you will undoubtedly hoard any toilet paper you find as you fight off the symptoms of Delhi Belly!

You will sell your soul for a hot shower!

Driving in the Tuk Tuk is a great feeling as the lack of doors opens you up to all of the environment of India. However, you will also collect all of that Indian environment all over your body. Each day you will be caked in the dust, exhaust, and pollution of the road as you struggle to even run your fingers through your hair.

You will carry so much cash, you will feel like a pimp!

At the end of 2016, India created a homemade cash crisis, as Prime Minister Modi announced that all 500 and 1,000 Rupee notes would cease to be legal tender and needed to be exchanged for newly created 500 and 2,000 notes. This caused somewhat of a financial scramble as ATMs were constantly out of cash. Couple that with a great exchange rate ($1 USD to $67 INR) and finding an ATM with cash, you’d likely withdraw so many bills you’d walk away feeling like a baller!

Expect to break down and even crash!

When arriving at the starting line, The Adventurists will recommend that you take one of their mechanics classes. However, unless you consider yourself a grease monkey, these classes might as well be taught in an ancient Sumerian dialect. The Tuk Tuk is a simple engine. But it will most likely cause more issues than any space craft created by a NASA engineer. If somehow you do manage to avoid major break downs, don’t fret. You are bound to crash as the sub-continent and its drivers will throw everything they has at you and your Tuk Tuk.

You will be hounded by the local paparazzi!

Indian Tuk Tuks normally have yellow tops with either a black or a green bottom. So you can imagine the stares you are going to get as your ride your Skittles colored chariot down the road! Everywhere you go, locals will approach you begging for a “selfie”. They will even drive you off the road hoping for a picture to document the time they met some crazy westerner in their neighborhood on their Facebook page.

Ordering food will be a game of Russian roulette!

Beware of the Delhi Belly! This warning will haunt you every time you visit a “hotel” (aka: restaurant) in India! Make no mistake, the food in India is amazing if you can figure out what to eat. It’s just that every time you enter a “hotel,” after being shuffled to the wash rooms, you are handed a menu of countless options and usually without pictures. Therefore, you’ll find yourself pointing to the couple of words you recognize and hoping for the best!

You will communicate a lot via sign language or charades!

According to Census of India of 2001, India has 122 major languages and 1,599 other languages. What felt funny but true about the rickshaw run was that none of them felt like English. However, the Indian people are wonderful and will work with you to figure out exactly what you need. Whether you are ordering food at a restaurant, trying to explain what is broken on the tuk tuk, or just having a laugh with the local kids, get ready to use all kinds of hand signals or charades to get your message across.

Kingfisher Beer will become your stress reliever!

When in India, drink as the Indians drink. Since 1978, Kingfisher has been the most trusted brand of beer in India lubricating those who partake in the refreshing beverage. After a long tense day of navigating your rickshaw, you will immediately look for a tall Kingfisher to relieve the stress of the day and celebrate the fact that you didn’t die.

You’ll make best of friends while having the time of your life!

The Adventurists describe the Rickshaw Run as.

“A 3,000km Indian adventure in a 7-horsepower glorified lawnmower. The Rickshaw Run is easily the least sensible thing to do with two weeks.”

But to be honest, it is probably the greatest and most sensible thing you can possibly do for two weeks. You will meet people from around the world, all joining in an insane adventure. With your new friends, you will discover not only a great country, but also a lot about yourself. Plus if you are able to survive you will have the time of your life.

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

Disclosure: This post, “Funny But True Things About the Rickshaw Run”, may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post Funny But True Things About the Rickshaw Run appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

“Since we are going to be India for the Rickshaw Run, we should probably see the Taj Mahal. I mean it is on my Bucket List and I can’t imagine coming back to India just to see the Taj Mahal.”

This was the conversation that Darcee and I had with pretty much everyone we talked to before leaving for our epic Rickshaw Run across India. It was as if one of the most recognizable buildings in the world was a “if we have time” secondary/bonus add on to my Bucket List travels through India.  However, our day adventure in Agra, exploring the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort would prove to me why this IS a “must see” destination and needs to be on everyone’s bucket list!

The Story of the Taj Mahal

Rudyard Kipling once described the Taj Mahal as “the embodiment of all things pure.”  This could be due to its beautiful white marble or perhaps it is due to the story surrounding it.

It is said that the Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. She sadly died giving birth to their 14th child. Thus, because of the death of Mumtaz, the Shah’s heart truly broke. So, he immediately ordered the construction of the Taj as a mausoleum for his most beloved wife.  Starting in 1632, it would take 20 years to build this monument of love, but upon its completion, Shah Jahan said it made “the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.”

According to legend, Shah Jahan wanted a replica of the Taj Mahal in black marble that would serve as his final resting place built directly across the Yamuna river from the original.  However, one of his sons, Aurangzeb, felt that his father had caused a major strain on the empire’s finances with the Taj and a replica would ruin them entirely.  Therefore, he overthrew Shah Jahan and imprisoned his father in the nearby Agra Fort where he could only view his beloved memorial from a distance till his death.

Then after his death, one of his daughters then took his body and buried it next to his beloved Mumtaz Mahal in the Taj Mahal in 1666.

Fast forward to 1983, the Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.”  Then in 2007, it was declared as one of the world’s New 7 Wonders of the World by the New7Wonders of the World initiative.  From there, it has climbed to the top of countless bucket lists from people around the world!

Built out of love, it's easy to get lost amid the glorious white marble of the Taj Mahal. Discover how you can cross off the magnificence & splendor of the Taj Mahal from your #bucketlist. #TajMahal #Agra #wonderoftheworld
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How to cross off the Taj Mahal from your Bucket List

Of course Agra, India has much more to see than just the Taj Mahal. However, on our visit to Agra, we only had one day to explore the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort in 7-8 hours.  Though we missed out on several other wonderful things to do in Agra, we found it very easy to cross the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort off of our bucket list in 7-8 hours.

Getting to Agra

Being that Agra is only 200km from Delhi, there are multiple ways to get there including private car, Uber, taxi, or bus.  Each of these takes 4-5 hours to get there depending on traffic and can range in cost and comfort.

However, the most popular and fastest way to get to Agra is by train.  Tickets one way on the Gatimaan Express from Delhi to Agra were approximately 750 INR (about $11.00 USD) each and place you on a nice clean train with decent bathrooms.  The quick and easy 2 hour train ride comes with a large bottle of water & a meal included in the ticket price but please remember to tip the train servers as we were told that they mainly live off the tips.

*Please Note: In our opinion, the India Train website (https://www.irctc.co.in) maybe one of the most frustrating and impossible travel websites in the world to operate.  They often put restrictions on when a person (tourist) can purchase ahead of time and declined both of our credit cards online.  Therefore, ask your hotel or a travel agent to purchase the tickets for you. We had a local friend in Delhi purchase ours for us. You can also buy them in person at the train station where I used my credit card with no issues for our return tickets.

Getting to the Taj Mahal and around Agra

One of the interesting aspects about the many parts of India we visited is the local’s laid back approach toward tourists.  However, this laissez faire approach was not found in Agra.  Don’t get me wrong, you definitely don’t feel hustled as compared to many other places in the world. However, be prepared exiting the train or bus stations.

With that said, we were told by many of our local Indian friends that a tour guide is not necessary. But we feel that it is highly recommended for the Taj Mahal. This is because there is no real signage to tell the history to visitors.  In this day and age of information on the internet, I tend to be a little anti-tour guide unless its free or cheap.  However, after many recommendations I felt that it would be beneficial.

So if you opted for the train, you will exit the Agra Station to a sea of Tuk Tuk (auto-rickshaw).  You will need to grab one to even get to the Taj Mahal. But you will have a couple of unique options:

1. 1. Just pay to ride to the Taj Mahal (about 100 INR in a Tuk Tuk). However, you will then have to figure out transportation from there.
   2. Negotiate a day hire which is what we did (600 INR in a tuk tuk for the day).

When we arrived we decided to change our return ticket to an earlier time.  This ended up being a blessing in disguise. As we exited about 20 minutes after the crowd, we were swarmed by tuk tuk drivers.  But after we finally exited, we were approached by a driver who negotiated with this deal for the day:

1. Stop off for a clean bathroom stop if we needed it
2. Option for an Official Guide certified from the Approved guides office (500 INR)
3. Ride to the Taj Mahal gate
4. Lunch
5. A trip over to the Agra Fort
6. Ride to 3-4 types of shops if you want
7. Return back to Agra Train Station by 4:15 for our 5:15 train

Safety Tip: Agra seems to be a safe place to walk around. But as in any place you travel please use common sense and stay to main areas while exploring. Also, we strongly recommend that you consider getting Travel Insurance from World Nomads.  It is simple and flexible insurance to keep you safe while tackling any bucket list adventure.

As one of the 7 New Wonders of the World & a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Taj Mahal is unlike any other destination. Discover how to cross off this amazing site off your #bucketlist! #TajMahal #India #IncredibleIndia
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Exploring the Taj Mahal

We opted for the Official Tour Guide from the Approved guides office and it was great.  Ari, our guide, walked us down to East Gate where we obtained our entry tickets.  As of January 1, 2020 entry ticket prices for foreigners are 1,100 INR. While it is 50 INR for Indians and children under the age of 15 can enter for free.  Also, the entry fee includes a bottle of water and shoe covers. The shoe coverings are necessary to walk around the main mausoleum. So, make sure you pick them up when you buy your ticket.

There are several entrances into the Taj Mahal. So just follow your driver or guide to the easiest gate and follow your specified line to enter.  There is a shorter line for the foreigner tickets. But one is specifically for women and another for men even amid the foreigner lines.

When you finally enter, you are greeted by the Gateway Entrance. This will then lead you to the gardens in front of the mausoleum.  Ari, our guide, was very excited to point out the symmetry of the entire property from the gates.  He showed us how everything aligned through the gateway, across the ponds, to the center of the mausoleum. Even  inside the white marbled Taj Mahal itself is perfectly symmetrical with the gateway.

One of the bonuses of using a guide was not only to hear about the architecture and history of the property, but they also make great photographers!  I noticed that Ari and other guides are trained to take you to the best photo op spots.

After walking through the Gateway Entrance, you enter the main garden. Here you will be taken around the gardens, told of the history and legends of the Taj Mahal. Then you will be taken to the “Princess Diana Bench” for a wonderful photo opportunity. After, you will be led then toward the mausoleum.  We never felt a sense of urgency with our guide. For us, this was nice as we could walk off to just drink in the beauty of the building.

As you approach the actual mausoleum, you are required to put on your paper shoe covers or remove your shoes altogether.  This is because the mausoleum itself is pure white . Above the entrance are Arabic inscriptions containing verses from the holy book of Quran.  Also along the walls and above the archways are colorful ornamentations of flowers.  What is interesting is that both the black inscriptions and the colorful flowers are not painted on the white marble. Rather, it is laced with colored marble or precious stones that have been cut and inlay into the white marble background.

Another interesting tidbit is that the 4 minarets surrounding the main mausoleum are slightly tilted outward away from the dome.  According to legend, this was done in case of an earthquake. So in case of an earthquake, the minarets would fall away from the resting place of the Shah’s love.

When you enter the mausoleum, please note that no photos are allowed inside out of respect.  Then after exiting the mausoleum, you will circle around the back. Here, you can look across the Yamuna River. As Ari, our guide pointed out, you will see where the Shah’s black replica was supposed to be built.  Afterwards, you are free to explore the guest house or the mosque on either side of the Taj Mahal.

Other Things to do In Agra

• Akbar’s Mausoleum: This marble and sandstone mausoleum honors one of Agra’s greatest emperors of the Mughal dynasty.  Only about 10km northwest of Agra Fort, this mausoleum is beautifully constructed and a must see if possible.
• Mehtab Bagh: These gardens are a series of 11 parks on the Yamuna’s east bank.  Therefore, you will find that the gardens are perfectly aligned with and a great view of the Taj. So if you don’t want to pay the hefty admission fee of Taj Mahal or you just want to avoid the crowds inside the Taj Mahal get a ticket from Viator here to the Mehtab Bagh gardens.
• Agra Fort: If you only have time to visit one other site in Agra besides the Taj Mahal, then I would recommend going to the Agra Red Fort.  It is said that this is the fort that the son of Shah Jahan banished his father to live out his final days.  Inside is truly magnificent, with many sections and corridors to explore.  Plus, you don’t necessarily need a guide to explore the fort. Since there are plenty of signs written in English, it is easy to take a self guided tour.

*HOT TIP:  Please note that if you save your receipt from the Taj Mahal, you will receive a little discount to enter many of the other sites in Agra!

Go with a formal tour group

So as you can see, the Taj Mahal and Agra, India ARE a “must see” destination and needs to be on everyone’s bucket list!  Are they on yours? Have you ever been to the Taj Mahal or Agra, India?  If so, tell us about your experience visiting these great bucket list destinations in the comments below!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

Disclosure: This post, “The Bucket List Guide to the Taj Mahal”, may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post The Bucket List Guide to the Taj Mahal appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

Merriam-Webster defines an “adventurer” as someone who likes dangerous or exciting experiences; a person who looks for adventures! Well there is no doubt that in creating the Bucket List Project several years ago, I have sought out adventures of all types. I would spend hours scouring the internet, reading about the experiences of other “adventurers.” Many of these adventure activities and travels were typical to a person with wanderlust. However, there is one adventure that caught my eye and has totally stoked the insatiable adventurer in me, a Bucket List adventure race called The Rickshaw Run.

What is the Rickshaw Run?

The Rickshaw Run is a 14-day Bucket List adventure race that began 10 years ago by a group of crazed people who called themselves the Adventurists! With the hope of making the world less boring, they strive to create adventures where you don’t know what will happen tomorrow or if you’ll even finish the race.

I finally found the un-suspecting co-pilot I needed to join me in the January 2017 Rickshaw Run. Darcee and I will begin the race on January 2nd from Fort Kochi near the bottom of India. For the next two weeks we will race along the west coast toward Jaisalmer in a 3-wheeled Tuk Tuk (a tricycle with an engine). There will likely be many wrong turns, mechanical and mental breakdowns, mutinies and a love-hate relationship with Indian food, all while we are raising money for two charities dear to us.

We will race our highly unstable glorified tricycle, that will break down continuously. While travelling without a set of directions, we will attempt to overcome more obstacles in our path than contestants on a Japanese game show. We will battle the 1.2 billion people and 140 million vehicles in India while experiencing one crazy adventure and trying not to die!

So why on Earth am I doing this?

The short answer – Why not?

Those of you who know me, know that each year I actively tackle many of the over 200+ items in the Bucket List Project as well as try to assist others in going after their personal bucket list dreams.  It’s driven me to accomplish my dreams as well as given me the opportunity to help others!  The Rickshaw Run is helping me accomplish several of my Bucket List items:

14) Participate in 1 Adventurist Race: the Rickshaw Run

165) Learn & Play Cricket with Locals in a Foreign Country

69) Travel to the Taj Mahal, India

199) Raise thousands of dollars for charity

Now of course adventure is the name of the game when it comes to the Rickshaw Run. However, amid the insanity, it has allowed me to do something amazing before even starting the race, give back! One of the major pre-requisites of the Rickshaw Run is to raise funds for charity. Together with friends, family, and even some generous strangers, I was able to raise over $5,600 for both Angels’ Place New Orleans & Cool Earth! You can see & still donate to these great causes via our GoFundMe page at www.GoFundMe.com/EricGamble

The Rickshaw Run looks like the ultimate Bucket List Adventure Race! #RickshawRun #bucketlist
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Still don’t understand what we are about to do?

Still not sure what exactly this Bucket List Adventure Race will look like? Then watch this promo from the Adventurists themselves.

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

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