Most people would agree that establishing an itinerary before flying halfway across the world into remote jungles and vast deserts is important, if not vital.
Todd Teigland is not one of those people.
Alongside best pals and fellow Vancouverites Lawson Eberhard and Darren Smith, Teigland is taking part in a 2,500-kilometre race across India with little more than a compass, a map and healthy dose of wanderlust.
Tigers, snakes, yellow fever and Delhi belly aside, their quest will happen in a three-wheeled, three-seater called a tuk tuk that churns out a heart-stopping seven horsepower.
Despite all of this, Teigland characterizes his upcoming quest as “the trip of a lifetime.”
“I’m going in a bit blind, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Tiegland maintains.
The trip is staged by an Indian adventure travel company that offers little in the way of oversight as a few dozen teams wind their way across a 2,500 kilometre path from the rainy, southern portions of the country to the deserts of the north.
Teigland’s trio heads out in early January and only have three days’ worth of travel planned in advance of their arrival.
Most of the trip will hug the country’s west coast along rural routes, through some forays into the cities will happen when time permits.
No one among the group speaks a lick of any of the Indian dialects they’ll need to negotiate the most basic necessities such as food, drink or shelter.
“Maybe Google translate becomes our friend,” Teigland said. “If not, it’s going to be smiles and a good attitude that hopefully gets us by.”
One thing Teigland is sure of is that no camping will happen. Even if it means sleeping in a rustic shanty with barely four walls and roof, there will be no tents ever.
Why?
For starters, snakes. Specifically king cobras.
“I just re-watched the Jungle Book the other day and it reminded me of the reason I’ve been afraid of snakes my whole life,” Teigland said. “The idea of them hanging down from a tree and grabbing me haunted me as a little kid.”
It’s not only serpents, though. Teigland recently watched an episode of BBC’s Planet Earth 2 that showed a healthy and hungry leopard walking into Mumbai — at night, no less — on the lookout for a meal.
This was no forest setting, but rather on the doorstep of one of the world’s most populated cities.
“I love to camp, don’t get me wrong,” Teigland said. “I’m a good Canadian kid and I love to get into the woods. But there is absolutely no way I’m going to camp my way across India with that kind of stuff roaming around.”
What sounds like a bit of insanity to most will be offset by some mitigating factors. Teigland and crew are all in their early 30s and play sports regularly, so fitness isn’t much of a concern.
Between the three of them, they’ve travelled to Australia, Thailand, Burma and Laos — being in the bush isn’t entirely foreign. If and when the boonies become too much, they’ll have satellite phones and GPS in the event of an emergency.
They all work together in the film industry and so, naturally, documenting their trek will be a focal point.
Philanthropy is another overarching theme. The fellas successfully raised $8,000 and counting for a pair of charities devoted to female education and empowerment in India, as well as rainforest conservation.
And while there’s no prize for finishing first, Teigland wouldn’t want it that way anyhow.
“At the end of the day I’m travelling with my best friends on a crazy adventure,” he said. “You can’t do anything but smile and be happy at the opportunity that we have.”
@JohnKurucz
jkurucz@vancourier.com
