'Dysentry Dodgers' - Funny or Un-PC?

There was a story in Metro the other day about a group of three men who are planning to do a charity rickshaw ride across India. Starting in early April, the Rickshaw Run will be a massive 3600km trip across India. Sounds standard enough...until you take in to account that they will be wearing Morphsuits in temperatures of up to 40C...which is no doubt why they caught the attention of the media!


However, it wasn’t this which caught my eye. I was interested to read that their training involves ‘eating curry’ and that their team name is, wait for it...... Dysentery Dodgers. At first glance, this made me laugh; it really is typical British laddish humour at play. Then it got me thinking about the backlash against Top Gear at Christmas and the uproar Jeremy caused by implanting a loo seat on to his bonnet. I’m a Brit living in India so I like to think I can see this argument from both sides of the coin...and I find this sentiment funny, regardless of whether it’s coming from Clarkson or the fundraising team.

What these men are doing is the exact same; there’s no difference in ‘dysentery dodging’ and experiencing ‘gut rot’. What is different is that one of these sentiments came from Jeremy Clarkson who the majority of the British media just love to hate at the moment. Albeit he is contentious but he can’t do anything right and it’s a shame that the perception of Clarkson has overtaken the show itself.

All they’re highlighting what happens to Brits when visiting India – the rich food can be a lot for their stomachs and it can lead to “gut rot”; it’s not insulting or racist, it’s a fact! And it’s something I even experience when travelling back to the UK as I’m no longer used to British food. However, it’s still very interesting how the UK can latch on to a figure to hate..and it seems Clarkson is it.

South India Tour 2012

Our first tour of the year is now done and dusted – and what a way to start the year!


We had a great time on the tour, as always (sometimes I have to pinch myself that this is my day job). Even better, the first tour group enjoyed it too, one of whom said the tour through 4 southern states of India was one of the best times (if not THE best) I've ever had on a bike”. Not a bad recommendation, we don’t think.

It’s often said that what goes on tour stays on tour, but not with us. Here’s a rundown of what we’ve been up to over the past two weeks....

The tour started in Cochin and first took us to Munnar which has been called a ‘bikers dream’ and has some wonderful lakes, tea plantations and forest canopies which make up the sight-seeing on the fourth day.

From there we rode to Madurai to see the Sri Meenakshi temple and then shortly back to another hill station, this time in Kodaikanal.

Bit of a change of pace then and a long drive – and six thousand foot climb - to the Ooti Madurai national park and Tiger reserve; riders used their free day (while we serviced the bikes) to get really up close and personal with the animals on a safari trip or relax by the pool…think we know who get the better end of that deal!

The next day we headed to Mysore which is famous for its palace, temples and bazaars and then moved on to Udipi which is a beach resort completely at odds with the city from the day previous.

It was time then to wind down and head up the coast towards Goa and Agonda Beach. Once here, we toured the best beaches of South Goa – so calming and beautiful that it caused one rider to exclaim ‘I knew I had come home’ - before riding to Anjuna beach. Relaxation was the name of the game for the last day before flights home.

All of our routes are carefully planned to not only showcase India at its finest but also so that there’s something for everyone – from 72 hairpins to open flowing roads to staying in a tiger reserve, being on the beach, riding through beautiful mountain scenery, jungles and along coastal routes…. Variety is the spice of life and we try to give our riders it all. No package deals or benign entertainment here – just full throttle adrenalin and excitement.

Above all, we’re trying to give people an experience they won’t forget (unless they come back to do it again!) We want them to experience the freedom and fun of riding a motorbike…as it should be. There’s no better place to do this than India. We’ve all heard the horror stories of Indian roads but, as a matter of fact, there is little traffic in India apart from the big cities and we arrange our tour routes so you see as little traffic as possible (although it’s not unavoidable).

India remains the fascinating, ensnaring, infuriating enigma it will always be. Time and again you catch yourself thinking, "it would be so much easier if only they . . . ." but then you remember that the Indian way is not our way. And their way does seem to be working.

So if you’re looking for a tour which offers the most 'smiles per mile' (as one rider described it) get in touch and find out about our array of tours. There are some still available for this year. Visit http://extremebiketours.com/prices to find out more.

As one of our riders put it, ‘[Extreme Bike Tours] can offer you ten days of sweat… adrenalin, excitement, exhilaration, pain…and sheer hard work’… but my god, it’s worth it. Why not find out for yourself?