Tuk-Tuk Adventures
IT MAY NOT BE THE MOST EFFICIENT
MODE OF TRAVELLING LONG
DISTANCES, BUT FOR A CHARITY
AWARENESS RIDE, A TUK-TUK
EXPEDITION TURNS HEADS AND
HELPS TO MAKE REAL CHANGEText Hastings Forman
Photos Courtesy of PMTTYoung children, smiling and
looking rather curiously at some of the
first Westerners they may have ever
seen, gather outside the orphanage
on the outskirts of Goa, India. They
are welcoming the 20 men who have
come with donations in the way of toys,
stationary and clothes. Their arrival in
decorative tuk-tuks is undoubtedly the
cause for curiosity and amusement.
As the group of men enter, one
rider passes a small bag of vitamin
gums to a child, who takes a look at it,takes one for herself and passes
the bag to a friend. This small act of
selflessness takes the men aback.
But the force of that touch pales in
comparison to what follows. They are
informed that every single child in
this orphanage was born with a life-
threatening disease. There is a death
every month. Many of the children
they met during this visit will have
since passed away.
The inevitable fate of these happy
and kind boys and girls struck a chord
with the men. Alex Longman describes
the scene as one of shock and silence.
“Twenty alpha males walked in, twenty
emotional and humble males walked
out,” says Longman. Seeing how
these children were hidden away from
the world humbled them even further.CARE
This place was far away from the tourist
hotspots, and so there was little to no
awareness of their situation. “Virtually
nobody would go there due to its
location,” says Michael Phelps.
It was this experience, as well as
others like it, that strengthened their
resolve to continue with “Pimp My
Tuk-Tuk” (PMTT) – a fundraiser that
sees people take a grueling driving trip
off the beaten track in the signature
South Asian vehicle – which, as their
name suggests, are “pimped out” with
different colours, logos of charities
and corporate sponsors, along with
other personal additions. Its aim is
to raise hundreds of thousands of
dollars for charities in Asia, to donate
to the places they visit, and to raise
awareness of people in need.