Reality Fan Forum - The Amazing Race Spoilers - Big Brother Live Feed Updates - Survivor Spoilers - Reality TV Spoilers - Big Brother Spoilers
The Amazing Race International Versions => TAR Asia => Topic started by: georgiapeach on October 30, 2008, 01:31:20 AM
-
This thread is for discussion of Episode 8.
Please read the posting guidelines HERE (http://forum.realityfanforum.com/index.php/topic,17429.0.html) BEFORE you post in this thread please.
Those who will have not seen the show yet will need to ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK! There will be spoilers about who won, and who was eliminated for sure, and other details about the leg. You know by now, right? :lol:
And as always, HUGE thank you's to everyone contributing here! It is all of your teamwork this week when we have been short on real spoilers that has made it so much fun to take our speculation to new and higher levels! (sorry, I just couldn't resist! :lol:)
This week seemed to belong to the TAR Detectives, so kudoes and thanks for all the efforts go to Mrs Shrek, Neobie, banzai, Apskip, Chateau, Boingo and puddin! :ty
And special thanks to everyone who helps us with live updates, screencaps, and uploads as you are keeping the rest of us sane! And ongoing especial thanks here to Calvin for his outstanding recaps that he produces with amazing speed! :thankyou:
Just a reminder:
Preview info for the NEXT leg should go in the general spoiler thread (http://forum.realityfanforum.com/index.php/topic,15379.0.html) and NOT be discussed here. :hugs: And remember that the eliminated team should ONLY be discussed in this pinned episode thread until Sunday 10AM Singapore time= Sat 10PM for those of us in the US (East Coast).
-
LEG 8: Macau to Cochin, India
This week has been a challenging one as we had only the preview to guide us. It made for an interesting week of speculation with some very interesting results, so hang on to your hats!
As with any good speculation, we have had some interesting debates this week and have not always been able to come to a joint consensus. But that should make it even more fun as we watch the show in order to see what actually did happen!
Preview: Thanks to Neobie for our first one, and later to banzai for an improved version.
-
Morning/evening to all!
If you have any updates--add them here!
I'll be surfing the web to bring you what I can as well!
:hearts:
-
Thrills galore The Amazing Race Asia 3 has all the excitement
Catch all the action, drama and fireworks on this week’s “The Amazing Race Asia 3”. Watch Ida and Tania as they struggle in this week’s episode with two strikes against them. They must either come first in the current leg of t he race, or face a 30 minute penalty.
The team who comes first in the high-altitude challenge is in for an elevated surprise! Instead of using the regular transportation, they get a personal helicopter to fly them to their next destination. After completing a challenge that involves families and friends from around the world greeting them in a special way, many teams are in tears as they get emotional.
Finally, when teams are faced with travelling to another country without any direct flights, five teams take three different flights to get to their destination. Sadly, one of the flights leaves a team far behind than the others.
Since the cardinal rule has to be followed, the last team to arrive at the pit stop will be eliminated.To find out which team gets eliminated, tune into The Amazing Asia 3 tonight at 10 p.m. on AXN.
http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2008/10/30/stories/2008103051640200.htm
-
They are off!
First go to St Paul's ruins for a clu!
RB!! BUNGY at Macau Tower!
1st team wins a helicopter ride--G&T
4 teams neck and neck
(all bungy maybe?)
I&T 2 hours behind?
all the rest take the ferry
something about Mas Cargo storage??
-
Bernie/Tisha/Sam/AD do the RB
Tania doing the RB
G&T get the helicopter ride
-
Ferry for the rest to HK
Find a MAsCargo Store in HK
-
Task, find box with letters from family.
quarrelling
-
S/V find their box
GT on board flight to India via Singapore.
-
Some didn't find a direct flight from HK to Cochin, and then it's cut to commercial break
-
SV took the risk
They went to SIN, then took flight to Bombay first before going to Cochin. GT got flight HKG - SIN - Cochin
-
GT arrived first on Cochin
SV were trying to get HB to get on the same flight with them
IT and AF were smarter
they took direct flight HK - Mumbai - Cochin
-
SV and HB:
HK - SIN - Mumbai - Cochin
AF and IT:
HK - Mumbai - Cochin
SV and HB missed the connecting flight on Mumbai
-
bunching--HofOP
I&T get the clue first!
MY ELEPHANTS!! :hearts:
they gotta go to an elephants washing grounds and gotta wash them.
SV and HB had not arrived at Cochin yet.
AF and GT have to ask for directions
COMMERCIAL
-
I&T first at the elephants! :hearts:
DETOUR: FISH or FILL
-
FISH : delivering swordfishes to a restaurant
FILL : fill a local pattern with colored rice
GT fish
AD fill
HB and SV just arrive in Cochin
-
I&T doing fill
The fish is 20 kg
-
S/V leading H/B
-
G/T in the lead
it's an ELIM!
Allan said: "Last team to check in WILL be eliminated"
-
Where are my helpers?? :'(
-
Its a race between G/T and I/T!!!
? HB and SV fighting for last
G&T come first
So I&T get the penalty (MEAN G&T!!!)
commercial
-
S/V picked FISH,
H/B picked FILL
G&T win a trip to HK
-
Peach, your post summarizing everything we know in advance for episode 8 is a tour de force. The only information that conflicts with my information is the opening hour for Macau Tower. I have it as 10am for a Sunday(and I am sure that June 1 was a Sunday due to church events I recall on that day) from an official Macau source:
AJ Hackett Macau Tower Xtreme Sports
Address Level 61, Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre, Largo da Torre de Macau
Phone +853 8988 8656
Opening Hours Monday - Friday 11:00 - 19:30 , Saturday & Sunday 10:00 - 19:30
I still believe it may have opened early but the helicopter ride allows Geoff/Tisha to just make make it to the airprot for CX739 and everyone else has to fly later.
The information from post#3 about what was going to happen in episode 8 on flights is "five teams take three different flights to get to their destination. Sadly, one of the flights leaves a team far behind than the others."
The statement that ther are 3 different flights teams take out of Hong Kong is consistent with my flight information summary:
Preferred for HKG SIN is CX739 1120 1510
Alternates are SQ863 1330 1720 or CX735 1415 1800 or CX711 1615 2000
In all cases teams wait in Singapore for
SilkAir468 SIN COK 2155 2350 (note: one version of this schedule had it move up by 2 hours; I don't know which is right)
To get to HKG airport from Macau the best option for rthe other teams is the direct ferry schedule:
0815 (nobody will get this)
1000 (nobody will get this unless they finish their tasks at Macau tower by 0915)
1215 (this is the one I expect most teams to get)
1345 (this is the last one that gets onto CX711)
-
A/F # 2!!!
S/V finish the Detour
-
I&T are #3 :hearts:
S/V #4
-
H/B ELIMINATED! :ascared :ascared :ascared
-
here are the answers to your questions..
bungy jump was a road block..
there was no sky jumps..
they bungy jump at morning..
g&t were the 1st one to finish the road block.. so caltex help them w/ they're transportation..
they traveled via helicopter.. they left Macao at 8:13 am
while the other teams traveled via ferry boat..
here are the persons who did the bungy jump:
tisha
sam
ad
bernie
tania
they didn't went to HK sun tek center..
they just searched letters from they're beloved ones in a cargo in HK..
after that they went to cochin,india..
so G&T flight- honkong via singapore then cochin india
I&T and A&F - hongkong via mumbai india then cochin...
S&V and H&B - hongkong via singapore then mumbai!!
and then they went to the elephant washing ground....
during this task I&T were the 1st one..
then they had a detour fish or fill..
in fish..
they need to deliver fishes to a seafood restaurant..
in fill..
they need to fill an art w/ colored rice grain..
what teams did the fish:
G&T
S&V
what teams did fill:
I&T
A&F
H&B
in this task G&T became first..
and then they're next destination is the bolgatty palace..
w/c by the way is the pitstop..
and the last team to check in WILL be eliminated..
still G&T are the first one..
I&T is catching up....
A&F is still doing the fill...
G&T arrived at the pit stop as the 1st one..
I&T .. 2nd.. BUT because of they're 30 min. time penalty..
A&F got the 2nd place..
after waiting for 30 min. to pass away...
I&T were 3rd..
then after them..
S&V were 4th..
H&B were last..
they got eliminated..
some videos and screen caps will be posted soon!!!!
-
1st - G&T>> win a trip to Hong Kong :lol:
2nd- A&D
3rd- I&T
4th -S&V
5th H&B - ELIMINATED
-
OH EXCELLENT JOB JE!! :jumpy:
What about the preview??
-
wow peach.. that was good.. i just do it via summarize so its not hustle.. i have some vids.. soon to be uploaded hehehe..
having some problem!!! whaha..i thought G&T will come 2nd hehe.. but no!!! hehehe im so happy!!!
-
it'll be posted soon..
my sister and i are still working on it..
G&T first!!
:yess:
-
all information are here :groan:
Released time for Ep8
1. G&T 4.04am
2. S&V 4.14am
3. AD&F 5.40am
4. B&H 6.04am
5. I&T 8.13am
-
Thank you snap-on!! We wanted that info!
What time was the bungy? Did it look like DAWN??
-
Did it show teams reading their letters? Where was that MasCargo place? In the harbor or in HK??
-
Henry & Bernie eliminated???? That's a total shock.
-
oh.. previews..
my sister thought you were talking about the vids..
sorry..
there were no previews..
sorry again..
-
Oh Y'ALL DID GREAT!! I am SO proud of you JE (TarAsiaFanatic) and snap-on! :ty3: :yourock:
:ty to everyone!!
Can't wait for the screencaps!!
Y'all take your time now and fill in the blanks, if any are left :lol:
Oh where was the elephant place? Was it Kodanad??
And :neener: to everybody who laughed at my elly-phonts! :funny: :funny:
-
NO PREVIEWS?? :faint:
:crybabe:
-
it's cloudy.
Just additional info :
- RB Bungy jump : Hours of operation : 08.00-22.00, 233m, 180km/h (definitely not a F1 speed, Bernie !) in order : 1. Tish 2. Sam 3. AD 4. Bernie 5. Tania
The reason why S&V and B&H were late because they missed their connection flight to Cochin.
MasCargo warehouse, HK
Washing elephant-----> SPS Temple Kumbalam. I&T were 1st to finished washing elephant.
-
yes..
i'm really sorry..
but it's really like that..
-
I'd just like to add here a BIG THANK YOU to the AXN live updaters for doing such a good job!
Thank you Z-1988 and cutelegs in particular!!
-
NICE! snap-on, thanks for all that--we can look it up later...
Oh you two did SUCH a good job!! I want to go back and study every word! :jumpy: :hearts: :jumpy:
-
I now want to work backward using the information from actual ep.8 to help decipher what happened on flights. First, on a Sunday evening, the earliest arrivals in Cochin are from Mumbai at 1915 and 2040. However, teams departing Hong Kong direct for Mumbai (a route that did not come up in my analyses) would have choice of only CX751 1425 2005 or HI715 1730 0015+1. In either case, they would miss the connections to Mumbai and be stuck with AI690 BOM COK 0130 0330. Why would anyone want to do that?
That will be behind any teams that took any of the combinations in my previous post and MI(SilkAir)468 SIN COK 2155 2350. However, 2 teams apparently messed up on their arrangements by going HKG SIN BOM COK. Flight information for those routes are:
HKG SIN SQ863 1330 1720 or CX735 1415 1800 or CX711 1615 2000
SIN BOM (arriving in a window from about 2100 until 0100) 1905 2150 9W or 2015 2315 SQ424
Note that SQ424 would have to be almost 2 hours late to cause 2 teams to miss AI690 0130+1 0330+1
Those teams are then left with either BOM COK IC161 0535+1 0720+1 or 9W405 0545+1 0735+1
-
georgiapeach asked:
Where are my helpers??
So sorry, there were so many changes in the order of the race, I couldn't afford to look down at my laptop! :umn:
But as to your other remark...
So I&T get the penalty (MEAN G&T!!!)
...the editing only made it look like they were neck and neck. G&T actually got to the pitstop with time to spare. So they couldn't have deferrred to I&T even they had the opportunity. Besides, the last time they let another team have the mat (O&M) they lost $5000!
What an upset! I'm happy that I&T finally caught up! And of course, I'm happy that G&T are first again. (Did I ever mention that I spent an evening with them over the last New Year's holidays? Never saw them again but....)
Ooooooh, the Pinoy- and G&T-haters are not going to like this episode one bit :knuckles:. I'm not even going to peek into the Survivor Sucks forum; it'll be a bloodbath!
Can't wait for the next leg!
-
Is anyone else in shock at the standings?
I LOVE how I&T are playing the game and am SO happy my prediction was wrong!!
But :congrats: to A/D for second place!
And oh my, Henry and Bernie had been playing SUCH a strong game, how sad to go because of a missed connection.
Thanks bikermama for explaining that! No one really expects them to step aside....I guess! :funny:
-
Okay bikermama--now we want PICTURES! :lol:
-
Oh so they did open the Bungy at 8......
-
georgiapeach asked:
Where are my helpers??
So sorry, there were so many changes in the order of the race, I couldn't afford to look down at my laptop! :umn:
But as to your other remark...
So I&T get the penalty (MEAN G&T!!!)
...the editing only made it look like they were neck and neck. G&T actually got to the pitstop with time to spare. So they couldn't have deferrred to I&T even they had the opportunity. Besides, the last time they let another team have the mat (O&M) they lost $5000!
What an upset! I'm happy that I&T finally caught up! And of course, I'm happy that G&T are first again. (Did I ever mention that I spent an evening with them over the last New Year's holidays? Never saw them again but....)
Ooooooh, the Pinoy- and G&T-haters are not going to like this episode one bit :knuckles:. I'm not even going to peek into the Survivor Sucks forum; it'll be a bloodbath!
Can't wait for the next leg!
oh are u also filipino?? hehe weeeh!!!
wow ur so lucky u hang out with them!!!
-
Peach, your post summarizing everything we know in advance for episode 8 is a tour de force.
Thanks apskip! Guess all that BB updating was good for something! :funny: :funny: :funny:
But it is really thanks to the AXN guys... :hugs:
-
JE, if you have any trouble posting the pics you can email them to me at the address in my profile and I'll post them for you, okay? (Just tell me if you do that....)
-
here are some screen caps..
sorry for the quality..
my youngest sister did it..
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb140/ga--peach/TARA%203/JETARA3ep8-1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb140/ga--peach/TARA%203/JETARA3ep8-2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb140/ga--peach/TARA%203/JETARA3ep8-3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb140/ga--peach/TARA%203/JETARA3ep8-4.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb140/ga--peach/TARA%203/JETARA3ep8-5.jpg)
also i'm sorry i don't have screen caps for the important parts..
i just took a vid of it..
-
oh are u also filipino?? hehe weeeh!!!
wow ur so lucky u hang out with them!!!
I guess I shouldn't tell you that we met Marvil that same night, too (*DUCKS ROCKS*).
Anyhoo, I have a question to the Powers That Be here:
Do the producers ever tell the teams exactly how many NELs, FFs and Yields there are before the race?
Because you would think H&B would have chosen the fish delivery had they known that this leg had a high probability of being an elimination round. Well, their exit means less drama now for G&T....
-
Guys. snap-ons pics are uploading and I will return them in a minute
But all Preview discussion is going to be moved to the spoilers section--so come on over there, okay? If your post disappears it is cuz I am moving it, lol...
JE--I can't see your pics at all--email them to me and I'll help, okay??
-
anybody know the temple in cochin? how bout the pier and the place where they did fill? I think i might have missed those.
-
HIYA Calvin! The temple is upstream
SBS?? KUMB...something...
-
SBS?? KUMB...something...
SPS Temple Kumbalam.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb140/ga--peach/TARA%203/TARA3ep8show-elephants.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb140/ga--peach/TARA%203/TARA3ep8show-elephants2.jpg)
-
Oh what fun!!
I wanna wash an elephant! :happy:
-
Oh so cute recapper:
The Amazing Race Asia 3 : Episode 8
.
It's the 8th leg with 3 remaining legs to go. Someone will definitely be eliminated tonight!
I had butterflies in my stomach while watching the show and writing the report at the same time. It felt as if I was there running alongside with the contestants!
Episode 8 recap.
8th leg - Ama Cultural Village, Coloane Island ~ Ruins of St. Paul, Macau
Make your way to the entrance of Macau Tower
Roadblock (only one person may perform task)
Bungee Jump off the Macau Tower
Geoff and Tish (team Philippines) were the first to complete the task and rewarded with a flight to Hong Kong by helicopter
The rest of the teams will have to travel by ferry to Hong Kong
Go to MASkargo Warehouse and search for team's box, each team member gets a letter from their families
Travel to Cochin, India and find the temple at Neelamkulamgara (unsure of spelling) for their next clue
Make your way to the front of the temple, receive blessings by the priest to get their next clue
Take a taxi to the Elephant Washing Grounds at SPS temple in Kumbalam
Wash the elephant using the traditional way by using coconut husks
Detour
Fish ~ Haul 6 large fish (Marlin) to a Seafood Restaurant
or
Fill ~ Complete a Kolam artwork/design
Pit Stop : Bolgatty Palace, Cochin
Geoff & Tisha (Philippines) ~ win a trip to Hong Kong
A.D & Fuzzie (Singapore)
Ida & Tania (Malaysia)
Vince & Sam (Hong Kong)
Bernie & Henry (Malaysia) ~ Eliminated! :*(
http://nessa-mumblings.blogspot.com/2008/10/amazing-race-asia-3-episode-8.html
-
REcap's up. Sorry it took longer as expected. I had to wash the dishes after the show. hehehe.
http://www.calvinshub.com/2008/10/31/the-amazing-race-asia-3-episode-8/
enjoy!
-
Thank you so much for sharing with us Calvin--I LOVE your recaps!! :jumpy:
-
oooh and thanks for all the great flight and times and places details!!
-
YAY!
I&T made it!!! :hearts: :hearts:
-
From Michael McKay:
B&H did a fantastic job and really gave a lot to the series. I am sure it was a great experience for them and one I hope they hold dear for years to come. Ida and Tania were amazing and full credit to them this week. Their luck continues.
-
i have the video and i now know how to do it peach thank you and im sorry..
-
Sorry for what!! You did an outstanding job yesterday and we greatly appreciate it!! :jumpy:
-
I have now seen part 3 of episode 8 (thanks, Banzai) and have heard how the flight decisions were arrived at. The only team that got an optimal route in my opinion was Geoff/Tisha. The took CX739 to Singapore and then got MI468 arriving Cochin around 10pm. Why did none of the other teams find out about MI468, which would have gotten them to Cochin 5.5 to about 8 hours sooner than they actually did? I can't tell you the answer to that. There was no indication that the flight was full and couldn't be booked, although an airline agent would probably not mention what was not relevant.
Vince and Sam were second at HKG Interntional Airport and told the agent they wanted to go to India, although at some point they would have had to be specific about Cochin to get ticketed there. They were put on CX735 1415 1800, connecting in Mumbai with SQ424 2015 2315. This raises multiple questions beyond "Why not MI468?" First is why the Cathay Pacific agent they went to did not book them on an earlier Singapore arilines flight HKG SIN SQ863 1330 1720? Second is why they were not booked on 9W011 1705 2150 SIN BOM? It arrive 2.5 hours before the one they were booked on. Next comes the factor which broke their back, the transfer in Mumbai International airport from arrival on the Terminal 2 the Interntional Terminal to departure at Domestic Terminal 1A for am Air India flight. There was an unknown amount of time for that. Vince says 2 hours and Henry says 2.5 hours. Why did they not make that connection? Clearly one or the other team was going to lose if they were both over 3.5 hours behind the women's teams. "These terminals use the same airside facilities but are physically separated on the landside, requiring a 10-15 minute drive between them. The Airports Authority of India provides shuttle services between the domestic and international terminals for connecting passengers." I have to believe that they missed the flight due to late arrival of 9W911
Next we come to AD/Fuzzie being directed to Air India's 1445 flight direct from Hong Kong to Mumbai. I can find no such flight, but there was CX751 1425 2005. That gave them 5.5 hours to connect to AI690 0130+1 0330+1.
In copycat fashion, Bernie/Henry accepted the flight research that Vince/Sam had done and elected to book the identical route. Along the same vein, Ida/Tania booked the same as AD/Fuzzie although there was no evidence of any advice or collusion.
These decisions were the ballgame, as the late arrival of Vince/Sam and Bernie/Henry dictated which 2 teams would be fighting for 4th place to aovid elimination.
EDITOR's NOTE - we have new information which applies to this issue from the blogs of Vince and Sam. We can infer that there were not enough seats(you need 4) on the Singapore to Cochin nonstop flight that Geoff/Tisha got on. This meant that AD/Fuzzie and Vince/Sam had to make decisions that meant going through Mumbai. AD/Fuzzie got 8 seats for themselves and Ida/Tania and their production crews. Sam says that AD/Fuzzie had to do something unique to get any seats on the nonstop Hong Kong to Mumbai flight, which neither Vince/Sam nor Bernie/Henry could get on. The only alternative reasonable alternative for Vince/Sam and Bernie/Henry was to Singapore to get to Mumbai, but that went sour and they missed the late plane to Cochin from Mumbai.
-
Sorry for what!! You did an outstanding job yesterday and we greatly appreciate it!! :jumpy:
for the pics hehe i really know how to do it but then.. i forgot to put it in public btw have you recieve the pics already??
-
They are up here! :ty3:
http://forum.realityfanforum.com/index.php/topic,17775.msg357928.html#msg357928
-
wow hehe .. u know what im really wondering why my post lost.. there u go hehe.. thank you very much peach!!!
-
some info's i get from wikipedia..
Leg 8 (People's Republic Of China → India)
Bolgatty Palace, Pit Stop for Leg 8 of the Race
• Macau (St. Paul Ruins)
• Macau (Macau Tower)
• Macau (Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier, Macau) to Hong Kong (Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier, Hong Kong) by TurboJET
• Hong Kong (MASkargo Airport Hangar)
• Hong Kong (Hong Kong International Airport) to Cochin, Kerala, India (Cochin International Airport)
• Cochin (Neelam Kulangara Devi Temple)
• Kumbalam, Cochin (Elephant Wash Area in SPS Temple)
• Cochin (Bolgatty Palace)
In this leg's Roadblock, the chosen team member must perform a bungee jump from the top of the Macau Tower to receive their next clue. The first team to complete the task will receive a helicopter ride from Macau to Hong Kong instead of the TurboJET ferry ride. In this leg's Detour, the choice was between Fish or Fill. In Fish, the team members must carry six large swordfish to a nearby restaurant before receiving their next clue. In Fill, teams must fill an intricate pattern using colored rice before receiving their next clue.
Additional tasks
• At the Neelam Kulangara Devi Temple, teams had to get a blessing from the Indian priest before they received their next clue.
• At the MASkargo Warehouse, teams must search and open their box before receiving their next clue.
• At the Elephant Wash Area in SPS Temple, teams must wash an elephant using the traditional way of coconut husks
-
With this horrific work stretch of 38 consecutive days without a day off, I think I should be able to join you for the next episode. I do believe recaps will be coming your way soon.
-
Who is that? Could it be?? Nawwww....
See, kids ....a long time ago we used to have this wonderful poster named Ken. And he was active on the boards in loads of threads.
And then one day he disappeared. There were rumors that he got buried in a concrete jacket but nothing was ever proven.
But we live in hope that one day, he'll come walking back into town out of the sunset....
You'll know him by the snark! :lol3:
-
Sam's comments! :hearts:
Cochin, India
Today at 9:35am
An emotional episode, on many levels. Receiving a letter from home was one. It was fantastic getting a surprise letter from home cos we've been racing for a while, and the encouragement was what I needed to push myself even further. The one line my parents wrote which meant the most to me was "Winning this Race is not important; gaining the experience therefrom is." When I read this, I was very comforted. It was very true. The race experience has been nothing short of fantastic, and it reminded me to continue savouring it. In fact, when we in a cab racing to the pitstop, it was this very phrase that made me very calm. I told Vince (which wasn't shown on TV) that if we got eliminated in Cochin, I'd be very satisfied. To be a part of the best reality TV show in the world has been a miracle in itself.
Friends and family have asked me about the missed connecting flight to Cochin, and how we did not get the same flight as AD/Fuzzie & Ida/Tania. Suffice to say, Vince & I (including Bernie & Henry) have searched the entire HK airport for the best possible & AVAILABLE flights, and together concluded that the one we had was the best one. In fact, Vince and I were at the airport so long searching for flights that two teams (AD/Fuzzie & Bernie/Henry) caught up.
So yes, together, Bernie & Henry and us willingly decided to work together, pool our knowledge on what flights were left open to us. There was no hoodwinking, no ploy to get anyone eliminated. We most definitely weren't being sneaky or mean or evil to Bernie & Henry. I mean, we (including Bernie/Henry) had NO idea that we would miss that important connection from Mumbai to Cochin. It was very simply the BEST AVAILABLE flight (HK-SIN-MUMBAI-COCHIN) at that point, and in fact, we were very glad to get those flights. I am not permitted to comment how AD/Fuzzie & Ida/Tania got that HK-MUMBAI-COCHIN flight when we ourselves couldn't. So, it was very simply a case of freakin' BAD LUCK that we were unable to catch the connecting flight. Case closed.
Hence, this ep was also very emotional for me because we had to race against Bernie & Henry to the pitstop, esp since it said specifically that the last team WILL BE eliminated. Flying together to India gave us that precious chance to bond more just the two teams alone, because we were never really bunched together for a significant amount of time (apart from sleeping outside the Hue airport, but that was with a few other teams!!).
It was very hard for me. While I was glad we weren't eliminated, I was crushed that they would be eliminated. It wasn't a joyous time for us, and we didn't celebrate our close shave. We respect this team very deeply, and like this team very much, and frankly, they were indeed one of the strongest competitors, if not *the* strongest competitors, and this is very much a compliment to them.
I end by saying that this seaon's Race indeed does take its physical, emotional and mental toll. I was truly so glad to have my parent's letter with me, to last till whichever position we end up in, in the Race, and when I'm back home in HK.
PS - Kudos to the superb hair-stylist extraordinaire... Tania. =)
-
Vince's blog:
Episode 8
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2008 3:11AM / Standard Entry
Episode 8
That was close!
Go to the Ruins of St. Paul
We started early in the morning at the Temple and had to go to the Ruins to get the next clue which directed us to go back to the Macau Tower. We were lucky that some kids were touring around on scooters and happened to be hanging around at the temple area. We used their phones to call a taxi to come get us.
Macau Tower
Of course … I knew that the next task would require someone to bungee… what other challenge would there be to do? We arrived second and it was an “hours of operation” in effect so we just stayed there and waited it out. The four teams all bunched together to wait. When the doors opened it was a Roadblock. To even out the Roadblocks Sam decided to do the bungee jump. I really wanted to do it actually but for strategy we needed to even it out. The teams members remaining stayed at the bottom of the tower to wait and we all cheered the other competitors together! When we got the clue it told us to go back to Hong Kong by ferry and then to go to the MASkargo holding centre. Little did we know that Geoff and Tish actually took the helicopter ( which is much faster).
MASkargo
When we got to the cargo holding centre there were MILLIONS of different sized boxes with names that were very similar to all the team members. We had to be very patient but work quickly and efficiently. When watching it on TV… Sam actually missed the box with our names on it… haha!! He’s supposed to be the patient, calm and analytical one too! I found the box on our second sweep! When we opened the box we had to read the letters out loud to the camera before receiving our next clue. My letter was from a family friend in Hong Kong and Sam’s was from his parents. I tried to hold back my emotions but Sam like most of the teams was overcome with emotion. We had been racing for so long and it was great to hear from someone from home. It did hit me though in the taxi ride to the airport and I was a little “spaced”(as seen when exiting the taxi).
Cochin India
We had to travel to Cochin India so when we got to the airport in Hong Kong we we confident that we knew what we were doing. After all it was our home turf and we were 2nd and in front of the other teams. We asked multiple desks and figured out every possible way to get to Cochin.
Now again the next few events made a difference in the final outcome of this leg.
We had found a flight to MUMBAI on AIR INDIA but were unable to purchase tickets because of a some restrictions…..!!!!
We pleaded with the counter and looked for loopholes but we were unsuccessful. ( now … this is the SAME flight that AD &FUZZIE and IDA&TANIA eventually took to Mumbai to transfer to Cochin.. to this day I HAVE NO IDEA how they were able to secure this WHEN both Bernie and Henry and our team were UNABLE TO PERSUADE them…) We shared our info with all the other teams that were there at the airport and told them what our plan were. Ida and Tania weren’t even at the airport at this time, it was just AD FUZZIE and BERNIE HENRY…
instead of waiting for the next bookable FLIGHT…
The next best thing to do was to fly to Singapore from Hong Kong on an earlier flight to catch a flight to Mumbai and then transfer in MUMBAI to the AIR INDIA flight to COCHIN ( the same COCHIN flight that AD &FUZZIE and IDA&TANIA eventually took).
Three teams were all clumped together at the same ticket counters and internet terminals After doing their own research and thinking about the situation Bernie and Henry decided that this was best for their team too since (they had a choice to stick with AD and FUZZIE whom did not buy any tickets to anywhere yet at this point ) there should have been no problem getting to Cochin because we had more than 2 hours to do this when arriving in MUMBAI… but…
We had actually arrived in Mumbai ahead of AD & FUZZIE and IDA & TANIA) but because we had not taken an Air India flight into Mumbai we had to do customs and check out and then check back in… ( or something like that) … For some reason this process took an excess of 2 HOURS… both of our teams were quite discouraged and because this should not have happened. IT SHOULD NEVER TAKE THIS LONG….
Because of this … we had to think on our feet and the next best thing to do was to travel to the domestic terminal and take a flight on a domestic carrier to Cochin… but again… we had to wait and hoped that the hours of operations were going to slow the other teams down.
When arriving to Cochin in the morning both of our teams knew that this would probably be it … either us or them … but we both help each other to the Temple to get the next clue.
Temple
When arriving at the Temple we got our blessing and then our next clue. It required us to travel quite a distance to wash an elephant.
Washing the Elephant
By this time we knew that we were the last two teams because there were only two clues left in the box in front of the temple. This is when you run on adrenaline… haha and you are at the mercy of your transportation. THE KEY… IS NOT TO GET LOST… which in a foreign land is not easy to do…
After about an hour and a half drive we arrived at our elephant washing destination and picked the elephant that was closest to the water. We quickly washed the elephant and made sure to handle it with respect and care…
DETOUR FISH or FILL
After reading the clues I thought that carrying fish would be the better choice. We were wired and I don’t think that concentrating on a delicate task would be good … as well the location of the FISH task seemed to be more well known so FISH it was.
When we got there we saw the GIANT fish that we had to TRANSPORT… MAN THEY WERE HUGE!! This was a RACE dammit so I decided to power through and take 2 at a time… the fish were slippery, frozen, smelly and awkwardly balanced. The first trip was torturous because we had NO idea how far and where the restaurant was. We figured that someone there would know and that they would help us … luckily some dude showed us the way. It was quite a long trek… maybe 15 minutes pf walking with the fish over my shoulders and then
having to walk upstairs to drop it off … grrr. I was ANGRY hahaha… the second trip was much better because we knew how far we had to walk and could pace ourselves.
Bolgatty Palace.
After delivering the 6 fish we finally got the Pit Stop clue. We ran to our taxi who kindly stayed for us and got on our way… all we could do is pray that he knew where to go and that there would be no traffic. It was the longest taxi ride since we had no idea where Henry and Bernie were…maybe we figured that they had done the Fill task but were not sure if they were ahead or if we would be able to beat them in a footrace. In the taxi we both agreed that we had done the best that we could and that we would be content with the results no matter what they were when we arrived at the mat! When we got near to the area… another car had come out of nowhere and plugged up the single lane way… we honked and honked but they wouldn’t leave so we decided to pay the taxi driver and run to the pit-stop he said it was about 5 minutes away … MORE like 15 minutes away and the the actual pit stop was deep into the palace grounds near the water…
I was exhausted from carrying the fish, and running from the taxi , searching for the pit stop while carrying my backpack… we jumped onto the mat and waited for Alan’s response….
You are team number….. FOUR….!!!
We actually had mixed feelings because we knew that we had scraped by and avoided elimination but that meant having to say good-bye to Henry and Bernie who are really cool and funny. The Race definitely became more serious at that point since there were only four teams left.
Team Hong Kong… LUCKY TO BE… ALIVE NOT DEAD …..
http://www.alivenotdead.com/vincechung