A race in style of TAR35, taking some
inspiration from some Australian television and involving efforts to control for carbon emissions by doubling* up legs in one country, using long-haul flights, and leveraging means of transportation besides flights.
12 teams, two non-eliminations.
1. Los Angeles, CA --> Whitsundays, Australia: Featuring sailing around the Whitsundays, visiting the Ngaro Underwater Sculpture Park, various tributes to the Ngaro people, and a potential stand-up paddleboard race to the Pit Stop.
2. Whitsundays to Charters Towers, Australia: Netflix's
The Mole shot an episode here, paying homage to gold mining with some currency-related tasks; further, Australian Survivor: Blood v. Water filmed here, and I would die to see a task at Red Falls in the Great Basalt Wall National Park, the location for an incredible immunity challenge.
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3. Charters Towers to Kaohsiung, Taiwan: Hakka Games, Dragon Boat paddling from the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, and an eating task featuring stinky tofu, with teams deciding between larger portions of less pungency and smaller portions of greater smell.
4. Kaohsiung to Pingsi & Jiufen, Taiwan: Train ride following a KOR; teams arrange lanterns according to a set pattern in an Old Town resembling
Spirited Away and make fish balls surrounded by hungry and curious kitties in the Houtong Cat Village.
5. Taipei to Jaisalmer, India: Located in the Sam Sand Dunes in the outskirts of the city teams take part in the Jaisalmer Desert Festival, decorating camels, measuring mustaches, and navigating through the dunes.
6. Jaisalmer, India: Set in a world not immediately after TAR35's Rajasthan double-feature; teams return to the city, running around Jaisalmer Fort, Gadisar Lake, and Nathmal ki Haveli. Perhaps teams even visit India's largest wind farm.
7. Jaisalmer to Riga & Sigulda, Latvia: After starting the leg with a bungee jump from the cable car everyone talks about, teams return to the city, receiving birch branch sauna "treatments" and using decorating a Christmas tree in front of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, the location of the first lit tree. NEL.
8. Riga to Curonian Spit, Lithuania: Self-driving from Riga to Klaipéda, featuring a ferry to Smiltyne on the spit. Teams partake in pagan rituals at the Hill of Witches and go sandboarding before finishing (perhaps dangerously) close to the Russian border.
9. Lithuania to Cappadocia, Turkey: Glad to see others have been thinking about this destination again (which inspired me to start posting routes again). It's been too long since TAR visited Turkey, with both
Rush and season 6 of TAR:Australia visiting the country. Tasks include redoing TAR1's walkie-talkie mission in the underground city of Kaymakli and an old-school Detour, with teams attempting to find the same route market outside Göreme by either riding ATVs or soaring in a hot-air balloon.
10. Cappadocia to Dalaman, Turkey: Only because the Izmir region was just done, but might relocate there if there are too many sunburnt Brits to feel particularly removed from the beaten path. Teams go paragliding, kayak to the Blue Cave, and translate ancient Lycian tablets in the Tlos Ruins.
11. Dalaman to Istanbul, Turkey: Since TAR may never visit Turkey again after this, let's limit visa and travel costs. Australia's
Rush displayed Istanbul beautifully, visiting the Süleymaniye Mosque and Basilica Cistern at dawn. Having teams navigate the different parts of the city by exclusively foot and ferry will make them earn the finale.
12. Istanbul to Washington, DC: This isn't your civics class's visit to DC. Teams run along the Georgetown Waterfront after solving a clue leading them to the Exorcist Steps, rappel down the Watergate Building (and try to eavesdrop on their next clue as they pass by a *classified* window), and untangle the Finish Line location from a greeter at Gallaudet University using ASL. Teams then drive themselves through DC traffic to the
Finish Line at Overlook 2 (the broadest viewpoint possible, to accommodate the mat) at Great Falls Park in McLean, Virginia.
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