» Detailed Timelines for Seasons 1-4 Options

[strategery]

SEASON 1 -- LEG 8

Sunday March 25, 2001

After an extended pit stop, teams depart from the Taj Khema Hotel as follows:

1) Frank/Margarita at 8:01PM (Saturday)
2) Team Guido at 6:48AM
3) Rob/Brennan at 6:54
4) Kevin/Drew at 7:44
5) Nancy/Emily at 8:15

Money: $0

First clue: “A route marker is located somewhere on the grounds of the Taj Mahal. Find it. Taj Mahal opening hours: 6AM to 6PM. Absolutely no running inside the Taj Grounds.”

Some teams take a cab (or try to), but the closest entrance is only a 10-minute walk from the pit stop. Here’s a map of Agra showing the Taj Mahal and Taj Khema (as well as the bus station). And here’s a satellite image (big file) of the Taj grounds (42 acres = about 1,350 feet square) and surrounding area; I think the Taj Khema is in the clearing below it. The entrance fee for tourists appears to be 750 rupees ($15-20); Team Guido tries to sneak in, but gets caught and ends up paying 1,000 rupees each.

Teams find the next clue in the same order. Team Guido finds it quickly, while Drew says they looked for half an hour (they are in their next cab by 8:40). That clue reads: “Look for the next route marker in a window on the façade of the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur. Then, to find your next instructions, make your way inside and up to the flag.” Hours of operation: 9AM to 6PM.

Teams can take a faster-but-more-expensive taxi or a slower-but-cheaper bus to Jaipur, which is about 150 miles away (map). Buses depart every hour on the half hour and take about 6 hours; cabs appear to take 5-6 hours. Frank/Margarita make the 7:30AM bus. Team Guido just misses it and takes the 8:30 (bad karma?). The other teams take taxis to Jaipur. When they arrive at the Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal) they encounter a:

DETOUR
Elephant or Row Boat

In either case, teams must retrieve their next clue from a holy man.

Elephant--Teams must proceed to the entrance of the Amber Fort, then ride up a path on the back of an elephant. (Per one site, the elephant ride takes about 20 minutes.) Then they must find the holy man inside the palace. Hours of operation: 9AM to 4:30PM.

Row Boat--Teams must travel to the Jal Mahal/Water Palace, located in the middle of Man Sagar Lake. (Its bottom 4 stories are under water.) They must take a boat across the lake to the palace, get their clue from the holy man, and row back (as it turns out, a rower is provided). Hours of operation: ?

The Water Palace is about 6km northeast of Jaipur’s center; the Amber Fort is about 5 km farther along the same road; this slightly fuzzy map shows where all of the Jaipur locations are, including the bus and train stations. (Jal Mahal is in the top right corner, with an arrow pointing the way toward Amer; per several sites, it’s also called Amer Fort -- that’s not just a typo.)

At the Taj Mahal, teams also got the clue for finding the Fast Forward; per Brennan, it was: “Go to Jantar Mantar in Jaipur and climb 33 steps or 22 steps. Opening Hours: 9am-6pm.” Containing huge stone instruments for measuring movements of the stars and planets, this is one of several such Indian observatories built in the 1700s. The clue box was probably located atop the triangular structure made of red stone shown in this picture; known as the “little sundial” (heh), it appears to have 33 steps on one side and 22 on the other. Even though it’s right behind the Hawa Mahal, no team appears to check out the Fast Forward.

Teams arrive at the Palace of the Winds (with Team Guido walking there from the bus station) and, after carefully weighing the pros and cons, choose a Detour option, as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan -- Elephant
2) Frank/Margarita -- Row Boat
3) Team Guido -- Row Boat
4) Kevin/Drew -- Row Boat
5) Nancy/Emily -- Elephant

Team Guido takes a bus to Jal Mahal, while other teams take taxis to their Detour choices. Teams complete the Detour in nearly the same order (Frank/Margarita are the first ones shown getting the next clue). Team Guido and Kevin/Drew estimate that they are 10-20 minutes apart.

Their next clue reads: “India is a place of religious diversity. Witness this first-hand at the Shri Karni Mata Temple in Deshnok.” To get there, teams must first take a 200-mile train ride to Bikaner, and there are only two trains per day: one leaving at 3PM and one at 9PM.

Team Guido takes a bus to the train station, then switches to a tuk-tuk, while all of the other teams take taxis. Rob/Brennan, Frank/Margarita, and Kevin/Drew make the first train in that order (the latter with about 1 minute to spare). Team Guido just misses the 3:00 train; Nancy/Emily seem to finish the Detour before 3:00 but also end up on the 9:00 train. Per this schedule, the 3:00 train (#2468) arrives in Bikaner at 9:50PM and the 9:00 train (#4737) arrives at 7AM the next day. The fare is about 200 rupees ($5).

On the train, some teams learn that the temple is filled with rats, which are considered holy because they are believed to be reincarnations of Karni Mata’s followers. When they arrive in Bikaner, all teams take taxis to Deshnok, about 30 kms due south (map). (As the teams get off the first train in Bikaner, a platform clock reads 10:04; Brennan has posted that they got to the temple at about 10:30.) There they encounter a:

ROADBLOCK

Hint: “The person who performs this task may want to put on some extra socks.”

Full clue: “Take off your shoes and walk into the temple. Search for further instructions.” Several sites show the Temple’s hours of operation as 4AM-9:30PM or 4AM-10PM, and a 4AM opening fits the arrival times at the mat. (Note that the first train stopped in Deshnok at about 9PM; the second train took a different route.)

Monday March 26, 2001

Once they arrive and the Temple opens, teams take the Roadblock in two groups -- remaining essentially tied within each group -- and find the next clue as follows:

1) Frank (4) / MARGARITA (2); 2) Rob (3) / BRENNAN (4); 3) KEVIN (4) / Drew (2)

4) Team Guido (BILL (4) / Joe (3)); 5) Nancy (2) / EMILY (5)

The clue reads: “You’ve earned a well deserved rest, so get to the pit stop at the Laxmi Niwas Hotel in Bikaner.” The hotel, built as a Maharajah’s residence in 1902, is located within the Lalgarh Palace complex 2-3kms north of Bikaner center (map). There are (ahem) no other words on the clue. All teams take taxis to the pit stop, arriving as follows:

1) Kevin/Drew at 4:50AM
2) Frank/Margarita at 5:08
3) Rob/Brennan at 5:10
4) Team Guido at 8:35
5) Nancy/Emily at 8:37, but (surprise!) it’s an NEL so they are not eliminated

This post has been edited by strategery: Feb 2, 2006 @ 11:48 am.

[strategery]

SEASON 1 -- LEG 9

Wednesday March 28, 2001

After 21,000 total miles traveled, a 60-hour pit stop at the posh Laxmi Niwas Hotel in Bikaner, and a near-brawl over reserved cabs, teams depart from the pit stop as follows:

1) Kevin/Drew at 4:50PM
2) Frank/Margarita at 5:08
3) Rob/Brennan at 5:10
4) Team Guido at 8:35
5) Nancy/Emily at 8:37

Money: ??

First clue: “. . . and more adventures await at the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok. You must get from Bikaner to Delhi by bus or train. You cannot . . .” Teams also learn that “the Fast Forward is in Bangkok where the Buddha reclines.”

To get to Delhi, about 300 miles away, teams must choose between a direct but slower-moving bus and a faster but more circuitous train. They travel as follows:

• Frank/Margarita and Rob/Brennan on a 5:55PM train arriving at 5:20AM (probably the Bikaner Mail train #4792, possibly changing in Rewari for the Delhi Mail train #9105).
• Kevin/Drew on a 6:30PM bus arriving at 4:45AM.
• Team Guido and Nancy/Emily on a 9:05PM express bus arriving at 5:45 AM.

Thursday March 29, 2001

Teams take taxis from the train or bus station to Indira Ghandi Airport and arrive as follows:

1) Kevin/Drew at 5:14AM
2) Rob/Brennan at 6:00
3) Team Guido at 6:21
4) Frank/Margarita at 6:28
5) Nancy/Emily at 6:40

Teams have varying degrees of difficulty arranging flights to Bangkok (about 1,800 miles away as the crow flies), but proceed as follows (thanks, Brennan):

1) Kevin/Drew on Aeroflot departing at 8:30AM and arriving (after a delay) between 5 and 6PM;
2) Team Guido on Thai Airways (?) departing at 9AM and arriving at 8:15PM;
3) Frank/Margarita on Air India departing at 10:35AM and arriving at 11:55PM;
4) Rob/Brennan and Nancy/Emily on Jet Airways to Mumbai departing at 2PM and arriving around 4PM, changing to an All Nippon/ANA flight departing around 8PM and arriving in Bangkok at 1:54AM.

A direct flight takes 4 hours plus a 1:30 time change, so all teams must have changed planes somewhere -- but I couldn’t find any matching flights (e.g., Aeroflot’s only flight from Delhi now goes to Moscow). Kevin/Drew reach the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) at 6:37PM, but its hours of operation are 7AM to 6PM.

Friday March 30, 2001

Team Guido and Nancy/Emily decide to go for the Fast Forward, and wait for the Reclining Buddha temple (Wat Pho) to open at 9AM. (I found different opening times for both temples -- 7:30, 8:00, or 8:30 for Wat Arun, 8:00 for Wat Pho.) When the other three teams enter Wat Arun, they encounter a:

DETOUR
Public or Private

Teams must choose between two ways of getting to Kanchanaburi (KCB), about 80 miles west (better map).

Public--“Travel by public bus . . .” The bus will be slow-moving, but buses leave every 20 minutes (info) and the bus station is easy to find. Per this map, however, the Southern Bus Terminal is not very close to Wat Arun.

Private--“Travel by a free private car . . .” (a Toyota van). But teams will have to find their vehicle parked “within the boundaries of” a nearby neighborhood (for which they are given a crude map). The area they must search is just west of Wat Arun, and is bordered by Wang Doem Road, Arun Amarin Road, and Itsaraphap Road and Street (Thanon = Road, Soi = Street). For a detailed map, go here and search for Prok Wat Arun. However, other landmarks noted on the map (Charansanitwong Rd., Phrannok Rd., Siriraj Hospital) are farther west and north, so the area to search could have been very large.

Rob/Brennan choose Public. Frank/Margarita choose Private and seem to find their car quickly (lic. # 3W7103). Kevin/Drew choose Private, but after searching for two hours they switch to Public and catch a bus at about 9:30. (It’s not clear if they had to find a specific van or could take any available van.)

When Wat Pho opens, Team Guido and Nancy/Emily find they must complete a task: Take a bowl of coins from a table holding 30 bowls and drop one coin into each of 108 urns lined up inside the temple (that number corresponds to a feature of the Reclining Buddha). The first team to find a bowl containing exactly 108 coins -- no more, no less -- will win the Fast Forward. The teams work simultaneously and each team has several tries, as follows:

Team Guido: 1) Too Few; 2) Too Many; 3) Too Many (by 2); 4) 108 - winner
Nancy/Emily: 1) Too Many; 2) Too Many; 3) Too Few (by 1); 4) not completed

Team Guido gets this clue: “Go directly to the next pit stop: The Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi,” about 500 miles south. For various reasons (interview), they decide to take a bus there -- and the next bus (info) leaves at 6PM and does not arrive in Krabi until dawn. Nancy/Emily take a ferry across the Chao Phraya river (map showing ferry route) to Wat Arun to begin the Detour, arriving at 9:15. They choose Private, but after searching fruitlessly for at least 2 hours they (sniff) decide not to complete the Detour and instead take a cab to KCB.

I suspect there was a clue box in KCB that was edited out. No team mentions the monastery, and all teams arrive there in a cab. The monastery’s own web site says it’s a 30-40 minute drive from KCB. (Its hours of operation were 8 or 8:30AM to 5 or 5:30PM.) Teams arrive at the monastery as follows:

1) Frank/Margarita at 9:46AM
2) Rob/Brennan at 10:14
3) Drew/Kevin at 12:01PM
4) Nancy/Emily, probably (edited) between 1:30 and 2

There they encounter a:

ROADBLOCK

Hint: “The one who does this should probably be a cat lover.”

Full clue: Per Phil, the chosen racer must get their next clue from a clay pot -- which has been placed at the far end of a pit full of tigers. The racer will don a red robe to resemble the Buddhist monks who have raised the tigers. Taking the Roadblock are FRANK (5:2), ROB (4:4), DREW (3:4), and EMILY (6:2). (Judging from this site, maybe the task wasn’t as dangerous as it looked.)

Next clue: “Now that you’re comfortable with tigers, go to the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi. The last team to check in will be eliminated.” All 4 teams take taxis for the 500 mile journey, and arrive at the pit stop as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan at 10:12PM
2) Frank/Margarita at 11:06
3) Kevin/Drew at 3:03AM (Saturday)
4) Nancy/Emily, probably between 5 and 5:30*
5) Team Guido at 6:31

Nancy/Emily receive a 24-hour penalty for failing to complete either Detour option, and they are eliminated.

* Sunrise was at 6:15, and twilight started at 5:46. It is still very dark when Nancy/Emily arrive at the Temple, but the sky is lightening as they talk to the other teams. They were about 2 hours behind Kevin/Drew leaving Bangkok, and (edited) may have had a faster cab to Krabi, but also had to stop to have Emily treated for a scorpion bite (see Team Guido interview link above).

This post has been edited by strategery: Feb 2, 2006 @ 11:34 am.

[strategery]

SEASON 1 -- LEG 10

Saturday March 31, 2001

After a 12-hour rest period, teams depart from the Tiger Cave Temple (Wap Tham Sua) as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan at 10:12AM
2) Frank/Margarita at 11:06
3) Kevin/Drew at 3:03PM (not 3:30 -- my bad; will fix above too)
4) Team Guido at 6:31

Money: ??

Sadly, the first clue does not direct teams to climb the 1,200 steps up the adjacent limestone cliffs to get their next clue (it takes 30-40 minutes to climb, per this nice overview of Krabi attractions). Instead they are told: “Check in with ‘The King’ at Railay Beach. Hours of operation: 8AM-5:30PM. First come, first served.” Teams must figure out that this refers to King Climbers Rock Climbing School.

To get there, they will have to take a taxi and then a boat to Railay Beach East; per this site, the boat ride is 30 minutes from Krabi or 10 minutes from Ao Nang. (Pictures of Railay and Ao Nang during and after the tsunami are posted here.)

Because all of the remaining teams have used their Fast Forward, none was available on this leg -- though presumably one had been planned. Here’s a nice map showing almost all of the locations for this leg: the Tiger Cave Temple (as well as the nearest bus stop used by Team Guido in the previous leg) and Railay, Ao Nang, and Pai Plong beaches. Teams arrive at Railay Beach as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan at 11:40AM
2) Frank/Margarita at 11:53
3) Kevin/Drew at 3:53PM (problem solved)
4) Team Guido at 7:57

When they find King Climbers, teams are outfitted with rock climbing gear, and must hike uphill about ½ mile along a marked path through the jungle to the next route marker. There they encounter a:

DETOUR

Hike or Climb

Hike--“Hike up the long path to the cave in Thaiwand [not Taiwan, closed-captioners] Wall.” Per Phil, this task is not physically demanding, but the hike will be slow going.

Climb--“Rock-climb directly into the cave in Thaiwand Wall.” Per Phil, this task is very strenuous but will be much faster.

All teams choose Climb. Rob/Brennan reach the cave shortly before 12:45, when Frank/Margarita arrive at the Detour clue box. The clue they get inside the cave reads as follows: “Go to ‘Sea, Land, and Trek’ in Bor Tor, Ao Luk. Hours of operation: 8AM to 5PM.” Teams must climb down from the cave, make their way through the jungle, and then rappel to a boat that will take them back to Railay Beach. To get to Ao Luk from there -- about 30 miles away (map) -- teams hire a boat to take them to Ao Nang beach (passing the pit stop along the way, as it turns out), and then may take a car or bus. Kevin/Drew complete the Detour and get their clue at about 4:45PM, but learn the next location is about 2 hours away. They get back to Railay Beach at 5:35PM.

Teams arrive at Ao Nang Beach as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan at 1:47PM
2) Frank/Margarita at 2:11
3) Kevin/Drew at 8:10 (after stopping to pick up some beers and maybe having some dinner at one of the hotels on Railay Beach)

Teams then make their way to Sea, Land, and Trek (Address: 22/1 Moo 2 Aonang Krabi) and arrive as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan at 2:56PM
2) Frank/Margarita at 3:18
3) Kevin/Drew at 9:30 (where they find two discarded clue envelopes)

Their next clue is a:

ROADBLOCK

Hint: “Upper body strength is the key to success.”

Full clue: “Rent a kayak and travel together to Pham Phi Phweta [sic]. The chosen team member must do all of the paddling.” (Perhaps the reference was to Tham Phi Hua To, a cave containing prehistoric paintings that is mentioned here.) Per Phil, they must also carry their luggage in the kayak, and when they find the cave they must search it for their next clue as well as a pair of diving masks and snorkels. FRANK (6:2) and BRENNAN (5:4) perform the Roadblock for their teams.

When they reach the cave (order maintained), they get the following clue: “Return your kayak to Sea, Land, and Trek. Either of you may paddle. Further information is waiting for you offshore at Chicken Island. Dive for it.” As Rob/Brennan are paddling back and Frank/Margarita are paddling to the cave, they pass one another.

Per Phil, after completing the Roadblock teams must get back to Ao Nang Beach, hire a boat, and find the next route marker bobbing in the water 4 miles from the mainland near Chicken Island a.k.a. Koh Kai (map). Once they find the route marker, they must put on their snorkeling gear, dive in, and retrieve their clue from a fish-shaped clue box on the ocean floor. Teams arrive at Chicken Island as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan at 5:31PM
2) Frank/Margarita at 5:47

The next clue reads: “There’s miles to go before you sleep--You’ll rest after you check in at Pai Plong Beach.” No other words or bastardized poems are on the clue -- meaning, of course, that the Philimination Phorest was neither dark nor deep on this leg. Pai Plong Beach appears to be the exclusive domain of Central Krabi Bay Resort (the pit stop hotel?); for the best pics I could find, go here and click on the link to Expedia. Best single pic is here.

The two lead teams check in as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan at 6:03PM
2) Frank/Margarita at 6:15PM

At this point, Team Guido is just about to leave the Tiger Cave Temple pit stop, while Kevin/Drew are slowly making their way to Sea, Land, and Trek. Team Guido gets to Railay Beach and spends the night there, while Kevin/Drew find a hotel in Ao Luk.

Sunday April 1, 2001

At 8AM, Team Guido gets their climbing gear and starts making their way to the Thaiwand Wall, while Kevin/Drew begin the Roadblock -- with KEVIN (5:3) taking it. Team Guido also chooses Climb, and then travels to Sea, Land and Trek, where JOE (4:4) takes the Roadblock. (No more time stamps are provided.) Both teams make their way to Chicken Island and retrieve the underwater clue. They arrive at the pit stop on Pai Plong Beach as follows:

3) Kevin/Drew at 11:35AM
4) Team Guido at 1:30PM, and they are eliminated from the race . . . OK, April Fool’s -- it’s an NEL so they are not eliminated. (C’mon, Phil, where’s your sense of humor?)

This post has been edited by strategery: Feb 1, 2006 @ 10:03 pm.

[Calreusop]

I remember on the show they spelled it "Raile" Beach, but your links above say "Railay", so do we know which is the official spelling?

[strategery]

Yeah, I noticed that but since the web site I found for King Climbers was www.railay.com I went with that spelling. I just checked Google, and Railay Beach yields about 200,000 hits, but there are only about 300 for Raile or Raillay (which the Frommer's link above used).

With any such transliterations, I'm not even sure if there is an official version. For example, for the Tiger Cave Temple, I found it spelled Wap Tham Sua and Wap Tham Seua -- sometimes on the same web site.

And I'm already having lots of fun with this on the next leg -- is it Hu Jia Lou, or Hujialou? So far it doesn't seem to mess up the Googling. But does anybody out there know Chinese and/or their way around Beijing? For the Rally detour option, I've found the bus route and where they got the motorcycle, but I'm having trouble locating Liu Jia Yao (where they were supposed to switch to the pedicab) and also the Quan Xin Yuan restaurant. Apparently it's in the Chaoyang district, near the China Travel Mansion, but I can't locate that either.

Anyways, thanks for commenting Calreusop -- nice to know somebody's reading these.

This post has been edited by strategery: Feb 1, 2006 @ 11:22 pm.

[strategery]

SEASON 1 -- LEG 11

Monday April 2, 2001

After an extended pit stop, teams depart from the pit stop at Pai Plong Beach as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan at 6:03AM
2) Frank/Margarita at 6:15
3) Kevin/Drew at 11:35PM
4) Team Guido at 1:30AM (Tuesday)

Money: ??

First clue: “Go check out Top Pavilion in Jingshan Park, Beijing China. Warning: The last team to check in will be eliminated.” Teams take boats to Ao Nang Beach and then taxis to Phuket airport, about 110 miles away.

Rob/Brennan reach the airport at 8:20AM, just missing an 8:30 Thai Air flight to Bangkok (currently, flight #640 departs at 8:15 and arrives at 9:40). They and Frank/Margarita book a flight on Thai Air leaving at about 11 and arriving at 12:15 (currently, flight #204 departs at 11:20 and arrives at 12:45). Then they take Air China to Beijing (possibly on flight #980), departing at 1:25AM and arriving at 7AM (with a one-hour time change). The total distance from Phuket to Beijing via Bangkok is about 2,500 miles.

Tuesday April 3, 2001

Kevin/Drew and Team Guido make their way to Phuket airport and book themselves on the 8:30AM flight to Bangkok. From there they continue on Thai Air, departing at 11:05AM and arriving at 4:30PM (currently, flight #614 departs at 10:30 and arrives at 4:10).

Meanwhile, the lead teams take taxis from the Beijing airport to Jingshan Park (aerial photo), which is in the center of town, just above the Forbidden City. Here’s a great map of Beijing showing almost all of the locations covered -- but it’s a 5MB file. Here’s a smaller map that provides an overview of the major locations (and shows where a KFC is). Frank/Margarita and Rob/Brennan reach Top Pavilion in that order, and encounter a:

DETOUR

Volley or Rally

Volley--“Play ping pong with a local. Volley and score 5 points for further instructions.” Per Phil, they will have to play against a “local champion” at a nearby community center. I’m not sure where this task takes place; there’s a good shot of the entrance sign at 18:30 of the DVD, but my Mandarin’s a bit rusty. (Brennan?)

Rally--“Travel through Beijing like the locals:
1. Bus # 101 to Hu Jia Lou
2. Motorcycle to Liu Jia Yao
3. Pedicab to Quan Xiu Yuan Restaurant
Hours: 9am to [?].” Both the motorcycle and the pedicab are “spoon-fed” (and seem to know where they have to go).

Frank/Margarita and Rob/Brennan choose Volley and takes taxis to the community center. Frank/Margarita arrive first, at exactly 9:00AM (either that or the HoO begin at 9). Frank “wins” 5-6, and they leave before Rob/Brennan arrive. Rob/Brennan fall behind 0-13 (skunk) and 2-21 (game over) before rallying to “win” 5-24. (Ooops, I see the rules of ping pong have changed; no more skunks, and games go to 11.) Per Brennan, the game took 5-10 minutes.

Their next clue reads: “You’ll need to pick up some items at the market. Shopping lists are available at Hongqiao Market, #46 Tiantan East Road.” Hours of operation: 6:30AM to 6:30PM. (The sign over the entrance says 6AM to 6:30PM, but Kevin and Drew say it opens at 6:30AM.) This market is adjacent to Tiantan Park (see either map above), on a road that will figure later in the race.

When they reach the market, they get this clue: “Proceed to the ground floor. Teams should purchase the following items: [beetle larvae] 5 pieces, [squid] 1 piece, [chicken feet] 2 pieces. Once you have purchased the items, take taxi, bus, or pedicab to cart # 57 at the Donghuamen Night Market. Hours of operation: 10am to 10pm.” The names of the items are shown only in Chinese. When they arrive at the Night Market -- which is just a block east of the Forbidden City, on Donghuamen Street (see big map) -- they encounter a:

ROADBLOCK

Hint: “Who’s hungry?”

Full clue: Go “. . . inside the building behind the Night Market. Have the chef cook your items. The chosen team member must eat it all to . . .” get your next instructions. Taking the Roadblock are MARGARITA (3:6) and BRENNAN (6:4). Per Brennan, Margarita finished eating her food (which took about 20 minutes) before he started. Once finished, the teams get this clue: “Check in at the South Gate at Tiantan, Temple of Heaven Park.” The two lead teams take taxis and arrive as follows (Brennan has said that the cab ride was about 20 minutes):

1) Frank/Margarita at 11:14AM
2) Rob Brennan at 11:25

Kevin Drew and Team Guido are shown leaving the Beijing airport at 4:45, and they arrive in that order at Top Pavillion (probably around 5:30). Volley must still have been open, since they both considered doing it, but both teams choose Rally. The 101 bus runs east-west along the major street below Jingshan Park, which becomes Chaoyang Rd. They take it heading east until they reach Dongsanhuan Zhongli (East Central 3rd Ring Rd.?); see Hujialou on either map linked above. The sun seems to be setting as they are getting on the motorcycles (sunset is at about 6:30PM, with twilight lasting until about 7).

I couldn’t find Liu Jia Yao on any map, but a subway station with that name is being built -- and it’s just two stops past Tiantandongmen (East Gate) heading south (see Line 5 on this map). So I’m guessing the motorcycle took the teams around the 3rd Ring Road (which appears to have on-ramps and overpasses) to a spot south of Tiantan Park, and the pedicabs came back up toward the park (just before the finish, they go through an underpass and under a train line).

Team Guido catches Kevin/Drew as they are switching to the pedicab, and narrowly wins the ensuing race. But when they reach Quan Xin Yuan Restaurant (Wrong one? Apparently it’s a chain.) and get the next clue, both teams learn that the Hongqiao Market has closed.

Wednesday April 4, 2001

Sunrise was at about 6AM. When the market opens, both teams purchase their items and make their way to the Donghuamen Night Market -- where they must cool their heels until it opens at 10AM. Taking the Roadblock are DREW (4:5) and JOE (5:4), with Drew finishing slightly ahead.

Both teams take taxis to the pit stop, and initially they both have trouble explaining to their driver that they must go to the South Gate (Nan Men). But Team Guido figures out the expression in Chinese using their guide book, while Kevin/Drew (after falling behind in traffic) get out of their cab, enter the park at the East Gate, and make their way on foot (about 1 mile) to the pit stop. The teams arrive as follows:

3) Team Guido at 10:51AM
4) Kevin/Drew at 11:12*, and they are eliminated (sniff)

* See the clock on the table at the pit stop, lower right of the screen. The other teams’ time stamps departing on the next leg also correspond to their check-in times on that clock.

This post has been edited by strategery: Feb 7, 2006 @ 10:39 am.

[strategery]

Just in time for tomorrow night’s rebroadcast:

SEASON 1 -- LEG 12

Wednesday April 4, 2001

After an extended pit stop, the two lead teams depart from the South Gate of Tiantan Park as follows:

1) Frank/Margarita at 11:14PM
2) Rob/Brennan at 11:25

Money: ??

First clue: “Tiantan Park. Proceed to the X on the above map. Three kites have the same clue. Find one of them. Hours: 6am to 8pm.” The X is located along the central path running north-south through the park (map), probably near the Chenzhen Gate. Both teams return to the Tiantan Hotel to sleep.

Thursday April 5, 2001

Frank/Margarita enter the park at 5:55, Rob/Brennan at 6:00 (through different gates). When they find the right kites (in that order), they get this clue: “Leave the Temple of Heaven and proceed to the Great Wall. You must travel by public bus, not tourist bus, from downtown Beijing to Juyong Pass.” The destination is also given in Chinese. For this 37 mile trip, teams take the 919 bus (info), which runs every half hour and takes about one hour. Frank/Margarita catch an earlier bus, and the teams arrive at the Great Wall as follows:

1) Frank/Margarita at 7:50AM
2) Rob Brennan at 8:05

But Frank/Margarita either get off in the wrong place or go the wrong way, and Rob/Brennan are the first to reach the next clue box, where they encounter a:

DETOUR

Flat or Steep

Teams must reach one of two pavilions along the Great Wall to get their next clue (with rather obvious pros and cons).

Steep--“Climb the steep hill to the close peak on your right, which you can hike without bags.”

Flat--The clue is not given, but must have been something along the lines of “walk the flat hill to the far peak on your left.”

Both teams choose Steep. When they reach the clue box (did Frank complete the Detour?), they are told the following: “You’re expected at North County Bed and Breakfast, Scotty Lake, Alaska (near Talkeetna).” Rob/Brennan get back to the entrance before Frank/Margarita arrive. After completing the Detour, teams take taxis to the Beijing airport and arrive as follows:

1) Rob Brennan at 9:42AM
2) Frank/Margarita at 10:22

Both teams ultimately arrange the same flights to Anchorage. First they fly to San Francisco on Air China, departing at 1:45PM. (In 2004, Air China had the only direct flights, and flt #8888 departed at 1:55PM and arrived at 9:00AM.) Because of the 16-hour time difference, it is -- conveniently -- still April 5th when they arrive in the U.S. Then they fly to Seattle (lots of flights, timing unclear). Margarita had described a flight as leaving SF for Anchorage at 7PM, but that doesn’t fit. Rather, they fly Alaska Airlines to Anchorage -- and on April 5, 2001 flight #115 departed Seattle at 6:37PM and arrived at 9:13PM. ETA: It's 4,001 miles from Beijing to Anchorage directly, but the route they take is twice as far -- 8,006 miles.

The teams enter Ted Stevens International Airport at 9:20PM, and (per Frank) they are told to “build an expensive ‘bridge to nowhere.’” Er, I mean they are told to “pick up a 4x4 on the roof of the parking garage in the domestic terminal. Instruct your driver to take you to the North County Bed and Breakfast in Scotty Lake.” It’s just outside the town of Trapper Creek, and is a drive of about 2 hours/115 miles up the Parks Highway (map).

When they arrive, they get this clue: “Experience a native Alaskan blanket toss. While in the air, look for your next clue. First come, first served. Hours of operation: 8am to 8pm. Spend the night in this cabin.”

Meanwhile, back in Beijing, the last team departs from the pit stop (still on April 5th):

3) Team Guido at 10:51PM

They learn that they must wait until morning to enter Tiantan Park.

Friday April 6, 2001

Team Guido enters Tiantan Park at 6:01AM, gets the clue from the remaining kite, and reaches the Great Wall at 8:18AM. They also choose Steep, get the clue directing them to Alaska, and make their way by taxi back to Beijing, reaching the airport at 10:07AM. They arrange the same Air China flight to San Francisco -- presumably also arriving at 9AM on what is still April 6th. They apparently make the same arrangements to Anchorage via Seattle as well, and arrive at twilight. They are driven to North County B&B, and they reach it in darkness and spend the night there.

Meanwhile, back in Alaska, Frank/Margarita and Rob/Brennan (having been provided with cold-weather gear) do the blanket toss in that order, starting at 8AM -- with Frank and Brennan actually getting tossed. Next clue: “Using your 4x4, get to the Glacier Park Resort parking area at the base of Matanuska Glacier. When you get there, follow flags to the base of the ice wall.” Phil says this is 100 miles away, but it looks more like 150. Both teams stop at the nearby Trapper Creek Inn for directions, where they learn they must head back toward Anchorage (passing through Wasilla and Palmer); the glacier is east of Palmer at Mile 102 on the Glenn Highway.

Rob/Brennan are the first to arrive at the Glacier, where they encounter a:

ROADBLOCK

Hint: “This would be a slippery situation.”

Full clue: Per Phil, the chosen racer will have to climb the ice wall and retrieve information at the top. “A professional climber will help you put on your gear and he’ll brief you on technique and safety.” Taking the Roadblock are ROB (5:6) and FRANK (7:3), who makes up ground but still finishes slightly behind.

The next clue reads: “Using your 4x4, get to the parking lot of Mile 131 on the Parks Highway -- then hop on a snowmobile sled and ride to the pit stop.” The teams thus had to backtrack all the way past Scotty Lake/Trapper Creek, and go 15 miles further to reach that parking lot. After their snowmobile ride, they end up not far from Takosha Mountain Lodge; it is inside the southern entrance of Denali National Forest, which contains Mt. McKinley. The two teams arrive at the pit stop as follows:

1) Rob Brennan at 4:17PM
2) Frank/Margarita at 5:03

They will spend the night in a “musher’s lodge.”

Saturday April 7, 2001

Back at Scotty Lake, Team Guido does the blanket toss at 8AM -- and it is Bill who gets tossed. (ETA: On the DVD, Joe says he tried first but couldn't see the clue.) They drive to Matanuska Glacier, where BILL (5:5) also takes the Roadblock. Then they drive back to Mile 131 of the Parks Highway, get in the snowmobile sled, and arrive at the pit stop as follows:

3) Team Guido at 5:05PM*

* This is per the mat clock on the lower right side of the screen; no departure time is shown for them on the next leg. In another unprecedented development -- but for reasons that soon became obvious -- Phil could not be there to greet them and tell them that this was a non-elimination leg.

This post has been edited by strategery: Feb 13, 2006 @ 6:19 pm.

[strategery]

SEASON 1 -- LEG 13

Saturday April 7, 2001

After a 12-hour wait, the two leading teams depart from the Musher’s Lodge pit stop as follows:

1) Rob/Brennan at 4:17am
2) Frank/Margarita at 5:03

Money: ??

First clue: “Put on your snow shoes and follow the flags to the route marker in front of Takosha Lodge. Opening hours: 8am-7:30pm.” Rob/Brennan’s flashlight batteries are dead, so they wait for Frank/Margarita to leave and follow them -- just as they have done so many . . . er, I mean never. The teams must walk about ½ mile; Brennan says it took about half an hour.

The teams then wait inside Takosha Lodge until 8am. When they open the next clue, they encounter a:

DETOUR

Dog Power or Horse Power?

Teams must choose one of two methods of getting to the next Route Marker. They will be given instructions on how to use either method. In Dog Power, each team member must guide a slower-moving dog sled 11 miles through the snow. In Horse Power, each team member must drive a faster-moving snowmobile 30 miles to the same location. Per Brennan, there was a speed limit.

Both teams choose Dog Power. Frank/Margarita leave first, but eventually Rob/Brennan pass them and finish several minutes ahead. After they complete the Detour, the teams are told to take a provided 4x4 vehicle to the next Route Marker at the edge of Fish Lake, which is in Talkeetna (scroll down for a better map). Here’s a summertime picture that shows the amphibious plane to which Brennan refers in his DVD commentary.

Although Talkeetna is not far away -- it’s only about 4 miles from Trapper Creek as the crow flies -- getting across the Susitna River involves about a 30 mile/1 hour loop (directions). On the DVD, Brennan says it took about 90 minutes to get there from the Detour. Rob/Brennan are the first to arrive at Fish Lake, where they encounter a:

ROADBLOCK

Hint: Who’s ready for some shrinkage? Er, I mean “This would be a slippery situation.”

Full clue: “Strip to you underwear and take a quick dip in some Alaskan water.” Per Phil, this is an annual tradition among native Alaskans; he adds that the water is only 40 degrees and that the chosen racer must fully submerge their head before retrieving the next clue (which is located at the far end of the ice hole). Taking the Roadblock are BRENNAN (7:5) and FRANK (8:3). (Hey, why didn’t Rob have to take it to even up the count?)

The next clue reads: “You have retrieved some freezing route info. Dry off. Put your clothes back on. Take a plane to New York City. Hail a cab and head for the Route Marker at Vincent Daniels Square, 51st and Roosevelt in Queens.”

Both teams drive their 4x4s to Anchorage airport, about 2 hours away. They both take the same Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle, the timing of which is a little unclear. They probably arrived in Anchorage around 12:30. There are two clocks behind the ticket counter, but I couldn’t read them clearly. (12:35? 1:40?) In the DVD commentary, Brennan says their layover in Seattle was several hours (can anybody make this out?). Most likely, they took a 1:30 flight (#80), arriving at about 5:50.

Both teams then catch the same Continental flight to Newark Airport, scheduled to depart at 9:55pm and to arrive at 6:00am. On that date, Continental #126 was scheduled to depart Seattle for Newark at 9:55pm, and actually departed at 9:48; it was scheduled to arrive at 6:00am and actually arrived at 5:56.

Sunday April 8, 2001

Back at the Musher’s Lodge pit stop, the last team departs as follows:

3) Team Guido at about 5:05am

They make their way on snowshoes to Takosha Lodge and wait for the next task to open at 8am.

Meanwhile, Rob/Brennan and Frank/Margarita arrive at Newark (Terminal C) and get cabs. But Frank/Margarita are unhappy with their first cabby, and switch -- so Rob/Brennan depart first. Rob/Brennan travel via the Holland Tunnel, while Queens natives Frank/Margarita direct their cab to take the George Washington and Triborough Bridges. Per Mapquest, the fastest route is via the Holland Tunnel -- it’s about 20 miles/30 minutes with no traffic. Going via the GW Bridge, the trip is about 30 miles.

Rob/Brennan arrive first at Vincent Daniels Square, where they get this clue: “There is an elevated train station adjacent to this park. Use it. Take the 7 Train to the Willets Point/Shea Stadium stop. Follow the signs to Flushing Meadows Park, then the yellow flags to the finish line.” They run to the train (passing J & Sons Plumbing & Heating Supply Inc. at 5102 Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, NY 11377, which is handy for MapQuest purposes). Per Brennan, once they reach the platform, the train comes along in about one minute.

Frank/Margarita arrive at the Square and get the final clue. Per Brennan’s DVD commentary, they are only a couple of minutes behind. As they are running toward the train station, Margarita says she hears a train coming -- but if that one's going in the right direction, they miss it and must wait for the next one. Per the current schedule, the 7 Train comes about every 10 minutes at that time on a Sunday, and takes about 10 minutes to cover the 9 stops from 52nd St. to Willets Pt./Shea Stadium (which, coincidentally, is home to The Amazing Mets).

As Rob/Brennan get off the 7 Train, a digital clock reads April 8, 2001 8:11am (but the time is very fuzzy and 7:11 would make more sense). Accompanied by stirring music, they make their way through the park and find the finish line in front of the Unisphere that was built for the 1964-65 World’s Fair. Per Brennan, the total distance from the train station is about 1.5 miles (map; satellite image). After 9 countries, 4 continents, 35,000 miles, and two Hating-Hats, Rob/Brennan are declared the official winners of The Amazing Race. (By my count, given their actual routes, it was at least 40,000 miles.)

Assuming they caught the next train, Frank/Margarita probably arrive 10 minutes later. But there is commentary on the DVD that the trains were 20-25 minutes apart, so perhaps that was the gap at the finish line as well -- or maybe Frank/Margarita ended up 2 trains behind.

Meanwhile, back in the frozen wastelands of Alaska, Team Guido opens the envelope at Takosha Lodge at 8am (at which time it is noon in New York City). Instead of the Detour instructions, they find this note: “Rob and Brennan have crossed the finish line.” They decide to complete the Detour nevertheless, and take Dog Power to get to their 4x4 and begin the journey home.

This post has been edited by strategery: Sep 6, 2006 @ 4:46 pm.

[SVNBob]

I think I know why your Roadblock count seems off, strategery. Looking back, the boys alternated RBs in all legs, except for legs 3 and 4. That's how Brennan got ahead.

This post has been edited by SVNBob: Feb 16, 2006 @ 5:22 am.

[strategery]

It's true that Brennan did the Paris sewer and El Jem back-to-back, but Rob took the next one (the camel) and they were even at 4 apiece through Leg 9. But then Brennan did back-to-back Roadblocks again in legs 10 and 11, and they never evened up after that. Maybe I could make this clearer above -- toward the end of the race, the order of arrival at and completion of the Roadblocks was such that I didn't bother with the 1) 2) 3) 4) lists. At the least, I'll go back and make the formats more consistent.

Mostly, though, I was just giving Rob some grief about the fact that the "your turn/my turn" rule seemed somehow to work to his advantage -- what with Brennan having to eat the chicken feet and take the shrinkage plunge. Maybe Brennan should have demanded 7/12ths of the money. :)

[strategery]

OK, that was fun and interesting -- at least for me :) -- but I for one could use a break to watch TAR9. Here's hoping it lives up to the high standard set by Season 1.

Thanks yet again to Brennan for all the info he has provided through various means, and for the mods for letting this occur. I may try to bug Team Guido, Kevin, and Drew to see if they can fill in any other gaps. In the meantime, here are a couple of other tidbits from Esquire's post-race interview with Miss Alli:

• At the Red Fort, Nancy/Emily left for Agra about 30 minutes behind the next-to-last team (Rob/Brennan).
• After the tiger pit walk in Thailand, Rob/Brennan returned to the bus station in Kanchanaburi. That doesn't prove anything, but to me it supports the idea that the Public/Private detour ended there, and that there was an unshown clue at that station directing teams to the tiger pit. (The main hints, I think, are that Frank/Margarita arrive in a cab and not in their private Toyota van -- and that nobody's shown describing that destination.)

Looking ahead, does anybody know how to get in touch with a TAR2 racer? I haven't look carefully yet but generally had the sense that the Amazing Editors got better about listing team positions and adding some time stamps staring with Season 2 -- so maybe that will be a little easier. But I'd still love to know what the unshown fast forwards were, for example. Did any of those racers ever post here? Perhaps their e-mail links still work. For any confidential info, my e-mail line is now open.

Anyways, Happy TARsday to all and hope to see you back here in a few months.

Edited b/c Krabi and Kanchanaburi are not the same place.

This post has been edited by strategery: Feb 21, 2006 @ 5:37 pm.

[strategery]

Team Guido has graciously (of course) provided some additional details, for which I am very grateful:

* The teams typically got anywhere from $75 to $175 for each leg, but on one leg they got over $400.

* When they got to Avignon, Team Guido found that a train was leaving on the other side of the station that went most of the way to Les Baux. (I'm guessing this was to nearby Tarascon -- from which it's about a 10 mile / 20 minute cab ride to Les Baux.) Thus the difference in their arrival time from the Avignon taxi-takers.

* They got the same penalty as Frank and Margarita for switching to a taxi at Bologna. There was some spacing out of the teams at the Smart Car roadblock because only one sports car was used, so they had to take turns.

* Regarding the flight from Copenhagen to Delhi: "We left Copenhagen very late at night, 10:30 or 11:00 PM. We had to do carnet in Copenhagen, and almost missed that flight. We had called from the cockpit to the airport to have an escort take us directly to customs in a golf cart, and then from customs to the gate in the same cart. It was a squeaker, we were the last people on the flight and then they closed the doors! There was an audible sigh as Team Guido came down the aisle, as all teams in the Race at that point were on the flight, except Frank and Marge."

* To get from Delhi to Bangkok, they first flew Air India to Hong Kong. There's no 9:30am flight now, but it's a 4:15 flight plus a 3 hour [?] time change, so they would have arrived at about 4:45pm. Then they flew "on an Asian carrier to Bangkok, (one of the best flights of the race, the plane was nearly empty! We had several meals each!) that name escapes me a this moment, it was not Thai airways." In recent years, Cathay Pacific Air flight 703 departed Hong Kong at 6:25pm and arrived in Bangkok at 8:15pm (a 2:50 flight with a 1-hour time change the other way).

* In Beijing they "missed the closing of the [Hongqiao] market by about an hour. It had been dark for about that long, and I believe it was about 7:30 PM when we got to the clue box after the road rally."

* With about 3 hours to kill before the Donghuamen Night Market / Chicken Feet Roadblock opened in Bejing, they were able to visit the Forbidden City.

And with that, a toast -- not "to evil" but to tomorrow's the 5th anniversary of TAR1's start. Thanks yet again, Team Guido.

This post has been edited by strategery: Mar 7, 2006 @ 11:40 am.

[strategery]

Here's a bit more info from Team Guido, which I have been slow in posting. Once again, major thanks to them -- how could I ever have disliked 'em?

• The TGV train from Paris to Avignon/Marseilles did not always go at high speed, depending on the traffic. In particular, that could explain the slower journey for the underdogs, who of course went all the way to Marseilles during the evening rush hour. ("The tickets say to keep going" to Marseilles, and who were they to disagree?)
• Team Guido was told that Nancy/Emily had arrived about 1.5 to 2 hours ahead of them at the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi.
• The cluebox at the end of the Rally Detour in Beijing was near the Hongqiao market, and was not far from Tiantan Park. (For some strange reason, that one had really been bugging me -- so maybe that'll save me a trip to China.)

Anyways, I guess that about closes the books on Season 1. But as a taste of things to come for Season 2, check out this recent post from TAR2's Cyndi -- including info about the first-ever head shaving Fast Forward on TAR. Wahoo!

ETA: And as a gesture of appreciation, a plug: www.BuddyTV.com features Team Guido's commentary on TAR9.

This post has been edited by strategery: Apr 24, 2006 @ 2:34 pm.

[TAR Neobie]

Can I help work on the Hong Kong episodes? Please? :)

[strategery]

Help? Heck, feel free to do the whole timeline for those eps. I owe you one anyway. :) Seriously, I have no monopoly here and am happy for any help.

I was hoping to keep things in chronological/episode order -- and had been thinking I'd need more than a week per ep this time around -- but maybe a better approach is to post more bare-bones versions once a week and then loop back and add details and web links later. That would get us to Hong Kong sometime in July.

Also, as long as we have some Aussie sleuths around, it's never too early to start putting some of the pieces of the TAR2 puzzle together:

• Can anybody (or the collective) figure out where the various points in the Sydney "scavenger hunt" roadblock are? The one with the surfer, "ankle biter", girl in bikini, and farmer/yokel? I sort of remember some fountains and parks.
  
• How about the meat pie place where the FF was?
  
• I did recently find some info about Coober Pedy, including one map that shows the Big Winch (G6, center of town) and directions to the golf course (northwest of town). Another map shows the various mines. I didn't see Opal Quest by name, but other sites indicated that Opal Quest is about 2km southwest of town and is in the Lennon Field -- and that map shows a "Lennon Mine" in that vicinity. (More discussion here.) But any confirmation, info, or even good web links would be appreciated.
  
• I haven't even touched on the New Zealand legs -- also fair game.

And for easy reference, here's Rinaldo's overview timeline for TAR2.

This post has been edited by strategery: May 3, 2006 @ 10:35 am.