Teams first set off to find a clue in India's Bhaja Caves. Leaving very early in the morning (Sam and Vince left at a few minutes after midnight) they found an "hours of operation" sign near the caves indicating 7 AM as the continuation of this leg. All teams then proceeded to the nearest hotel to get some rest. AD and Fuzzie, on the other hand, found a rather horrible establishment. I don't even think it's a hotel at all. The rooms were bare save for a wooden platform that served as the bed - no mattress, no sheets, no pillows, nothing else. In fact, AD said it looked more like a cell. I'd hate to see what the bathroom looked like. Despite this, the girls stayed put.
The next day, they were instructed to travel by train to Pune, taking note of a statue at the train station, and proceed to the the Standard Chartered Bank branch (another product placement). The train ride was uneventful, except for the fact that it was packed like sardines. That's the way it is in India as many of us have seen in various news ports, clips and documentaries about the country. Arriving in Pune, Ida and Tania (these girls are fast, and smart) were first to locate the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and read the inscription on the pedestal, while Sam and Vice and Geoff and Tish took some time to locate it. AD and Fuzzie, on the other hand, went straight to the bank. At the bank, the task was to enter the year of Gandhi's birthday on an ATM machine. If they are correct, a receipt will be generated with the next clue written on it. If they input the wrong pin 3 times, a ten minute penalty will ensue. Ida and Tania were successful. AD and Fuzzie, rather than going back to the statue to retrieve Gandhi's birth year, just decide to ask the locals for it. It was a smart move and they were successful too. So were Sam and Vince. Geoff and Tish, on the other hand, didn't read the instructions well and thus failed. This was when I started to panic. Fortunately, despite the ten minute penalty, they were able to catch up with the others at the airport for their flight to Oman, the next stop.
Ida and Tania were again the quickest upon arriving in Muscat. they located their vehicle at once and were off to the next destination - Al Alam Palace. Teams drove around Oman using race-provided SUVs and this made me more apprehensive as navigation is Geoff and Tisha's weak link. They all made their way to Al Alam Palace with some teams, Geoff and Tisha and AD and Fuzzie, taking a bit longer than the others. Next stop was the Nizwa Fort. Id and Tania's lead disintegrated here as they were greeted with another "hours of operation" flag. The next day, the clue directed them to Mutrah Souq.
Detour: Carpet or Count it. In 'Carpet', teams must find a design indicated on a Sony camera screen from a roomful of rolled carpets. In 'Count It', they must go to a market and correctly count the number of dried limes in a basket. Surprisingly, all teams chose 'Count It'. At this point, Sam and Vince and Geoff and Tish decided to work together. They agreed to help each other and compare counts. They didn't know, of course, that each bag contained a different number of dried lime (Nice trick, TARA3). It was a frustrating task as no team was able to get it on their first try, not even on their second, I think. But after failing once, team Philippines decided to try their luck in the 'Carpet' task, leaving the others counting. But after a few minutes of trying to locate the specific carpet design required, they gave up and returned to the market. It's a good thing the other three teams were still there, still counting. Ida and Tania were able to get it on their first try, as well as Sam and Vince, leaving the two teams still counting. Geoff's temper was starting to flare in frustration as he was expecting help from the Hong Kong boys. After another unsuccessful try, they decided to try their luck with the carpets again with the same result. Clearly frustrated now, especially upon seeing that AD and Fuzzie were successful in their third (?) attempt (it was actually a guess), Tisha tried to hold the fort and keep Geoff from imploding. Fortunately, they were successful.
My panic button was already reaching its zenith at this point. And I could sense the same in Geoff and Tish. Though they are physically strong and determined, they tend to get frustrated easily and panic when faced with a difficult task. Geoff's temper always flares up at this point. It's a good thing Tisha always manages to calm him down.
The next destination as Wadi Tanuf but getting there was a problem. All teams got lost and they ended up bunched together again - a good break for the tail enders.
It was a 'Roadblock' at Wadi Tanuf: Who's Ready for a Cliffhanger? Racers had to cross a deep gorge through a zip line to get their next clue. This is a daunting task. For one, you're suspended several hundred feet in the air. For another, it requires upper body strength and good pacing. But with an overnight leg that saw racers not having enough time to eat and sleep, not to mention being mentally drained from the previous challenges and the heat of the Arabian sun, this was one difficult task. Sam was first to try his luck. Getting to the other side was easy enough because the other ledge was lower enabling him to slide almost all the way through. But that only meant that the way back would be tough, an uphill pull that would test everyone's arms. Sam couldn't make it back. He stopped two-thirds of the way and was obviously physically drained. Despite continuous encouragement (that later turned into shouts of frustration) from Vince, he had no energy to go on. Meanwhile, Ida was able to pass him on the parallel line (this must have added to Sam's frustration). This enabled Geoff to use the same zip line right after Ida's stint and pass Sam who was till stuck on his line. Geoff just zipped through using his strong arms and upper body, to the cheers of Tish. As Fuzzie was starting on the line vacated by Ida and Geoff, Sam gave up. This meant that they would incur a four-hour penalty for not finishing the challenge. It was a good break for AD and Fuzzie, especially with a 30 minute penalty still hanging above their heads. However, Fuzzie's next move surprised me. She turned back and gave up without reaching the other ledge. First of all, it still puzzles me why it was Fuzzie who took this roadblock. For one thing, she is heavier than AD and thus would require more strenght to pull across the zip line. Second, why did she give up so easily? She knew Sam and Vince incurred a four-hour penalty so why rush it. She had more than three hours to finish the crossing! WTF was that?! Well, after that stunt she pulled, they really deserved to be eliminated. Sam and Vince practically handed them a sure pass to the final three and Fuzzie didn't take it.
Pit stop: Winners - Ida and Tania, followed by Geoff and Tisha (what a recovery!) and Sam and Vince. AD and Fuzzie finished last and were eliminated.
It's checkered flag time next week, and from a few snippets in the preview, I think the race will end in Thailand. Challenges will include camels and SUVs stck in the sand in Oman, then swimming, kayaking, a boat ride and a sprint on the beach, though not necessarily in that same order. I think it will be a race between Ida and Tania and Geoff and Tisha, as Sam and Vince will have to overhaul a four-hour penalty to at least be in the running. They'll need a miracle. One "hours of operation" stop will solve this. Will they get it? Who knows. TARA always has a way of evening out the playing field when one team gets too far ahead but with a last leg a virtual free-for-all, will they do it?
Ida and Tania have gained our respect with every leg of this race so it won't be a surprise if they end up winning it all. But my money is still with Geoff and Tish. I think they have it in them to finish strongly now that they are in the final three. They're both physically strong and determined, and these may be enough to win it all.
Via monacome.com
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