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Norway town mayor, his marine engineer nephew explore India in auto: ‘We spend ₹10,000 per day’
Speaking to hindustantimes.com, Øyvind Hesjevik shared that their daily expenses on meals, fuel, hotel stays, and tea came to around ₹10,000.
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From navigating the icy Arctic waters of northern Norway to steering a three-wheeled auto-rickshaw across India, Øyvind Hesjevik and his uncle Jo Inge Hesjevik took on an extraordinary road trip. Hailing from Norway’s far north, where Øyvind is a marine engineer and Jo Inge serves as a mayor for Porsanger Municipality, the duo travelled to India seeking an authentic, slow-paced adventure. They chose an auto as their transportation to explore the country.
Their journey was part of the international Rickshaw Run, a 13-day cross-country expedition stretching from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan to Kochi in Kerala. Managed by 'The Adventurists,' the challenge required an international license and an entry fee.
According to the challenge's official website, participants paid £2,395 per rickshaw (approx. ₹3 lakh). The event officially started on September 23 and concluded on October 9.
What do they do?
Øyvind told hindustantimes.com, “I'm a marine engineer and own and run a commercial fishing boat in the Arctic; my uncle is the mayor of the local town.”
Talking about their trip, he continued, “We came to India to attend the ‘rickshaw run 2026’ where 35 tuktuk from all over the world travel from Jaisalmer to Kochi in 13 days.”
Why choose an auto?
Øyvind explained, “The reason for the tuktuk (auto) is the slow and intimate way of moving, which makes you more in contact with the country you are traversing.”
How much did they spend on the trip?
The Norwegian said that they were spending close to ten thousand rupees each day. “We spend about 10,000 rupees per day on food, fuel, hotels and tea. Plus the International flights and attendance fee.”
Did they face any hurdles?
Øyvind recalled, “The first day we were quite close to the Pakistani border when we were going south through Rajasthan. Me and Jo didn't know how close we were, but just when the sun set we tried to check in at a hotel, maybe five kilometers from the border in a town. And we learned that foreigners don't really get accepted into the hotel so close to the border, so we had to drive in the dark.”
He continued, “So we have never driven in India before but we learned when you drive a tuk-tuk in the dark that it's a lot of oncoming traffic with the headlights on. We have cows in the road and. My uncle doesn't see so good so I had to drive in the dark but it was two hours driving at night.” Despite the initial hurdles, the duo finally managed to drive safely and get into a hotel.
The best memories:
Øyvind also talked about one of his best memories from the trip. “We were driving in the hills of Mumbai, just going up and down through the rainforest, and it was such a beautiful landscape and so clean, and it's a part of India we never hear about earlier, like when it's just such beautiful nature and everything, so that was a really big experience for us, and just being in that area, and also very little traffic, so you felt safe while driving, just beautiful.”
How did it feel going viral?
Øyvind Hesjevik and his uncle Jo Inge Hesjevik went viral on social media after their interaction with an Indian man. In a quick chat, the man praised Jo Inge Hesjevik for exploring India in an auto despite being the mayor of a town.
Talking about the moment, Øyvind said they just had a casual conversation with an Indian man. Later, he came to know that they had become a “little bit” famous in India.
