Calvin’s Hub

We’re nearing the end of TARA 3 and I’m 90% sure that one team will be eliminated on this very grueling leg to set the stage for the Final 3.

AD and Fuzzie checked in last on the previous leg and needs to be first on this one or else they’ll suffer a 30-minute penalty at the Pit Stop. Let’s see if they can make it through or if another team will make enough mistakes to save them.

Bhaja Caves

First task is for teams to travel by taxi to Bhaja Caves 60 km. out of Pune.

Sam and Vince left at 12 midnight and the last team, AD and Fuzzie, left almost 3 hours later. What I found funny here is that there are already taxis waiting outside the Pit Stop even at those hours.

When Sam and Vince got to the caves, they encountered an Hours of Operation for 7 AM so they decided to find a nearby motel to get some more rest. All teams looked for a place to rest as well with AD and Fuzzie being the unfortunate ones to find a room with no electricity and looked like a cell. At least they were able to catch up with the others.

In the morning, teams had no problems getting their next clue.

Mahatma Gandhi Born on 1977??

Teams must then travel by train back to Pune and locate the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi. They must take down notes from the statue then make their way to a nearby Standard Chartered ATM where they need to enter a PIN code to get their next clue. If they entered the wrong code, they have to take a 10-minute penalty to get their clue. Cool task I must say.

Everybody traveled in the same cramped train but Ida and Tania found the statue first which is near the station. When they arrived at the ATM, they found out that the PIN code is asking for the birthyear of Gandhi. They weren’t paying attention at the details on the statue so they just asked the locals for the answer. Fortunately, almost everyone knew the answer and they got their next clue.

AD and Fuzzie took a rickshaw and accidentally skipped the statue and headed straight to the ATM. Must’ve read the clue wrong but since they don’t want to go back, they just asked the locals for the answer and got their clue as well.

Geoff and Tisha and Sam and Vince got lost searching and had to go back near the station. They got their notes and went to the ATM. Sam and Vince got the correct answer and their clue.

When it’s time for Geoff and Tish to punch in the code, they entered 1977 which is the year the statue was inaugurated (correct me if I’m wrong). C’mon guys 1977? Trish would be older than him then. Ida and Tania had a good laugh at this booboo during their confession.

Going to Muscat, Oman

After India, teams must travel by plane to Muscat, Oman for their next clue. TARA didn’t show any scenes in the airport so I guess another bunching happened there. Good for Team Philippines.

All 4 teams arrived in Muscat in the evening and found their vehicles and their clue.

Al Alam Palace

Teams must then drive themselves to Al Alam Palace for their next clue.

Sam and Vince got a local to guide them there. Ida and Tania found a guide as well while Team Singapore and Team Philippines just relied on their map.

Ida and Tania managed to get to the palace first for their clue which is more driving but this time to Nizwah Fort.

AD and Fuzzie got lost but Geoff and Tish happened to be just behind them who are equally lost.

Sam and Vince got to the palace next and their guide offered to lead them to their next task as well. Lucky guys.

Clue Hunting at Nizwah Fort

Ida and Tania arrived at the fort first (late at night) but encountered another Hours of Operation for 7 AM. All teams bunched up again here but TARA didn’t show where they slept.

In the morning, they got their task which is to search the huge place for their next clue.

Vince and Sam found the clue box first with Ida and Tania close behind. When they read their clue, they realized that the place is littered with lots of clue boxes with only one box having the correct clues.

Ida and Tania found the correct box first and quickly went to their next task which is to drive to Mutrah Souq.

Sam and Vince found the correct clue next followed shortly by Geoff and Tisha. Outside, they decided to team up and split the taxi that will lead them to their next destination. Tisha is anticipating an intersection so the team up might be beneficial if there’s really one.

DETOUR: Carpet or Count It

In Mutrah Souq, teams must choose between Carpet or Count It.

For the Carpet task, teams must make their way to a nearby carpet shop where they will get a camera with a photo of an intricate carpet design. They must search the whole place for the carpet with the matching design.

In Count It, teams must get to a nearby novelty shop and count a sack of dry limes and get the correct number for their next clue.

I really hate counting tasks especially if there are more than a thousand things to count but the carpet one is not easy either. This is one tough detour.

Ida and Tania arrived first and chose to count.

Sam and Vince and Geoff and Tish chose count as well and talked about teaming up so they can compare answers. Uhhh, usually tasks like this involve different answers so there’s no point. Just a side note, Team Philippines came prepared with a calculator.

AD and Fuzzie caught up with the other teams counting as Ida and Tania got the wrong answer on their first attempt. Sam and Vince got their first try wrong as well.

Make Up Your Mind

When Geoff and Tish got their answer wrong, Geoff made a decision to switch to the Carpet task with Tish not totally agreeing.

Geoff gave themselves 20 minutes to finish the Carpet task. But instead of focusing with the task at hand, the two kept on bickering among themselves saying that switching was a mistake. After a few half-hearted searches, they gave up and went back to the Count task.

Ida and Tania are clearly fatigued on their third try counting. AD and Fuzzie got it wrong as well on their 1st try.

Sam and Vince finally nailed the correct number on their third attempt and left for their next task.

Geoff grumbled when Sam and Vince left them thinking of their supposed-to-be team-up. Anyway, when they got the same number as their 1st attempt, they decided to switch to the Carpet task again. Groan.

Ida and Tania finally managed to get it right on their 3rd attempt.

Back at the Carpet task, Geoff and Tish are still having trouble with the task after searching through dozens of carpets and it’s really affecting their temper. They gave up and went back to the Count task yet again! You guys are really killing yourselves.

AD and Fuzzie finally got the correct answer as Geoff and Tish just got started with their counting, feeling the pressure.

Team Philippines Doomed?

Next task is for teams to travel to Wadi Tanuf which is 2.5 hours south of Muscat.

Sam and Vince who were the first to leave the Detour kinda got lost. The locals weren’t much of a help either as they don’t know where exactly the place is. AD and Fuzzie are having trouble as well with their map is not being too detailed.

When Sam and Vince reached a rocky area, they really thought that they are lost but look who came up behind them, Ida and Tania! Sam was really happy to see another team and both decided to work together to find the place.

However, they still can’t figure out where the place is and look who managed to catch up with them? Geoff and Tish followed by AD and Fuzzie! The 4 teams are together again and Team Philippines are back in the race.

ROADBLOCK: Traverse Canyon

When the teams arrived at Wadi Tanuf, they encountered a Roadblock which requires a team member to traverse a canyon. Now exactly knowing how to do the task, Sam, Ida, Geoff and Fuzzie did the roadblock for their respective teams.

When they got to the canyon, they found out that they have to rappel horizontally on a zip line and get the clue on the other end then pull themselves back again.

Two teams can do the task at the same time so Sam and Ida went first. Both managed to get to the end without any problem, however pulling themselves back proved to be difficult for Sam who was stuck halfway.

Ida finished the roadblock ahead of Sam and got the next clue.

Pit Stop

The Pit Stop for this leg is just near the roadblock and when Ida and Tania checked in first, they were informed by Allan that they were the first of the final three teams. Good job girls! They also won $2500 each courtesy of Standard Chartered. Sweet!

Who Would Give Up First?

Geoff is up next and was clearly psyched to do the task. He quickly got the clue on the other end and made his way back lightning fast like a wild animal. They got their clue and checked in at the Pit Stop for 2nd place. Great job Geoff! You redeemed yourself.

Sam was really exhausted and helpless as he saw Geoff zipped pass by him. Vince kept on pushing him telling him not to give up. He must be thinking to himself that he should be the one doing the roadblock.

It’s time for Fuzzie to traverse the canyon. Uh oh, I wonder why AD didn’t insist on doing the roadblock.

Still stuck halfway, Sam chose to give up and take a 4-hour penalty to put themselves in a perfect spot where they could be eliminated.

When Fuzzie saw Sam gave up, she thought they were home free even if she finish the task in half an hour. However, on her way back, she can’t muster any strength to pull herself any more so she gave up as well effectively eliminating themselves and saving Sam and Vince.

Placement after the 10th leg:

1st – Ida and Tania ($2500 each)
2nd – Geoff and Tish
3rd – Sam and Vince
4th – AD and Fuzzie (eliminated)

Just Some Thoughts

This is one tiring but fitting leg to set up the top 3 as the tasks were either physically or mentally demanding. Fatigue played a large role here as well as some teams didn’t get much sleep or had nothing to eat and no energy for the physical tasks.

Ida and Tania deserved to be number 1 in this leg. They were focused and really worked well together. Who would’ve known that after almost being eliminated twice they managed to squeak into the top 3 in 1st place.

Geoff was being an ass in most part of the race and I felt sorry for Tish for putting up with him. However, he made up for it by doing an excellent job at the roadblock. The ATM task and the detour was painful to watch for their fans though.

Sam and Vince are at least 4 hours behind team 1 and 2 but I think they can catch up without any problem. They’ll be more determined and focused going into the next leg.

AD and Fuzzie could’ve join the top 3 if only Fuzzie didn’t give up or if she let AD do the task. I feel sorry for AD who I think was not yet ready to go home. Anyway, I still commend you guys for getting this far. You surprised a lot of teams and fans.

Hope you enjoyed this recap. See you guys next week as TARA is about to wrap things up. I hope next leg will be split into 2 episodes. Don’t want it to end yet.

As usual if you want to read more TARA 3 related stuff, check out my TARA bookmarks. And please let me know if you see any errors in this recap (names, time, locations, etc).

You might also be interested in:

• The Amazing Race Asia 3 – Episode 9
• The Amazing Race Asia 3 – Episode 6
• The Amazing Race Asia 3 – Episode 5
• The Amazing Race Asia 3 – Episode 3

Filed under: Amazing Race Asia