Burning bodies by the Ganges River

Cycling from Pohkara to Varanasi was quite an adventure on its own. Leaving Pohkara you encounter an enchanting highway ride through the foothills of the Himalayas. The road was splendid, climbing out of Pokhara valley into the mid hills. Two somewhat moderate climbs, about 1 hour each but for most part the road was clinging along a ridge along a river. The scenery was breathtaking and traffic very low, but it was getting hot the lower you got. One the last descent from the hills my rack broke! It lasted for this long but I guess the vibrations caused by the mountain descents finally did it in. No problem I thought, it is a steel rack so I can weld it and I'm in a mid-size town so I should be off in a couple of hours. Right!!! Well after trying two welders who were sure as well the rack was made from steel, the third welder laughed and said, it's aluminum, doh!. The sales person at MEC said it was steel, I should have guess it by the weight. I bought a cheap Chinese steel rack and had it custom welded to mount my panniers. The welding cost me 50 cents and the rack about $3. I decided to push on and get to the border in order to have a shorter next day but that's when sh*t happened again. A spoke broke on the back wheel. during welding the heat must have weakened the spoke and as soon as I got rolling again it broke. That's when I decided to call it a day and stay in Butwal. The day was not over yet, my wheel was replaced in Katmandu, what was supposed to be combination of 700cc and 27" spokes is really a pure 27" spokes wheel on a 700cc rim. YES it is possible. I gave it a local wheel specialist to take care of it. Hell of a day, I decided to spend the rest of my Nepali currency on Danish beer, well deserved.

Enter India.
The border crossing from Nepal to India is pretty strait forward. Get a stamp on one side and another stamp at Indian customs. The difference from Nepali side to Indian is quite staggering. Nepal's crossing is quite clean, enter Indian filled with garbage; some burning on the sides of the road. On the plus side the road quality is a lot better and what is quite amazing as well is that the landscape becomes absolutely flat. You would expect some rolling hills or undulating surfaces for some distance, but it is flat as a pancake.

The road manners and common courtesy are non-existent in India. The bigger the vehicle the more authority it gets and it the size is somewhat similar then it comes down the loudness of the horn. And boy do they love to use their horn, if a law came into place in India not allowing drivers to use their horns then the whole country would be in despair! I've been ran off the road many times already but you have to get used to it, just make sure you anticipate it happening before an incident takes place. Head on collisions are quite common and mayor accidents are a daily sight even on secondary highways. To add to your cycling experience you also have to have good reflexes whenever you enter a small town or a village for that matter. As well a couple times rocks have been tossed at me from kids by the side of the road. I started chasing the little buggers one time but they're just too fast. But it is quite a fascinating country and these are the things that happen on the road. Even though it can get frustrating sometimes cycling has been great. Cruising at 25-30km/h making pretty long distances in temperatures around 45C is quite fun believe it or not.

Riding into Varanasi was something else all together. Two km before town was quite relaxing and easy and I thought "This can not be", having the pleasure of riding into mid size town before I was expecting hell and hell was what I got. The amount of traffic is unbelievable add the honking and the heat, cows in the middle of the streets and everybody trying to get past everybody else. I kept my cool for the most part, I knew that if I snapped and tried to move to fast I would surely crash somewhere. Only when somebody slapped the arm of my back really hard to no apparent reason did I let him have it. I stopped and yelled at the man with every possible curse in English language. The Indians had a ball and the bugger ran away in a hurry. Then I was forced to make my through very narrow street in the old city of Varanasi, by then I mellowed out and was really having fun as all the merchants were taking a piss at a foreigner with a loaded bike going around piles of shit and wresting with cows in narrow alleys. Finally I found a guesthouse and was glad to sit down and have a Pepsi. I'm officially addicted to coke and Pepsi. The sugar rush is to die for!!!

Varanasi is an experience in itself. The very old city is famous for its Ghats by the Ganges river and of course outdoor cremations by the riverbank. The intensity of the atmosphere around you is something to be experienced and words can not do it justice. The sounds, sight and smell of several bodies burning infornt your eyes gives you a sick feeling in the stomach sometimes, add the sounds of Puja (worshiping) during the day and the energy in the air from the coming monsoon. Taking a boat ride in the morning is quite pleasant, you see pilgrims bathing in Ganga as well as a special treat dead bodies float beside as you sit in the boat. It is not uncommon to see people bathe in the river while 10 meters away a dead body is floating by the riverbank. I have yet to put my feet in the river and I'm not sure if I'll be brave enough to perform such a task.

Accommodations and food are quite cheap. I'm getting by on about $5 a day, eating well with a guesthouse overlooking Varanasi. We met some nice travelers at the guesthouse (I'm still traveling with Simon, we're on the same route right now) and went out with some people for a nice dinner with traditional indian music. Before we went for an evening boat ride on the Ganges. The main cremation ghat at night is such a surreal place to witness and every time I see the process shivers run down my spine.

Time to move on, I'm hoping on a train on Sunday and I'm making my way into the mountains. I'm skipping riding in the plains and opting to spend more time in the Himalayas. I'm preparing for the Manali-Leh highway and in relation to this I want to ride across Spiti valley to get into better shape and acclimatize a bit. Going over 5300M pass takes a bit prep work before you get around to it.

Bye for now.
Robert

Nepal Total: 386

Kathmandu - Muglin 110km
Muglin - Pokhara 91km
Pohkara - Galyang Chanjang 85km
Galyang Chanjang - Butwal 75km
Butwal - Border Crossing 25km