THE PATH TAKEN
The route
we took in India and Nepal is as follows:
Landed in Bombay, north to Varanassi (1,500km), Bodhgaya (230km), Varanassi,
north to Sunauli (border with Nepal), Pokhura (130km from border) Kathmandu,
back to India - Delhi, Rajasthan; Agra, Ajmer, Pushkar, Jaipur, Jodhpur,
Jaiselmar, Delhi, Calcutta.
We only had
2 months so unfortunately we had to rush. Those with more time should
see the extreme south regions and spend more time to go deeper in Rajasthan.
Goa is the spot for those who want a touristy beer-drinking time. Some
reports loved it, others were not so keen. The extreme north and Pakistan
was having trouble at the time we were there but those hardened travelers
we spoke to who came overland from Europe loved the area. Remember as
a rule; the less frequented the more risky getting around is.
Also for various reasons we went from Kathmandu to Delhi. Instead, if
weather allows go east to Darjeeling then down to Calcutta.
Saturday
18th and Sunday 19th October 1997
Hotel; Volga Hotel, Bombay (Mumbai), India
Room Type: Two doubles (250-300 Indian Rupees [IR])
Verdict: Fine. Bombay is expensive relative to the rest of the
country, as land prices are high. Look around for cheap accommodation
in Guest Houses above stalls and shops on Colaba Street. Most hotels charge
too much.
Upon arrival
in India you will find the Indian way of life hits you in the face. Take
it easy and get used to hassle, decrepency and poverty and you will find
a brilliantly warm hectic atmosphere. As everyone will tell you, India
affects all your senses and emotions.
Bombay/
Mumbai
Sight-seeing
Bombay is busy and overcrowded. To get away from it all a boat from the
majestic India Gate to Elephanta Island on a Sunday introduces you to
the familial way of life for Indians. Everyone wants to talk to you and
you can enjoy watching children play cricket as monkeys hop around you.
The cave temples dedicated to Siva are a good introduction to the Hindu
culture.
A long stroll
around Chowpatty Beach along the bay is recommended ending up at the Hanging
Gardens and the Parsian Towers of Silence. Parsians hold water, earth
and fire as sacred so they leave their dead in open chambers surrounded
by high towers to be disposed of by hungry vultures. You will not see
into the towers but you can spot the circling vultures.
Eating
and Entertainment
There are plenty of clean cheap cafes on Colaba. The ones noted in guidebooks
tend to be more expensive.
Opposite the market is located a Western cinema as well as one showing
the local Bollywood favourites, a lesson in tackiness!
Travel
The booking area of the train station opens at 9am. There is a separate
queue for tourists for the tourist quota whereby they keep 6 seats
in 2nd class sleeper free for tourists on an otherwise overbooked train.
A ticket over 1,500km to Varanassi cost us a mere $10.
Communications
Posting a package at the GPO is a study in division of labour. An experience
not to be missed.
Telephone exchanges with call back facilities can be found on Colaba street.
Internet and email connections can be made from Bombay but I do not know
the address.
Monday
20th and Tuesday 21st October 1997
Hotel; Train between Bombay and Varanassi
Room Type: Hard bunk
Verdict: Paying extra for a luxury or minibus in the morning
to Pokhura - you usually end up in the one bus anyway. We had bad experience
or moreso an inconvenience on the way from the border to Pokhura. There
was an accident, which closed the direct road so we took a detour. Also
one young lad tried to throw our rucksacks off the top of the bus on the
way. We should have arrived in Pokhura at 4pm but got there 16 hours after
we had left at 1am. the following morning. These things tend to happen
a lot.
Train
journeys
It takes a while to get used to the cattle cart 2nd class sleeper with
barred windows, Indians mushed in to every free space and the rancid smell.
However after we left India we actually missed the things! The journeys
are enjoyable if you chat with the Indians (photos are good to have with
you) and observe country life as you speed past fields. Another advantage
is that you can read and write on the steady trains - which you cannot
do on buses in other countries. Offerings at stations include the sugary
local tea (chai), served in clay cups, fruit, delicious roasted monkey
nuts and samosas. Trains are never on time and when you eventually get
the correct platform it is difficult to find your carriage. Nothing is
marked. Everyone gets used to this, it's a skill all visitors to India
go away with.
Wednesday
22nd to Sunday 26th October 1997
Hotel; Schindia Hotel Varanassi
Room Type: Four bedded room, outside toilet and shower (40R each)
Verdict: Great location beside the burning ghat. The hotel itself
is quiet and peaceful. It would be difficult to get to during monsoon
season as the main ghat areas are covered in mud.
Varanassi
(c) gregg butensky
 Varanassi is crude, dirty, overcrowded
and squalid with cows and goats roaming freely on streets. However it
is the most fantastic place, steeped in tradition and a harmonious way
of life. Lepers and beggars line the Ganges as colourful processions of
dead bodies parade to the funeral pyres at the ghats. Here the smell of
sandalwood overcomes the human and cow excrement that is prominent elsewhere.
The colourful processions, rituals and meaning behind the cremation of
the dead is amazing.
Sight-seeing
Take a boat trip down the Ganges to the Ram Nagar Fort. Other than visiting
the monkey and other temples Varanassi is a place mainly to observe life
and death around the sacred Ganges River. I would highly recommend
spending at least a week walking down the ghats, sitting drinking chai
in the evening, chatting to the children who will impart their knowledge
of the traditions and practices, buying silk and generally feeling this
is what it is all about. Be warned, it is not a luxurious place!
Monday
27th and Tuesday 28th October 1997
Hotel; Sri Lanka Guest House, Bodhgaya
Room Type: Dorm beds (but there were only the four of us there;
50R each)
Verdict: Mr. Buddha boss is serene and welcoming. The rooms are
basic and mossie infested.
Bodhgaya
 An autorickshaw can take you
11km to the train station for Bodhgaya. The queue for your ticket is difficult
and requires a lot of deep breaths, hard pushing, and patience. The 240km
however only costs 57R.
Bodhgaya is the place where Buddha received enlightenment after years
of self-mortification. It is a peaceful astounding place with Buddhist
temples in every style. Visit all the temples and just wander through
the town to the quaint riverside cafes. The same enjoyment observing but
more quiet and peaceful than Varanassi.
Wednesday
29th to Thursday 30th October 1997
Hotel; Shanti Hotel, Varanassi
Room Type: Room for 4 (50R each)
Verdict: Louder than the Schindia which was full. It has a good
if slow restaurant on the roof from where we watched the fireworks and
trails of candles for Diwali festivities.
Enjoyed
fantastic Varanassi some more.
> on to Nepal
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