Stepping over the dotted line!

---

Our next big event of the Buddha to Bollywood trip involved crossing the border between Nepal and India by road. A short drive, this time in two small jeeps (further on there was a bridge that could only take smaller vehicles), took us to a VERY busy border crossing point. Lorries were backed up waiting to get into India (apparently they can only cross between certain times). We had to walk to the Nepal exit office to fill out our departure forms and get our passports stamped then we walked through the huge archway into no-man's land - about a 200m strip. Who had duristiction here we didn't know so we imagined people luring victims here to commit unpunishable crimes! And so we stepped over the dotted line.

Then it was through the huge welcome to India archway and we were officially in India. Just more forms to fill (fortunately all our visas were in order) and we piled back into the two jeeps and started our journey to Varanasi (actually pronounced Varnsi). Varinasi is set on the most sacred part of the Ganges river and pilgrims flock here to bathe in the waters. It is one of the oldest and also smelliest living cities in the world.

On the journey it was fascinating to see the emerging differences between India and Nepal. For a start the countryside looked VERY familiar to me - HUGE flat fields of cereal crops stretching far into the distance! It could have been Norfolk except for the heat of course! These huge swathes of crops are mostly tended by hand, just the odd combine harvester used. Land is split between families and, as in Nepal, there is not enough land to go around all the siblings so people head towards the cities to find work. Often there isn't any work for them and they end up begging to make ends meet or have to take very meneal, low paid jobs. The houses are quite similar to Nepal so far and the same type of small shop fronts line the roads, but I have seen more variety and better quality in the actual goods being sold.

The sheer amount of people is what you notice the most. There are people everywhere either walking, cycling, in rickshaws, tuk tuks, on motorbikes, in battered old cars, vans , shiney white cars used as taxis, or jeeps like ours. Everyone seems very busy and on their way to somewhere or other. There are more children in beautifully smart school uniforms than we saw in Nepal - I suspect that a higher percentage of children go to school here.

Other strange, unusual or interesting things spotted along the way:

- elephants carrying big bundles of leaves
- trees painted with bands of white, red, white along the side of the road
- cow dung cakes (long bricks patted by hand to use for cooking fuel)
- monkeys
- 2 dead dogs
- shiney new silver boxes and trunks for sale
- arable land stretching for miles (just like Norfolk)
- water hyacynth
- vultures
- straw houses

All was going fine - whizzing along a long straight, tree-lined road - when all of a sudden BANG, BUMPERTY BUMP went our jeep. We'd had a blow out - I knew this was what it was as it was the wheel right under where I was sitting but everyone else thought we'd hit a stray animal or had something chucked at us. So out we got, hoping a spare was tucked away somewhere as we were MILES from the nearest town. We needn't have worried. Obviously this happens a lot as VERY quickly we were back on the road again.

As we sped along it became obvious that the locals don't see westerners here very much as we became the object of curiosity and amusement whenever we slowed enough for people to spot us. It was lovely to get a giggly reaction if you smiled or waved to people staring curiously at you.

After a LONG time we finally hit the outskirts of Varinasi and this is when the traffic got really crazy. The honking, beeping, swerving got so mental and the near misses were unbelievable. We amazingly managed to make it to our hotel unscathed. As soon as we pulled into the forecourt of the hotel it became clear that this was one of our better hotels of the tour and as we opened the doors to our rooms squeals of delight could be heard going round the corridoors. Our room was very big and plush and we had a lovely time wallowing in all this sudden luxury.


Another early morning beckoned so it was early to bed - AGAIN! I don't normally hit the pillow until midnight back home so this has taken some getting used to for me.

---

Photos

Leaving Nepal
Charlotte and Sammy

Entering India - officially
Sammy