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Published: January 2nd 2010
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A new year, and a new start. Landed myself in India yesterday in Gorakhpur. But first need to made the tiring journey through Bhairawa(@200m) and Sunauli, both were uninteresting place, with the sudden rain the night before, the whole plain was covered by fog, the Nepal didn't wanted to show herself to me anymore, so I made my departure, the border crossing was easy and straightforward with no nonsense hassle, the immigration office in Indian side even more than a 100m further down the commercial street, just a table under a roof, easy to mistook as a lottery vendor! No bank there for money exchange, but many kiosk would provided the service, but better checked the exchange-rate beforehand. coming back to India after 5 years, this time with Nepal as the buffer, guessed the shock and impact would be less, but the chaotic traffic in Gorakhpur still caught me off guard, Kathmandu was like a childplay. This is India! Although many thing similar to Nepal, during the 3 hrs bus ride to Gorakhpur(@95m), compared with Nepal, here the plain was wider and seem more fertile, more population, and more man in turban head, more buffalos were set free on the street,
and instead of "mero" that was in Nepal, here "vodafone" dominated many billboards. Not much about Gorakhpur for tourist, just a stop over to organized where would be my next destination. And accommodate right next to the train and bus station gave my departure much easy choice. And it was fascinating to just watch the busy street, the noise, the steaming smoke from eatery or from burning garbage dump, fruits and foods are plenty here compared with Nepal, just a quick surveyed, the ping-pong ball size snack was a new thing to me, "chapati" the vendor told me, it was rolled up in brownish flour, and baked in fire, actually with buffalo dune-cake, served with vegetables paste salad. Then the omelette vendor that fried with many chille. A purple colour herbal drink also new to me, with dark red carrot and other herbs and spices, lemon and salt, I like the taste of it. Thali dishes were dominated, for Rs40 you could blown up your belly. Tea shop with samosa were everywhere, many makeshift store had difference deep fried snack in certain variety of vegetables. First day in India, my eyes was full before my belly does! I find a
shopping mall with a supermarket, so a quick strolled and updated some prices for commodities, one of the most busiest street must be the Cinema Road where actually had 3 big cinemas, and at the Junction was the town commercial center, busy as hell! There was a trendy looked restaurant that many attracted youngsters as it was nearby those cinema, and I find masala dosa there, which I couldn't find outside in all those restaurant, masala dosa was everywhere in southern India.
About 300km further I came to Lucknow(@100m), I was attracted by the description from the guidebook "Lucknow reputation for rich Mughlai cuisine", so...food! That's why I came here! Beside the standard thali set and the samosa with curry dal, the kebabs was the speciality, be it beef, chicken or mutton, the meat was minced and dry fried on the pan in cake shape, one way the served it by spreaded the kebab cake on a roti and roti it up wit onion and spices, this the kebabs roll. The chapati ball was even bigger here like a tennis ball! But I like a snack that was nut and raisin cake yoghurt milk, together with cinnamon and plum sauce,
lovely taste. and Lucknow even had KFC, MacDonald and Pizza-hut. And I also find many coffee stand with the steam machine like those in Butwal, only they didn't provided chocolate powder! Lucknow was huge with chaotic traffic far more worse than Gorakhpur, the city was full of old Nawab buildings and mosques, Moslem stronger than Hinduism here. The main sight were the Bara Imambara complex, a castle like structures built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula in 1780. Very beautiful and impressive, also the huge city gate, the Rumi Darwara, especially under the mist and fog, the sight was even more dramatic. There were many other historical sites in town like the Residency where the famous Siege of Lucknow took place. But I was more interested in the street life and the food here.
Note
Bus KMD to Bhairawa NRs350
Bus Bhairawa to border NRs10
Bus Sunauli to Gorakhpur IRs70
USD$1 = IRs43 (border rate)
USD$1 = IRs45.5 (bank rate)
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