From Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal, we headed east with our bikes but again using the train to cover the 600kms distance (13 hrs). It would have 6 days of dust, trucks and and a very unhappy wife had we gone by bicycle. Although it was not in the original plan to cycle in India, it was still tempting slightly as the hassle of putting the bikes on the train can be a bit much sometimes.
Varanasi is situated on the river Ganges and is a deeply religious place for Hindus. For us tourists it's a great place for pictures and the feeling of being surround by thousands and thousands of people. We arrived with the bikes all safe and sound and set the GPS up to head for the 'Dasashvamedh Ghat' (main one) where it all happens. This is where the Guest house I wanted to stay at was. The same one that I stated at 15 years ago when I was the closest I have ever been to being a hippie and came to India to find out where I'd gone wrong on my degree, but found out that I was just being lazy. On the way a chap beckoned us to follow him on his motorbike as he apparently worked in the Yogi lodge (the one I wanted to stay at). Were followed him suspiciously (always suspicious here in India ;) ), and along dusty tracks, alleys and roads we came to the Yogi Lodge. Or did we? Didn't look anything like I remember and sure enough the GPS suggest we still had a good 1.5 kms to go. We had just come to a fake Yogi Lodge! Mmm well.. we decided to head off and follow the GPS instead and within a few mins we were in the most busiest traffic jams ever .. after about 15 mins of going nowhere and Nat going mad due to horns and people asking here is she wanted a guest house, we decided to walk and go the wrong way up the other side of the road. After a short walk it all started to come back to me (not my degree but my memory of the area).
We walked down the tiny alleyway knocking all the people over with our panniers but along with other people and their motorbikes/cycles (when in Rome). Viola.. amongst the cows and their large pats, there was the Yogi Lodge I remember .. est. 1978. Nat was getting slightly worried about where I was taking her but after she saw the place and checked the room out.. all was well... PHEW for me! I don't know how I found this place with my cousin all those years ago. We had a couple of great days with seeing the evening Pooja (prayers) and sunrise by the Ganges for a nice morning bath. Not us though, but lots of other people as unfortunately we had already had a shower so felt we'd let everyone else go.
Our next destination was to be an equally religious place but this time for Buddhists and Nat being Buddhist, she was of course very excited about coming here. The place is Bodh Gaya and is where Lord Buddha found enlightenment under a banyan tree over 2500 years ago. The tree is the Bodhi Tree (of which we now have a few leaves :) ). There are also many temples built by the main Buddhist nations including Thailand, Japan, Bangladesh, Tibet (oh I called it a nation..better watch out when I go to China) and China. Shortly after arriving Nat was spoken to in Thai and soon wherever we looked, there were Thai tourists straight in by direct flight from Bangkok. With the Thai tourists come Thai restaurants and that makes Nat a very happy girl!
Leaving Bodh Gaya after one night we set off back to Varanasi on another 'Super fast express' train (4hrs to do 200kms - i.e average 50kph or 30mph). To avoid the hassle of taking our bikes for a short journey we left them at the Yogi Lodge in Varanasi. All was safe and sound when we got back 'home'. We have since been the cinema twice.. excellent first film about the Moguls in a great modern cinema.. and the second.. well we lasted an hour before we gave up on the macho slow and quite terrible film :) Sorry to say that that was the first film I have ever walked out on before it finished. If I was on my own though I would have probably watched it all the way through..even though it was terrible ;)
Tomorrow night we are booked on an overnight train to Calcutta . Apparently our 'cycles' are ok to go on that train so good luck to us!
