Jaisalmer

Day 12

Rajasthan

Great day on the road today; amazing what a lie in and full breakfast makes. Slalomed through the morning rush hour to exit Agra and Ridds managed to dispoil Mila by hitting an oncoming auto. Entered Rajasthan mid-morning; our final Indian state. Drove past Akbar's hareem in Fathepur Sikri which kept the conversation going in Sheila for the rest of the day. Rolled into Jaipur mid-afternoon, which gives us our third consecutive arrival in daylight. The ironically named Rough Guide has led us to a high maharaja glamour palace just south of the old city and off to see the sights of the Pink City this evening. Tonight we sleep.  Tomorrow we drive... (Same as everynight).

Varanasi or bust

An epic day 6. On the road before 6am and a great morning's progress to get to the outskirts of Patna around 9am only to be confronted by an enormous traffic jam. Slipping down the oncoming lane past hundreds of parked trucks, it was still completely jammed, we then abandoned our preferred route and went to plan B; the 'shortcut'.

The 'shortcut' added an extra 80km or so through the worst roads yet and a collection of villages that seemed to be populated by extras from Night of the Living Dead that just stared with no emotion.  In one of the worst ones, Wing Commander Maingay (with his beard reduced to an effeminate pencil thin moustache) then managed to simultaneously hit both a cart and local in the same move.  This resulted in a "Go, Go, Go" coming over the walkie-talkie as a "mob" (made up of the man he hit) chased him and Justin in Sharice down through the village. If you hit someone, hit them in the legs...  It could have got ugly but we made our escape.

By 5pm and approaching darkness, we were finally approaching the Grand Trunk Road which after 6 days of potholes was starting to be viewed as the Holy Grail by a very weary NWNC.  5 kms short of salvation, our next challenge was an enormous truck with the cab in a swamp off the road and the trailer blocking both lanes of traffic. After recon on foot, there was just enough space to sneak a shaw behind the trailer, so we drove through the crowd and back on the now empty road.  

It was getting dark by now but tired of laying up, we decided to push an hour up the long anticipated GTR. With the nearest hotel in Sasaram (with guidebook entry of "don't stay here overnight") proving to be too elusive, we decided to break our golden rule of no night driving and push on to Varanasi.  6 hours of terrifying driving through the heart of darkness (with dogs, oncoming traffic on our side of the highway, drunks crossing, sleeping bovines and truck driver raves) we finally made Varanasi after midnight and almost 19 hours on the road.  

We now have a rest day for cultural enlightenment and a chance for Hamish and Greg to fulfil an Ibizan promise and swim in the Ganges...

 

Day 5?

We didn't quite make it to Bodhgaya but at least we avoid the Japanese Encephilitis outbreak.  The freshly repaired clutch blew out at about 12 after a great morning's progress.  We broke down after a rail crossing near the Ganges and after scores of locals couldn't fix it Sharice was forced to tow a broken Mila to town.  A couple of hours later all fixed but it then broke within 2km so another tow, another fix (by what appeared to be a 5 year old mechanic; Brooksy is thinking of expanding Amida to include child labour) and then on the road again.  But no chance of making Bodhgaya by then so we're in Bihat.  

Varanasi tomorrow if we can coax a full day out of both 'shaws.  It sounds like the ghats are flooded anyway so the appeal of Varanasi has receeded somewhat (unlike the Ganges).

 

We don't want to speak too soon but the local bandits have been great.  

West Bengal, India

half a roll of duct tape and we are back on the road after the millionth pothole finally took its toll on some vital screws and got rid of them somewhere. Nice tape work Mush! And also the nice chap who had a spare bolt to put our engine back together.

Assam, India

Waiting for mechanic to fix our fried electrics so we can leave for Day 2!

Meghalaya, India

Shaws ready, Brooksy shaving Ridds hair (both head and back)

Meghalaya, India

departure tomorrow!