Varanasi to Shillong or bust! On road update days 7 - 9

Yo adventure readers!

Here's another update!

Can't believe we have been on the road over 7 days, as I write this we are on our 11th day heading North West to West Bengal... We are trying to make up some serious time due to all our down time at mechanics but you'll hear more about that in the post.

Day 7

With all ricks now back on the road we have a 4am wake up call to get out of petrol hotel and on the road. This will be a solid day of driving to push through to the Holy city of Vanarasi. We are looking forward to getting there and book an ok hotel in advance of our arrival - prerequisite = pool and toilet paper. Small luxuries hey?!

We arrive relatively unscathed today and are checking in to the Ramamda just after 3pm. Ray and Hailey are excited there is a Pizza Hut and Maccas next door, Dave is happy to have mixed veg curry everyday if he could but the majority rules here buddy, Indian Pizza Hut with naan pizza it is!

We eat, head back to the hotel and chill.

Cream needs to head back to the mechanics tomorrow as she is guzzling over 5 litres of engine oil and day and smoking a lot - I know India is already pretty polluted but this rick is becoming a joke, we need to sort it out!

Day 8

After a relatively easy night and fewer bathroom visits we had organised a boat trip at dawn down the Ganges to see that Holy city of Varanasi by water.

5am wake up call saw us down there on the water by 6am watching the city wake up.

The city does have a different feeling to it, more calm, spiritual even, especially on the water. We had an amazing guide named Baba who named dropped Goldie Hawn as a client. I'll admit I was impressed and think she was excellent in the First Wives Club...anyway..

 

We toured the city, made an offering, Ray bought a golden vile of Ganga water then it was back to the hotel.

 

Seeing that we had travelled around 1400kms - it was time to get Adventure Rick serviced, seeing that Cream needed to head back to the shop anyway, it seemed like a good time.

Cream once again had her piston replaced... But something was still not right - why is she still smoking?

More time at the mechanic!!!

Day 9

Patience could be wearing a little thin for all so the boys took some time out early in the morning to go and bathe with the locals in the Ganges... Brave souls.

After breakfast three of us headed back to the mechanic to see what's up... Total engine rebuilt for cream. She needs to be revealed - we might have to be in Varanasi another night, one night has now turned to three - we are losing travel time but at least we have a hotel with cable right?! And I am enjoying some of these English channels playing mainly sci-fi and action movies - right up my alley... If only I had a burger.

That's it I'm heading out! I want to do some shopping! So I take the boys and I bag myself a silk sari, scarves and pressies. It's the boys turn next and they want Indian hair cuts.

Literally walked up and down the street on the hunt for a barber... Great! It's bloody hot! Yes...a barber with aircon - the boys pile in. What a hair cut experience ... Dave got rather a short back and sides, potentially a little bit Aryan youth but with a language barrier I suppose discussing styling is off the table. Ray had a bread trim - both had these awesome facial massages, I was pretty jealous!

 

Great news! The rick is finished earlier than expected - we plan to be up at 3am for the push to Siliguri, it will be a two day trip. God help us - I think we will have to pull all of our resilience to bear more travelling and car/truck/motorbike horns.... Oh the humanity the horns!!!

The evening consisted of dinner and drinks and an early night. I dream of Indian roads, horns, close driving trucks and vehicles travelling on the wrong side of the road and unpredictable animals ... But we all sleep heavy.

Taj in pictures

Going to the Taj Mahal was awesome, when I was in primary school we had to do a historical project and make a model - I chose the Taj. I remember making the dome out of the top of a straw hat, I obviously had a bit of help from my parents and the real Taj is definitely not made out of straw!

We got to wear some snazzy shoe covers inside... Obviously some biosecurity issues here or could just be dirt!

Enjoy some pics below.

   

Surviving Delhi belly - the adventure day two and three -

Hi dudes - Tash here, just surviving!

Day two saw me get quite ill and have to take some antibiotics at about 2.30am. We then woke up at about 6am to get on the road.

We travelled through the blue city at dawn through very narrow roads to get on the highway travelling to Pipa City looking for breakfast, came across a rural town instead. Drew a lot of attention from the locals - had a chat, took some amazing pics.


Stopped at a truck stop for chai and tried to talk to the dudes there. Although we can't speak Hindi, we can always find common ground. They also make a joke that one of their mates with one arm had the other eaten off by a bull getting quite friendly with Dave.


Ray and Hailey's 'Cream Machine' has been suffering a few breakdowns and on route to Pushka suffered a melted gasket cover and eventually blew that! Found a mechanic in Pushka - I found a bathroom, though not great! All was fixed for the moment and we tried to push on through to Jaipur.


We all hadn't eaten and then out of the desert like an oasis - the Golden Arches.... We had came across a McDonalds! Heaven.


After our delicious banquet, we headed in the road to push for Jaipur, 80kms out the Cream Machine was down again!

As we have been told Indians will always be on hand to help, even if they can't, so expect 10 of them... Or in this case 30!! Who helped fix the Rick and also we're highly interested in taking pics and video of me. Celebrity status in India is high - and there seems to be especial interest in my teeth?!

  

We needed to stop for the night. Managed to get to a truck stop hotel called the Taj Palace - very low rent basic place for a high price!

Day three - the push to Jaipur!! Only 80kms to go to get to a hotel and find a mechanic. Ah the heat and dryness of the desert is unrelenting and water becomes hot very quickly.

We decide on recouping and recharging and have possibly booked into the most expensive hotel here in Jaipur!! It's Eco so I suppose it's ok?! First stop beers by the roof top pool!

 

Then hours for Ray and Haley at the mechanic waiting for parts, think they got back to the hotel at 10.30 after having another breakdown. Dave and I headed into the Pink City to check out the bazaar - we were told there was a local rickshaw drivers strike but didn't effect us - which was good!

Anyway day four update later - we are still in Jaipur! I'm hoping we get to Agra today but you never know!!

Tash

First day - Jaisalmer to Jodphur

 

Hectic drive into Jodphur. somehow made it through the crazy intersections and through the narrow market lanes full of people and motorbikes. Made it in just before nightfall.. Got a couple of sick belly's, but all is good :)

The adventure begins!

Hi adventure fans!

Tash here.

Jumping on the blog platform to test this baby out and see what she can do.

So Dave and I are in the midst of planning, vaccinations, practice packing, slowly getting our visa and thinking about getting a return flight home - I suppose we haven't viewed this as a necessity just yet!

It's a little over two weeks before we jet off from Melbourne into Goa. we are not prepared in the least, however we have sorted out the important things like emailing The Adventurists dudes to tell them we are keen on filming our run and being filmed - so you know... we are totally organised.

I've been visiting Kathmandu on the reg so you could say I have the lay of the land sorted... and I mean the store. Dave's not been too happy with how over-prepared I want to be but I just can't go past those multicolored dry sacks and assorted sized travel towels.

So set up the fund raising page today so please check it out and support us and the great work Cool Earth do.

https://www.coolearth.org/campaigns/8942/tash-and-daves-rick-unsure-indian-adventure-time/

That's me for now.

Cheers, Tash