week 11 logs

Day 71 jul 3 fri

Kajuraho

0 kms, 7737 kms

Wake up late. This nightly watching of films is taking toll, plus it seems we need 8 hours of sleep. Decide no leaving today by 12 so chill more and do more photo sorting. Dreading having to sort kajuraho set – already racked up 600 photos between the two of us, and one more visit to go.

Walk up and down the market trying to find a place that scans. No use. Meet/accosted by dude youth. Jedi walks off after 15 secs – after a while, you can sense who’s making convo and who’s trying to do bukchodi. Some kids try to sell marijuana – jedi walks on – yay.

Leave around 2 and go see the western group of temples – the big ones. Spectacular is not the word. Tiring too. If you ever come to visit, take your time and come early!

Girl asks Jedi if tamil, makes chitchat. Everywhere people feel some strange comfort in their ‘group’.

Head back, find out that right beside our hotel is the scanner! Give maps to scan, and come back to finish the pranic psychotherapy doc. After finishing, drink some bhang and go to Internet and upload week 10. 10 weeks on the road – baap re.

Day 72 jul 4 sat

Kajuraho – Pandav Falls – Panna

62 kms – 7802 kms

NH76

Wake up around 9 and pack. Head to check air in the bike and load. Jedi sees that the carrier has broken – needs welding. Goes to welder to see that he doesn’t have electricity – happens to be just outside the perimeter of ‘World Heritage Area’. Find another welder and get work done. Come back and pack and leave. Roam around trying to find the Hanuman temple – see other smaller ones, but not the one we think it should be. Eventually leave towards Allahabad. Bike battery seems fucked – Jedi thinks while welding the battery got raped, though he had removed the spark plug.

In the Panna Tiger Reserve, there is a place called the Pandav falls and Pandav caves. Yes, you guessed right – the Pandav brothers stayed here. India has basically three kinds of places – i. where Ram did something, ii. Where the Pandavs did something, iii. Others did something. Falls not in full flow, but very nice place. Almost empty. Very scenic – will probably be spectacular post rains. Photos, and swimming. Jedi almost drowns himself, but limits it to panic and focused getting to safe rock. This place is infested with bees, or beehives and swimming is not allowed – only that we read the board only after coming back up J. Is not infested with bees but lots of beehives. See the green beeeater birds swooping on the pond and picking off insects. See small orange dragonflies - ananya in spirit? J

Start the bike, with high rev, and proceed through nice forest. Reach Panna and bike stops. Saurabh has to push and it starts. Ask for battery shop and reach center of town. Bike stops again. Stop for breath and tea. Most shops shut – looks like a Sunday, which is what we think. See a mechanic shop 10 feet away and roll the bike into it. Mechanic checks and thinks armature is gone. Puts the battery to charge after adding distilled water. Don’t the service guys check this? – apparently not. It rains and everything turns gloomy. Go to buy new battery, which has acid but no charge – no electricity. Its already 4 – Jedi decides we stay here and get this fixed; coz bike now running only on battery and no idea when and where it will fizzle off; even with the spare battery. Also locals say no point going to Kalinjar now – not safe. Mechanic by now thinks Rectifier is gone. Saurabh finds out about the diamond mines nearby and in conversation with a local, makes plans to pick up land and start looking for diamonds.

We go check in a nice hotel – in MP every double room is around 300 bucks.

Go back and find the only ATM in town. Eat chat at Mama’s shop.

Give the other battery to charge – leave the bike there. Come back and do photo sorting. Mechanic calls and says he’s fixed the problem – seems a wire had burst.

Go and get bike – Rashid mechanic – good man. Eat a nice thali and come back and crash. Jedi glad that all the bike stuff is happening now and not in the mountains.

Day 73 jul 5 sun

Panna – kalinjar fort – Chitrakoot - Allahabad

334 kms – 8136 kms

SH71 (UP), NH76, SH11 (MP), NH27

Jedi finds out that today is Sunday – so why were most of the shops shut yesterday?

Leave and head across the ghats to see the impregnable Kalinjar fort. Along the way, we see some mines which we want to think are diamond mines and saurabh gets quite happy. The fort is just across the UP border – a river is the demarcator. Big fort, mostly in ruins – most standing buildings seem like Mughal bldgs – Sher Shah was the first person to conquer the fort in the 16^th century after centuries of people, including Mahmud of Ghazni, trying and failing to conquer the fort. In addition to the cattle, we see horses too.

When u see the fort from outside and from within, you know why. Vast plains stretch out below while the fort runs along the steep hill. Only a few places show the Kajuraho and Chandela mark. You see historic rubble lying around, like no one cares. Not a single board – only one with the places in the fort which has rusted and is of no use. No water. Nothing. Only villagers and one temple pandit who says they have been doing the puja here for 3 generations. The sun is beating on our heads and we eventually retreat. Saurabh is Ghazni ke baap.

Next stop is Chitrakoot, but after 8000 kms of kickass road almost everywhere, this road – a SH, is a massive shock, to us and the bike. Potholes, lumpy road, more patches than road – we get onto NH76 but no difference. Start abusing Mayawati and make statements like if we broke all the Mayawati statues and filled the roads, it would be fine. Now we know why people here breed horses, easier and nicer to ride horses on such roads.

Reach Chitrakoot, the place where Ram stayed with Lax and Sita for 12-14 years (everyone says 12-14 years!) during vanvas. Surrounded by hills, its another temple town, with Ram this, Ram that, and hordes of tourists – ok not hordes, its off season- even for Ram, but still shitloads. Ask cig shop for places to see, and after chitchat say Gupt Godavari and Anusuya. We head to see these places – apparently Chitrakoot is in MP-UP border, spots in MP, town in UP.

Gupt Godavari – as the story goes, was a friend of Sita, and when she heard Ram was here, she wanted to do charan sparsh, so she came secretly (why I dunno) from nasik and manifested herself as a river here. That’s the story. Everyday I get to hear a new story – India is truly a land of stories. Jai Amar Chitra Katha - the main source of our India history lessons. We remove our shoes and pay the 10 rupee entrance and walk up to the 2 caves. Nice cave with RSL (ram sita laxman) idols and shiv ling and pool of water which all priests sitting around all these things say is the godavari. Each priest calls u and does tikka stuff and then asks where u are from, and then the sales pitch. After two of them, you feel sick. You move to the next cave which is basically water flowing through a narrow cave, this is more fun, until you reach the end where two more godpimps sit and do tikka and ask for money – if u say u already gave, they say this is a different god. All you do is walk away. Still overall nice place – just ignore the priests and arbit ppl who rush to do tikka and then ask for money. Outside we have to brush off an old man who says he was guarding the bike and wants 5 bucks. Jedi is already pissed with the godpimps and tells the old man to hadd, who then calls him bosadine. God bless you too.

We head to Anusuya, who is the ascetic wife of sage Atri. This lady’s claim to fame is that she’s the one who turned brahma, Vishnu, shiva into babies coz they did something – don’t remember what. She also gave the sermon on Patidharma – loyalty to husband by a married woman. Also created the Mandakini Ganga. We reach the place, but Jedi stops and has tea – after the roads and Gupt Godavari, has no interest in seeing another temple. Sits and talks to the assorted people and babas. Saurabh returns from the river, also not having seen the temple. Locals say come so far but not seeing – here no tax or priests – no money, go. Go go. We say thanks but tata.

Head back to main village and main highway. Smriti’s parents call and asks where are you – we tell about 116 kms away, but 3-4 hrs away. Uncle says road is good in patches. We head, but more of patches held together by road. Jedi takes option B of traversing such roads . Option A is ride slowly taking the bumps and holes gently; Option B is go fast enough to fly over the potholes. Finally after 30 kms of crap road, there is a good stretch of road for 60 kms where the road is good. The sun sets. Night riding and again bad road and trucks. See some men with guns, but mostly peaceful.

Have nice samosas.

Reach Allahabad around 8.30 and meet them at the high court where they escort us home. Lotsa of chitchat and exchange of travel stories. Also information on Mayawati’s rule and the things she has done, like getting rid of the goondas and making UP safe – building roads to the villages (we just happened to be on outer border road) – local UPites love her and really don’t mind her building all those elephants and statues of herself, as long as UP is safe for the common man. Dinner, and sleep follows.

Day 74 jul 6 mon

Allahabad

10 kms – 8146 kms

Laze. Jedi goes to find welder with person from uncle’s office. No electricity, so have to wait till 1. Goes to meet Joy at his house. Chitchat. Find out about Jhunsi, vilayati imli, and ulta kila. Goes to welder and gets partial work done; enough but not what Jedi wanted.

Sit and talk with uncle, aunt, banu and his family – get to hear some fun stories, including the behenji story. Go out for kulfi after dinner. Banu goes with Jedi on the bike and reminisces about his biking days. Makes plans to get his friend’s bullet and ride with us to Jhunsi tomorrow. Jedi and banu go to friend’s house to see 7 men totally sloshed. Bike will be needed, so tomorrow. Head back, watch Matrix Reloaded and pass out.

Day 75 jul 7 tues

Allahabad (All Saints Cathedral, Sangam, Fort, Anand Bhavan, Ag)

20 km - 8166 kms

wake up late and have breakfast. Uncle is getting the cathedral open for us and banu is taking us around allahabad. So leave in A/C car and see the sights. The cathedral (1845 AD) is nice, but not kept very well. Walk up the turret? On bat shit and ducking to avoid the fluttering bats. Reach the top and see Allahabad view. Meet the priest and make chitchat.

Go to Sangam and wade through some traffic. Processions and DJ Mix vans and people with all sorts of containers. Saavan is starting shortly and Kawariyas are here – ppl who take water from the sangam and walk barefoot to benaras and pour the water there. Some babas call jedi baba and then rajnikanth. Jedi walks away. The sangam shifts with the rise and fall of the ganga. Right now the Ganga is just a stream. So the line of boats in the water keep moving. Lots of people taking boat rides to go to the sangam point.

Head back and go to foot of the fort, but return when we see no cameras and weapons allowed. Fort is taken over by Army. Go to Anand Bhavan, where the newest emperors of the Indian empire started. Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru lived here. Indira got married here. But couldn’t go inside the house as it was lunch time! And no one at the ticket counter. See some stuff through the windows and leave.

Head back and plan to leave tomorrow. Already 2 and if we want to see Jhunsi etc. will reach after dark. Aunty has fixed up place for us at Yogi lodge, a friend’s son’s place. Decide to do Jhunsi today itself, but fall asleep.

Wake up in the evening to hear there is a get together of Ag – Agriculture Institute of India Alumni (Uncle and Aunt studied there). Eventually mothers and 3 kids who want to get into Ag for Intermediate turn up and old Ag stories start flowing. Jedi is unsure what to talk about with people almost double and half his age. Good fun. For the first time in his life, he has to eat from a separate vegetarian food counter J Grateful that hardcore non-veggies are making and eating veg food just coz of us.

Get to hear about why and how the power situation is so bad in UP. People run up bills to 10k, then pay the elec guys 5k, who then eat 3k, make bill for 2k and declare all dues till now paid- and the cycle continues. Morever, people steal electricity by slinging wires over the overhead poles – mostly at night. As a result, the transformers that are supposed to give 2kv electricity according to the on-paper usage, have to give more and then burn out, resulting in transformer ud jaana. Privatization is protested against though eventually it will be cheaper than the current usage of inverters and generators.

Go to drop one of the kids to the Ag guest house. Nice ride over the yamuna on an old bridge. Jedi cant sleep and stays up till 5.30 am.

At some point in the day during some conversation, Jedi feels that the Afghans are simply bearing the brunt of karma – after decades of invasions and destruction of other countries, okay in this case India, from 10^th AD to 15^th AD, now its coming back to them. Bad thought but it happened. They still haven’t changed – the Bamiyan statues!

Day 76 jul 8 wed

Allahabad – Jhunsi – Sita Madhi – Varanasi

164 km - 8330 kms

Uncle wakes us up at 9.30. Its been raining and if we leave quickly, we can skip the rains. Pack and head out after good byes. Uncle accompanies us till the high court and then pays for a full tank! Thank you Uncle. Two days of total pampering and then this.

Head out to Jhunsi and locate the Ulta Kila. The fort isn’t inverted, but buried in mud etc. Caves etc. are there, but hardly anyone there. This is the fort of the king (Andheri Nagari- Chaupat Raja) who made everything 1 taka, whether its gold or grain – chaos reigned. Walk around trying to find the Vilayati Imli, one of the first tamarind trees to be brought to India from South America. Can’t find it, but find a bunch of peahens chilling on the trees. See other ancient trees. Enter one ashram type of place where one baba gives some gyan about the place. Take top view photos of sangam and leave. Enroute it pours and we get wet.

Reach Sita Madhi, which is the place where Sita took Samadhi by entering the earth. Many stories exist about why – what Jedi heard long ago was that she was pissed that she had to take a paternity test post her Ravana of Lanka kidnapping- so after passing the test, she broke open the earth and returned to where she came from. Other stories are her work was done so after handing over Luv-Kush, she said tata. Anyway the place has a temple made by some folks, which was closed when we got there. The river Tamsa meanders there before it meets the Ganga nearby. Down the road is Hanuman temple with a hugeass Hanuman statue, and even further near the ghat, there is a temple for Luv-Kush with the Aswamedha (horse they caught and wouldn’t let go even when Bharat Laxman came to get it for some Ram’s yagna – Bharat Laxman didn’t know these were Ram-Sita’s sons. Look up more details someplace. Walk down to the ghats and take photos. Nice clean water and people chilling, taking bath and having fun. People enquire where from and why we are here etc. – the usual. One guy even tells us which position and angle we will get good photos. The skies have cleared and look quite spectacular. Saurabh goes and takes Sita’s pictures now that the temple has opened.

Its 3 pm and we head for Benaras after some chai-samosa. Uncle-aunt have hooked us up with Chucky, the son of a close friend, who runs the Yogi lodge in Benaras. Reach Benaras, without getting wet again, though see lots of lightning and thunder. Its always just rained everyplace we pass.

Miss the turnoff at Benaras and go ahead, ask directions from locals and after riding through numerous water fucked roads, reach the Kashi Viswanath temple. Call Chucky and he sends someone to pick us up. A boy turns up – without the mentioned Yogi lodge tshirt, and says ganga lodge etc. we say we already have booking at Yogi lodge – he says I’m from there only. We say no. no tshirt, no going with you. Eventally a yogi lodge tshirt boy comes and leads us through thin lanes with shops and people and other vehicles and 5 police checks. The first 4 press the bags with their fingers as if they can tell that the haversacks have something dangerous with their fingertips. Ask us few questions and let us go ahead. The final check point, on hearing our story ask us to show some letter etc. where it says we are on a trip. After showing Collabis visiting card, and also latest trip photos from camera, they let us go ahead after some 10 minutes. Reach the lodge and check in. Nice clean place, small, but it’s a budget traveler’s place. For that its excellent. Only pain was that no electricity point so can’t charge our gadgets. Book a dawn boat ride along the ghats for the morrow. Chitchat in the room, before going out for dinner and Benaras ka famous rabdi. Go to the ghats and sit watching the full moon shimmering in the river. Hear people singing along with the cellphones, but only adding bad words to the lyrics. Dialect reminds Jedi of Ankur and has phone conv. With him. He’s apparently from Chattarpur near Kajuraho! Misses Ananya a lot.

Come back and read stuff about Varanasi/Benaras/Kasi from the Lonely planet. This is a 3600 yr old city, thereby probably the world’s oldest living city. From the Kasi tribe who came here 1400 BC to now, it has seen so much. Aurangzeb came and did his chutiyapa here too. Jedi is keen on doing the Panchthirthi yatra. Get to hear that the boatman was uncontactable, so tom morning boat may not happen. Then get the money we paid for the boat trip refunded – seems Chucky wont take our money! Suspect Uncle-aunt have an hand in this – will find out tomorrow! Pass out.

6 hours in Varanasi, and it has a special feel to it. Can’t explain it.

Day 77 jul 9 thu

Varanasi

0 km - 8330 kms

Get woken up at 5.15 by the hotel guy – the boatman is here. Quickly bathe and follow the boatboy to Lalita Ghat from where we start the boat ride along the ghats. The skies are cloudy but enough light, though not the ‘magical’ light- no rain, so yay.

Watch the ghats float by as the boatboy, Manish, tells us the gist of most of the ghats- basically who built them and why they are called so. How the rishis who were staying at the Scindia ghat, cursed the place after being chucked out by the British, resulting in the temple and the entire ghat being lopsided. – The ghat where Mandakini puts flowers into the Ganga in Ram Teri Ganga Maili. How one mahal was built by the sale of one gold bangle, a building that even if you gave crores you couldn’t build now– The mosque built by Aurangzeb (who happens to be in the most disliked person in jedi’s mind now) which had two minars from which you could see Delhi ka mosque using telescopes – the minars now destroyed, one by some govt. guy and the other by lightning? – can’t remember.

Manikarnika ghat, the famous funeral ghat, where you are not allowed to take photos (we did sneak some), does do complete burnings and the bodies floating in the Ganga (we saw 2) are of 5 types and not half-burnt; pregnant women, sadhus, kids, stung by snake, people with white spots, these people are wrapped in cloth, taken by boat to the middle and put into the ganga; when the binding comes off, they float.

After a while, the ghats get monotonous, though then we tend to focus on how filthy it is. Everyone is taking a bath, lots of people washing their clothes, the sewage flows into the river, the sides of the ghats are covered with rubbish. The houses/mahals etc. facing the river have people living in them who pay a rent of Rs.1 or Rs.2, and who refuse to leave. We turn at the point and head back, this time much slower, against the current. Jedi asks about the panchtirta yatra and the boatboy explains and also gives the spin on kushi gift to the kevats (boatmen), citing Ram and Janaki’s trip, and also how Sita gave her earring. We do the rotate the money over your head 5 times before giving.

After a while, he says your time is up (it was supposed to be a 2 hr ride, and it was 2 hrs, but we weren’t back where we started.) We get off at a ghat, not very far off from where we started, but Saurabh is not happy. We walk back along the ghats, only to see human shit along with the quintessential cow dung; see a dog shitting for added measure; sewage pipes gushing sewage into the ganga. Major mind fuck. Jedi and Saurabh have discussion on how filthy it was; Jedi says it just adds degree of complexity and faith to it. We walk through the wood stacks at Manikarnika, between cows and cow dung. By the time we reach Dasawamedha, the mind is raped. Have breakfast and come fall asleep in the room. Jedi calls it the Ganga gutter. No power point in the room, so can’t charge stuff.

Wake up in the afternoon and laze around. Saurabh suggests skipping Bihar and heading straight for Nepal. Jedi says lets finish the ‘circuit’ – Jedi wants to see Nalanda, though he knows he’s headed for more sorrow! – it being sacked by the Afghans (tsk tsk) in the 12^th century.

Evening, find out where daal mandi is and walk to it. one street where you get everything on earth, including mutton! Jedi does his thing and buys two dvds! Return and the ghats towards the south side. See a film being shot - tamil soundtrack - digital video. Jedi get approached by a dealer; jedi refuses - what days are here! from a person who would hunt and score to refusing a free sample and buy if u like deal.

Go wait for the ganga pooja - it starts for a while, when it starts drizzling - everyone evacuates. we head out for some chai and return when the drizzle stops and the puja starts. like Karthickaye said, quite a polysensorial experience - makes more sense when you know what the different rituals stand for - fire for fire element, water for water element, flowers for earth element, agarbatti for wind element, conch for ether element. Jedi joins along whereever he can.

Return to find our phones charged, partially atleast - had managed to learn that we can use the reception place to charge our stuff, only when awake though. Eat dinner while we charge laptops. retire to watch new films before battery runs out and pass out.