On the road to Varanasi

Date: Jan 04, 2010

Cash crisis averted. There is an amusing situation in India: the ATM machine gives out 500Rs notes but the coffee vendor charges 3Rs. The vendors don't have suitable change. Small notes and coins are hard to find and we've found we couldn't buy from some vendors. So we've begun aggressively collecting coins and small notes (mostly 10Rs). Tonight we were rewarded by feasting at the stalls in Mau. Battered hard boiled egg, vegetable mix burger, fried egg plant, 3Rs coffee, and three grown men were well fed for less than 50Rs ($1). The rick went really well this afternoon/evening and we're keen to pack on the miles tomorrow. First to Varanasi to see dead people float on a river, then onwards south-west.
Location: Gorakhpur - Uttar Pradesh, India (Left at 16:15)

Road to Varanasi is a minefield of massive potholes. Our new engine can do 60kmh instead of just 40kmh, woohoo! Unfortunately the route 29 south has so much big truck traffic and is littered with crater potholes that we aren't often permitted to enjoy it's awesomeness. It's day 3 and approaching night time. Previously this is when we break down for a few hours. Let's cross our fingers.@
Location: Gorakhpur - Uttar Pradesh, India (Left at 11:39)

Finally found road to Varenasi at 4:15 English sign, 210 km to go. Here we come!
Location: Gorakhpur - Uttar Pradesh, India (Left at 10:32)

Wrong direction! We followed instructions from a man and confirmed it (albeit poorly) with 3 people along the road but we still went 10 km down the wrong road going west, when we are aiming east and south. We're back on the edge of Gorukhpur, having our front wheel looked at and getting new directions. Now 3:13 and no closer to Varanasi.
Location: Gorakhpur - Uttar Pradesh, India (Left at 09:29)

We are off and racing! It's now 2:30 and we are on the road to Varanasi. 200 km and at least 6 hrs of driving. Once again we will roll into town after dark.@
Location: Gorakhpur - Uttar Pradesh, India (Left at 08:42)

It's alive! Sort of. The boys came back with new piston and head, and by 1:15pm we pulled the starter lever and it sprang to life! But there was a death rattle, so the head and piston are back off.
Location: Gorakhpur - Uttar Pradesh, India (Left at 07:40)

Now noon and our rick has been towed into Gorukhpur to find a Bajaj mechanic. Rob found one whilst Greg and Nic fielded thousands of questions from the few locals who spoke English and watched by a much larger crowd of others. Our luggage is only loosely thrown in back of rick, not strapped to roof rack, so need to constantly watch it all. Rob and Greg have gone back to mechanics workshop to get new piston for engine as old one has holes in it!
Location: Gorakhpur - Uttar Pradesh, India (Left at 06:19)

We have a plan to rescue our rick. We started today with breakfast, unlike yesterday, which gave us some planning time to figure out how we are getting 20km back to our rick and get it to a Bajaj mechanic. We'd stupidly left our map of India in the back of the rick, so we drew a simple map [Gorukhpur ------ India/Nepal border] and asked a hotel manager to tell us the name of the town were our rick probably is. We have no idea - it was dark and no one understands most English. We waved down a heavy duty desiel rickshaw and negotiated 600 Rs to take us to Gigigang. Hopefully on the way we find our rick on the side of the road and the nearest Bajaj mechanic.
Location: Gorakhpur - Uttar Pradesh, India (Left at 03:12)