After a month of paperworks and waiting around in Delhi - all is set to GO! On day one, I am riding to Mathura! Riding from Mathura to Lucknow - the heart and capital of Uttar Pradesh.
Boring highways, gorgeous buildings and greasing chains is what this episode is about. Round 2 of the journey towards Myanmar and beyond! Leaving pretty Lucknow behind and riding onwards to the holy city of Varanasi to attend a Ganga Aarti ceremony. This episode is all about struggles with holy cows, riding through a National Park and not seeing all the incredible wildlife that Wikipedia says lives there and visiting one of the most important Buddhist sites in the world: the place where Buddha became Buddha.
After staying the night in Bodhgaya - the place where Prince Siddharta reached enlightenment and became Buddha - I am riding to Vaishali. About 55 kilometers north of Patna, in the state Bihar, this place is known for its ruins.
On the way I am passing through Nalanda - but my plan for Nalanda didn't quite work out My Royal Enfield Himalayan is performing very well so far, but like any bike with a chain - you need to keep on eye on it to make sure it is tight enough. In this episode I am tightening the chain for the first time.
It was probably spending a full month in Delhi. That just killed my lungs. I picked up a bad cough that is still lingering until now. The pollution in India is bad. After studying the map I realised that my best shot at fresh air would be hill station Darjeeling. Google maps proudly announced that would be an 11 hour ride.
