The monsoon has not yet started in northern India.  They tell me that the rains are 19 days late now (obviously they mark the start of the monsoon from July 1).  I'm told that one day the rains will start and they will not stop again for 3 months.  Everyone is looking forward to the start of the rain, including me.  It's bound to be a little cooler at least :-)

I crossed the border from Nepal at Sunauli and immediately encountered the challenging Indian roads.   I can't even begin to describe what it's like driving in India, so I'm not going to try.  Instead I'll leave it up to your imagination.  Imagine the worst possible roads, full of potholes, bad patches, and washboard.  Then on each side of the road add pedestrians and every kind of animal possible - dogs, cows, pigs, elephants, camels, even bears on leashes.  Now add all kinds of vehicles - cars, mopeds, carts, and bicycles.  And every once in a while throw in a medium sized city of several million people and the associated gridlock.  Stir everything up and cook at 115 degrees.  Are you picturing that?  Well it's even worse than that!  I'm not exaggerating.  Riding here is as bad as everything I've heard.  Each day is a matter of survival rather than enjoyment.  And all too often as I'm riding I see the consequences of these crazy roads - cars and trucks smashed and crumpled, left on the side of the road because no one wants them anymore, or perhaps as a reminder to drive sanely.

My first day in India I rode 300 kms from the border to Varanasi and I was worn out - physically and mentally exhausted.  Happily the next day was a free day in Varanasi to recuperate. I spent the day visiting the temples and enjoying a sunrise boat ride on the Ganges and relaxing somewhere cool.  Varanasi is a sacred city and it was full of pilgrims who walked from many miles away to pray here.  The streets into and out of the city are crowded with these pilgrims dressed in orange and singing and chanting as they walk.

To say the least, I was not looking forward to my next day's ride - another 300 kms to the dirty and crowded city Kanpur.  There isn't anything to see or do in this city, but it's the only spot to stop between Varanasi and Agra.  I got an early start to try to beat some of the heat, and arrived in Kanpur at about 3 PM, during the hottest part of the day.  There wasn't much I could do that afternoon but try to stay cool in my dirty hotel room.

The next day I rode another 300 kms to Agra and found a very nice hotel for a couple of nights.  Agra is the home of the Taj Mahal as well as several other interesting sights.  And unlike some of the other Indian cities I had visited, Agra seemed relatively clean and green.  It was an enjoyable place, as long as I stayed inside in the air condition during the hot part of the day.

I visited the Taj Mahal in the early evening.  It is a beautiful spot and the late sun gave a warm glow to the buildings.  Even at that time of day the white marble was so hot on my bare feet that I had to run between shady spots!  I would have preferred to keep my shoes on but like all temples and mosques I was required to remove them before entering.

The next morning I visited the Agra Fort, an old fort and palace from the 13th century.  The fort was just as amazing as the Taj with its inlaid stone work and beautiful architecture.  While it's not as polished as the Taj, I enjoyed the fort more because it was more accessible and not so intimidating.

After my visit in Agra I got back to my daily routine - leave early in the morning to get most of my riding done before the heat, arrive at my destination and find a cool spot to wait out the sun.  Leaving at 6 AM the next day I got to Jaipur around 11, just when things were getting hot.  I checked email and rested in the afternoon until things cooled down, then walked around the city after the sun set.  Jaipur is surrounded by ancient forts on the hills above the city.  Within the city are palaces and temples constructed with sandstone.  It's called the Pink City because of the red stone used in all the buildings.  Still, it was the hottest place I've visited yet, with the afternoon temperature over 46C.

It may sound like my ride in India has been complete hell.  While it has had its challenges, there have been enjoyable things as well.  For one, it's very easy to find vegetarian food.  Most Hindus are vegetarian so my dietary preferences are not unfamiliar here.  And many people here speak at least a little English.  Many of the road signs are only in Hindi, but there are some English signs and even newspapers.  Also, the Indian people are very friendly and helpful.  They are eager to help when I stop and ask directions - something that I do many times each day :-)

Sometimes the people can be so friendly and curious that it's overwhelming.  The other day I stopped in a small town to buy some water.  Within minutes of stopping there were more than 100 people (really, I counted them) gathered around my bike.  They packed in so closely I could not move.  They just stood there watching me clean my glasses, wipe the sweat and mud from my face, and drink some water.  No one in the crowd spoke English so I couldn't talk with them.  After I finished my routine, I got out my camera and took a picture of the smiling and waving crowd gathered around my bike.  Then I climbed back on the bike and rode away as the crowd parted before me.  This experience is similar to what happens everywhere I stop in India.

Today I began riding to Delhi at 6 AM.  Surprisingly, today's ride was almost enjoyable :-)  The temperatures in the morning were mild (only about 90 degrees :-) and the traffic was light until I approached Delhi and hit construction delays.  Even with the delays I got to Delhi by 10 AM - in time for a shower and a late breakfast.  Over the next couple of days I need to arrange shipping for my bike.

You may be asking why I'm shipping my bike again.  I had originally planned to ride through Pakistan and Iran after India.  However, I was unable to obtain an Iranian visa.  The Iranians did not want to issue me a visa unless I paid for a guided escort through the country.  The guide would have followed me in a car making sure I didn't stray from my stated itinerary.  It would have cost me about $100 a day for the guide, plus his meals, lodging, and gas.  I was not willing to accept those costs or the hassles of towing a guide around so I decided not to visit Iran or Pakistan.  So that means that I now have to ship my bike from India to Turkey.  I'm trying to get started with the shipping arrangements now.  After that I'll head north into Kashmir and the Himalaya mountains for about 10 days before returning to Delhi and shipping the bike.

And speaking of my bike, it does not like the heat any more than I do.  The combination of the extreme heat and poor gas is causing it to ping badly under load.  I have to be careful when moving from a stop or I get extreme detonation.  Also, my front brake had been sticking, which was not fun in the heavy traffic.  So the other day I disassembled the front brake lever and cleaned and greased everything up.  It seems to be working much more smoothly now.  Other than that, the bike is running good.  Today on the ride to Delhi I even managed to get into 4th gear and cruise at around 70 mph for a while.  I hadn't done that since Thailand, and it felt good!

I'm looking forward to the mountains and the cooler temperatures.  Stay tuned for my next report on the Himalayas.

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