India
India - Round 1 (Pakistan to Nepal)
After 5 long hours, we exited Pakistan and entered India. We made our way to Amritsar where we spent two nights relaxing by the pool and catching up on some bike maintenance. We visited the Golden Temple at dusk, which was spectacular.
From Amritsar onwards, the real fun began. We'd been warned about the Indian traffic, and the warnings were for good reason. City riding was bearable and kind of fun, with shoulder to shoulder, wheel to wheel madness. The real danger came on the two-way highways. Size matters on these roads, and we quickly learned that getting out of the way of anything bigger than us was the only way to survive. Trucks and 4WDs seem to have extremely little regard for human lives, as they frequently overtake each other on blind corners and into oncoming traffic. In one instance, we rounded a bend to see a truck and 4WD side by side coming at us on a section of road about a foot wider than the two of them. We, being wider than the foot we were given, were run off the road at speed and finished up in someone's front yard, somehow still upright.
We encountered quite a few nasty looking wreckages, and decided that we didn't think it was worth being on Indian roads any longer than absolutely necessary so we made for the far west border of Nepal.
Over three days, we travelled through Chandigarh, Haridwar on the Ganges, and Rudrapur. Each leg was only around 200-250 kms, but these took us the better part of the lit hours so we arrived each evening completely exhausted, as well as covered head to toe in dust and diesel fume residue.
The villages, towns and landscapes that we rode through were all very interesting, but we couldn't help feeling like we would have enjoyed it all a little bit more had we travelled in something a little higher up the food chain, like a bus or 4WD. It's definitely the first place that I have felt like that, but with a few near misses the benefits of bike travel seemed outweighed by the risks.
After 5 long hours, we exited Pakistan and entered India. We made our way to Amritsar where we spent two nights relaxing by the pool and catching up on some bike maintenance. We visited the Golden Temple at dusk, which was spectacular.
From Amritsar onwards, the real fun began. We'd been warned about the Indian traffic, and the warnings were for good reason. City riding was bearable and kind of fun, with shoulder to shoulder, wheel to wheel madness. The real danger came on the two-way highways. Size matters on these roads, and we quickly learned that getting out of the way of anything bigger than us was the only way to survive. Trucks and 4WDs seem to have extremely little regard for human lives, as they frequently overtake each other on blind corners and into oncoming traffic. In one instance, we rounded a bend to see a truck and 4WD side by side coming at us on a section of road about a foot wider than the two of them. We, being wider than the foot we were given, were run off the road at speed and finished up in someone's front yard, somehow still upright.
We encountered quite a few nasty looking wreckages, and decided that we didn't think it was worth being on Indian roads any longer than absolutely necessary so we made for the far west border of Nepal.
Over three days, we travelled through Chandigarh, Haridwar on the Ganges, and Rudrapur. Each leg was only around 200-250 kms, but these took us the better part of the lit hours so we arrived each evening completely exhausted, as well as covered head to toe in dust and diesel fume residue.
The villages, towns and landscapes that we rode through were all very interesting, but we couldn't help feeling like we would have enjoyed it all a little bit more had we travelled in something a little higher up the food chain, like a bus or 4WD. It's definitely the first place that I have felt like that, but with a few near misses the benefits of bike travel seemed outweighed by the risks.
The Golden Temple
Just another traffic obstacle - elephant in the roundabout!
Just a little bit wet...
Enjoying a slower pace of a rickshaw
Round 2 - Nepal to Myanmar
The North-East of India proved to be slightly more user friendly than our first experience. We were treated with some amazing scenery and some great roads. We even spent a few hours on uncrowded dual carriageways. The concept of the dual carriageway was somehow lost in India however, and they act as two parallel two-way highways with traffic moving in both directions on both sides. This certainly defeats the purpose, but at least it spreads the traffic out - we were even able to sit on 100 kph for a few stretches. The homicidal driving techniques of the bus and truck drivers were still evident, but with more room to move the escape strategies were easier to come by than those in our North-West leg.
Despite a little extra breathing space in these parts of India, the food was still the standout highlight. An over-abundance of garbage and a complete lack of footpaths makes general day to day activities off the bike slightly unpleasant, so our most memorable times spent in India are eating unbelievably tasty curries and not getting run over by large, fast moving vehicles.
The North-East of India proved to be slightly more user friendly than our first experience. We were treated with some amazing scenery and some great roads. We even spent a few hours on uncrowded dual carriageways. The concept of the dual carriageway was somehow lost in India however, and they act as two parallel two-way highways with traffic moving in both directions on both sides. This certainly defeats the purpose, but at least it spreads the traffic out - we were even able to sit on 100 kph for a few stretches. The homicidal driving techniques of the bus and truck drivers were still evident, but with more room to move the escape strategies were easier to come by than those in our North-West leg.
Despite a little extra breathing space in these parts of India, the food was still the standout highlight. An over-abundance of garbage and a complete lack of footpaths makes general day to day activities off the bike slightly unpleasant, so our most memorable times spent in India are eating unbelievably tasty curries and not getting run over by large, fast moving vehicles.
