Wandering CrankWandering Crank

Biking the World one crank at a time

India

Kolkata, Repairs and Bangkok

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , , , ,

I would spend Christmas in Kolkata and New Year in Bangkok.  At the same time, I would need to get some bike maintenance done.  The first and it goes back to the same issue I had in Tajikistan with my Rohloff and the screws snapping off.  It cost me a lot of money last time so I am going to risk finding someone in Kolkata who can help.

This task took me over two hours to find the right person; being sent from one metal worker to a motorcycle company and onwards to eventually the ‘lathe shop.’  It was more of an engineering workshop than just a lathe shop.  But on inspecting the broken screws, he picks up a pair of tweezers and coaxes the snapped-off parts out.  A pair of tweezers!  You learn something new each day.

Read On

Trains, buses and entering country number 23

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , , ,

Ideally, I wanted to spend Christmas and New Year in one place and to give me enough time in Bangladesh I need to cut out the journey between Varanasi and Kolkata.  I had booked a ticket with the help of Vibhuti.  However, the ticket was not confirmed.  Something we do not have an issue with within Europe.  You buy a ticket and you have a space on the train.  I also had the issue of booking the bike on the train—something which cannot be done until a few hours before.  Combined with the fact I might not have a confirmed ticket until then either, I had started to worry!

I then found out about the requirement to ‘pack’ the bike.  This means you cover the seat and handlebar with some fabric!  Personally, this is not packing a bike!  They also wanted to place my bike on a train leaving before I left, which I did not want to do until I had a confirmed ticket.  My bike might end up in Kolkata with me in Varanasi!  After going through all the paperwork and discussion my ticket did not get confirmed.

Read On

Subscribe to receive more straight to your inbox.

Varanasi – the Hindu holy city that goes to war

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

Many of the larger cities in India are showing signs of tourism.  Little coffee shops, foreigners always need their latte, and people offering tour packages.  However, Varanasi has managed to buck that trend.  The leadership of the city have found a way of keeping the traditional side of the city whilst allowing for tourism to take place.  Tourism from foreigners is small in comparison to the number of pilgrims who come for a festival of their god(s).

I use gods in its plural form because Hindus have over 33,000 gods in their religion.  That number can be challenged but at the end of the day, I don’t think anyone knows.  They also have a goddess of smallpox, a disease the world managed to eradicate and with good reason.  I should mention, that Shitala, is also worshipped to deliver children from other infectious diseases.  But she is commonly associated with smallpox.

Read On

Back on the road again… but for how long

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , , , ,

I had planned a route via a reservoir and Chitwan, a national park in Nepal.  The route looked as if it would be asphalt with a few nasty climbs.    As soon as I left the main road I discovered the asphalt vanished and the climb was ridiculously steep!  Once again my planning never ceases to amaze me. 

My lungs were struggling.  Dust, smog and lungs still not fully healed.  I was happy at the end of the day setting up a camp on the side of the reservoir.

Read On

Wet tents, temples, and Rishikesh.  Where spirituality clashes with mass tourism.

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

A quick left, a quick right, forward a bit.  Komoot had found a unique way through Delhi and out into the countryside North of Delhi.  Shooting down the back streets of Delhi, you see a different world.  The metre-wide streets are home to small communities within the sprawling city.  They become the playgrounds of children, you will interrupt a game of chase or more likely a small game of cricket.  Easy to score a boundary!

I am heading for a road running along the Ganges canal which heads north.  To get to it I have to traverse the countryside.  Flat cultivated land with irrigation canals all over.  Cycling along the cobbled streets connecting the occasional village you will come across a troop of monkeys.  Don’t stare and they will get out of your way!  The villages have a mixture of very nice houses and old mud-constructed houses, which have seen better days.

Read On

✕