Sasha_4

Today we woke early to cycle towards Bodh Gaya in Bihar state. it was raining but by the time we actually loaded up the bikes ready to push them up and out of the labyrinth of lanes in the old city the rain was just lightly drizzling and all the mud and various droppings in the lanes meant we had to be really careful.

We had just got out of the lanes and were cycling along the wet street. we made our way to the river where we managed to follow a local guy on a bike and cross the railway bridge, despite the fact that it was supposed to be closed for vehicles and we had been warned that we should take the ferry. On the other side the road was still a mess and our progress was slow despite the flatness of the terrain.

We had been hesitant in general about cycling into Bihar. It is the poorest sate in India and famous for crime and dacoits. After reading about the many corruptions, caste warfare and banditry in the state I suggested we never cycle there, and yet here we were. The chief minister of the state has been found guilty of all kinds of criminal charges, and when he was forced to stand down temporarily because of corruption, he replaced himself with his illiterate wife! Add to this that everyone will tell you Bihar is “very backwards place” and is notorious for armed robberies and naxalite violence. We were well on track to be safely in a hotel by nightfall and the people we met on the way all seemed very nice. No aggression at all, just staring. We found the cheapest ever lunch we have had on the trip; 12 rupees for a thali of rice, 2 veg, and daal.

The guys at the dhaba were very friendly and watched with amusement as we got out our rain jackets and ordered a chai to delay setting off into the rain which had then become quite heavy. By the time we arrived in Sasaram I was really tired the road had become totally clogged with trucks and buses. They were building the bypass for the town but in the mean time everything was still piling straight through into the mess of potholes and mud with their horns blaring. What a dump we thought. We found a crappy mosquito filled hotel which did at least have a nice manager and I collapsed under the mosquito netting.