Border Crossing
Trip Start
Mar 07, 2009
1
6
69
Trip End
Apr 08, 2010
Birganj, Nepal
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Today we set off for India. Got dropped off and seen onto the correct local bus by the bloke at our hotel which was helpful because there were loads of buses and I think we would have struggled otherwise. The ride was pretty bumpy but we got seats, many others didn't, so we couldn't complain. Took about 4 hrs and we managed to get through customs without paying our 12 pound departure tax which doesn't seem much but that is a days budget so we were pleased with that.
We were expecting the change from Nepal to India to be pretty chaotic but we were not prepared for this experience. It was incredible, the change from easy going serene Nepal to absolutely mental India in just a few steps. It was like walking into a zoo I kid you not people were crapping in the street, seriously! The guide book had no map so we had no clue what we were doing, it was about 40 degrees while we slogged our kit about aimlessly while literally hundreds of people on rickshaws (bikes with passenger seats) and horse drawn carriages surrounded us touting for business. We had been warned that many people stare at Westerners but it was obscene. They wouldn't even try to hide it, I gave up trying to out psyche them in the end they just didn't care. We managed to find a ticket office for the ongoing bus to Patna but had to wait at the bus station for 5 hrs. There was no waiting room or anything so had to sit outside having staring contests with 8 year old girls etc. At this stage I think we both would have been happy to bring our flight forward 3 weeks but we thought we'd better give the place a chance. Our friends in Chitwan said they were going to return so it surely can't all be like this can it?
