Blog 4 Thursday 30th Jan to Tuesday 11th Feb

CALCUTTA-Kharagpur-Baleswhwar-Panikoili-Puri-GODULPUR.

Ride Time;37.5 HRS
Distance; 405 Miles
Total Distance; 1643 Miles

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Had a week off the bike (30th Jan -5th Feb).Based myself at a good hotel in the heart of Calcutta where the bike was stored safely and took a flight across to Varanasi, which is a city a couple of hundred miles west and well out of my planned cycle route.Varanasi has caught my attention for years.I'm told its the most sacred place for Hindus in the whole of India, and the Ganges river which runs through the centre of the city is the heart of some of the most incredible scenes ever.The 'Ghats'  ,which are basically stone steps which lead down to the river, run along the bank for miles are full of life and activity, mainly people washing and doing their laundry, but also praying, singing, practicing yoga and well, just chilling out really, (and of cause dozens of cows, buffalo and stray dogs, which are just everywhere you go in India).You can hire a rowing boat and just slowly glide along watching it all unfold for a couple of quid an hour (with somebody rowing for you).For Hindus, being cremated on the Ghats and having your ashes spread in the Ganges river is the holiest of ways to 'move on'.I'm told there are buildings full of the elderly who come from all across india to basically just wait to die, for the privilege of being in close proximity and able to be cremated in this fashion.You can watch the cremations from as close as you'd like to get.They say they burn several hundred bodies a day, each one taking a few hours.In the area I was watching there was half a dozen fires going at any one time.The families of the deceased stand and watch the whole procedure from start to finish as the guys that work there poke and prod at the burning body's like a jacket potato in tin foil, making sure they burn proper.Pretty grim stuff, but fascinating to see.



Staying in Calcutta gave me the chance to unwind a little from the riding and get organised by buying a few odds and ends that I struggle to get whilst on the road.Bought a SIM card for my IPhone which is good as I now have internet access all the time.
I didn't find Calcutta particularly interesting.As mentioned before, to me it was the same as hundreds of other towns I'd past through, just on a larger scale.As tourists here are not uncommon, you get a lot of hassle and fuss from touts and people trying to 'help you out'.Gets a bit tiring consistently telling them to politely go away.Once you've shaken one off your back another pounces straight back on.
I moved away from the tourist zone for my final couple days to a 'home stay' which was run by a great guy called Rajarshi (indianvoyagers@yahoo.in) this cost me a fraction of the price, was located in a more residential area and gave a better outlook of the working class people.Rajarshi is an expert of Indian geography and I'm lucky to be able to store his contact number in case of any problems.

Since leaving Calcutta I've been continuing south along the coast.It's getting hotter each day the further south I pass.I miss the cool evenings of Northern India.My big puffer jacket is now stored away at the bottom of the panniers and I get rooms with AC when ever possible.Cant be the invisible man anymore which is a shame.I'm trying to deal with the heat whilst riding by leaving at sunrise (6am) and maximising the cooler hours of the day.By 10am it's roasting.I 'm generally stopping and getting out the sun between 12 and 2pm.By 3pm it starts to cool a little and becomes more tolerable.Drinking a lot more now as well,(not alcohol). Think I'm getting through 10litres+ a day whilst riding.Starting to wish I bought my 'camel back' with bladder and drinking hose, as sometimes I'm continually stopping for water and it breaks the rhythm. My mouth seems to completely dry out within about 20 minutes of riding during hotter parts of the day.

My legs are still going strong.Been giving no trouble at all actually since leaving Calcutta.My arms are starting to ache though which I don't really understand.The pain is through the elbows.Nothing serious, just a niggle that will probably pass.Gonna have to start covering the backs of my hands whilst riding cos they get so burnt.I coat them in 'factor 50 Sun Block but it seems to have no effect.

Had an incredible days riding between Puri and Godalpur.The whole route pretty  much was narrow paths with no traffic at all (other than the occasional motor bike), passing through a district of hundreds of lakes.I had to cross part of the area on a small fishing boat.The whole route was scattered with tiny wooden villages where the locals were net fishing and farming with water buffalo.It was nice to have the country side scenery back cos the 4 days previous had just been 'head down pedalling' along busy national highways.

Writing this blog from a long golden beach in Godalpur, but the scene being ruined by 3 dogs tearing apart the head and legs off a huge sea turtle that's been washed up on the beach.

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