Sunday, June 21, 2009

Day 104 - June 20 - Gorakpur to Varanasi

June20Ad at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Travel Community

GPS in the fone kept on crashing! So only party of the trail got recorded....

219 KMs Trip meter 13368 KMs

On alarm its still not easy to get up. Feel the weakness and cramps. But bettor than the previous day. Since it was only 200 kms for the day got lazy and was like 10 am when i started. Boy was it hot. I heard varanasi may be slightly cooler due to the river. The supposed to be good road is interlaced with good and rough patches. Its hot every where. Its dry air. All the people, though not wearing helmets wear this cloth around their head to protect from the sun. Progress is very slow. Manage only 100 kms in 3 hours and i am hungry now! but its a torcher as i don't find any place to eat. I see all kinds of shops but not hotels! I even find a computer center in one of the town's out skirts but not a hotel.

Was craving for hotel badly. Now lowered my comfort zone real low and just looked for any place to eat where i can sit and shade and watch over my bike. It was frustrating when i passed a town. There were two nice restaurants but not place to par the bike! Cursing i rode on. Finally gave in to a truck dhaba. Rice and curry and couple of tomatoes, cucumber and fanta does it for me. Pretty happy feeling full i ride a bit and there is this nice cool restaurant with parking as well! Then one more! hehe could only laugh it out. And what do you know its like 4 hours i left and still 100 kms to go. Its getting hotter and hotter. Now more or less ride continuously and reach Varanasi by 4.30 pm. Its not just a town its a city too. But as i wanted to stay near the ghat, Assi ghat in particular as i had heard of some hotels there. As i went into the smaller roads, man O man it was scary. People, vehicles come from all directions. It was damn hot, i was tired and the uncertainty of a new city. Kinda felt like crying :D Finally reached Assi ghat. Take a couple of pix and now to find hotel. All the good hotels with AC did not have parking. Found one hotel 'Temple on Ganges' who had some pseudo parking as it was in a enclosed area, i settled for it. The room even had a view of Ganges. No AC though. Heard its offseason around here.

Take some rest. Try out a evening walk to the ghat couple of minutes away. It was hard walking as i was still not fully recouparated. It was pretty hot as well. And i have Paani puri :D Felt good after a long time. Noting much to do here, or rather i can do, so just back to the room for rest. Have to get up early tomm for a boat ride to view all the Ghats.


The Bustling city of Gorakpur still not very active in the morning...








Long dry roads...



Its so dry, is farming possible? Do i see a truck wheelie there? :D




Trying to bring life...




Some good roads...




People where these cloths to protect themselves from the sun...




Dry, hot road...




In Varanasi city...




At Assi ghat... some gyan...




My bike there with Ganga river in the background...




An evening walk on the Ghat...




The river and the Ghats one next to each other...




GangaMahal Ghat next to Assi Ghat...




Not so clean though...




Chat!! yeppie!!


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed your description of feeling the heat and hunting for a place to stay at Assi Ghat. I love
Varanasi, but can't imagine it so hot. I was boiling
there in September two years ago. November is about perfect.

Praveen said...

Anon: It was 46 when i was there. 10 am to 4pm bettor to be indoors over there! You are right, i liked being there too, prolly will visit next time in bettor season.