On our trip, we experienced different roles in the society. One day we stayed in a 5 star resort for free, another day we camped next to a cow in the yard of a poor villager. These jumps between homes of rich and poor describe the huge gap in the Indian society as well. In the last entry we ended up in a poor private school. You can’t guess, what came next.
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| A new Big Ben in Kolkata |
The weather let us leave the school after some days. We had to hurry to Guwahati, the capital of Assam, because we had a booked train from there in some days.
Our Couchsurfing host was waiting for us in his enormous, luxurious house, next to the campus of a huge private school. He is the principal and his wife is one of the teachers. In the morning, we left a room made of thin metal walls and roof, where students had only basic necessities at the poor school. Half day later, we found ourselves in a fancy home, decorated with souvenirs from all around the world. Their servant was taking care of the food, the snacks, the luggage, the cleaning and the afternoon tea. He loved to make tea for us.
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| Yoga meditation in the school |
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| Huge campus |
The success of the school was a result of hard work. Although, they didn’t use their wealth only on their selfish purposes. With the strong financial background they could do more for the students and for the society. They are members of e.g. the Lions Club which helps the poor with hundreds of projects around the world. Our hosts inspired me with their hard work and their strong will to help kids to get better education and more chances in life.
In Guwahati we didn’t find anything that I would mention here, only the tea, which came from northeast of the capital. We didn’t go the tea plantations, the tea came to us. And we had very interesting talks over cups of bloody good Assam tea with strong liquor. If the tea in Darjeeling is called the champagne of tea, then I must call this the whiskey from Assam. Plain or with milk and sugar - gorgeous!
After some 20 hours on the train, we arrived to Kolkata, our last city in India. And this made me sensitive to the coming farewell. Despite the anger and suffer, that we experienced in the country, I was feeling sad to say goodbye to it. 80 days in India! Uncountable times of honking, spitting, staring and surprising differences between the different regions are all part of our memories. We enjoyed Kolkata - the cultural capital of the country, especially in the evenings. “What Kolkata thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.” We didn’t enjoy the days, though. The 38 degrees Celsius in the room or anywhere outside was unbearable. It was literally burning us alive. By the wind of the ceiling fan, we didn’t feel how much we were sweating, however, after a day we started to have headache from this constant hot wind. But the friendliness of our host made us forget about all the bad things. We were sad to leave their home and India. Only 8 km of cycling was left until we reached the airport.
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| You can choose your form of transportation, you'll stuck with it in the traffic jam anyways |
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| Victoria Memorial Park |
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| Street food means prepaired papaya, watermelon and other fruits too |
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| World's biggest openair bookmarket is in Kolkata |
But that 8 km was terrible. Aggressive, stupid, honking drivers and traffic jam brought back all the bad memories from the Indian roads. Screw it! It’s time to leave! We will never come back… by bicycle!
The conclusion can't be anything else: India and bicycle should not be mentioned in the same sentence. I'm glad to remember our hosts and everyone who helped us on the way as they honestly wanted to make our stay pleasant. It was incredible interesting to discover their perspective of the world, and eating together the masterpieces of the local gastronomy. Indian dishes are truly memorable, but the service and hygiene were awful. Special respect to the cycling club members who believe that India will become a bicycle friendly place, and they are the ones who work for this dream.
The country's development is fast, but the starting point lies very deep. Millions live in tents and can't afford even a pair of slippers. If the development continues and meanwhile the states of India won't break up, then it's worth another visit in 15-20 years. Almost a new generation will grow up by that time, who will hopefully have better education. However, the Northeast is a perfect destination even now. Diversity in tea and cultures, amazing and tall mountains are waiting for the travelers, and I would go back there anytime. As long as I don't have a chance for another visit I hope to find a good Indian restaurant which serves dosa, idli and thali. And at home, I can prepare a fragrant Darjeeling, a strong Assam tea, or a spicy, sweet, milky chai at anytime.
Péter
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