Crossing into India

As we leave Lumbini, we are only about an hour from the Indian border. Once we reached the Nepalese border, we walked 20 meters to the Nepal customs office and once we completed the paperwork, walked another 20 meters to the Indian customs office, changed our Nepalese rupee notes to Indian rupees and off we went. Turns out our tour guide in India is the assistant guide; he'll be escorting us all the way to Varanasi, about an 8 - 10 hour ride by van. Unlike the spacious van we had in Nepal, we're crammed into this little van with all 12 seats taken and no more room for bags inside - they go on top. The roads seem very similar to those in Nepal; lots of honking, daredevil moves, stops and starts. I try to grab a little sleep but it's nearly impossible. We travel through a lot of flat land, rural areas, and a few large cities with the most unbelievable traffic jams we've ever seen. Cars, buses, trucks, cows, sheep, goats, bicycle rickshaws, bikes, motorbikes and pedestrians jockey for positions and somehow, we all make it through. When we reach Varanasi, we're pleased to see that we are staying in a very nice hotel, Hotel Suyra, which is in a very distinguished older building. We are even more delighted to see that the hotel has a reliable supply of hot water and a heater in our room! After the last four nights of no hot water and cold rooms, this is just what we need after being chilled to the bone. After an invigorating hot shower, we join our group for dinner and a nice cup of masala tea to discuss the itinerary for the rest of the trip. We are also treated to a wedding ceremony at the hotel. Turns out this is one of the last days of the wedding season. We

are looking forward to our tour of the Ganges River tomorrow morning, so get to bed early for our 5:30 am wakeup call.