Aventures Bicyclétales ...

country overview, map and followed itinerary, the journal with the best pictures,    [chap 4] the highlight, what I liked / didn't like, useful information.
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Country overview (as of November 2008)

• Capital city : New Delhi.
• Area : ~ 3,287,590 km2 (= 5 x France).
• Population : ~ 1,095 million inhabitants (= 17 x France).
• Density : 324 inhabitants / km2. 

• Language : Hindi and English.
• Religions : Hinduism (82%), Islam (12%), Christianism (2%) and Sikhism (2%).
• Human Development Index (HDI) : 0.611, the 126th country out of 177. What is HDI ?

• Government : Federal Republic.
• President : Pratibha Patil (since July 2007).
• Prime minister : Manmohan Singh (since May 2004).

• Growth rate in 2007 : 7.3%.
• Currency : Indian Roupee (INR), 1 Euro = ~ 60 Roupees.
• Main imports : oil, gems, chemicals and IT equipment.
• Main exports : jewels, oil, garments, clothes and chemicals.

India map and followed itinerary (in green color)




The travel journal in Northern India with the best pictures :

• My first few days in India,
• Haridwar, Hindu holy city,
• Rishikesh, world capital of Yoga,
• Ponta Sahib and Anandpur, Sikhs holy cities,
• Dharamsala, home of the Dalai Lama and headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile,
• Amritsar, home to Sikhism's holiest shrine the Golden Temple.

Thursday the 6th of November : I cross this morning the Nepali-Indian border of Mahendranagar-Banbasa. The place is quiet, there is no truck, no traffic and very few people. The Nepali border officer sleeps at the back of his hut, 50 m off the road, he has the flu and does not look too well. He asks me for a document I am supposed to have been given upon my entrance in Nepal, but which I don’t have. I must pay a fine …

On the Indian side of the border, I walk by the immigration office without seeing it, I thought this was a restaurant … and it does look like a restaurant actually. I show my passport and wait, wait, wait. It takes forever. The border officer stares at my passport, 5 minutes per page, with deep and intense concentration. What the **** is he doing !? To cut short on this, I propose my help, there is nothing I can’t find in my own passport. I find out the officer is concerned about my visa expiry date, a little more than three weeks from now, which he thinks is too tight to visit India, especially by cycle. So I explain I have no intention to cycle the whole India and will visit only the northern provinces of Uttarankhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. He looks satisfied by the extra information …

I get the magic stamp and I get back in the saddle. My trip in Incredible India is starting now !!

I admit not being very enthusiastic about riding in India, I have heard tons of stories about the horrendous traffic, and frankly speaking, if there was another way around, I would have certainly skipped the country. But stories and reality are two different things. After all, the traffic is not so heavy and not that bad. This part of India actually looks very much like Nepal, so it’s quite a smooth transition !

The road is surprisingly good, with tall trees on both sides. If all the roads of my Indian journey are like this, this is going to be nice and easy …

Below, kids coming back from school, at least ten of them on this rickshaw.



Well, well, well … I may have been a bit too quick in assessing positively traffic in India, as when you get near a town, even a small town, it becomes a real challenge to make your way safely through the overcrowded and dusty streets. I experienced it first hand today, as while a I was passing another bicycle, well on my side of the road, a Jeep coming the other way came crashing onto the right side of my bike, sending my front pannier flying in the air. I did not fall, and damages looked minor, so I quickly cycled away before the curious crowd completely surrounded me.


Friday the 7th of November : After 110 km, I arrive in Afzalgarh to find out that the nearest accommodation is 40 km back from where I come from. No way … and after a bit of asking here and there, I finally meet up with the Sikh spiritual leader of the town, who invites me to stay at his place for the night.

It is the perfect opportunity to learn more about Sikhism, widely present in the North of India.

Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century, it began as a reaction against the caste system. Sikhs believe in one god, in rebirth and Karma, but strongly reject the worship of idols. Fundamental to Sikhs is the concept of Khalsa, or belief in a chosen race of soldier-saints who abide by strict codes of moral conduct (abstaining from alcohol, tobacco and drugs) and engage in a crusade for righteousness. There are 5 emblems denoting the Khalsa brotherhood : the unshaven beard and uncut hair, the comb, the loose underwear, the sword and the steel bangle. On the right, with Coolpit, Sunny and Gulprit (usually much more smiley than on the picture) just before I left the next morning.

Saturday the 8th of November : I leave early this morning as I plan to reach Haridwar tonight, 125 km away. The road is flat, but the wind is strong …

By mid-afternoon, I am riding through the Rajaji National Park. Monkeys are lined up along the road, sitting and watching human craziness passing by. I cannot help but wonder what they think of us, humans, when they see those mad trucks speeding and honking as if their life was depending on it. A little further, this is a herd of wild elephants blocking the traffic …

Haridwar is a small city, to Indian standards, with about 200,000 inhabitants. Its streets are incredibly crowded and noisy. Most of the vehicles are honking for no good reason, just to be part of the “concert” as it seems.






Below on the left, two movies showing on the screens of Haridwar’s cinemas.

 

Today, Indian’s film industry is the biggest of the world –larger than Hollywood- and Mumbai, the Hindi-language film capital is affectionately dubbed Bollywood. Bollywood has a worldwide audience of around 3.7 billion, as compared with Hollywood’s estimated 2.6 billion.


Below, in upper road ...




Haridwar is located at the point where the Ganges emerge from the Himalaya. Haridwar is Uttarakhand’s holiest Hindu city and pilgrims come here to bathe in the often fast flowing Ganges.



Above and below, Har-ki-Pairi Ghat (The Footstep of God) is where Vishnu is said to have dropped some heavenly nectar and left a footprint behind. As such, it is very sacred to Hindus and the place to wash away your sins.



Below, another popular Ghat, with a colorful temple right behind.




Monday the 10th of November : I leave Haridwar for Rishikesh today. It is a small ride of 30 km following the Ganges upstream.

Ever since the Beatles rocked up at the ashram of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the late 60s, Rishikesh has been a magnet for spiritual seekers. Today it styles itself as the “yoga capital of the world” –with some justification- as there are masses of ashrams and all kinds of yoga and meditation classes.

Below, facing the Ganges, is the Shri Trayanbakshwar Hindu temple.




Below, Parmarth Niketan ashram ...



Below on the left, some pilgrims visiting … and on the right, it is Hanuman, the King of the monkeys (symbolizing devotion) and in blue, I think it is Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu sent to earth to fight for good and combat evil.
 


Hinduism is not a religion easy to apprehend for a novice, and most of the time it is quite a mystery to decipher who is represented under this form and why ? All Hindu deities are regarded as a manifestation of Brahman, who is often described as having three main representations : Brahma (creator of the universe), Vishnu (the preserver or sustainer) and Shiva (the destroyer, but without whom creation could not occur). Each of those three deities has, again, several different representations and multiple appearances … with more or less heads and arms. It's very confusing ...




Wednesday the 12th of November : I stop tonight in Ponta Sahib, a small town famous as the childhood home of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru.

Below, my welcome party when I arrived in Ponta Sahib …




And just as in Haridwar few days ago, there is a parade going through the city tonight, with decorated carts, lights, live bands and even camels !! This is quite unexpected …



 


Thursday the 13th of November : since yesterday already, I ride next to the foot of the Himalaya, and occasionally I climb a few very steep hills : it’s all or nothing, either it’s flat or it’s going up 10%. The road condition is quite poor, with many holes and a lot of dust … far too much dust, I really don’t like it.

Below on the left, when arriving in Chandigarh : « accident prone area » … and on the right, an advertisement for the « Hero » bicycles : Become a hero, ride a hero !! Well, this one was easy …




Chandigarh is quite a large city, with nearly a million people. It was built as the new capital of Punjab following the partition with Pakistan and, in the words of Nehru (independent India’s first prime minister), as “an expression of the nation’s faith in the future”. Le Corbusier, the French-Swiss architect, designed it all, with low-rise buildings, wide streets, roundabouts at every corners and several huge parks … all the opposite of the other Indian cities I have seen so far.

Whatever were the intentions, the result is disappointing. The city does not look finished and, on the other hand, some buildings seem to be already on the verge of collapse. Building is one thing, finishing and maintaining is another. And some anomalies are truly appalling, such as the missing sidewalks along many streets, or the missing direction signs next to the roundabouts …


Saturday the 15th of November : I am leaving for Anandpur Sahib this morning, and the closer I get to destination, the bigger the Gurdwaras become …



… and as a matter of fact, Anandpur Sahib is the Sikh’s second holiest site. It was founded by 9th guru Tegh Bahadur in 1664 and has been a pilgrimage site ever since.



Below, Kesgarh Sahib Gurdwara ...




Sunday the 16th of November : the road is clean today … no more dust, at last. I was really becoming sick of eating it all the time ! There are no more holes either, and signs are regularly posted, which is quite a change … but this is no miracle, this portion of road was built by a private company, is currently maintained by the same company, and motorists have to pay a fee for it.

Below on the left, a road sign from the Rohan Rajdeep company … and on the right, the first sign announcing Dharamsala.




Monday the 17th of November : I have climbed quite a bit yesterday, and this morning I leave from an elevation of about 1,000 m. Since Dharamsala is 1,200 m high, I believe most of the climb is now behind me …

Well, actually no ! After just half an hour and a nice downhill, I am back at 500 m … back at the bottom, back at the starting point.



I climb more than a 1,000 m to get back to this morning elevation. Climbs are very steep, the Himalaya is starting to show in the background, it’s a wall, with peaks as high as 5,000 m and more. When I finally reach Dharamsala, I realize the guesthouses and hotels are all in the small village of Mc Leod Ganj, just above, at an elevation of 1,800 m, 600 m higher … so 600 m more to climb ...

 


Tuesday the 18th of November - Saturday the 22nd of November : Dharamsala is best known as the home of the Dalai Lama. Following the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the violent oppression which followed, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, made the decision to flee his homeland and seek sanctuary in India, where he was granted asylum in 1959.

Below, prayer flags at the foot of the Dalai Lama's residence ...



Dharamsala is also the official headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile, with a dedicated team of politicians and legal experts fighting for liberation and the rights of those still oppressed in Tibet … just a couple hundred kilometers behind those mountains (picture below) !



Below, a sign requesting the liberation of the Panchen Lama, kidnapped with his family by the Chinese authorities in 1995 when he was only 6 years old.



Below, two signs calling for mass protests during the Beijing Olympic Games.



Below, a Tibetan monk with “release political prisoners” written on his back. It is widely believed there are currently several hundreds political prisoners in Tibet, most of them Buddhist monks and nuns.
 

Since the Chinese People’s Liberation Army marched into Lhasa to liberate the Tibetan people from their land, human rights and culture, between 600,000 to 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed, 6,000 monasteries were destroyed and about 90% of Tibet’s cultural heritage has been destroyed.

Despite all those crimes, the Dalai Lama has always remained committed to a non-violent policy, going as far as stating he could not hate the Chinese because it is their own ignorance that motivates them to harm Tibetans. As a true practitioner of religion, the Dalai Lama considers his enemy to be his greatest friend, because only he can help to develop patience and compassion. This is what I call true wisdom …

However, China never could nor wanted to raise its game to this level, and the negotiation talks between the Dalai Lama’s envoys and China representatives have recently reached a dead-end. Since then, the Tibetan government in exile is re assessing its strategy, evaluating the pros and contras of autonomy within China Versus full independence from China.

Below, young Tibetan monks. In just a few days in Dharamsala, I have met many, many more Tibetan monks than during the whole month I spent in Tibet !



Below, Tsechokling monastery in Mac Leod Ganj. Tibetan monasteries in and out of Tibet look quite the same, but I have noticed a few important differences. Here, there are actually monks living in the monastery, and not just one or two to open the door and show the tourists around. The Tibetan flag is flying on the roof, the Dalai Lama picture is next to the Buddha statue … and there is no Chinese police station next to the entrance.




Sunday the 23rd of November : I leave Mac Leod Ganj this morning, and I come down the mountains pretty abruptly, as I was ill-advised to take a downhill shortcut which, I soon discovered, had slopes as steep as 22% ! Obviously, with the weight of the bike, this was a no-go, clearly not rideable … and even barely walkable !

Below, in the valley at the foot of Dharamsala and Mac Leod Ganj.



Five days without riding, this is long, too long, and I must admit I am glad to be back on the bike today, I just have too much riding energy to convert in kilometers !! (maybe a side-effect of the three brownies a day I have been eating).

I arrive in Pathankot (90 km) around 2.00 PM, but instead of staying here as planned, I just carry on … I did not have enough yet. Finally, I stop in Gurdaspur after riding an extra 40 km, and I sleep in the village’s dharamsala (literally the pilgrim’s house) for the very reasonable price of 15 Rupees (30 Euro cents). At this rate, only free would be cheaper …


Monday the 24th of November : today there is only 75 km left before Amritsar. It’s a short riding day, but it’s quite an exhausting day, with lots of traffic, lots of dust and more of those mad-buses threatening the life of every other person on the road …

Below on the left, the gate of Gurdaspur’s dharamsala ... and on the right, a Hindu temple on the side of the NH15.




I arrive in Amritsar early afternoon, and I soon realize this is the largest Indian city I have ever been to, with more than a million people … and with a lot of dust in the air, again and again, more and more !!




Tuesday the 25th of November : Amritsar was founded in 1577 by the fourth guru Ram Das and Amritsar is home to Sikhism’s holiest shrine, the Golden Temple.

Below, the eastern entrance of the Golden Temple, with a few pilgrims bathing in the holy pool.



No shoes and covered head are the rules inside the Temple area … as in any other Gurdwara.



And here it is, the Golden Temple with its reflection in the holy pool surrounding it.



The history of the Golden Temple is a rather hectic one, as is the history of the Sikh community who suffered numerous persecutions all along. The Golden Temple was destroyed a first time in 1761 by the Muslim Mughals … and it was heavily damaged again in 1984 by the Indian army, while evicting Sikhs separatists who wanted to create an independent Sikh homeland. This later military operation authorized by Indira Gandhi lead her to her death, assassinated by her Sikh bodyguard. Blood calls for blood, violence calls for more violence … and the Mahatma Gandhi (not related to Indira Gandhi), non-violent advocate, himself murdered, must be restlessly turning in his grave. What a world !

Wednesday the 26th of November : I continue the visit of Amritsar ... a city with a rich historical past, as the wall shown on the right testifies. This wall is at the back of the Jallianwala Bagh park and still bears today bullet marks testifying of the carnage of 1919. At that time, there were massive protests in Amritsar against the Rowlatt act, which gave British authorities emergency powers to imprison without trial Indians suspected of sedition. General Dyer was called upon to restore order to the city. On 13 April 1919, 20,000 Indians were holding a peaceful demonstration in Jallianwala Bagh, an open space surrounded by high walls. Dyer arrived with 150 troops and without warning ordered his soldiers to open fire. Six minutes later, more than 400 people were dead, and a further 1,500 were wounded. A folly ... ... which galvanized Indian nationalism. Gandhi responded with his program of civil disobedience, announcing that cooperation in any shape or form with this satanic government was sinful.

India was finally granted independence in 1947, but only after partitioning the Hindu provinces (today’s India) and the Muslim provinces (Pakistan and Bangladesh). The decision to divide the country into separate Hindu and Muslim territories was immensely tricky – indeed the question of where to draw the line proved almost impossible. Some areas were clearly Hindu or Muslim, but others had evenly mixed populations, and there were isolated “islands” of communities in areas predominantly settled by other religions. The problem was particularly acute in Punjab, with large Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities. The new border ran straight between Punjab’s two major cities : Lahore and Amritsar. Punjab contained all the ingredients for an epic disaster, but the resulting bloodshed was far worse than anticipated. Huge population exchanges took place. Trains full of Muslims, fleeing westward, were held up and slaughtered by Hindu and Sikh mobs. Hindus and Sikhs fleeing east suffered the same fate. By the time the Punjab chaos had run its course, more than 10 million people had changed sides and at least 500,000 had been killed. Another folly of humankind, not so kind after all, which pushed India and Pakistan to quickly develop their own nuclear weapons, and to fight fiercely for the unsettled Kashmir issue.

Breaking news : tonight, just a few hours ago, several terrorist attacks were conducted in Mumbay, leaving more than a hundred persons dead and 300 wounded … and India, right or wrong, is already pointing its finger at Pakistan !


Thursday the 27th of November : I leave India this morning, and I cross its border with Pakistan in Wagah, the only crossing between both countries (see the white line below going from left to right).






The highlight in Northern India 

It’s, without a doubt, all the traffic on the road : vehicles, people and animals all together share this narrow stretch of bitumen covered in dust in an amazing craziness. Expect the unexpected is the basic survival rule, and it requires as much concentration as imagination. It can be two trucks coming out of a blind curve side by side, a bus passing a truck, passing a rickshaw, passing a bicycle, passing a pedestrian, some goats, buffaloes, cows, donkeys, horses pulling overloaded carts, camels, elephants, monkeys, a collapsed bridge, a flooded road, a broken road, a fallen tree … or a bus with a flat tire and the 80 passengers around, or a truck under reparation with both the engine and the gear box on the road with sticky oil all around. Everything is possible, everything can happen … and everything does happen. The most common scary situation is when a group of vehicles are passing each other in both directions, at the same time and at the same place, using all the width of the road and even going beyond, sending more dust in the air and honking like hell, as if their life was depending on it … well, actually it does, and nasty crashes do happen regularly. Riding in India is overwhelming … and nervously exhausting !!




What I liked / didn't like in Northern India

I liked	I did not like
people	DUST
bright colors all around	light grey skies
white Gurdwaras	dangerous behaviors on the road
delicious cuisine and sweet pastries	women as second roles
sweet milk tea	this Bollywood actor who can be on several TV channels at the same time, saving the world on one and selling soaps on the other. Pathetic …
monkeys, elephants, eagles and perrots on the side of the road ... and sometimes on the road

Useful information about Northern India