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I flew from Port Blair to Calcutta, thus ending 8 and a half months of solid over-landing. Arrival was a bit of a shock at first - after the peace of the Andamans, the chaos of Sudder Street was overwhelming. With my flight home booked for 17 days, I had no intention of hanging around Calcutta, and had bought my train ticket to Varanasi already, set to leave that night. So, I dropped my camera in to be repaired, and spent the day in the parks watching, trying, and failing to understand cricket. I guess after 6 months in Pakistan and India, there's no hope for this Irishman. The guy did a real DIY job on the camera, somehow managing to fix it with a shirt button and pin. And then I was off to Varanasi.

Last hurrah in the city of the dead

Conor Meleady
2006-08-21 18:49:12

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My plan now was to head to Delhi, do a day of shopping (e.g. battling with the Kashmiris), and then head up to the Sangla Valley in Himachal Pradesh for about 10 days of mountain retreat. My night in Delhi turned into a nightmare, as, after 5 months in India, I finally succumed to 'Delhi Belly'. I couldn't understand how I got sick - I had even been drinking the local water for the last month with no problems. Whatever happened, it really took it out of me, and the thought of a 10-hour train journey to Shimla, and then a 12-hour bus ride to Sangla made my stomach turn even more. Weak as a baby,
Varanasi Full Image
I changed my flight, and was home in 3 days. And so ended my trip.

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And so, I did Rome to Delhi in 9 months. Saw a lot of stuff, met a lot of people.

A few notes......

Longest bus journey - Aliabad to Rawalpindi (Pakistan) 22 hours
Longest train journey - Quetta to Rawalpindi (Pakistan) 34 hours
Longest boat trip - Chennai to Port Blair (India) 60 hours

Top 5 scenic journeys (in chronalogical order)

Split to Dubrovnik (Croatia) - the bus ride down the Dalmatian coast is beautiful, the road hugs the cliff, with a sheer drop down the other side.

Mostar to Sarajevo (Bosnia) - we took the train halfway, and the bus the rest, passing thorugh lush green hills and rivers. Unexpected and beautiful.

Mastuj to Gilgit (Pakistan) - 12 hour bus journey, across the Shandur Pass. My first taste of the really high mountains.

Minapin to Karimabad (Pakistan) - We hitched this route, a couple of hours in the back of a small truck, with the most amazing scenery all around us. And a crazy driver to match.

Malvin to Mapusa (India) - Our first journey through tropical southern India, dominated by palm tress and backwaters.

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