Gandhi once queried what the world had gained from rapid transportation. Chaos was his response and no place is this more true than India. Along that vein Ill be cycling the last leg of my trip and using Gandhi's preferred mode of long distance transport, second class rail.

Kolkata

Indian rail

 Ten rupee (20 cent) blessings

The map I am using indicated a road between two towns but a gap of ~2 miles over a small mountain pass was passable only by a small trail. With the delay of carrying my bike over the pass I ended up stranded at dusk in a small village. I was relieved to find a temple happy to accommodate, feed, and give me a tour of their 6th century shrine to the Hindu god Shiva.

 Evening ablution

My gracious hosts

Visiting a boarding school supported in part by Actionaid