The day all started with the 7 hour bus trip from Pokhara in Nepal to the town on the Indian border, where I was planning on taking another bus to Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace. 30 minutes out of Pokhara on a 6:30am bus, the bus breaks down. In attempt to fix bus, the conductor gets out a 2x4, a hose, and a bucket.

No surprises that doesn't work.

15 minutes later the conductor has hopped a truck heading in the opposite direction back to Pokhara and that's about the point all of us on the bus collectively think "well this is clearly going to take some time".

2 hours later we're off, obviously behind schedule. By this point I started to rethink my decision to stay near the Nepal border overnight, given I'd not get to Lumbini till 5 or 6 at night and I was keen to arrive in India in daylight (therefore not leaving a lot of time to actually do anything worthwhile in Lumbini). I'd made the acquaintance of Diego, an Argentinian guy, and an American couple who were planning on crossing the border straight away to make a train in Gorakhpur (the biggest transport hub near the border, about 2 hours away). Since that was my first destination, from where I would work out how to get to Varanasi, and, hey, safety in numbers - I figured I'd rather cross the border and get myself to Gorakhpur with people after dark than without people in daylight.

So, all of a sudden it's 4:00 pm and Holy Crap I'm In India!

The 6 of us (we pick up 2 French lasses also headed to Varanasi) negotiate for a jeep, rather than a public bus, to take us to Gorakhpur train station. This was to get there faster and more comfortably because "jeep 2 hours, bus 4 hours" we were informed.

The jeep seats 7 people including driver comfortably, with luggage on top. We negotiate, agree, and clearly state the following:

- per person 80 rupees

- to Gorakhpur train station

- ONLY 6 people plus driver in car

I must say I was feeling reasonably smug, or at least a little confident, that all bases were covered with our negotiation here.

So we're loaded up ready to go - 3 in back seat and 3 in the very back seat (including me with empty space next to me) - comfortable enough for "2 hour drive". Driver gives us "no problem, no problem" .

We drive about 20 feet. Car stops. 4 Indian guys get in, including one sitting next to me and 3 sharing the front seat next to driver. Ohhhhhh crap here we go. We protest a bit saying 'we said only 6 people'. But it's not tooooo uncomfortable so... whatever ...go with the flow.

Car drives another 50 feet. Driver's mate walking behind car with new set of luggage & some other guy. They open the back and start making to stuff the bag in the back of the jeep. Diego starts to lose it (he's been to India before) and says no, driver gets very irate and does this "NO!!! 3 people front, 4 people middle seat, 4 people back seat!!!!" and the arguing starts. Diego makes to get out of the car saying he's not happy and will take a bus. We start moving out of the car. Driver starts to concede "Ok, Ok, no problem, no problem. All OK my friend?? " They give the other cat his luggage and the 10 of us (plus driver) head off.

15 miles down the road...jeep pulls over. Driver: "One more person". Diego loses it again. "No! I take the bus, we said 6, we are now 10, that's enough. I pay 80 rupees to make more comfortable I could pay 50 rupees for bus, this is not worth it." Dramatic argument ensues. Driver starts throwing another tantrum. "NO! 4 people in middle seat! Jeep 2 hours, Bus 4 hours!" At which point I chime in that it's taken us 45 minutes to go 20 kilometers (the other Indian passengers loved that). Further arguing and negotiation, price rises, goes back down. "Ok, Ok, no problem, no problem . OK my friend?" "Ok my friend"

S we're back in the car, the westerners uncomfortable about the direction this is going. 30 minutes down the way, jeep pulls into petrol station. I sneak a peak at the gauge which is, indeed, empty. Driver fills up, then demands we pay for the petrol, he has no money for it.

Now all of a sudden the price is 100 rupees per person plus petrol not 80 rupees blah blah etc. We get out of this one by paying part of the fare now (200 rupees between the 6 of us). That's not enough says the driver. Diego points out that there are 4 other passengers in the car, if you don't have the money get it from them. Fierce argument, ok no problem no problem, ok my friend? head wobble wave hands.

Amazingly! the driver manages to make up the rest of the cash and back on the road we go. Time check: about 5:30pm having travelled all of 30 minutes and this whole palaver has taken an hour and a half.

We travel along without incident for another hour - The Most Amazing Sunset Ever was viewed. Chaos on the roads but kinda used to that after easing into it via Russia/Mongolia/China/Tibet/India. Road travel after dark not exactly recommended but hey I'm on the move, completely exhausted (having travelled 12 hours already) and just want to get to a bed.

The Indian guy next to me makes conversation with me & the 2 other Americans. I think "well we're here for a while" so ask him about cricket. Now required to name not only Aussie players, which i can do, but which Indian ones I know (I know 3 which for an American chick has to be at least a little impressive). Conversation dies back down. Man behaves himself though I often have to ask him to scoot over as my personal space has been seriously invaded.(With every sharp turn/sudden stop suddenly I have this guy's left thigh smushed up against my right).

6:30pm we pull over. Crap, here we go again. No, no, this is a 'tea break'. Chai? Pakora? Coffee? No, no, no. But, predicting that the driver isn't going to have 20 rupees change for my 100 rupee note, I need smaller notes. Preferring to give a fruit vendor 10 than this guy an extra 20, I buy some (really nice) bananas and have 3 ladyfinger bananas and half a bar of semi melted 80% dark lindt chocolate for dinner. So we hang out for 20 minutes waiting to Just Get There.

Back on the road for another 90 minutes and we're here! Gorakphur train station. We steel ourselves for another fight but it wasn't too bad - chaos and confusion but I think everyone ended up paying the expected 80 rupees and got their change. Diego had a train the next day so was staying there - the French girls wanted to head to Varanasi and expected to sleep in the train station. The Americans had a 10:45 train to Varanasi. The Frenchies didn't speak very good English so I helped them out and instead of a 6 am to Varanasi we're suddenly on this 10:45 train at the 2nd AC sleeper class cabin price of 460 rupees each (about $8).

Hang out at train station with mosquitoes the size of cats.

Train arrives, we board - kinda like the Russian train save for the curtain instead of locking compartment door. A very nice Indian man joins our compartment and we have a great chat for 30 minutes or so, he's an insurance salesman from not sure where and oh my sister lives in the US etc etc. But he was lovely and really friendly and for once Not Trying To Screw Us Out of Money. Still required to name Indian cricket stars. Asked whether I knew the name of the Indian minister for railways (ummmmmm, no).

Train arrives at Varanasi 4:45 am, we hop off and really into it now. I was going to try for the Hotel Ganges (a nice place, apparently about 1200 rupees = $25 so probably the most I'd have spent on a room in...er...since Norway) but the French girls were headed to a different section so screw it go with them safety in numbers. By the time we were there with the auto rickshaw = these green & yellow metal cabin things around a motorcycle (probably paid too much but amazingly hassle-free otherwise) it was nearly sunrise so I saw The Most Amazing Sunrise over the Ganges amongst these crazy monkeys on the roof of the buildings including one quite aggressive one 3 buildings away jumping up and down on a tin roof. The Muslim call to prayer was calling from a nearby minaret and women were hanging meters and meters of sari fabric out to dry on the rooftop. I was sooo excited to be here! But also incredibly tired and went back down and to sleep for 4 hours.

Lesson 1 - Don't trust anyone

Lesson 2 - No deal ever final

Lesson 3 - Repeat lessons 1 and 2 in head every morning until they actually sink in