Incredible.Colourful. Loud. Fantastic. Exuberant. Dusty. Hot. Polluted. Frustrating. Dirty. Awful. Diverse. Lovely. Hopeless. Intruiging. Poor. Extreme. Shocking. Lovely. Intense. Addicting.

Each time I try to fetch the spirit of this incredible country in one word, I end up in a list of a hundreds of words, not being able to describe it the way you experience it.
Exactly as the Lonely Planet mentions: it isn't a land you merely 'see' - it's an experience, it's a question of plunging into it and get totally shaken, brainwashed... It's hard to get out of it exactly as you entered it. By experiencing the continent which is India, you get a kind of 'new identity', a new thing you will carry with you your whole life.

After having roamed about for 5 months now through India, I begin to understand the word 'world citizen'. A term which was already used in ancient Greece as 'kosmou polites': a form of citizen which dwells in two communities at the same time. The one of his birth, of his home, and in the community of human argument and aspiration. A form of citizin which feels the same connection with people on the other side of the world, as with his neighbour.
I suddenly realized this when people begun to ask me: 'Are you a foreigner? You look like an Indian!' Since then I haven't understand the word 'foreigner' anymore.

Well, now the complete story:
After being disappointed that the colour of Jaipur's 'pink city' is everything but pink (more a kind of red-brown), I left my temporary cycling mates Marijn and Magdalena, to meet them again in a beautiful national park near Agra. It was a small bird paradise with rare birds like Siberian crane and black Ibis and a lot more. Then it was time to leave for the ultratouristic hotspot of the Taj Mahal, India's tourist de facto emblem. And I kept cycling, and cycling. Now that the landscape wasn't as inspiring as before, I had the time and energy to make my final race to Varanasi (Benares), to arrive here at the 6th. of March.

The welcome at the Social Centre was warm, it was like getting a 'Back Home' experience.
Just when I was two days in Varanasi, as we were sitting in the cinema, watching a Bollywood blockbuster, we heard the terrible news about the bomb blastings in Varanasi. At least 2 explosions in the city, one of them just 500 m from our guest house... The days after there was a strange kind of atmosphere in the city, as if everybody had left his shop and had gone home, in respect for the dead ones. It was wonderful to see how peaceful and tolerant the people of Varanasi are - Muslims who live next to Hindus and Christians, and even minorities which are given a place in this congested city.



But only interesting stories and semi-intellectual talk isn't enough for this message. It's time to talk about money! :-) First I would like to thank all of you who have donated a royal amount of money to Klein Verzet Foundation, on the account of the Ashray Social Centre in Nagwa, Varanasi. In total, there has been collected EUR 4384,90 corresponding with Rs. 231.961,- thanks to an enormous contribution of Klein Verzet Foundation. Of this, EUR 1918,30 have been fixed donations, for the rest I've been sponsored per kilometer.
As following, for the interested souls, I will give you an indication of what the money has gone to: (in Euros)

7,- chalks (gift from Holland)
25,- transaction costs
60,- DVD player (for health education and entertainent)
665,- 1st. computer (Compaq Presario) + UPS
38,- software package
64,80 internet connection
1421,- 3 computers (HCL Pentium 4, 2.66 GHz) + UPS
2104,10 planned for salary of night classes (in future) & running costs of the Centre
______________________________________________________
4384,90 TOTAL


In the time I've spent in Varanasi now, the computers have been bought, an internet connection installed and most of the ca. 12 staff members got computer lessons, varying from the first contact with a computer, to more advance working with designing and administration tools. Also for the staff members which still don't speak a word of English, the computer (with Hindi typing support) will give them an opportunity to learn English faster. Then, after a while, the computer lessons for the children in Nagwa will start. A dream of Frans Baartmans, the founder of this Centre, is about to become truth...
Now, India has just recovered from its colour festival, Holi, where people on the streets throw coloured powder on each other, when huge bonfires are being build on the street and when everything is allowed. An experience on itself!
Spending the rest of time I've left here in Varanasi, I will arrive back in Holland on the 10th. of April. Hope to see you all again soon!

Lots of greetings,

Christopher Baan


----------------------------------
distance: 6130 km
Total time: 3 months, 2 weeks
Route: Varanasi - Bodhgaya - Shantiniketan - Bubaneshwar - Baleshwar - Visakhapatnam - Vijayawada - Hyderabad - Panaji (Goa) - Mumbai - Ahmedabad - Udaipur - Jodhpur - Jaipur - Agra - Varanasi.

Dear friends

Exactly on the moment you think you've learnt enough about a country, its culture and inhabitants, you get concious about your own disknowledge, and you see that every day in this incredible land can bring you new surprises. What am I talking about?

*GAZING at the diverse architecure of Ahmedabad - from old-style mosques to Le Corbusier concrete;
*WONDERING that the shameless getting stare at, is just a sign of interest and nothing bad;
*CYCLING through a 35 deg. sun, while heavy, claxonizing trucks dump their black smoke right in your face;
*LOSING your breath in a rough, desert-like area with awsome views on the valley before you;
*FEELING the wind in your hairs while making speed on a steep gravelroad;
*PULLING at the breaks in full speed, because of a lazy cow on the road;
*EATING truly German chocolate balls and Israeli hummus with pita, with a view on Udaipur's romantic Lake Palace;
*HAVING a tea with Udaipur's richest man;
*GETTING a surprising welcome by two Dutch friends in Jodhpur (Marijn and Magdalena), and getting even more surprised when meeting a couple of Dutch cyclists in the same hotel, which have been travelling all the way from Holland;
*ROAMING around in the chaos and charm of Jodhpur's narrow bazaars and flying kite on the roof with locals;
*LOOKING out from the impressive fort in Jodhpur to an ocean of blue painted houses;
*GETTING totally flabbergasted when Marijn and Magdalena (also from Holland) plan to buy a truly Indian Hero bike and join me on a crazy trip through the desert;
*LOSING your breath while camping in the open air, complete with candles, instant food and the usual curious locals;
*GETTING a massive shout and laugh by schoolchildren, meant as a welcome in the village;
*PUSHING my lovely little Koga Miyata forward in a stony desert, surrounded by impressive mountain peaks;
*SOFT-SHAKING on a hyper touristic camel safari in Pushkar;
*WAVING a serial 'namaste' to all passing truck drivers on a 6 lane expressway;
*ENJOYING the experience of a Bollywood blockbuster in India's best cinema (Raj Mandir in Jaipur), complete with audience interaction;
*CONCLUDING that this hotchy-potchy level of amateur-English will not get too many understanding followers... :-)

To keep it short: no day will pass without a unique experience in this marvellous country. Having passed over 5000 km, my plan is to continue from Jaipur to Agra and finish in Varanasi, around the 7th. of March. The total expected distance will be around 6000 km.

Lots of greetings so far

Christopher Baan