Bodh Gaya - Siliguri - Darjeeling

Haben Bihar, den am wenigsten entwickelten Bundesstaat Indiens durchquert. Die Armut sieht hier anders aus. (Fast schon idyllische) Lehmhuetten wie im Dschungelbuch statt der ueblichen Slums aus Muell und Plastik. Die Strassen sind weitgehend gut, Moeglichkeiten zum Anhalten (Restaurants oder Toiletten) gibt es keine. Spaet in der Nacht in Siliguri angekommen und nur mit Muehe noch eine Unterkunft gefunden, da alle Hotels dort um 9 schliessen. Den naechsten halben Tag in der Autowerkstatt verbracht, um die Klimaanlage reparieren zu lassen. Die letzten 100km hoch nach Darjeeling waren ein wenig abenteuerlich. Superschmale Serpentinen schlaengeln sich durch Teeplantagen, Doerfer und dem Himalayagebirge. Massarbeit, wenn ein Auto entgegenkommt. Dennoch, wir haben's geschafft! 2600km auf Indiens Strassen liegen hinter uns. Doch nun heisst es erstmal Entspannen und Tee trinken.

Crossed Bihar, the least developed state of India. And yes, it's true, poverty is everywhere, but it looks different from poverty in the north of India. In Bihar people live in small huts made of mud and straw. Compared to sheds made of garbage and plastics those mud huts look clean, neat and well-maintained. Don't get me wrong, I don't wanna create a romantic image of poverty, but the countryside really reminded me of "The Jungle Book". Even though the streets are surprisingly good in Bihar facilities such as sanitary arrangements or simply clean restaurants are very difficult to find. Made it to Siliguri late at night and were surprised to find that all hotels close at 9. Somehow found a place to stay and spend half of the next day at a car service station to get the AC repaired. The last 100km up to Darjeeling were breath-taking - not only because of the beautiful countryside (tea, tea, tea) but also because of the road conditions. My heart was beating twice as fast as usual whenever a car drove towards us and had to pass by. Every centimeter counts on the winding roads up to the Himalayas! 2600km on the roads of India are behind us. Time to relax and to enjoy Darjeeling!