Khamaria

Judy and I have been at Geoffrey and Kusam's sanctuary, their luxurious bungalow in the country. It feels like a well deserved holiday from the rigours of dealing with a mostly unaccessible India. Not only that but dealing with all the cheating and lying that we encountered on our travels. While I am ranting, I have to mention all the shit, open sewers, piles of plastic, and blood red splotches of paan, (adulterated chewing tobacco that is enddemic here.) That is why we feel so fortunate to be invited back here. It is very nice to be served by a well trained dedicated staff of servants. The sitting room, screened porch, is rather cool in the morning but warms up fast as the sun streams in. By mid morning while we were all sitting outside near the garden, it warmed up enough that I thought it would be nice to go for one more ride before having a driver deliver the bike back to Amrit, 18 kms away in Mirzapur.

I didn't ride yesterday as I twisted my old worn out knee the day before that. Three days ago ,Judy was given a ride out here by Amrit's micro van and the driver, Minoj. I rode the bike, the 125 Yamaha 4 stroke single. The next day I went back to Mirzapur to do some business with Amrit. I was having fun following behind 2 other bikers who knew the road. We were whipping along the mostly open road at about 70 clicks per hour. I was following behind guys who knew the road. Near the bridge that goes over the Ganga, they turned off. The highway improved and I headed to the bridge. A speed bump jumped out at me. I hit my brakes. At one point the front wheel locked at about 50. The bike started to go down. My dirt riding experience kicked in even though It was smooth pavement. I slapped my right foot down to keep the bike up. It worked. I bounced over the speed bump. I now headed up the bridge slope in screaming pain. I thought my loose knee joint came out of place. I kicked my leg to get it back into joint but the pain stayed. I concentrated on riding carefully but kept riding. I thought “I might need to see a doctor”. I tested my knee for proper operation and it was o/k. But because of the pain I knew there would be some swelling. As the acute pain subsided I decided to check my e-mail and then get some ice at Amrit's. A bit of denial I guess. Should have gone for the ice first.

I have been taking R55 Homeopathic remedy for the swelling, but after a night where Judy and I both were kept awake by pain, (Judy's shoulder still hurts a bit), I decided to get something a bit stronger than homeopathic. Judy, Kusam and I went off the next morning to see Dr. Rajan, a close friend of Kusam and Geoffrey. What a sight we were; the 3 of us piling out of the little car; Judy in her wheelchair; Kusam sniveling with a cold and walking with one crutch because of previous knee problems, and me limping with Judy's father's cane.

The pills and two days rest has my knee well enough that today seemed like a good day for a ride. On my way here, before I hurt my knee, I stopped at a little stand for a cup of chai. The friendly server mentioned a pond and pointed behind the village. That's where I headed. I ended up finding a beautiful agricultural area with lots of small lush vegetable plots near a larger town. I road along the narrow paved road which turned bumpy. I went uphill into the town. I stopped at a plumbing shop to get a screw for the bathroom towel rack. A friendly well dressed man man spoke English and invited me to his carpet factory behind the shop. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in a very fine carpet manufacturing compound. I got a nice little tour and met his father who is my age. The work is fabulous. Silk and wool hand tied carpets of excellent quality. He had about 12 bays, that I saw, with about 3 people working on each carpet. A 3 by 4 meter rug takes about 2 months. About $2300 at the door here.

On the way I passed a village that had load chanting type music. On the way back I turned down a narrow dirt trail that led around a pond to a temple. Loud speakers mounted on top and placed around some awnings rattled out music at full blast. I parked the bike and walked over . I was invited an and did some video recording of a four piece band playing , I presume, religious songs in front of a small Hanuman shrine. I sat down and was served a couple small sweets. I knew everybody was wondering where I was and the bike would be late for its delivery if I didn't go back soon. It felt so nice to be riding in the warm air down through such lush farms and villages. Even with the occasional mishap riding bikes, I still love doing these little morning jaunts. Off to Varanasi in a borrowed car tomorrow.