So, I was supposed to go to Lucknow today, but I bought a train ticket for the wrong date, 12/30, instead of 11/30 and there's a strike today, not a union strike but a political party strike. Apparently the transportation industry is aligned with the party that's striking. So no buses, no trains, no cabs...at least in theory. I found a ride to the border at three times the normal cost, still that's under $5 for an hour ride. Though the driver had to take the long way to avoid road blocks of strikers, we almost ran into a group of them as they spanned the road ahead, but were warned off and took some back streets.
I could have walked right across the border, no one checked anything, but getting back into India would not have been fun. So, I stamped out of India in a little grass hut and went into customs to get my Nepal vista, which costs $25 plus 100 Rupes "tip."
Normally there are 15 buses a day leaving here for Kathmandu, I'm in the border town of Karkarvitta. Today there are 3 because of the strike. I was hanging out at the travel agency where I bought my ticket and the owner confessed to me that no one here would take the bus. It's about $10 to take the bus and $100 to fly, the flights about an hour the bus can take 17 hours. I figure the bus will make for a better story.
I'll report in on the trip after I recover, if and when I make it.
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