Bus Ride to Bodh Gaya

So the guy who booked our bus tickets assured us that it would take no more than 13 hours from Siliguri to Bodh Gaya. So I naturally assumed it would take 15 hours. The actual time was 17 hours. Now this wasn't like the pictures you have seen with dozens of people hanging outside the bus. This was a luxury bus, so everyone gets a seat. And the bus was a nice bus when it was manufactured 40 years ago. Had it received some form of maintenance during its life, it might still be nice. But that wasn't the case. But at least the chickens had to ride on the roof. It was only slightly below what you'd expect from a chartered bus in Cambodia.

I had hoped the roads might be better than Cambodian roads, but they are even worse. The roads of India are certainly the worst I've ever seen. As you can imagine, a 17 hour journey on a poorly maintained bus and brutal roads was very far from pleasant. And it was cold out and the windows wouldn't close properly. I had to pull out a yak wool sweater and the wool/silk blanket to get through it. I can safely say it was the worst travel experience of my life. But at least we made it and I could get a hot shower at our hotel (although it took some time to figure out how to turn on the hot water heater). The toilet doesn't work, but you can't always get what you want. Being an experienced Asian traveler, I can can at least get a toilet to flush once, so it was okay. Toilet maintenance is definitely a good skill to have anywhere in Asia, but it is especially important in India.