The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round

­­­And, boy, did they go round a few times. From getting on the bus at 6pm yesterday to getting off at 5.30pm today, we ended up spending a cumulative 23.5 hours on that bus – now affectionately known as 'Barney' for its purple paintjob. 23.5 hours… a new record for the India Immersion Programme, surpassing the 23 hour effort of the 2011 tour which had to catch a bus from Varanasi to Delhi after a cancelled train.

Today was a mammoth effort from our boys, whose positive attitudes and patience never once wavered. A real credit to the quality we have travelling with us on this tour. They have most definitely earned the top-class accommodation we are now staying in in Varanasi. Hotel Surya, a former palace for the King Kaiser of Nepal, is an escape from the India we have been immersed in over the past week and a half. With spacious gardens, a laundry service, and warm showers – to say the very least – Hotel Surya is a welcome return to 'normal' (or at least as normal as you can get in India). We are greatly looking forward to the next couple of days here to relax, process, and fire through a few more of those blogs I'm sure you have been missing recently. Here's how we got to Varanasi:

Friday 15 December

Sickness Update – All cured!!! We are back to our full complement at the moment and thank the gods for that as Delhi Belly on the bus would have been extremely unpleasant.

3.30am – I woke to find Barney parked on the side of the road with everyone asleep, including our 3 drivers… a little bit disconcerting as I was quite keen to get to Varanasi ASAP. I woke the 'helper' to ask what was going on and when we could expect to be continuing our journey and received the dazed reply "mmmmm 1 hour best, Sir."

4.30am – All 3 were still asleep so I decided to let them sleep for another hour as they obviously needed it.

6am – We set off once more for Varanasi. Our drive would be filled with potholes, wrong turns, traffic jams, and about 5 rounds of the tour playlist (its sheen has now worn off somewhat). Mr Skeen, who we had been consulting since the train was cancelled, was surely laughing all the way to his holiday in Fiji that he wasn't here to enjoy it with us. As the sun rose and then descended, we passed village after village, each one looking as primitive and poor as the next, and we gained a greater appreciation for the magnitude and vastness of the problems India faces.

5.40pm – We finally arrived at Hotel Surya to many smiling faces welcoming us. One of these belonged to our beloved tour guide, Mr Tripathi (who I'm sure past tour participants will remember fondly – yes, he is still kicking around!) He apparently had been waiting for us since 6am – never one to pass up a chance to make a buck. After he made Reuben brief the group on just how important and well-known he was, we headed to our rooms for much needed showers and a change of clothes.

6.30pm – We collected together in the Hotel's restaurant for a great meal, the boys all exclaiming "Yesssss!" in their finest Indian accents as food rolled out. Raymond Zhou gave a stellar Experts in the Field presentation on Varanasi, one of the oldest civilisations in the world; the home of Hinduism; and the founding place of Buddhism. Great work, Raymond, you are a legend!

8.45pm – With food finished, the boys broke off to book in their Indian massages at the onsite spa. Richard Boswell talked a big game about getting some wax treatment but has since cowered from the idea.

9.30pm – Debrief commenced, tonight's topic being "Where do you feel a sense of belonging?" Common answers discussed being at home with family, being a part of sports teams or music groups, and – quite nicely – being on the bus today with 25 others in the same situation. Indeed, the bond our group has built over the past short while is amazing and I think we all get a sense we are now a part of something far greater than ourselves as we traverse this crazy country together.

10pm – Weary after a poor couple of nights' sleep, the group happily went off to bed for an early night.

Thought – The hidden beauty of the bus today was the opportunity it afforded to look out aimlessly across the plains of rural India towards the distant horizon. As the locals went about their daily activities, I wondered what their stories are. Did it all begin for them on these plains, and will it end on these plains? Do they enjoy their lives? What are their dreams for the future? And what lies beyond the horizon for them, and for each of us? So many questions, but it's exciting to looking out towards the setting sun and know we are exactly where we need to be right now; to learn, to live, to grow.

MVP – Since there wasn't much excitement to report from our 23.5 hour bus journey, this is more of a forward-thinking MVP award, as opposed to the normal retrospective nomination. As previously mentioned, Richard "Bozzy" Boswell has expressed great interest in indulging in the onsite spa's waxing services. After witnessing many a man express similar sentiments over the years and return from the spa walking rather gingerly, I'm quite keen to see Boz put his money where his mouth is. Therefore, I'm offering this MVP award in advance if Rich can deliver on his word, if only to put more pressure on him to do so.

Please know that we sleep soundly tonight, at peace and away from the noise of the streets we now know all too well. Clean, healthy, and in great spirits, we look forward to a genuine sleep-in tomorrow morning and the time that the next two days will give us to recuperate, process, and explore the mystery of the Ganges.

Tom​