The Ulster civil servant describes week seven as one of "ups and downs" as the Oz bus made its way to Nepal.

It is from there the 22-year-old continues his story exclusively for the News Letter website.


Darren's Blog

The week began very early at 1am on Sunday morning as we finally arrived at our hotel in Varanasi having spent five hours stuck in a traffic jam. It had been a tough journey so our welcoming party, a room infested with cockroaches was the last thing we needed!

After an uncomfortable nights sleep we had lots of time to explore this holy city. Varanasi on the banks on the Ganges is at the centre of the Hindu religion. The river though is one of the most polluted in the world, as 400 million people's waste is pumped into it everyday. But Hindu's believe it is sacred and will rebalance their karma.

Therefore getting up at the crack of dawn to travel down the Ganges at sunrise was mesmerizing. As thousands of Indians flock to the river to wash themselves, brush their teeth and pray in the temples which line the embankment. Hindus also bring their dead to be cremated here in huge funeral pyres which are lit every evening and smoulder during the day. There are certain groups of dead who are not burnt such as babies and those who cannot afford it, their bodies are simply returned to the water.

The city itself is much like the river, dirty. Its narrow streets are full of excrement, wild animals (everything from cows to rats) and lots of rubbish – making many of them almost impassible. The people who live there do so in the most hideous conditions, simple squalor. Varanasi is tough, the sights and sounds are raw, but it has a serenity which makes it special.

After a stopover in Garucphur we made our way to the border with the new republic of Nepal. It is difficult to convey just how filthy Indian towns and cities are, so it was a breath of fresh air to finally be somewhere that respected its environment. And Nepal has the most beautiful environment. Our drive to Katmandu was mostly uphill through incredible mountain passes, scenery that was impressive.

Katmandu is a happening city, quite hippy and very international. It has many ornate Buddhist temples and the people are delightfully shy. We managed to enjoy some decent food and many bought hand-crafted goods. But it is not a city without its problems as hundreds of kids, some as young as eight wondered the streets sniffing glue and taking drugs every night.

The highlight of Nepal was on Thursday when we boarded a light aircraft with Destination Mountain on the ticket. We flew over the Himalayas and had a bird's eye view of Mt Everest. The landscape was breath taking and viewing the highest point on earth was unbelievable- how people have climbed it seems bizarre. Nepal where the year is 2065 added some adventure to the trip as we trekked through mountains and went white water rafting – it seemed a world away from India.

However Katmandu was the final stop for our bus after weeks on the road and thousands of miles it finally succumbed to the terrain and broke down. Much needed repairs would take days, time we didn't have. So it would be locally hired coaches which would take us through the Nepalese mountains and back into India. It was a surprisingly sad moment to leave our bus behind as it had proved the only constant on a trip of much change. We also said good-bye to our two drivers Dave and Bart, who despite lots of bus politics had got us so far, safely.

After some traditional Nepalese food and dancing we also said farewell to half of the Ozbusers. Many have found the constant traveling and particularly India very difficult, so have opted to stay in Nepal for an extra week, with most of them planning to catch up again in Bangkok. The journey has proved emotional and tiring, and this is often not helped by the Big OzBus fallouts and gossip. So a break and time to rejuvenate will do them good.

But for me, despite the best efforts of Maoist rebels who blocked our bus on the way through Nepal it was back into India for week eight…