Today is day 3 in Kathgodam, en route to Manali, Himachal Pradesh. After a slew of unpleasant  symptoms appeared during the night train from Gorakhpur, I decided to hole up for a couple of extra days in a local hotel, watch a bunch of Hollywood flicks on HBO, and get some rest. Which symptoms?

Low-grade fever?
Check.

Incessantly runny nose?
Check.

Persistent, non-productive cough?
Sure.

Aches, pains, and general lethargy?
Yep.

Painful, scratchy, raw throat?
Absolutely.

As you can see: not particularly conducive to fun, physical exertion, or adventure-filled swashbuckling. Nonetheless, I’ve been riding my unladen bike the 6km between here and Haldwani each day to get used to riding on Indian roads in Indian traffic in Indian weather (mostly rainy and bad), discovering hidden Indian alleyways and temples, beset by an Indian malaise, sustained by some sudafed-y compound and penicillin, and fueled solely by an insane variety of Indian street foods. I don’t know how you can top India for food. Have I already mentioned this? Yeah, well, suck it up…it’s just that good.

Despite still feeling like death’s lukewarm hairy turd, here’s the current plan: catch a train first thing tomorrow morning to Moradabad. From there, a reserved seat to Ambala, where I’ll spend the night and catch a bus directly to Manali.

For now, I’m off to gorge a bit on some fresh fruit, some nifty spiced-up hard-boiled eggs from a street cart, and a bowl of tomato soup.

Enjoy your week,
—jumpsalot