Another 5am start to hit the road early. We weave our way through the early morning Varanasi traffic and onto the first highway I have seen on the trip. Me make good ground until the roads narrow and we pass through various roadside villages. We stop briefly at a railway crossing – all of the Indian people inspect us curiously.
As we pass into Madha Pradesh the landscape changes. Everything becomes much greener and less dusty, which is a welcome change. We pass fields of size-able crops, rather than bare ones. The roads get bumpy in places but we make good ground.
We stop for lunch at a roadside place, popular with truck drivers. The setting is a little off putting and we have a little communication troubles, but we end up sitting in the sunshine and enjoying a fabulous Indian meal. In particular the rice pudding desert, which was probably the best I have ever tasted.