HOW do you describe India in one word, or even a sentence? The short answer would be, you can’t, even more so for a first-timer. Its tourism tagline of “Incredible India” doesn’t quite come close to setting expectations for a visitor to this country.

We arrived in Kolkata in the wee hours of November 24, having flown in from Bangkok. It was also at the airport where we better understood the sensitivities surrounding the relationship between India and Pakistan, when my riding partner, Ving, could not provide a satisfactory answer to the Immigration officer as to why he had a Pakistani visa on his passport.

Explaining that we were cycling from India to Pakistan only served to raise eyebrows rather than draw admiration. Ving was pulled up for a good hour or so until the officers were satisfied with further clarification. We left the airport and made our way downtown in an overpriced taxi, which sent us to yet another overpriced hotel. It was almost dawn by then, and we weren’t going to protest.

Our formal introduction to Kolkata, and with it, India, was a rude culture shock. We stepped out of the hotel in the morning to an endless cacophony of honks blaring away from the seemingly hectic and reckless traffic, which comprised cars, taxis, tuk tuks and motorcycles.

Everyone was in a hurry, and vehicles would miss each other by mere centimetres. Throw in the push carts, rickshaws and animals moving against traffic, and you have yourself a right royal chaos. The noise pollution remains a source of stress even after one sort of gets used to it.

Kolkata is not a place for the faint-hearted. From crossing the streets, eating “locally”, riding in taxis, sidestepping the homeless, the tattered buildings to the apparent lack of hygiene, the city is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. The poverty is very much in your face and all over the city, but we are not here to make any judgements.

It is what it is, I consoled my partner. It also took quite some convincing before we sank our teeth into the local food. Our culinary adventure was limited to McDonald’s for breakfast and tandoori chicken for dinner during the first few days.

We visited most of the “must dos” while in Kolkata, and Mother Teresa’s house was especially poignant for obvious reasons. But, nothing beats the all-day walk that Ving and I took around the city. We spent the entire day walking aimlessly down the less-beaten paths, which, in turn, gave us a greater insight into inner Kolkata. There’s obviously too much detail to describe, so let’s just say it was an eye-gouger.

We finally left Kolkata after 10 days and began our ride towards the west of northern India. It was fairly easy getting out of the city as it was a Sunday and traffic was light. We got on the National Highway 2, which took us all the way to New Delhi. The road condition is a pleasant surprise, given what we’ve been told.

We stopped by various small and mid-sized towns along the way for the night, and found the locals to be far more friendly and personable compared with the folks in the city.

In fact, we were always surrounded by onlookers each time we stopped for a break or when we reached our destination. The Indian curiosity is quite something to marvel at. The folks are unapologetic about riding alongside in their motorbikes or bicycles and staring at you. All harmless, of course, but quite distracting, nevertheless. Folks would just come up for a conversation and request selfies, something which I think we must have obliged on hundreds of occasions, without exaggeration.

The language barrier notwithstanding, the ride through rural India so far has been most pleasant and eye-opening. By now, we have gotten over the culture shock and are appreciative of what the subcontinent has to offer. Folks are generally nice, eager to help and kind towards us, albeit a tad inquisitive, but that’s totally fine. I would also like to think that we have been good ambassadors for Malaysia throughout our journey here, which is reflected by the warm hospitality we have been shown by the locals throughout.

Seven hundred kilometres away from Kolkata, I think it’s safe for us to say India is indeed incredible, albeit in ways you’d least imagine. We are currently in the holy city of Varanasi after having also stopped over at Bodhgaya, the site where Buddha attained enlightenment.

You can’t come to India and not visit these holy sites, which include a jaunt to the sacred River Ganges. Our journey towards the Taj Mahal continues from here, but first, we will head to Lucknow, capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh. From there, it will be another 300km to the first of the Seven Wunders of this journey. With any luck, the next instalment of this series will be brought to you from Agra next week.

You may also follow our journey on Facebook and Instagram (SevenWunders), or read about it right here. Do support our cause in creating more awareness and raising funds for childhood cancer support, on behalf of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia.

To contribute;

Public Bank account: 3988587622

The National Cancer Society of Malaysia

Reference: Ride for Gold,

or online at;

Peoplegiving.org.

Thank you. – December 18, 2017.

* David Wu is riding a bicycle around the world with Ving Lee to raise awareness for children with cancer. The Malaysian Insight is the media partner for the Seven Wunders initiative.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.