Well… we made it to Kolkata yesterday with no major hiccups. There was a delay at customs in Bangalore when the officer asked the value of our bikes and if we had any documents or receipts to prove it (we didn’t, and this was the first time either of us had ever been stopped). After 15 or 20 minutes of negotiating, they finally let us through… which was important because the Bangalore to Kolkata flight was on a different ticket and we had already lost over an hour in immigration.

Thankfully our bikes arrived unscathed and we put them together Wednesday evening. Today (Thursday) we did a little shakedown around town to make sure everything felt good. The sunrise these days is around 5.40am… which is great not only because it’s cooler in the mornings, but also because there is a lot less traffic, so we expect to be on the road most days just before sunrise.

It felt great to finally be on the bike and out exploring… it’s been quite some time since I travelled somewhere new with the freedom to go wherever my eyes/nose led me… and there was a lot to see and smell here. Since it was still pretty early, the main roads weren’t crazy yet, and the side streets were downright enjoyable… it’s a lot greener than I expected.

After the loop around town, we dropped the bikes off, grabbed some breakfast, and headed out to visit the railway station, flower market, Mother Theresa’s tomb, and just wandered around letting our whims lead us.