#India Nepal Sonauli Border

[archinform]

"Varanass, Varanass"

By Roger Jones

[This is a revised version of a post from July 31, 2010, during my 6-week trip from Chengdu, Sichuan, to Tibet, Nepal, and India.]

“Varanass, Varanass,” was the mantra of the bus conductor, as the bus pulled out of the station at Gorakhpur, bound for the holy city of Varanasi, India. “Varanass, Varanass,” the conductor intoned as the rain drip dripped onto my left shoulder from the leaky roof of the old bus. My journey so far had lasted over 9 hours, and I looked forward to a comfortable night’s sleep in a hotel.

As I composed this account a couple of days later, in Varanasi, India, where the temperature hovered around 42 degrees Celsius, I had to reach into my heat-addled memory for the events of the previous two days’ journey.

It was July 2010, and I was on a grand overland trip from Lhasa, Tibet, to India, by way of Everest Base Camp, the China-Nepal border, and Kathmandu, Nepal. It had been a long day: I’d awakened at 4 a.m. in Kathmandu (I was still living on China time) and had made my way on foot to the Kathmandu Central Bus Station. I’d only made one entry in my journal that day: “The best samosas I ever ate were in the Kathmandu Central Bus Station. Pity I only bought two.”

I’d caught the 7 am bus leaving for the Indian border, but by the time it circled the city looking for new passengers to pick up, it was 9 am. The ride to the Nepal-India border was long, hot, humid, and uncomfortable. We’d stopped at a roadside buffet restaurant for lunch, but for some reason I was wary of eating there, so I went without lunch, subsisting instead on Masala Munch, my favorite snack in Nepal.

We crossed the lowlands of southern Nepal, and passed right through Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. I wasn’t tempted to get off; the place looked like a hellhole. Sue me.

Sonauli, India

We eventually reached Sonauli, a town straddling the Nepal-India border, and pulled up outside a hotel. I gingerly lowered myself from the bus, my butt and left leg so sore from the cramped journey that I nearly fell over. I was desperate for coffee, having gone without caffeine that morning, and I wandered into the hotel dining room. Unfortunately, all they provided was the instant-Nescafe-with-sugar-and-whitener shit, which did little to improve my disposition.

From the hotel, I caught a motorcycle taxi to the bus station, tipping the driver an exorbitant amount, since Nepal currency can’t be exchanged or spent outside the country. I passed through immigration, the most mellow border crossing of my life. The official was warm, friendly, solicitous, and welcoming. I’d already obtained my India visa in Kathmandu, so I sailed through.

I couldn’t get out of Sonauli fast enough; it’s a border town, which usually means a dead zone, a no-man’s-land, a get-me-out-of-here-quick place. The next bus out of town was headed for Gorakhpur, about 100 miles from the Nepal border and another several hours’ ride. I wasn’t about to stay where I was.

Arriving in Gorakhpur after 10 p.m., I once again hauled my carcass off the bus, and went in search of a hotel. I do stupid things when I’m over-tired, including renting a hotel room without inspecting it first. The place was atrocious: stained walls, crusty sheets, and windows opening into both the noisy hallway and the noisier street in front of the train station. I threw my backpack on the bed and left, not even concerned that my key didn’t work in the door lock.

I walked down the street and found a better hotel for 100 rupees. Air-conditioned and with a marble floor and clean sheets, it was a welcome place to rest, and I was worth it. I stopped at a restaurant for a late dinner of chicken thali, mediocre but filling. I then went back to the first hotel, grabbed my bag, and on my way out simply deposited my key on the front desk and said “Goodbye.” Sometimes you just cut your losses and leave.

The next morning in my air-conditioned, marble-floored room, I was in serious caffeine withdrawal. After a trip across the street to the train station to inquire about non-existent tickets to Varanasi, I’d decided to continue my trip by bus. It would offer symmetry, and allow me to see India at a leisurely pace.

I’d brought along a secret stash of real coffee, and on the way back to my room I asked at the front desk for a pot of hot water. “Certainly, sir,” the front desk replied. Back in my room, there was soon a knock on the door. A young man entered, and pointed through the bathroom door at the water heater above the tub. “Hot water,” he said. “Yes, I know,” I replied, “but I mean to drink. Coffee, tea.” He pointed to the phone and said, “Call Room Service, Extension 23.” I called Room Service and repeated my hot water request. “Certainly, sir,” Room Service replied. A moment later, yet another young man came to the door. “Yes, sir?” he inquired. I was beginning to feel like I was trapped in a Marx Brothers movie.

I held up my packet of coffee and the container for brewing it. “Hot water, please,” I repeated yet again. “Oh, you want pitcher hot water,” the young man said. “Yes, pitcher,” I replied. “Thanks.” I eventually got my pitcher of hot water and tipped the young man. Kicking back in a chair, my feet on the bed, I spent a half hour or so communing with my extra-strength Lavazza crema e gusto Italian coffee. Suddenly the world was bright again, and everything was beautiful.

Waiting in the rain, Gorakhpur

For all I know, Gorakhpur is a perfectly nice place, but that wasn’t my impression from the street in front of the train station. I walked down the rain-slicked street and caught a motorcycle taxi to the bus station, for the remaining 193-mile journey to Varanasi. As the leaky bus pulled out of the city, “Varanass Varanass” echoed in some region of my mind.

Bus station, Gorakhpur

For the next several hours we traveled back roads, India slowly unwinding like some vast diorama of fields, cows, trees, and the occasional human. This was the way to travel: calm, meditative, and scenic. Arriving at last in Varanasi, ancient holy city on the Ganges, I got a motorcycle taxi into the center of town. Long story short, I ended up at the Teerth Guest House, my comfortable room cooled only by a high-speed ceiling fan, with occasional entertainment provided by geckos scrambling up the walls.

My first meal in Varanasi, and my first memorable Indian food, was at the rather wonderful Aroma Vegetarian Restaurant, where I splurged on the maharaja thali feast and enjoyed the welcome air conditioning. I would soon learn to adapt to the ungodly heat and humidity by limiting my sightseeing to 6 ��� 10 a.m., by which time I was limp and exhausted. I’d then retire to my bed beneath the airplane-propeller fan for a much-deserved siesta. I ventured out again in the late afternoon and evening.

Aroma Vegetarian Restaurant, Varanasi

The city’s ancient palaces, temples, and ghats spread along the Ganges, whose water is so unspeakably filthy that the sight of people bathing in its putrefaction turned my stomach. However, the faithful brush off such concerns, believing that the waters can cause no harm, and that their spiritual benefits far outweigh sanitary cautions.

The Ganges, Varanasi

I should mention the sacred cows, who move unimpeded wherever they choose. Unfortunately, they are poorly cared for, and subsist on garbage, often ingesting plastic bags as well. During the frequent power cuts, especially after dark, one needs to step carefully to avoid one of their, shall we say, offerings deposited on the sidewalk. It was during one such nighttime blackout that I ventured out of the hotel after being sick for two days. After a side trip by motorcycle taxi to Sarnath, where the Buddha gave a teaching at its Deer Park, I was suffering from the double whammy of heat exhaustion and the inevitable Delhi belly, from unsanitary food handling. On this night, I was in search of comfort food to calm my rebellious stomach. Needless to say, my shoes didn’t fare well from the unseen cow offerings.

I was also suffering from culture shock, from the sheer intensity and in-your-face reality of India, never free of people trailing me, imploring, begging, offering to show me a shop just a few steps away, attaching themselves, showing me life in all its pleasure and pain right out in the open.

Among my colorful experiences in Varanasi was a scrumptious breakfast at the second-floor German Bakery of fresh-baked bread, curd with fruit, and coffee. At a local café I frequented, I had my first masala dosa in India. It was good, but the dosa of my dreams was sadly lacking on this trip. At the same café, after I ordered a mango lassi, the server rushed off to a local market to buy a fresh mango for me. Wandering along the ghats, where funeral pyres burn day and night, I sat down to rest, and a long-eared black goat ambled over to lick the salty sweat off my T-shirt. He snuggled next to me, and we hung out together watching the passing scene.

My new long-eared friend

My new friend Manoj, who’d driven me to Sarnath in his motorcycle taxi, showed up on my final morning to take me to the train station. I’d reserved a ticket online to Delhi, since a limited number of tickets is set aside for foreigners, the trains otherwise being sold out. Arriving at the station, I proceeded to the Foreigners’ Ticket Office and waiting room, where I was able to confirm my reservation on the sleeping car that day. In the luxurious air conditioning, in front of everyone, I peeled off my gross, sweaty T-shirt and replaced it with my cool, flowing hemp shirt purchased in Kathmandu.

The next chapter in my trip was about to begin, but only after the scheduled train arrived several hours late. Next stop: Hello, Delhi!

Streets in Varanasi

[vilaspatelvlogs]

नेपाली महिला तस्करों ने किया SSB जवान पर हमला, बॉर्डर पर तनाव का माहौल

नेपाली महिला तस्करों ने किया SSB जवान पर हमला, बॉर्डर पर तनाव का माहौल

सोनौली बॉर्डर: भारत और नेपाल के बॉर्डर पर स्थिति उस वक्त गंभीर हो गई, जब कुछ नेपाली तस्करों ने महिला एसएसबी जवान पर हमाल बोल दिया. दरअसल, बुधवार शाम को एसएसबी के जवानों ने नेपाली महिला तस्करों को रोकने की कोशिश की. लेकिन उससे पहले ही उन्होंने जवानों पर हमला किया और भाग कर नेपाल चले गए. नेपाल जाने के बाद तस्कर गिरोह ने रास्ता रोक दिया, जिससे दोनों देशों का आवागमन भी रुक गया. ये भी देखें: कमजोर दिल…

[bakaity-poetry]

Sonauli

India - Nepal Border

June, 2021

[squarwell-breakingnews]

Heroin Worth Rs 60 Lakh Recovered On India-Nepal Border, 3 Arrested: Police

Heroin Worth Rs 60 Lakh Recovered On India-Nepal Border, 3 Arrested: Police

Further investigation is underway to find out about the smugglers’ contacts.(Representational) Maharajganj: Three people were arrested with heroin on Sunday in two separate incidents from Sonauli town on the Indo-Nepal border here, by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Police, a senior officer said. Satyam, 19, from Maharajganj district, who was on his way to Nepal from India, was arrested on Sunday…

[letsjanukhan]

India News | 2 Women from Uzbekistan Held at India-Nepal Border in UP Without Travel Documents

India News | 2 Women from Uzbekistan Held at India-Nepal Border in UP Without Travel Documents

Maharajganj (UP), Oct 1 (PTI) Two women from Uzbekistan were arrested at the India-Nepal border area here for allegedly trying to cross over to this country without a visa and passport, a senior official said on Friday. Ruhshona Suvonavak and Iminova Mabluda Haun, both from Uzbekistan, were roaming in Sonauli area on Thursday evening when they were stopped by the police as part of routine…

[travelandtalk]

Good old Lonely Planet gives two pieces of advice to travellers coming from Nepal to Varanasi. The first being to arrange your own bus at the border at Sonauli, interestingly 15 minutes forward time wise from India, I didn’t do this. I paid 800 rupees (about £7.50) for a through ticket from Chitwan in southern …

[1234ashish]

Success is not easy and is certainly not for lazy (at India Nepal Border Sonauli / Bhairahawa)

[khalilhumam]

Border row, trade turmoil and rising Chinese influence send Indo-Nepal ties to lowest ebbs

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/border-row-trade-turmoil-and-rising-chinese-influence-send-indo-nepal-ties-to-lowest-ebbs/

Border row, trade turmoil and rising Chinese influence send Indo-Nepal ties to lowest ebbs

Nepal finds itself in the line of fire of the China-US trade war and the Indo-China border conflict

India-Nepal border at Sonauli. Image via Flickr by Axel Drainville. CC BY 2.0.

Bound by cultural ties and religion, the once-friendly India-Nepal ties have significantly deteriorated in the past 10 months after a series of spats over a decades-old border dispute and rising China influence in the region. Relations began to turn sour in November 2019 when India published a revised map that included territories in Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura, which both countries claim. That dispute dates back to the Sugauli Treaty that followed the Anglo-Nepal War (1814-1816), which designates all areas east of Kali River as the nation-state of Nepal. India defends that the Kali river starts at Lipulekh, while Nepal claims Limpiyadhura as its source. Kathmandu responded by sending a diplomatic note to New Delhi, which the latter ignored. On May 20, the Nepalese government published a new official map of the country incorporating the disputed territories. Things escalated further in May when India inaugurated a road in the Kalapani area. In June, Nepal amended its constitution to incorporate the country's new map with Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed this decision, calling it an “artificial enlargement… not based on historical facts and evidence”. Nepalese Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli has been soliciting talks with New Delhi — while at the same time pushing the officialization of Nepal's new map forward. With support from both Houses of Parliament and the President's approval, the new map incorporating the territories in the Kalapani region is now officially part of Nepal's constitution and its national emblem. Kathmandu also sent its new political map to the United Nations and Google in June. Nepalese actress and author Manisha Koirala tweeted:

Thank you for keeping the dignity of our small nation..we all are looking forward for a peaceful and respectful dialogue between all three great nations now

https://t.co/A60BZNjgyK — Manisha Koirala (@mkoirala) May 18, 2020

[Quoted tweet by Pradeep Gyawali, Nepalese Minister of Foreign Affairs]: Decision of the Council of Ministers to publish the map of Nepal featuring 7 provinces, 77 districts and 753 local level administrative divisions including Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani. The official map is being made public by the Ministry of Land Management soon.)

India's Ministry of External Affairs said in June:

“It is contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve the outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue. Such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India.”

When Indian TV channel Zee News broadcast, in July, a commentary show accusing PM Oli of having been influenced by the Chinese ambassador, Kathmandu ordered a nationwide ban of all Indian news channels. Former Indian Diplomat Krishan Chander Singh angrily tweeted:

Nepal Bans Broadcast of Indian News Channels, Cites ‘Baseless Propaganda’ against Govt and PM Oli. Oli breaches neighbourly coexistence now. Goodwill he had abandoned earlier. Sign he feels danger to his gov is over, with Chinese blessing. https://t.co/Y24RatFDlJ — K. C. Singh (@ambkcsingh) July 9, 2020

India responded by banning all of Nepal's FM radios in the border region, claiming those radio channels were broadcasting propaganda backing Kathmandu's claim to the disputed territories. In September, Nepal's ambassador to India Nilambar Acharya met Indian national security advisor Ajit Doval to “minimize misunderstanding caused by the recent border row,” which experts have interpreted as a sign that both sides were willing to resolve the issues. The ongoing friction has put border traders on alert. In Banbasa, an Indian town located at the border, traders have told The Hindustan Times that 80 percent of their businesses depend on Nepali customers. The friction is also worrisome for Nepal, whose 68 percent of all of its exports are destined to India.

China joins the fray

Nepal is key to China's transcontinental infrastructure Belt and Road Initiative. In recent years, China has invested in airports, highways, and hydroelectric projects in Nepal's Himalayan region, and Chinese diplomats have become increasingly closer to Nepali politicians. In turn, China and India's relations have been at its worst in decades. Border clashes around Ladakh since June has led India to ban 150 Chinese and raised fears of a full-on trade war between the two countries. In this context, right-wing Indian media, including Swarajya and Republic, accused Nepali officials of revising the country's map to please China. Kathmandu denies those accusations. Indranil Mukherjee, a photojournalist from Mumbai, tweeted:

A Prime Minister and the Pretty Ambassador – Why is Nepal PM Oli giving the Chinese ambassador absolute powers? https://t.co/1o6L2vEt0j #india #IndiaChinaBorder #Nepal #china #indianepalborder — Indranil Mukherjee (@thisisindra) July 3, 2020

Sujeev Shakya writes in Council on Foreign Relations:

Disputes require talks for resolution, and therefore, the sooner India engages in discussion, the better. Nepal also needs to learn from its own mistakes, such as not being well-prepared for talks due to the lack of thorough research, and failure to communicate well.

Achyut Wagle writes in The Kathmandu Post:

Neither party is likely to gain from the current deadlock in Nepal-India relations. The present resigned approaches evident on both sides does not contribute to elevating the age-old relations from, perceivably, now at their lowest point in history. If the Indian establishment is testing its strategy of making Nepal realize the putative ‘small country predicament’ in diplomacy, it will have a greater unforeseen cost.

India and Nepal are scheduled to hold a meeting at the level of foreign ministers in October. The last meeting between the two foreign ministers was in August 2019, in Kathmandu. Nepal might have found itself in the crossfire of the China-US trade war and the Indo-China border conflict. It remains to be seen if diplomatic discussions can smoothen frayed ties between those two traditional allies.

Written by Vishal Yashoda, Sanjib Chaudhary

[medstudynepal-blog]

If  you are going to visit Nepal, then know the rules and laws there, there will be no trouble: नेपाल घूमने जा रहे हैं तो जान लें  वहां के नियम-कानून, नहीं होगी परेशानी

Our neighbor and friend country Nepal is a very strict republic in terms of security. From the mango there, a special section has to do all the work by staying in the system. No matter what it is. In view of Nepal's security system, changes are also made in the system from time to time. Due to lack of complete information about the rules and regulations, the Indian people are stuck in paperwork where two-four have to be there. At the same time some people are also facing the harsh action of the Nepali administration, while some people fall under the action of the police. So if you are going to visit Nepal, then this news can be useful for you.

It is necessary to have an identity card recognized by the Government of India:

While going to Nepal, it is mandatory for you to have a photo identity card, recognized by the Government of India. If you want to visit other tourist places including hotels, parks, religious places in Nepal, then you will be allowed to travel further only after showing your identity card and feeding it. May have to return home otherwise.

Nepal is going by private vehicle, so pay attention to this action:

The most important thing to keep in mind when entering  Nepal from India  if you are going to Nepal by two wheeler or four wheeler. Then you  have all the documents related to the vehicle included, driving license, car paper. After the first  all of  you have to go to Nepal Bhansar office near Sonauli border and get permission to take your vehicle in  Nepal. If you want to go  Naypyidaw, then you have to facility the vehicle. If you want to go any city in Nepal the front of Naypyidaw then for this you have to pay the vehicle bhansar (fee for transporting Indian vehicle to Nepal). While refining the vehicle, keep in mind that the number of days you want to go to Nepal must be done for the same number of days and till the time is over, you can return to the Indian border. Otherwise you return may be heavy for you after the time of bhansar has passed.

Bank officials were arrested:                

Recently, a bank officer from Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh, without the knowledge of his private vehicle, entered Nepal on the way to Badhani, including his family, two days ago. Those detained by Nepal Police and seized their vehicle. The said officer had to pay a fine of three lakh rupees after which the Nepali police released him.

It is forbidden to take these goods to Nepal:

It is strictly forbidden to carry any kind of salmon, cartridges, explosives, intoxicants etc. in the Nepal border. Then even if it is licensed from India. Not only this, it is illegal in Nepal to carry more than necessary everyday items. Recently, a large Indian official went to visit Nepal, who was arrested by Nepal Police along with his government guard, two of his organ guard homeguards returning after leaving Nepal. However, they were rescued after considerable admiration from the high officials of India.

Keep these things in mind while driving in Nepal:

The Nepal administration is very strict about the traffic rules. There, four-wheelers have to be run at a limited speed by putting seat belts and two-wheeled vehicle helmets and the side mirrors, horns, headlights, etc. of the vehicles must be repaired. Paying special attention to the traffic lights at each of the Chowk-intersections of Nepal, the system is considered to be challenged if the vehicle is not followed by following the traffic-indicated zebra line, speed board, parking lot etc. Violation of the rule can result in you being punished with a fine.

Tourists throng to these places of Nepal:

Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Nepal, the famous Siddha Baba Temple at Butwal, Janakpur, Pheora Tal at Pokhara, Cave, Pashupatinath Temple at Kathmandu, Muktinath, Manokamna, etc. are inundated by tourists. Situated in Nepal, this place is very important for tourists to visit.

[newsdoorway]

Gordeev Raudhah from Russia was detained during routine checking while he was roaming in the Sonauli area near the Indo-Nepal border Wednesday, K N Prasad, Checkpost Officer, Sonauli said. from India News | Latest News Headlines & Live Updates from India - Times of India https://ift.tt/2AEsrwS via IFTTT

[independentfemaletraveller-blog]

TRAVELLING FROM INDIA TO NEPAL AND VICE VERSA VIA THE SONAULI BORDER: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=””…

[thedailyexcelsior]

Banihal ultra sent to Jail

MAHARAJGANJ (UP) May 27:

Suspected Hizbul Mujahideen operative Naseer Ahmed was today remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a court here. The CJM court sent Naseer, arrested by the Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) from Sonauli on India-Nepal border earlier this month, to judicial remand, Government counsel Raghuvansh Shukla said. The court had earlier remanded Naseer in 12-day police custody as the Uttar…

[all-the-news]

Pakistan points finger at India after army officer disappears from Nepal’s Lumbini

Pakistan points finger at India after army officer disappears from Nepal’s Lumbini

Islamabad: Pakistan claimed on Thursday that “foreign spy agencies” may have “trapped” and then abducted one of its former army officer, who has mysteriously disappeared from a Nepalese town close to the Indian border. Lt Col Muhammad Habib Zahir disappeared on 6 April from Lumbini, a Buddhist pilgrimage site near India’s border town of Sonauli, where he had apparently gone for a job interview.…

[travelandtalk]

Good old Lonely Planet gives two pieces of advice to travellers coming from Nepal to Varanasi. The first being to arrange your own bus at the border at Sonauli, interestingly 15 minutes forward time wise from India, I didn’t do this. I paid 800 rupees (about £7.50) for a through ticket from Chitwan in southern …

[thedailyexcelsior]

Hizbul operative remanded in judicial custody

Hizbul operative remanded in judicial custody

MAHARAJGANJ (UP)  : Suspected Hizbul Mujahideen operative Naseer Ahmed was today remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a court here. The CJM court sent Naseer, arrested by the Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) from Sonauli on India-Nepal border earlier this month, to judicial remand, government counsel Raghuvansh Shukla said. The court had earlier remanded Naseer in 12-day police custody as the Uttar…