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position .
Religion , caste , societal standing , all seem to matter little . Pull up roadside and you ’ ll soon be approached . An individual , a group , all wanting to know about you , the traveller . From where do you come ? What are you doing ? How do you like India ? Would you like some chai ? It ’ s a wonderful experience , you ’ re a stranger , in a strange land , yet welcomed like a long-lost friend , someone to greet , to adore , to befriend . Emotionally , one is very rarely lost in India .
A recent ride north , through the small state of Uttarakhand presented so many variances that it became difficult to remember where I was . The mountainous lands of the lower Himalayas presented many isolated townships , all with their own beliefs and cultures , it was far cry from the previous few days of riding across the plains of Uttar Pradesh .
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