Muzaffarpur

Got to leave Patna for the first time yesterday. On official business, of course. Drove down to Muzaffarpur, the largest city in Northern Bihar with around 350,000 people. (Also famous for its litchis. Unfortunately they are out of season.) We left Patna, crossing one of the longest river bridges in the world- the Mahatma Gandhi Setu- over 5.5KM long. Unfortunately, the bridge is always under repair- and is the only road link to Northern Bihar.

Crossing the mighty Ganga was a great sight- the river is enormous- but there are a lot of silt deposits that make it possible for fishermen to get out and wade mid river.

The road we were on, although a national highway, was miserably narrow but in remarkably good condition. The change in scenery from the filth-ridden urban sprawl of Patna to the lush green countryside was very welcome, along with the rain that accompanied us all the way to our destination. As we wound our way to Muzaffarpur, avoiding cattle, cyclists, motorcyclists, cycle-rickshaws, motorized rickshaws, scooters, pedestrians, SUVs and trucks- I realized that the country is losing productivity, millions of man-hours and thousands of gallons of fuel because of these incredibly inefficient free-for-all roads. A distance of 72KM (44miles) took us over 2 hours. Infrastructure is a must.

The details of what was done in Muzaffarpur officially shall remain a mystery to all of you till plans are finalized.

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In other news, I got an aquaguard today. So I can finally drink water at home. Still no fridge.
Also- to all those who love restaurants and good business deals- this city needs a few good places to eat. So come invest in Patna.