What a short, strange trip it's been!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Varanasi, India
Whirlwind... Final night and morning in Pushkar was as kicked back as the rest of it. I walked from my hotel in Pushkar to the bus station to catch a bus to Ajmer... It was the first and only time I have ever actually wanted (or didn't want) a rickshaw and one didn't come along. It was hot, and I did my lion's share of shopping while in Pushar (Rajasthan is well known for it's rocks and it's soft goods.. Drool.) I sweated my way up the hill to the bus station. A whole 7 rupee ride to Ajmer. It's the 7 rp ride that you realize that some can't afford where I really remember the stark difference in incomes, here. Crazy. It was a good ride, though I was stuffed next to a man and his wife, as my pack wouldn't fit in the upper shelving, so I curled my knees basically in my face, and even when the bus started to empty as we hit local destinations within Ajmer, they didn't move. Another cultural thing! Whatever, no worries. Very friendly young guys in back of me anxious to try out their english and to give me a cell number in case I needed help with anything. Sweet, not neccessary, but sweet.

Made it to the train station with a rickshaw this time from the bus to the train station- got there with ten minutes to spare . I'd had a good night's sleep the night before, unfortunately, so when the sun went down and there was nothing left to see out the window, I was still awake, wishing I could just crash til Delhi. No matter. Another first: Bomb sniffing dogs on the train. Hmm. Is this supposed to make me feel better or worse, I thought? I'll go with better. Got there, Kunal met me at the train station. Nobody without a ticket can come in to the station any more (without paying, which is what touts will do) as a "security" measure. Not so sure that 40 rp or so would be the deterrent if I was going to blow up a train station, but whatever. We walked back to Paharganj and I took a nice freezing cold shower and went to bed.

The next day- wedding. I met and spent time with Sunil each and every time I went through Delhi last year, and of course so far this year, so I was a little caught up in this wedding vs. the one I went to last year in Amritsar, where I'd never met either party getting married . He wasn't very happy about it.  Strange place to be, I think, in his shoes. He has an Indian girlfriend (as well as a foreign mistress, I guess); but he was pretty in love with his Indian girlfriend, from the sound of it. The wedding was of course arranged and he was getting married solely because his mom wanted him to marry. Hadn't met her prior to being propped up on stage with her to marry and intensely photographed.

The whole wedding process was pretty similar to the Sikh wedding I'd attended, less the money involved (not because of religion, we're just talking vastly different incomes here). The major difference for ME, anyway, was that at this wedding- I was absolutely mobbed. It was actually awful. I sort of went in waves of dealing with it and gladhanding and whatnot and then like... Wanting to run in back of a wall somewhere and crying. I felt like Britney Spears or something. Seriously. MOBBED. There would be as much as 60 or so people crowding around me at all angles, touching me, trying to talk to me, some of them cute, some of them rude ... And I felt awful, because there were more people watching me and paying attention to everything I did than were watching the wedding ceremony. Hated it. I would have left earlier would it not have been so painfully obvious that I did. Half of the people there would have followed me, probably. It was so bad and so obvious that Sunil- on his wedding night- called me an hour or so later, after we finally did race off into the night on a motorcycle behind Sunil's brother Sunny, to ask if I was OK. I just put a smile in my voice and was like, "Of course! Thank you so much, what a lovely wedding."  It WAS really cool to see it and be part of it; the mobbing was pretty terrible and detracted from the rest of it, which sucked. Amusing in retrospect, I guess. Sort of. It was nice to see part of the wedding (from over everyone's heads... listening through hundreds of people trying to talk to me..) and it was interesting to get pulled on to the wedding platform a few times to be photographed... In the middle, on the side, etc ., next to the bride, now the groom... On and on. The celebrity wore off in a hurry though, and I was pretty happy to get back to parts of Delhi where there were a few other foreigners to take the heat.

Soo.. That was the wedding. I'd had a pretty sore throat that day, and decided to go ahead and succumb to being sick the next day- a cold/flu kind of thing. I slept for a good 30-40 hours straight, through the next morning. Got up slowly, and then went to a market in Delhi- more of an arts show, I guess. I got some cool framed drawings there and some pottery. It took time and energy, and I was fine with calling my last night in Delhi an early one. I had a flight from Delhi to Varanasi yesterday, and wanted to get up early to ship some stuff home (that's always a project that takes much more time and dedication than anyone would think. Ever.), put some stuff together that I wanted to leave with Kunal for my trip home (carry on the plane, and not around the rest of India), and knocked off some business before grabbing a confusing and subsequently annoying cab ride to the airport . (Thanks for hooking up the free ride, Kunal, really... But you get what you pay for.) Machine gunners in Hum-V type rides on the way in- security has definitely stepped up since the last time I was at the domestic terminal. The wrong one, as it turned out, but the domestic terminal. Walked to the correct terminal with the help and luggage cart of a kind Kingfisher employee in time to catch my plane. Yay. I thought training it would be fun, but I've done that trip before, and I got a hell of a deal on the flight. It was about $20 difference between riding 3AC and flying, and time is not on my side.

Arrived in Varanasi... Guy tried to sell me an overpriced taxi... Been there, done that, buddy. Got the realistically priced one and got to deal with the driver picking up various friends and dropping them off again along the way. One guy had his face full of that Betel nut chew shit- seriously disgusting- I mean FULL of it- and he was trying to talk me in to using his guide service . I was trying hard not to gag while he was spitting at/talking to me. No, sir, I don't think I want to shake your hand. It was great driving in to town though, and I recognized where I was dropped off as being the closest car-accessable area to Meer Ghat, which is where I'm staying. Got out, hiked to the hotel. Sun had set, and I missed the starting of the Puja ceremony just down the river, but I got settled in my room and came on out to check out the evening happenings along the Ganges where I could see it from the hotel balcony. I recognized about 3 or 4 of the staff and they recognized me too, which was fun, for sure. I am disappointed that I'm not in my same room, but hey. Can't have it all. I ate too much and then went to bed.

Today, day 1 in Varanasi. I talked to Marcela this morning- she's here again this year, I'm going to see her tomorrow. I wandered down here to Krrish's internet shop, good to see him again too. Lives go on! It's pretty neat to be back . I have a few more photos to upload before I wander down to the ghats to make some more photos. This place is pretty amazing. I want to catch Puja tonight and actually get a spot in front this time, and everything takes so much longer in India... So I'd better head down there pretty soon. Waiting for these last few photos to upload before I take off.

Plan: Not sure. I am tempted to stay here just two or three nights more and then hop a train to Orissa, to see some stuff I haven't seen before, or I could stay here through the 17th or so and head south. I know already that I want some serious beach time. I think I need more of a "vacation" this year than I did last year, so I want at least 10 days with my ass planted in the sand. I'm going to head back to Delhi either the night of the 29th or the morning of the 30th, have to leave the 31st (technically) at 1am... So I'm trying to back out my plans and figure out if it's realistic for me to get to Orissa this time around. I may head south and call Hampi my new adventure this year, which sounds easier and warmer and all that good stuff than spending a couple of days trying to navigate a new city or two. Adventure vs. ass-planting? Hmm. Right now the planting of the ass in some warm sand with Gotam's family in Patnem sounds great.

I could change my mind if I meet another traveller today who gives me a great idea, though...

I can now count to five and say thank you in Hindi. I have "beautiful" written down somewhere. My Hindi skills are limited, one could say.

Okay, pictures, upload...

Til later, friends. Namaste!

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