I can barely keep track of the days, but I will attempt to do a recap of the past week or so that I have been MIA. I'm not sure if it is India, the lack of a job, general disarray, or differentiating climates, but I can never tell a person when I have arrived in the place I am in or plan on leaving it. Either way that is relatively irrelevant as the world is my oyster and India is my playground (or at least until next Tuesday when I fly to Bangkok).
So after Agra, my plan was to head to Varanasi. It seemed everyone visiting the Taj Mahal was leaving for Varanasi on the same train I was so I made plans to share a rickshaw with my new friend Marcus and off we went. This turned out to be the best rickshaw ride of my life as my young driver and his oddly-dressed (like a priest?) friend who hung on for his dear life were blasting Bollywood music as loud as their sound system allowed as we sped through the streets at 11PM. We arrived at the train station, the train was there, and I settled down to sleep in my sleeper class (finally decided to downgrade from the upper class).
Waking up near Varanasi, I grew tremendously excited. Varanasi is one of the spiritual capitals of India. Many Hindus bring their dead to be burned at the ghats (steps leading down to the river) on the Ganges, one of the holiest rivers in India... also the most polluted. I had been experiencing minor nightmares leading up. This might have been due to my antimalarials or just the wide array of reviews I had heard about the city. However, when Marcus and I arrived in Varanasi, we immediately befriended 2 Israelis (!!) and shot off to a hotel.
Little did I know this would end up being the best thing to happen to me as the four of us spent the entire time together in Varanasi. I not only learned some Hebrew, but I learned how to sharpen my bargaining skills. I now no longer accept the prices given to me.
300 Rupees for a room?! No way! I pay 150 Rupees.
500 Rupees for a patchwork silk tablecloth thing I don't really want but feel like bargaining for? I say 100, they say 3... I walk away when they don't take 200 Rupees. The man runs after me and says okay okay.
And my best bargain yet -- handwoven Indian silk. Yes, I now own 9 meters of it and plan on creating some exquisite clothing. Originally they wanted $115 USD, I got it for $80 USD.
Yes, I am just that good these days. My new Israeli friends taught me an exquisite art that I will be sad to no longer practice. I officially love saying a low price, slowly coming up, never going over a certain amount, trying to hand the money over, and then walking away as a last resort. And then you get chased. And then you win.
I was having so much fun in Varanasi -- boat rides down the Ganges, nightly prayer ceremonies, crazy restaurant owners giving away bootleg rum, etc. I was getting sad to leave but then became even sadder as the Indian food and water finally caught up to me and I became sick. I figured it was nothing too bad as we set off for Darjeeling (up in the Himalayas, just like the tea!) but it was definitely made worse by the altitude and maybe the 12 hour train ride that turned into a 20 hour ordeal. By the time I got to Darjeeling, I was definitely imagining worse case scenarios.
Ever the hypochondriac, I decided I had malaria. Luckily that belief was crushed when I went to the doctor after 4 days of not feeling so hot (if you get what I mean). However, the doctor and nurse were quite kind, told me it was mere indigestion, prescribed me a million drugs, laughed at the notion of malaria, and sent me off.
And that brings me to today. I finally feel better. This morning I woke up at 3 AM to see the sunrise over the Himalayas. It was lovely albeit a touch cloudy due to the time of year. I have also made some American friends. It took me a while, but I noticed that few Americans travel India and so this is the first time I have hung out with some. I also haven't hung out with many girls as most do not come to India apparently. So as of now, I finish up my time in Darjeeling with four American guys who have been working at a hospital in Central India and we are about to go on a pony ride. Literally, the saddles are on. So off I must go but glad to have caught up!
Next stop (and last Indian destination): Kolkata
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