the bearded lady of Varanasi

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The song had lasted an hour already, and drunk with its rhythms I knew I needed to get home whilst I could still walk or end up sleeping on the temple floor. I came alone tonight, arriving just as my companions were leaving. I was just past midnight and as I began to make my way out of the temple i spotted a tall dreadlocked figure loping ahead of me and scarpered along side it. I regognised this guy from the travel agent this afternoon. Are you going home?
Yes
Do you want to share a richkshaw home?
Yeh sure.
So we climbed on the rickshaw and began the dark and bumpy journey home to the old city. when we live in cities so lit up with signs and 7-elevens we forget how dark night is. In Varanasi like many parts of India night is dark and populated by shadows. It makes you move different it makes you feel different, the city of the day is no long the same place.

I actually work very hard in Varanasi, rising at 5 and averaging about 6 hours of drumming a day. By 10pm I'm already thinking about bed and midnight arrived in musical delerium. However as tired though I may be I was not the one peddling the rickshaw this night. the rickshaw would take a good 20minutes and cost no more than a dollar for usboth. Jake at my side is all limbs and dreadlocks. His fine creamy complexion and cherubin lips sashay and pout through wire rimmed glasses and a Rasputin beard, making him look like the bearded woman of Varanasi.

We reach the edge of the old city and we go on by foot as the rickshaw can go no further. My handy torch sees us clear of many a dark alley turd. Random men stand in doorways or piss in the gutters. Lone dogs stare us down then look away disinterested. We reach a dog gang at an intersection and I dare not approach any further. daddy long legs beside me is now behind me and I get my water bottle ready for combat. We must go through and show no fear. So here come little miss Muffet and her daddy'o full of Om Shanti and the Canine street scum beligerantly part! There's got to be a better way of doing this.

I start to recognise my area close to the guest house and release my chaperone with my torch. I know I'm pretty close to Kumiko's now and if I haven't been beaten and he hasn't been raped I don't think it's going to make andy difference at this stage whether the bearded lady of Varanasi walks me to my door or not. I forge ahead using the force to steer around turds and zen cool to smile at rioting canine street gangs as they run straight for me them past in salivating anticipating for a rumble at the other end of the alley.

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