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Published: September 18th 2008
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Tuesday I returned to the land of mustaches and curry after my flight from Kathmandu touched down in Varanasi. On the bus to town I met a local guy named Sandeep who was helping me and 2 japanese tourists to find our guesthouses. I went over and sat next to him when the bus got more crowded. I learned that he is a post-secondary student (1 year of study after high school) that is currently take prep courses so that he might get into the best technical school in the country- IIT (which only 1% get into).
Koko (as Sandeep likes to be called) is a really intelligent, friendly, and nice kid. He agreed to ride with me to my guesthouse, waited outside as I got my room, and then walked me 1.5 miles north up the western bank of the Ganges river. He brought me to the daily "Arti" service that occurs each evening (see pictures). Afterwards he was off to make it home to dinner.
The next morning he meant me down on the Ganges and took me on an adventure through just about every neighborhood of the city by auto-rickshaw, bicycle-rickshaw and foot. I learned much
Kumari
This taken just after I made a very large donation the street children of Kathmandu (when my wallet was stolen). This is the living incarnation of the king of gods! (she looks pretty sweet, huh?) about Indian culture, food, beer, tea. We went to the suburb of Sarnath, where Buddha gave his first speech after attaining enlightenment. And then there was a soccergame played by his friends north of the city on a beautiful 300 acre private campus. Most places we went people assumed Koko was my tour guide and asked him about me, but he explained again and again that I was his friend he met at the airport. They always seemed interested in my profession, and he told them I was going to be an eye surgeon. A stop at a local beer shop led to a conversation with a local who is a radio DJ and offered to pay us 500 rupee ($12) If Koko and I went on the air and talked about Trachoma and nightblindness. We also went to the main funeral pyre where 150-200 bodies are burned a day. Overall, it was an incredible day and gave me a great insider's view on live in Varanasi.
Perhaps Karma swung in my favor after the pickpocketing in Kathmandu? I'm not sure. But I do know that Koko is a great guy and sincerely just wants to show me his
city, get to speak english for a while, and hopefully come visit me in the states when he finishes university. Tomorrow we're meeting up again in the morning before I take an overnight train to Agra to see the Taj Majal.
Varanasi is a city I dreamed of visiting every since 9th grade when we watched a documentary on life here. This place exudes a constant barrage of the human experience. It is thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet, and is the holiest place for Hindus anywhere. The ganges river is the centerpiece of life and its water is considered holy. Everyone, including water buffalo, bathe in it. Bodies are burned alongside it and their ashes thrown in (Except for the bodies or holy men, children under 12 and pregnant women which are dumped directly in. Also- those that die of a cobra bite are placed on a raft and sent to sea because they make awaken after 3 days and need to be given the chance to come back to life)
Around every corner there seems to be something happening, and rarely a moment passes when your senses are not stimulated: by
the smells of incense, or cow dung, or frying bread or burning bodies. By the tastes of spicy indian food, dust in your mouth, or rich black or chai tea. By the sights of vibrant saris (women's dresses), flowers, or endless traffic. By the touch of sweat rolling down your face, bumps in the road during a rickshaw ride, or squishy mud on the ganges shore under your feet. Or by the sounds of indian classical music, constant barrages of car and motorcycle horns, or people trying to get your to buy things. In the end though Varanasi is a city that has to be experienced to be understood.
I have found Indians to be very pleasant people, and while 95% of them just want to get money out of you any way they can, about 5% really are sincere in their comments. This minority loves to speak english, to smile with you, to help you and to share their country. (On a side note- a common way for touts to start a conversation before the attempt to sell you something if for them to say "hello, from where are you" etc. Yesterday an american guy answered "Mars" and
they seemed quite confused. priceless. Lately i've been trying to come up with a better answer but have failed)
Before I sign off, I must talk about the food here. It is wonderful. I have been stuffing myself silly everyday on street food and the occassional restaurant. Varanasi is a vegetarians dream (if you like spicy food). For breakfast the local favorite is "Poori" which is a flat bread which is deep fried and used to scoop up curried potatoes. This can be joined with deep fried donuts filled with lemon water (this is making me want to get more right now). For lunch and dinner there are many choices. Dosas are classic- this is the lightly fried dough stuffed with potatoes, cheese and other goodies. Then there are lassis, and endless assortment of desserts. Interesteringly, another local favorite is the beetle nut which is placed in the mouth with a number of spices, pandan leaves, and calcium carbonate (lyme) and the chewed like tobacco. It tastes kinda sweet and lets you spit bright red goo from your mouth. Yay! (Side effect- While the lime cools our mouth, it burns off a layer of skin). Another cool thing is
that your bowls for street food are made from dried leaves and are totally biodegradeable and just tossed on the street for the dogs and cows to eat. Also, tea is often served in bowls made from the shores of the ganges river. This imparts a salty taste to the tea, and when you're done it's back into the river!
That's all from now. I'm off to Agra tomorrow for the last leg of the trip.
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