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So we are currently in Varanasi. More on that later, this is the long route we took to get here.
We ended up leaving Kolkata on a night train to the town of Gaya from where we could catch rickshaw to Bodhgaya (the city where Prince Siddartho reached enlightenment and became Buddha). Waited at the hot, balmy train station for hours after spending an afternoon walking around in the heat. There was no cooling down in the heat, so we found a spot on the floor near a crowded fan and began to wait for our night train that would be running late. Around 8pm we got a small snack and this is where the fun begins ...
I had only one bite of this tasty Paneer Roll while Andrew ate the rest. As we found out the next morning apparently there was something that was just not right with this little snack. See, for the next two days it insisted on being noticed by horrific gut pain and hundreds of trips to the toilet. Like I said I was not hit at hard, but I felt the pain. Andrew on the other hand went for the double whammy
- food bacteria and heat exhaustion. Yeah it was scary and as you may imagine it is hard to cool down when the temperatures are over 100 degrees and the humidity upwards of 80% and it is hard to soothe a raw stomache when the food is spicy and greasy. So, on our third day in Bodhgaya we made our way to the temple where Buddha became Buddha. What a beautiful place and the gardens surrounding were just amazing. All throughout were Buddhist pilgrims coming to this sight that is so sacred to them. Really awesome to see.
Next stop Patna. We decided to try to escape the heat after the not so fun previous days, so we were ready to head for Nepal. The city to the north from where we could catch a bus to the border is called Patna and is the capital of the state of Bihar. Upon entering we were unaware that this place is dubbed one of the most dangerous cities in India and Bihar the most dangerous state. Needless to say we made it in and out safely. This city was real. In your face. Dirt, grime, poverty and just very hard
to witness. Not a tourist destination, so it was interesting to see and will definitely be a place that is remembered. All that being said, we did not want to have to wait another 15 hours to take a night bus to the border town, so long story short, we hopped a train to Varanasi.
Now Varanasi- what a magical place. This is the city where Hindu people come to die. They come here to die and are then burned/cremated on the ghats (bathing steps) that lead into the Ganges River. It is possible to watch this process and we did and it is quite a sight. Stealing Andrew's thoughts here in my words - it is this sacred ritual experience, but there is a waiting list, there is an order, but the steps seem clumsy and rushed to get the body burning so the next one can start. When the body is done being burned the youngest some deposits one large bone into the river. There is much more to the process but that is the ending. Other than that big claim to fame, Varanasi is a nice city. In the old city there are winding narrow alleyways
crowded with cows, goats, dogs, vendors, locals, people from all over India. Quite a fun city to get lost in. The river front is lined with ghats, 2 of which are designated for burning bodies and the rest are bathing ghats. Much of our time has been spent finding a shady spot and watching the people. Everything is sacred here and the river is the Mother God to the Hindu people and so it is wuite beautiful to watch some of the interactions. Well the man bathing this morning and gargling eith river water was not so pretty, but some things are. So we are on our third day here and will be leaving this evening on a night train to Gorakhpur and then on to the Nepalese border and a long bus ride to Kathmandu. Should be in Kathmandu by tomorrow night.
That is about it for now.
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Dad (or Dave)
non-member comment
Great to hear from you
Alyssa and Andrew, it is great to hear from you, as we were getting a little worried. From what you describe it is not the healthiest and safest place to be in the world. Just be careful and make sure you eat and rest. Other than sounding like a parent, I just want to say that reading your blog is very interesting, and I'm learning a lot from you both. And it looks like the Ganges River is even dirtier than the San Francisco Bay! Take care, Dad