Through to Delhi

While in Nepal I head rumblings of boy in the woods who was suspected to be a reincarnation of The Buddha. It is said he has been meditating for 6 or more months without food or water. I don't believe it, but I had to see him for myself...

So, this new Buddha and scenery were the reasons for going overland into India. It was quite difficult, though the actual distance between Kathmandu and Varanasi is minuscule in Western senses, it took me several days. Most of Nepal is rural and breathtaking. When I arrived in the medium-sized town of Nijgad and stopped in the street to get my bearings I immediately got a fan club- there must have been 80-90 people surrounding me...





As soon as I could I visited the jungle where He was. Some kind local kids showed me around after the bumpy bus ride into the brush. I am not sure what I was expecting, but there was a pretty impressive set-up out there- food, souvenirs, even a couple rickshaws. It wasn't anything like aggressively huge piles of Plutos at Disneyland, but it was sure something for Nepal. I did not see any other whities there, but was told they regularly stopped by. I was allowed to get about 15 or 20 meters closer than the locals. Admittedly, I was willing to slip someone some money, but it seems my skin color was enough. This photo of him is terrible, but it is the best I took. If you're interested, a google search would be best.







The bus to the border was a fantastic ride. Again I was the only Westerner for hours, even days... I especially like the rest stops where I'm able to observe and participate in local exchanges- meals, conversation, tea... The scenery wasn't as amazing as coming into Nepal over the mountains, but it was similarly dense and lush. Getting from the border town of Birganz's city center over into India was extremely easy- as soon as I got off the bus a cycle rickshaw driver offered me a ride for 50 cents USD. This included carrying my pack to the rickshaw and waiting at both immigration offices (I ended up giving him more, as the entire journey took quite a while). It would have been easy to walk over the bridge from Birganz right into Raxaul, India- you can see the ease at this border crossing!





I had several hours to kill while I waited for my midnight train to the holy city of Varanasi. When I first got here I was really excited. I felt prepared for the intensity of the scenes and crowds from all the things I had heard and read about India. Raxual is nothing special- lots of cows and even more dust. The highlight was buying simple shoes for a tea-running small boy just outside the train station. He was one of the dozens staring at me in the late night, stall lights yellow, jingling rickshaw bells, constant chatter... I generally don't give money to children, but often small toys and in this case something bigger. He was pleased and I don't care that I probably paid too much.

The train was expected to arrive in Varanasi at 11:30am. Due to political unrest, we were nearly TEN hours late. Nevertheless, the journey was exciting (seems I have fan clubs all over India- see photos below) and had what is probably the holiest city in the subcontinent at the end- the main home of the sacred Ganges- Varanasi.




The main thing to see is the river - a thing of beauty, as you can see, but also a thing of filth- I saw bodies being burned on the banks (being cremated there means one can escape the cycle of rebirth and ascend accordingly) and also being dumped from a boat. People wash clothes and themselves on the banks as well- in water where septic systems pour into...


















My next stop was Lucknow, a decent place, but full of hardship for me. It is still a little difficult to think about those few days. I had problems with trains, begging children, dying dogs, a pervert (a guy grabbed my backside- not the first time this happened in India, but the first time I screamed and hit someone!), hotels and rickshaw drivers. Even so, I saw some wonderful sites and had good food: (note: 'Aryan restaurant' !!??)

























Everything turned around in Agra. Upon arrival I met a wonderful Australian couple that I spent a couple of days with there and also traveled to Delhi with. The Taj Mahal was nice, but I liked Akbar's Mausoleum heaps more. The setting was beautiful- there were deer and monkeys everywhere!

Delhi is fantastic when you're in the right frame of mind. I have fun with touts, make eye contact with beggars, and sweetly demand fair prices. There are wonderful sites and museums and millions of people to enjoy and watch. I'm headed to The world Sikh capital, Amritsar, tomorrow. Thank you for the kind words, mail that came in and well wishes.