Wednesday, December 15, 2004
jingle bells
india... yes indeed, everything they say about the smell, the poverty, the lepers, the over-crowding etc, is true. I won't bore you too much with stories about that (we are gradually getting used to it anyway; and maybe the photos capture some of it). Suffice to say that it is filthy, chaotic, charming and incredibly cheap.
we arrived over the border on foot from Nepal 4 days ago - missing passport control on our first saunter through (no desks, no signs, nothing!), until an indian man in backpack spotting mode caught us and sent us back in. The lack of staff and facilities at the border set the tone for everywhere else...
Like the border, at the train station there was one man in attendance for about 2,000 people buying tickets, waiting, sleeping and living on the platform. True to form we were almost run down by 2 cows on the platform (cows, another recurring theme in this country...), followed by dogs, rats and monkeys. One little rat was so balsy as to come and sit centimetres from my shoe - while 7 rickshaw drivers stood around and wondered why pete was making such a fuss.
After many hours sampling almost all the public transport offered by india we made it to Varanasi (hinduism most holy city). Not even a big dot on the map - but an awe inspiring 13 million people.
The tourist focus in Varanasi, apart from cultivating our indo/european hippie look (dreadlocks, natural fibers, beads, headscarves and red dots on forehead), is to sail past the ghats. There are more than 30 of the things along the shore of the river where people go to bathe, do laundry, get massaged (including pete!), and be cremated. while walking past we gritted our teeth and looked directly into the cremation fires (and were treated to a 'cremation is education' talk by one of the staff) - but happily saw nothing too disturbing.
we were approached one evening by a boatman and promised to go out with him for our de rigeur sail-past the next morning. I think he expected never to see us again - but waited dutifully at 6am anyway. He was thrilled when we waved to him from our hotel verandah. seeing his glee at being hired may have been the best 90 pence we have spent so far.
after the ghats the other premier tourist destinations are an insanely rundown fort and the tree where buddha preached his first sermon. Both arguably the cheapest tourist sites ever (at 15 pence and 4 pence admission respectively). we have seen both... now we can get back to shopping for tie dyed trousers, working on our dreads and burning incense in our hotel room.
we arrived over the border on foot from Nepal 4 days ago - missing passport control on our first saunter through (no desks, no signs, nothing!), until an indian man in backpack spotting mode caught us and sent us back in. The lack of staff and facilities at the border set the tone for everywhere else...
Like the border, at the train station there was one man in attendance for about 2,000 people buying tickets, waiting, sleeping and living on the platform. True to form we were almost run down by 2 cows on the platform (cows, another recurring theme in this country...), followed by dogs, rats and monkeys. One little rat was so balsy as to come and sit centimetres from my shoe - while 7 rickshaw drivers stood around and wondered why pete was making such a fuss.
After many hours sampling almost all the public transport offered by india we made it to Varanasi (hinduism most holy city). Not even a big dot on the map - but an awe inspiring 13 million people.
The tourist focus in Varanasi, apart from cultivating our indo/european hippie look (dreadlocks, natural fibers, beads, headscarves and red dots on forehead), is to sail past the ghats. There are more than 30 of the things along the shore of the river where people go to bathe, do laundry, get massaged (including pete!), and be cremated. while walking past we gritted our teeth and looked directly into the cremation fires (and were treated to a 'cremation is education' talk by one of the staff) - but happily saw nothing too disturbing.
we were approached one evening by a boatman and promised to go out with him for our de rigeur sail-past the next morning. I think he expected never to see us again - but waited dutifully at 6am anyway. He was thrilled when we waved to him from our hotel verandah. seeing his glee at being hired may have been the best 90 pence we have spent so far.
after the ghats the other premier tourist destinations are an insanely rundown fort and the tree where buddha preached his first sermon. Both arguably the cheapest tourist sites ever (at 15 pence and 4 pence admission respectively). we have seen both... now we can get back to shopping for tie dyed trousers, working on our dreads and burning incense in our hotel room.
// posted by courtney and pete @ 11:22 
Comments:
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Your blogs are verging on excellent these days. Both of you have a knack for telling a story!
Sounds like a hippie paradise!! Once you have purchased the tie-dyes, perfected the dreads and mastered the art of burning incense, can we assume that you are going to look up Ravi Shankar, learn how to play the sitar, discover the meaning of life on a mountain top and begin looking for hidden meanings in songs played backwards?
(All of a sudden I'm remembering my youth! Uh oh - I'm starting to see peace signs and afros and I swear I just heard someone say "groovy, man"! Help - I'm remembering the 60s!!! I thought those brain cells had died!!!)
Enough rambling for now,
Love ya,
Aunti Sharon
Sounds like a hippie paradise!! Once you have purchased the tie-dyes, perfected the dreads and mastered the art of burning incense, can we assume that you are going to look up Ravi Shankar, learn how to play the sitar, discover the meaning of life on a mountain top and begin looking for hidden meanings in songs played backwards?
(All of a sudden I'm remembering my youth! Uh oh - I'm starting to see peace signs and afros and I swear I just heard someone say "groovy, man"! Help - I'm remembering the 60s!!! I thought those brain cells had died!!!)
Enough rambling for now,
Love ya,
Aunti Sharon
# posted by 
: 12:39 pm
: 12:39 pm
Now then - here is the first of my resolutions for 2005 - must get to meet Aunti Sharon. She is obviously a 60's good time girl - topless at Woodstock no doubt -skirts worn as a neck scarf - the odd bash of wacky backy - Norwegian Wood - 'close your eyes and I'll kiss you'- Eagles flying high (well they might have been!)- we never had it so good!
Time to lie down in a darkened room!
Dad
Time to lie down in a darkened room!
Dad
# posted by : 10:04 am
: 10:04 am
Did Pete write the first two paragraphs of this post? Or are you writing styles becoming frighteningly similar.....
Hey, Graham! That's my kid sister you're talking about!
The Courtney mom
(Actually you've got her pretty much figured out!)
The Courtney mom
(Actually you've got her pretty much figured out!)
# posted by : 12:10 am
: 12:10 am
To Will - I agree - I'm having trouble telling the difference between Courtney and Peter on the recent posts. They are both excellent.
To Marsha - thanks for sticking up for me (not!) You're just jealous 'cuz I had all the fun!
To Graham - I would have given anything to be one of the half million strong. Unfortunately my mother said I was too young to go :(
I will admit, my skirt was about the size of a neck scarf but no-one ever noticed when I burned my bra!!!! My dream was Haight-Ashbury but my reality was Niagara Falls! Bum trip, eh?
To The Landlord - I understand if you aren't aware of the phenomenom known as "Woodstock" - I don't imagine Blue Peter covered that subject! You are of the generation for whom JFK was always dead, Elvis was always fat and Man always walked on the moon!!!!
Peace brother!
Aunti Sharon
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To Marsha - thanks for sticking up for me (not!) You're just jealous 'cuz I had all the fun!
To Graham - I would have given anything to be one of the half million strong. Unfortunately my mother said I was too young to go :(
I will admit, my skirt was about the size of a neck scarf but no-one ever noticed when I burned my bra!!!! My dream was Haight-Ashbury but my reality was Niagara Falls! Bum trip, eh?
To The Landlord - I understand if you aren't aware of the phenomenom known as "Woodstock" - I don't imagine Blue Peter covered that subject! You are of the generation for whom JFK was always dead, Elvis was always fat and Man always walked on the moon!!!!
Peace brother!
Aunti Sharon
# posted by : 12:53 am
: 12:53 am << Home
